Better Business Cases courses

The right choice depends on your current certification status, your role, and how quickly you want to reach Practitioner level.

Better Business Cases Foundation

Choose the Foundation course if you are new to the Five Case Model and want to understand its structure, purpose, and how it supports investment decisions. It has no prerequisites, suits a wide range of roles – including project professionals, finance and procurement specialists, and analysts who review business cases – and leads to an APMG-accredited Foundation certificate that does not expire.

Better Business Cases Practitioner

Choose the Practitioner course if you already hold the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate and want to apply the Five Case Model in practice – developing, reviewing, and quality-assuring real business case documents. It is well suited to business case authors, approvers, and public sector professionals involved in investment decisions.

Better Business Cases combined (Foundation and Practitioner)

Choose the Combined course if you have no prior certification and want to achieve both qualifications in one programme. At 4 days instructor-led or 27 hours self-paced, it is the most efficient route for professionals who develop or assure complex business cases and need to move quickly from awareness to practical application. Both exams and the official digital manual are included.

Quick comparison

• Foundation only: No prerequisites – 2 days or 12 hours – ideal for those new to the Five Case Model
• Practitioner only: Requires Foundation certificate – 2 days or 15 hours – for those ready to progress
• Combined: No prerequisites – 4 days or 27 hours – most efficient route to both qualifications

Both the Foundation and Practitioner certificates are valid for life with no renewal requirement.

Yes – the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate is a formal prerequisite for the Better Business Cases Practitioner course and exam.

APMG International, which accredits the Better Business Cases qualification, requires candidates to hold the Foundation certificate before they can sit the Practitioner exam. This prerequisite exists because the Practitioner level builds directly on Foundation knowledge – rather than re-explaining the Five Case Model from the beginning, the Practitioner course focuses on applying the framework to realistic proposals, developing key business case documents, and assuring the quality of investment cases.

If you do not yet hold the Foundation certificate, you have two options:

• Take Foundation first, then Practitioner separately. The Foundation course takes 2 days (instructor-led) or 12 hours (self-paced), and the Practitioner course follows at 2 days or 15 hours.
• Take the combined course. This covers both levels together – 4 days instructor-led or 27 hours self-paced – and includes both exams. No prior Foundation certificate is needed to enrol on the combined option, as it begins with Foundation content and progresses to Practitioner.

If you already hold the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate, you can enrol directly on the Practitioner course without repeating Foundation training.

The Better Business Cases Foundation and Practitioner exams differ significantly in format, duration, difficulty, and what they test – the Foundation exam assesses knowledge and understanding, while the Practitioner exam assesses your ability to apply the Five Case Model in practice.

Foundation exam

• Format: Multiple choice (objective test), closed book
• Questions: 50 questions
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Pass mark: 50% (25 out of 50)
• Prerequisites: None

Practitioner exam

• Format: Multiple choice (objective test), open book
• Questions: 4 questions, each worth 20 marks (80 marks total)
• Duration: 150 minutes
• Pass mark: 50% (40 out of 80)
• Prerequisites: Better Business Cases Foundation certificate

A key practical difference is that the Practitioner exam is open book, meaning candidates can refer to the official guidance during the exam. However, the questions are scenario-based and require you to apply the Better Business Cases method, not simply recall facts – so preparation through practice and worked examples is essential.

Both exams are accredited by APMG International, results are available the same day, and both certificates are valid for life with no renewal requirement.

Both the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate and the Better Business Cases Practitioner certificate are valid for life and do not expire. This applies to all candidates who pass either or both qualifications, regardless of when they were certified.

Unlike some other APMG International qualifications – such as AgilePM or Change Management, which carry a five-year “Registered Practitioner” status that requires re-registration – Better Business Cases has no renewal requirement at either level. There is no re-registration exam, no continuing professional development obligation tied to the certificate, and no expiry date to track.

In practical terms, this means:

• Better Business Cases Foundation – valid for life, no renewal needed.
• Better Business Cases Practitioner – valid for life, no renewal needed.
• There is no “Registered Practitioner” status associated with Better Business Cases, so the five-year renewal rules that apply to some other APMG products do not apply here.

Once you pass the exam, you can access your digital certificate and badge through the APMG Candidate Portal, with the digital badge hosted via Credly. Both are available to claim within two business days of your result being published.

The study time required varies by course level and delivery format, ranging from 12 hours for the self-paced Better Business Cases Foundation course to 15 hours for the self-paced Practitioner course.

Here is a breakdown by level and delivery format:

• Better Business Cases Foundation – 2 days (instructor-led) or approximately 12 hours (self-paced online)
• Better Business Cases Practitioner – 2 days (instructor-led) or approximately 15 hours (self-paced online)
• Better Business Cases combined (Foundation and Practitioner together) – 4 days (instructor-led) or approximately 27 hours (self-paced online)

The instructor-led format runs on fixed scheduled dates with live sessions delivered online by an accredited trainer. The self-paced format gives 12 months of access to interactive online modules, so learners can spread study across weeks or months to fit their schedule.

If you need both qualifications, the combined course is the more efficient option – 4 days or 27 hours covers everything included in the two separate courses, and both exams are included.

The Practitioner course requires the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate as a prerequisite, so learners who do not yet hold Foundation must complete that level first before enrolling on Practitioner alone.

Yes – the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate is a mandatory prerequisite for the Better Business Cases Practitioner course and exam.

APMG International, the accreditation body for Better Business Cases, requires candidates to hold the Foundation certificate before they can sit the Practitioner exam. This means you cannot register for the Practitioner course or exam without first passing Foundation.

If you want to achieve both qualifications without completing Foundation separately first, the most efficient route is the Better Business Cases combined course, which covers Foundation and Practitioner content in a single programme – either over 4 instructor-led days or 27 hours of self-paced online study. Both exams are included, and you sit Foundation before progressing to Practitioner.

Your options at a glance

• Foundation only: No prerequisites – open to anyone. Takes 2 days or 12 hours self-paced.
• Practitioner only: Requires the Better Business Cases Foundation certificate. Takes 2 days or 15 hours self-paced.
• Combined (Foundation + Practitioner): No prerequisites – suitable if you are starting from scratch and want both qualifications. Takes 4 days or 27 hours self-paced.

Both the Foundation and Practitioner certificates are accredited by APMG International and are valid for life with no renewal or re-registration requirement.

Yes – the Better Business Cases Practitioner qualification is worth pursuing if you want to move beyond understanding the Five Case Model and apply it confidently to real business cases.

The Foundation certificate demonstrates that you understand the structure and purpose of the Five Case Model. The Practitioner level builds on that by developing your ability to work with the model in practice – developing, reviewing, and quality-assuring Strategic Outline Cases, Outline Business Cases, and Full Business Cases.

The Practitioner qualification is particularly valuable if you:

• Author or review business cases as part of your role
• Work in the public sector where investment proposals must meet HM Treasury Green Book requirements
• Are responsible for assuring or approving spending proposals
• Work in project, programme, finance, or commercial functions where robust investment decisions matter

One practical advantage is that the Better Business Cases Practitioner certificate, awarded by APMG International, is valid for life and does not expire. There is no re-registration exam and no renewal requirement, so the qualification retains its value without ongoing maintenance.

The Practitioner exam is more demanding than Foundation – it runs for 150 minutes and uses scenario-based questions – but is open book, meaning you can refer to the official guidance during the exam.

If you are starting from scratch, the combined course covers both Foundation and Practitioner and includes both exams, which may be a more efficient route than taking each course separately.