To stand out in the crowd you need to showcase your skills and prove yourself better than others. Project Management Professional Certification Exam helps your employers and colleagues know about your skills in the project management domain. A project management professional certification holder earns 25% more than a non-certification holder. So, before you decide to go for this certification, it is very important to know in details about the exam format and some important policies. The PMP delivers value far into your career. Also, The certification depicts that you have real-life project management experience. So, let us get into the details of this exam and learn a little about all the learning resources too. Let us get underway.
About Project Management Professional Pmp Exam
Project Management Professional (PMP)® is one of the most important industry-recognized certification specifically designed for project managers. PMP certification also provides a significant advantage when it comes to earning potential. The sole objective of the PMP certification is to signify that the candidate understands the global language of project management and connects to a community of professionals, organizations, and experts worldwide. The new version of the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification exam launched on 2 January 2021.
Who Should Apply?
This certification is fitting for individuals with solid experience as project managers, overseeing all aspects of project delivery and leading cross-functional teams.
Exam Prerequisites
To earn the Certified Project Management Professional title, it’s crucial to possess real-world project management experience that has led to success. Before applying, make sure you meet one of the following sets of Project Management Professional Certification Requirements.
- A four-year degree
- 36 months leading projects
- 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification
— OR —
- A high school diploma or an associate’s degree (or global equivalent)
- 60 months leading projects
- 35 hours of project management education/training or CAPM® Certification
Let us now move forward and look at the most important part that is the exam format of the exam.
Exam Format
- First and foremost, the Project Management Professional Certification Exam includes 180 questions that must be answered within a 230-minute time frame. The exam is conducted solely in the English language.
- Following that, expect various question types such as multiple-choice, multiple select, hotspot, and limited fill-in-the-blank. Effective time management practice can help you complete the questions within the allocated time.
- There is one additional break during computer-based tests, allowing a total of two 10-minute breaks. No scheduled breaks are provided for paper-based exams.
- Moreover, the registration cost for the exam is $405 for members and $555 for non-members. The passing score is not disclosed by PMI, and the grading system determines the results.
- Additionally, the PMI certification is valid for three years, requiring recertification by earning PDUs after this period. You can register for the exam on pmi.org by creating an account.
- Lastly, since the passing score is not provided by PMI, it’s crucial to ensure thorough preparation to successfully pass the exam.
| 1. Exam Name Project Management Professional Certification | 2. Exam Code (PMP)® |
| 3. Exam 4 hours | 4. Exam Format Multiple Choice, Multi-Response, hotspot and Fill in the Blanks |
| 5. Exam Prerequisites As suggested | 6. Number of Questions 180 Questions |
| 7. Passing Score PMI® doesn’t give a percentage instead there is a Grading System | 8. Exam Fee For PMI® Members – US $405,For PMI® Non-Member – US $555 |
| 9. Exam Language English | 10. Validity 3 years |
So, now we are done with the exam format. Let us look at some of the exam policies and resources that can used for preparation of the exam.
Recertification Policy
- Firstly, Project Management Professional Certification Exam is valid for 3 years after you pass the certification.
- Furthermore, For recertification the candidate must collect a certain number of PDUs – Professional Development Units. For the Project Management Professional Certification Exam around 60 PDUs are required across different domains as technical, leadership, strategic etc.
- Lastly, There are two ways through which you can earn PDUs- through Education or through giving back to professionals. The certification renewal fees for members is $60 and for non-members is $150.
Certification status
- To start, when you initially earn a certification, you’re in an active status. To maintain this status, fulfill all CCR requirements, including earning and reporting PDUs and submitting the renewal payment before the cycle end date.
- Next, if you fail to meet the CCR program requirements within your current cycle dates, you’ll be placed in suspended status for one year. During this period, you cannot refer to yourself as a certification holder or use the certification designation until you earn the required PDUs or complete the renewal process.
- If the necessary PDUs or renewal process isn’t completed within the suspension period, your certification will expire.
- Lastly, if you’re a certification holder in good standing and choose to voluntarily relinquish your active status due to retirement, you can apply for retired status.
Let us now look at the exam syllabus to get an idea of the direction in which you would want to prepare.
Project Management Professional Exam Outline
Project management professionals now require a broader set of skills and approaches. The Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification exam, updated on January 2, 2021, reflects this change by emphasizing three new domains:
The detailed Project Management Professional Course outline highlights the tasks needed to be completed in order to pass the exam.
Domain I – People (42%)
- Task 1 – Manage conflict
- Task 2 – Lead a team
- Task 3 – Support team performance
- Task 4 – Empower team members and stakeholders
- Task 5 – Ensure team members/stakeholders are adequately trained
- Task 6 – Build a team
- Task 7 – Address and remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
- Task 8 – Negotiate project agreements
- Task 9 – Collaborate with stakeholders
- Task 10 Build shared understanding
- Task 11 – Engage and support virtual teams
- Task 12 – Define team ground rules
- Task 13 Mentor relevant stakeholders
- Task 14 – Promote team performance through the application of emotional intelligence
Domain II – Process (50%)
- Task 1 – Execute project with the urgency required to deliver business value
- Task 2 Manage communications
- Task 3 – Assess and manage risks
- Task 4 – Engage stakeholders
- Task 5 – Plan and manage budget and resources
- Task 6 – Plan and manage schedule
- Task 7 – Plan and manage quality of products/deliverables
- Task 8 – Plan and manage scope
- Task 9 – Integrate project planning activities
- Task 10 – Manage project changes
- Task 11 – Plan and manage procurement
- Task 12 – Manage project artifacts
- Task 13 – Determine appropriate project methodology/methods and practices
- Task 14 – Establish project governance structure
- Task 15 – Manage project issues
- Task 16 – Ensure knowledge transfer for project continuity
- Task 17 – Plan and manage project/phase closure or transitions
Domain III Business Environment (8%)
- Task 1 – Plan and manage project compliance
- Task 2 – Evaluate and deliver project benefits and value
- Task 3 – Evaluate and address external business environment changes for impact on scope
- Task 4 – Support organizational change
To know about the exam syllabus in details and about other policies, you can visit the online tutorials for Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam by Testpreptraining.com!
Preparation Resources for Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam
There are numerous resources that can be used for preparation. But cracking the certification becomes difficult when the set of resources chosen is not apt. You should be very careful while choosing the resources. Moreover, must prepare with the Project Management Professional Pmp Handbook for better understanding. They will determine actually how well you will pass the exam. Henceforth, You can refer to the online communities, blogs, books and e-books, many official resources provided by PMP and practice tests as well as online and instructor-led trainings. You can try a free practice test by testpreptraining.com! Some official resources that you can refer are –
- Firstly, ProjectManagement.com: Plenty of blog posts and community discussions are devoted to exam-prep challenges and advice.
- Also, PMI’s LinkedIn project professional group: A great place to post a question about the exam-prep process when you’ve hit a wall.
- Lastly, Local PMI chapters: These can be another resource when you need a hand.
