PMP® Certification Exam
PMI is the professional association that presides over the Project Management
Professional (PMP)® certification exam, which has become a global standard for the
profession of project management. The PMP exam consists of:
230-minutes to complete exam
180 questions – combination of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching,
hotspot, and limited fill-in-the-blank
PMI requires the potential PMP exam taker to complete at least 35 hours of
prep work. The PMP exam is designed by the PMI such that it “utilizes knowledge
and task-driven guidelines to assess the practitioner’s competence, and determine
the levels of salience, criticality, and frequency of each of the knowledge, tasks, and
skills required to perform to the industry-wide standard in the role of a project
manager.”
PMBOK® Guide – 6th and 7th edition content
The PMBOK® Guide – Sixth edition was designed by PMI to be a project manager
and process-focused, while the new seventh edition is project team and outcome-
focused. Refer to PMI’s handout comparing the 6th to 7th edition PMBOK® Guide for a
point-by-point comparison. Students preparing to take the PMP exam should ensure
they use both editions to study. The more technically focused Sixth edition provides
a foundation of the processes and outputs used by project managers, while the
principle-based PMBOK® Guide 7th edition will enhance your understanding of the
outcomes in addition to the deliverables of a project.
PMBOK® Guide – 6th edition outline
The PMBOK® Guide – 6th edition outlines 5 process groups, 10 knowledge areas,
and 49 processes.
Use a Project Management Process Group and Knowledge Area Mapping matrix to
enhance your understanding of the interconnectedness among them.
PMBOK® Guide – 6th edition process groups
The 5 process groups are initiating, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and
closing.
PMBOK® Guide – 6th edition knowledge areas and processes
The 49 processes, organized by 10 knowledge areas are:
Develop Project Charter; Develop Project Management Plan; Direct
Integration and Manage Project Work; Manage Project Knowledge; Monitor and
Management Control Project Work; Perform Integrated Change Control; Close
Project or Phase.
Plan Scope Management; Collect Requirements; Define Scope;
Scope Management
Create WBS; Validate Scope; Control Scope.
Schedule Plan Schedule Management; Define Activities; Sequence Activities;
Management Estimate Activity Durations; Develop Schedule; Control Schedule.
Cost Plan Cost Management; Estimate Costs; Determine Budget; Control
Management Costs.
Quality
Plan Quality Management; Manage Quality; Control Quality.
Management
Plan Resource Management; Estimate Activity Resources; Acquire
Resource
Resources;
Management
Develop Team; Manage Team; Control Resources.
Communications Plan Communications Management; Manage Communications;
Management Monitor Communications.
Plan Risk Management; Identify Risks; Perform Qualitative Risk
Risk Analysis;
Management Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis; Plan Risk Responses;
Implement Risk Responses; Monitor Risks.
Procurement Plan Procurement Management; Conduct Procurements; Control
Management Procurements.
Stakeholder Identify Stakeholders; Plan Stakeholder Engagement; Manage
Management Stakeholder Engagement; Monitor Stakeholder Engagement.
PMBOK® Guide – 7th edition outline
The PMBOK® Guide – 7th Edition is intended to document high-level principles,
across 8 performance domains, to inform all project practitioners about the key
concepts which are influential to running a successful project, regardless of the
methodology used to administer that project (i.e., predictive, incremental, iterative,
etc.).
PMBOK® Guide – 7th edition domains
The PMBOK® Guide – 7th Edition presents eight domains of project management.
PMI defines a domain as “groups of related activities that are critical for the effective
delivery of project outcomes.”
The eight domains are:
1. Stakeholder
2. Themes
3. Development approach
4. Life cycle planning
5. Project work
6. Deliver
7. Measurements
8. Uncertainty
Your PMBOK® Guide 7th edition exam prep can be guided by information found
in PMI’s exam content outline for 2021 which shows a distribution of questions by
domains:
Source:
https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/project-
management-professional-exam-outline.pdf
PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition Exam Prep and PMP
Certification
PMI has created a “clickable reference guide” for the performance domains in
support of the seventh edition. When considering the PMBOK® Guide in terms of
6th edition vs 7thedition it is important to know the information included in the 6 th is still
within the overall PMP® credential holder’s expected knowledge base.
What the PMBOK® Guide is and what it isn’t
The PMBOK® Guide is a publication intended to document the knowledge and skills
most useful to project managers carrying out their roles successfully across
industries and in companies of different sizes. Project managers with any level of
experience should see it as “PMBOK best practices.” However, it is not intended to
be an all-encompassing study prep tool specifically aimed at passing the PMP exam.
.
You can use the PMBOK® Guide to outline the core content needed as a refresher
for on-the-job application or PMP exam prep. The PMBOK® Guide contains helpful
charts and diagrams to detail important project management concepts, but note
those are more informative than formal PMP exam prep resources. It is important to
do a PMBOK® Guide review, more than once, as part of an overall study approach.
Which PMBOK® Guide edition to use for PMP exam prep
Both the Sixth and Seventh editions of the PMBOK® Guide are primary resources
for PMP exam prep as they align with many of the concepts on the PMP
Examination Content Outline (“PMP ECO”). Refer to PMI’s handout comparing the
6th to 7th edition of the PMBOK® Guide for a mapping of content.
The PMBOK® Guide is not the only PMI resource to use for PMP exam prep.
Training professionals recommend incorporating the Agile Practice Guide, a
companion document to the PMBOK® Guide – 6th edition, as half of the PMP Exam
now includes agile and hybrid concepts.
PMP Exam Prep Tips
Create an exam prep plan
The Project Management Academy PMP® Certification Strategy Guide includes
great advice for the aspiring PMP exam taker. PMP exam prep should include these
steps:
1. Review the PMP certification requirements from PMI (passing the exam is
only one part)
2. Select a PMP Exam prep course from a PMI Authorized Trainer
3. Review the PMI PMP® examination content outline
4. Create (and stick to it!) a study plan that includes completing the exam
application, reviewing materials, and taking practice exams
Through years of experience helping professionals prepare for the very unique PMP
exam, Project Management Academy instructors have seen a consistently higher
exam pass rate for students who have a plan with each of those components
regardless of their project management experience on the job.
Complete a PMP exam prep course
For project managers seeking to gain their PMP certification, it is important to
complete a PMP prep course. As a Premier partner of PMI’s Authorized Training
Partner (ATP) Program, Project Management Academy teaches the PMI Authorized
Exam Prep course materials, with exclusive lessons to ensure PMA students have a
deep understanding of the content and are prepared to pass the PMP exam. The
PMP Exam Prep sessions are structured to both upskill existing project management
skills while also preparing for the current PMP Exam Content Outline.
Where to find PMP Exam study materials
The Project Management Academy provides many free PMP exam prep resources
in support of learning project management processes on the Project Management
Resource Center:
Free PMP exam questions
Project Management news and articles
Terminology puzzles
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