Many PMP Aspirants are confused when they knew about PMP exam changes which started in Jan 2021. What actually has changed in Jan-2021 is the PMP exam format and most of the aspirants who have little knowledge about PMP, are not sure about what all guides/books to refer to prepare for the PMP exam. The new edition of PMP Guide has been released i.e. the new edition which is the Seventh edition of PMBOK Guide which was released in Aug-2020 and came into effect from Jan-2021.
PMP September 1, 2020As per the latest update from PMI, PMP exam is no more completely based on PMBOK Guide but the aspirants need to refer few other material as well to prepare for the exam.
Let us understand in detail about what has changed in PMP Exam format since the last version.
There are 2 important changes that have happened in Jan-2021 in PMP Certification.
The Previous format of the PMP Exam was:
Domain |
Percentage of Items on Test |
| Initiating | 13% |
| Planning | 24% |
| Executing | 31% |
| Monitoring and Controlling | 25% |
| Closing | 7% |
| Total | 100% |
and the questions in PMP exam were distributed among these process groups and most of the questions were expected from Executing process group.
The new format of the PMP Exam is:
| Domain | Percentage of Items on Test |
| People | 42% |
| Process | 50% |
| Business Environment | 8% |
| Total | 100% |
Now the focus is on People, Process and Business Environment domains. The questions expected in the latest format of PMP exam are distributed among these three domains. Most of the questions approx. 50% of the questions are expected from Process domain, 42% of the questions from People domain and rest of the 8% of the questions are expected from Business Environment Domain.
The new PMP exam format s designed in such a way that each of aforementioned domains will have 50% of the questions on Traditional project Management and 50% on Agile and Hybrid Project Management.
So, apart from studying traditional Project management concepts, it is essential to study Agile and Hybrid project management concepts.
The three main domains are Process, People and Business Environment. As per the latest content, we need to consider the task-based approach instead of process-based approach. The tasks that are considered under each of these domains are listed in the tables below.
The PMP examination content outline is as follows.
Domain I |
People - 42% |
Task1 |
Manage conflict |
Task2 |
Lead a team |
Task3 |
Support team performance |
Task4 |
Empower team members and stakeholders |
Task5 |
Ensure team members/stakeholders are adequately trained |
Task6 |
Build a team |
Task7 |
Address and remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team |
Task8 |
Negotiate project agreements |
Task9 |
Collaborate with stakeholders |
Task10 |
Build shared understanding |
Task11 |
Engage and support virtual teams |
Task12 |
Define team ground rules |
Task13 |
Mentor relevant stakeholders |
Task14 |
Promote team performance through the application of emotional intelligence |
Domain II |
Process - 50% |
Task1 |
Execute project with the urgency required to deliver business value |
Task2 |
Manage communications |
Task3 |
Assess and manage risks |
Task4 |
Engage stakeholders |
Task5 |
Plan and manage budget and resources |
Task6 |
Plan and manage schedule |
Task7 |
Plan and manage quality of products/deliverables |
Task8 |
Plan and manage scope |
Task9 |
Integrate project planning activities |
Task10 |
Manage project changes |
Task11 |
Plan and manage procurement |
Task12 |
Manage project artifacts |
Task13 |
Determine appropriate project methodology/methods and practices |
Task14 |
Establish project governance structure |
Task15 |
Manage project issues |
Task16 |
Ensure knowledge transfer for project continuity |
Task17 |
Plan and manage project/phase closure or transitions |
Domain III |
Business Environment - 8% |
Task1 |
Plan and manage project compliance |
Task2 |
Evaluate and deliver project benefits and value |
Task3 |
Evaluate and address external business environment changes for impact on scope |
Task4 |
Support organizational change |
Till Dec-2020, the PMP exam was completely based on PMBOK Guide and since Jan-2021, the new PMP exam format is based not only based on latest edition of PMBOK guide i.e. seventh edition but there are few more guides and books which need to be referred to prepare for PMP exam.
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