Please note that the update has happened and that the information on this page may be outdated.

Please review the following forum post for the most up-to-date information about the exam upgrade:

Click Here for General Exam Simulator Update Information

The Project Management Institute (PMI)® announced that a change is coming to The Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam in January 2021. In this article, we explore what this means if you are currently studying for your PMP® exam. (Spoiler alert: Don’t delay. Take the exam NOW!)

To learn more about this change directly from PMI®, please visit the following page [note: link to PMI page removed because PMI has unpublished this information from their website in January 2021].

And if you have any questions that are not answered anywhere, then please visit our PMP Discussion Forum where we have a dedicated discussion thread to answer any questions that you may have at this time.

Why is The PMP Exam Changing in 2021?

The exam is changing because our jobs as project managers have changed.

Every 3-5 years, PMI® conducts research to understand how the profession has progressed, the impact of emerging trends, and how the responsibilities of project managers have changed.  The last round of this research was conducted in 2015 and resulted in the current PMP exam content outline.

Subject matter experts from leading organizations around the world have worked with PMI to define the PMP of the future. The result of this research was the publication of a new PMP Examination Content Outline in June of 2019, and on 2 January 2021, this new outline will lead to an updated PMP exam.

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When is the PMP Exam Changing in 2021?

There are three important dates to remember for those currently studying for the exam:

30 June 2019	PMI published the new PMP Exam Content Outline
31 December 2020	This is the last day to take the current version of the PMP Exam.
2 January 2021	This is the first day to take the new version of the PMP Exam.

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What are the 2021 PMP Exam Changes?

A new PMP Examination Content Outline was published on 30 June 2019. This document defines the syllabus/content of the PMP exam. This means that PMI is currently updating the PMP exam to match the new syllabus and the new exam will go into effect on 2 January 2021.

Here are both documents for you to download. Please note that the link to the 2015 document will stop working once PMI removes it from its website:

• Download the new PMP Exam Content Outline (June 2019)
• Download the Current PMP Exam Content Outline (June 2015)

So just to be absolutely clear: Contrary to what many students and trainers may think, the PMP exam is NOT based on A Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). The PMBOK® Guide is only one of several references PMI uses to design their PMP exam questions. Instead, the exam is based on The PMP Examination Content Outline. A new version of this outline was published in June 2019, and PMI will use this new outline as the basis to update the exam.

Also, in order to give training providers around the world adequate time to update their books and simulators, PMI is waiting quite a long time until the new exam specifications from the exam content outline come into effect. This also allows students enough time to prepare for and pass the current exam before the changeover happens.

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PMI Interview: Hear All About The Upcoming PMP Changes

Listen to this interview with Sierra Hampton-Simmons (LinkedIn Profile) where we review all the upcoming changes to the exam.

Click here to listen to the interview now:

Sierra has nearly two decades of experience as an expert in Certification Management and joined PMI in late 2013. Currently, she serves as the Portfolio Leader/Head of Certification Products. This means that she is responsible for the entire portfolio of Certification Products including the PMP® exam. So she’s the perfect person to discuss both the background and nature of the changes. You’ll even get to hear that PMI is making changes to the type and style of questions a candidate will see during the exam itself.

The 2021 PMP Exam Changes explained

In a nutshell: the current PMP exam is based on 5 performance domains, but starting 2 January 2021 the exam will be based on 3 domains. These domains are defined in the PMP Exam Content Outline (ECO).

Here is what this change from 5 to 3 domains means:

• PMI published the new exam content outline on 30 June 2019.
• The new outline is a ‘radical’ but extremely valuable departure from all previous exam content outlines
• The new PMP exam will require candidates to have experience in and answer questions from three domains:
  • People (42%)
  • Process (50%)
  • Business Environment (8%)
• Within each of these three domains the exam content outline lists Tasks (what we project managers do) and Enablers (the actions we take to complete the tasks).
• PMI also clearly states that About half of the examination will represent predictive project management approaches and the other half will represent agile or hybrid approaches.

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What are the Consequences of the 2021 PMP Exam Change?

Consequence 1: The New PMP Exam is BIGGER

Our analysis of the changes shows that about 70% of the current exam is now contained within Domain II: Process, and that the other two domains – People and Business Environment – contain largely new content.

Consequence 2: Agile is a MUST

Half of the questions on the new exam will be about agile and hybrid approaches. Therefore you must have both knowledge and experience of what it’s like to work in these environments.

Consequence 3: The new PMP Exam will be HARDER

With so many new topics and methods that have been added to the exam and that you have to know about, it’s no surprise that passing the exam will be harder.

Consequence 4: 35 Contact Hours are the MINIMUM

PMI requires that you “Verify at least 35 contact hours of specific instruction that addressed learning objectives in project management”. However, now that the exam contains about twice as much content you should expect that an in-depth exam prep course will be significantly longer.

Is The PMBOK® Guide Changing?

No.

The PMP exam uses the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition as one of the references for the PMP Exam. The PMBOK® Guide Seventh Edition is not expected until Q2 of 2021 at the earliest. This means that the PMBOK® Guide is not changing and that PMI will continue to use the Sixth Edition as an exam reference throughout 2021.

Therefore, use the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition no matter if you are taking the exam before or after 31 December 2020. But check again for 2022.

I’m Studying for the PMP Exam. What Does All This Mean for Me?

If you plan on taking the PMP exam on or before 31 December 2020

• Continue your studies without changing anything.
• Use the current PMP Exam Content Outline (published in 2015) as your general guide to the exam.
• Study using the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition.
• Try and schedule your exam no later than 31 October 2020 so that you can avoid the ‘mad rush’ expected for November and December when everyone wants to take the exam before the change.
• Scheduling your exam before November also gives you an additional two months to take it again in case you don’t pass at first.

If you plan on taking the PMP exam on or after 2 January 2021

• Download the new PMP Exam Content Outline (June 2019) and read it cover to cover so you understand the topics you will be asked about on the new exam.
• Continue your studies using the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition. It is still valid.
• Study The Agile Practice Guide and learn about agile approaches.
• Contact your training provider and ask them if they have performed a comparison between the old and new exam content outline and if they will be updating your training materials. (We have and we are. See further below.)
• Find out how and when you will be given access to any additional training materials they provide.
• Study using the updated materials provided to you by your training provider.
• Schedule your exam on or after 2 January 2021

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Should I take the PMP Exam before or after the 2021 Update?

Before!

Preparing for the PMP exam takes approximately 8-12 weeks. Therefore, if you are reading this before 30 September 2020 then you have enough time to do it. If you are reading this after 30 September 2020 then it is still possible but your window of opportunity is getting smaller by the day.

Fuente: https://www.project-management-prepcast.com/free/pmp-exam/articles/1086-pmp-exam-update-2019#:~:text=UPDATE%3A%20The%20Project%20Management%20Institute,(PMP)%C2%AE%20certification%20exam.