PMP-2026Intermediate

PMP exam guide

Project Management Professional: the most widely held project-management certification, tested across people, process and business environment.

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What is the PMP exam?

The PMP is PMI's flagship certification and the credential most often requested for project and programme manager roles worldwide. Unlike entry-level certifications it requires substantial prior experience: three years leading projects with a bachelor's degree, or five years without one, plus 35 hours of project-management education.

The exam is built on PMI's Exam Content Outline, which organises questions into three domains: People (leading and managing teams), Process (the technical work of delivering a project) and Business Environment (compliance, benefits and organisational change). A new outline took effect on 9 July 2026, aligned to the eighth edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). It rebalances the domains, gives more weight to the business environment, and assumes an agile or hybrid context for the majority of questions.

Questions are situational: they describe a project circumstance and ask what the project manager should do next. Most are multiple choice with one or several correct responses, but the 2026 outline also introduces drag-and-drop, enhanced matching, case-or-scenario sets and hands-on practicum items that use project tools and data.

Who sits it

  • Project managers with at least three years' experience leading projects
  • Programme, delivery and engineering managers who want a globally recognised credential
  • Scrum masters and agile leads broadening into hybrid delivery
  • Consultants and PMO staff

Exam format at a glance

Questions
180 (170 scored plus 10 unscored pretest); multiple-choice single and multiple response, drag-and-drop, enhanced matching, case or scenario, and hands-on practicum items
Duration
240 minutes, with two optional 10-minute breaks
Delivery
Computer-based, year-round, at Pearson VUE test centres or online proctored
Fees (USD)
About $445 for PMI members and $675 for non-members (increased August 2026)
Passing standard
Not published; results are reported as Above Target, Target, Below Target or Needs Improvement per domain
Pass rate
PMI stopped publishing one after 2005, saying it was not a reliable measure of exam quality
Eligibility
36 months leading projects with a four-year degree (60 months without), plus 35 hours of project-management education or the CAPM
Exam outline
PMI Exam Content Outline effective 9 July 2026, aligned to the PMBOK Guide 8th Edition

Exam-body facts last checked September 2026. Fees, dates and formats change; confirm the current details with Project Management Institute (PMI) before registering.

Syllabus and topic weights

PMI publishes exam weights by domain rather than by PMBOK chapter. Under the Exam Content Outline in force from 9 July 2026 they are People 33%, Process 41% and Business Environment 26%, with roughly 40% of questions in a predictive context and 60% agile or hybrid. Our syllabus below follows the structure of the PMBOK Guide 8th Edition, which the exam draws on across all three domains.

  • 1.Foundations of Project Management11 lessons · 0 questions · 64 cards
    1. Purpose, Key Terms, and Concepts of the Standard
    2. Characteristics of a Project
    3. Project Governance and Operations Management
    4. Relationship of Portfolio, Program, Project, and Operations Management
  • 2.The System for Value Delivery18 lessons · 0 questions · 105 cards
    1. Creating Value and Assessing Project Success
    2. The Project Environment
    3. Product Management Considerations
    4. Functions Associated With Projects
    5. The Project Management Team and Sponsor/Customer Roles
    6. Project Team, End Users, and Other Key Stakeholders
  • 3.Project Management Principles21 lessons · 0 questions · 121 cards
    1. The Project Management Mindset and Principles Overview
    2. Adopt a Holistic View
    3. Focus on Value
    4. Embed Quality Into Processes and Deliverables
    5. Be an Accountable Leader
    6. Integrate Sustainability Within All Project Areas
    7. Build an Empowered Culture
  • 4.Project Life Cycles and Development Approaches12 lessons · 0 questions · 72 cards
    1. Project Phases and Life Cycles
    2. Predictive, Adaptive, and Hybrid Development Approaches
    3. Selecting a Development Approach and Delivery Cadence
    4. The Five Project Management Focus Areas
  • 5.Governance Performance Domain18 lessons · 0 questions · 105 cards
    1. Project Value Creation and Governance Models
    2. Metrics, Mechanisms, and Key Concepts for Governance
    3. Initiate Project or Phase, Integrate and Align Project Plans, and Plan Sourcing Strategy
    4. Manage Project Execution, Quality Assurance, and Project Knowledge
    5. Monitor and Control Performance, Assess and Implement Changes, and Close Project or Phase
    6. Governance Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 6.Scope Performance Domain12 lessons · 0 questions · 71 cards
    1. Scope Key Concepts
    2. Plan Scope Management, Elicit and Analyze Requirements, and Define Scope
    3. Develop Scope Structure, Monitor and Control Scope, and Validate Scope
    4. Scope Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 7.Schedule Performance Domain9 lessons · 0 questions · 52 cards
    1. Schedule Key Concepts
    2. Plan Schedule Management, Develop Schedule, and Monitor and Control Schedule
    3. Schedule Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 8.Finance Performance Domain12 lessons · 0 questions · 69 cards
    1. Finance Key Concepts
    2. Plan Financial Management and Estimate Costs
    3. Develop Budget and Monitor and Control Finances
    4. Finance Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 9.Stakeholders Performance Domain15 lessons · 0 questions · 81 cards
    1. Stakeholders Key Concepts
    2. Identifying and Planning Stakeholder Engagement
    3. Managing and Monitoring Stakeholder Engagement
    4. Planning, Managing, and Monitoring Communications
    5. Stakeholders Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 10.Resources Performance Domain11 lessons · 0 questions · 68 cards
    1. Resources Key Concepts
    2. Plan Resource Management and Estimate Resources
    3. Acquire Resources, Lead the Team, and Monitor and Control Resourcing
    4. Resources Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 11.Risk Performance Domain15 lessons · 0 questions · 87 cards
    1. Risk Key Concepts and Risk Classification
    2. Plan Risk Management and Identify Risks
    3. Perform Risk Analysis and Plan Risk Responses
    4. Implement Risk Responses and Monitor Risks
    5. Risk Tailoring, Interactions, and Check Results
  • 12.Tailoring the Approach8 lessons · 0 questions · 49 cards
    1. Why and What to Tailor
    2. The Tailoring Process
    3. Tailoring the Performance Domains and Diagnostics
  • 13.Project Management Offices (PMO)4 lessons · 0 questions · 31 cards
    1. PMO Value Proposition and Customer Centricity
    2. PMO Types, Structures, and Maturity Models
  • 14.Artificial Intelligence in Project Management6 lessons · 0 questions · 33 cards
    1. AI Adoption Strategies and the State of the Market
    2. AI Use Cases and Responsible and Ethical Use
  • 15.Procurement10 lessons · 0 questions · 65 cards
    1. Procurement Overview and Make-or-Buy Analysis
    2. Procurement Strategy and the Bid Process
    3. Source Selection and Contract Types
    4. Claims Administration
  • 16.Ethics and Professional Responsibility3 lessons · 0 questions · 25 cards
    1. The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Lesson, question and flashcard counts are StudyOptima's published content for each topic. Expand a topic to see its subtopics.

How to prepare for PMP

  1. 1

    Learn the PMI mindset before the detail. The right answer is usually the one where the project manager consults the team, follows the plan and the change process, and escalates through the proper channel, rather than acting alone.

  2. 2

    Give agile and hybrid delivery more time than predictive. Around 60% of the exam assumes an adaptive or hybrid context, and candidates from traditional backgrounds are often surprised by it.

  3. 3

    Know the eighth-edition PMBOK structure: the principles, the performance domains and the named processes. Questions increasingly reference this vocabulary.

  4. 4

    Practise the non-multiple-choice formats. Drag-and-drop, matching, scenario sets and the hands-on practicum items are unfamiliar to most candidates and are easy marks once you have seen them.

  5. 5

    Sit at least one full 180-question timed mock. The exam is four hours and pacing across the two breaks needs rehearsal.

Study for PMP on StudyOptima

185 study lessons

Condensed notes for every topic, organised by learning objective, with read-progress tracking.

1,091 practice questions

Exam-style questions with worked explanations, timed mocks, and re-drills of what you got wrong.

1,098 flashcards

Spaced-repetition review of the definitions and formulas the exam keeps coming back to.

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PMP FAQ

Do I need the PMBOK Guide to pass?

The exam is written to PMI's Exam Content Outline rather than to a single book, but the PMBOK Guide and the Agile Practice Guide are the primary references and much of the vocabulary comes from them.

How do I get the 35 contact hours?

Through any formal project-management course: PMI's own, a PMI Authorised Training Partner, a university course or an approved online provider. Holding the CAPM also satisfies the requirement.

How long is the PMP valid?

Three years. Renewal requires 60 professional development units earned during the cycle and a renewal fee.

What does StudyOptima offer for PMP?

Study notes organised by the PMBOK Guide 8th Edition across 16 topics and 64 subtopics, flashcards, and a bank of more than 1,000 situational practice questions with explanations, with the first lessons of the core topics free.

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