That the prestigious PMP exam is changing from January 2021 is no longer news. The news is that quite a number of people who sat for the exam in the last quarter of 2020 (in a bid to beat the exam change) failed it and they will still need to write it when the exam changes (i.e if they were unable to retake the exam due to one reason or the other). Failing the PMP exam is not the end of the world, it is actually an opportunity to perform better when writing it the second time. You shouldn’t think that your task has become more difficult because the exam would have changed when you writing it in 2021. Whether you are a first timer or a returning test taker, you can pass the PMP exam in flying colors. However, your level of preparation determines how successful you’ll be in the exam.
We will quickly and aptly run you through what to expect if you’ll be writing your exam anytime from January 2021.
That the PMP exam is changing doesn’t mean PMBOK will change. The PMBOK isn’t changing for now. Latest PMBOK (6th edition) has been released by end of 2017 and PMP exam changed on 2018 Q1 based on the PMBOK. What does this mean for you who have been preparing for the PMP exam? It means your knowledge of Project Management according to the current PMI curriculum is still valid. You just need to make a few additions to your knowledge.
WHAT EXACTLY IS CHANGING ABOUT THE PMP EXAM?
Project management as a field of endeavor is constantly evolving. New methodologies and approaches come to the fore occasionally in Project Management. For instance, agile methodologies were not common in project management as it is today. In order to be in line with the fast paced changing industry practices, PMP exam changes every 3-5 years based on the PMI leadership conducted by subject matter experts from leading organizations around the world.
The Previous PMP exam content focused on five (5) process groups of
1. Initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closing
These stages of a project lifecycle are considered to be domains in the exam and on each domain, there are several tasks. This process 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.
NEW PMP EXAM CONTENT OUTLINE
While the previous PMP exam content focused on five domains as the stages of the project life-cycle, the new PMP exam content is be based on three domains:
1. People – emphasizing the skills and activities associated with effectively leading a project team
2. Process – reinforcing the technical aspects of managing a project
3. Business Environment – highlighting the connection between projects and organization strategy
Based on the research of PMI through the current project management jobs, that today’s project management practitioners work in a variety of project environments and utilize different project approaches. Accordingly, the PMP certification will be reflective of this and will incorporate approaches across the value delivery spectrum. About half of the examination will represent predictive project management approaches and the other half will represent agile or hybrid approaches. Predictive, agile, and hybrid approaches will be found throughout the three domain areas listed above and are not isolated to any particular domain or task. Following figure describes the percentage of each domain on the PMP exam.
People – 42%
Process – 50%
Business Environment – 8%
FEATURES OF THE NEW PMP EXAM
1. A total of 180 questions and the same number of questions will be scored.
2. Exam duration is 230 minutes
3. Two breaks will be allowed at 10 minutes each
4. Questions will be a combination of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching, hotspot and limited fill-in-the-blank. Click HERE for Prototype exam questions.
WHAT DOES THESE CHANGES MEAN GOING FORWARD?
1. PMBOK 6 is still valid
2. Your understanding and application of the 49 Process groups of Project Management as we know it is still very valid. You must not also lose your knowledge of the tools and techniques of project management as explained in the PMBOK guide. These concepts are still the very essence of the Project Management profession.
3. You will need to have broader understanding and application of the Agile Project Management Methodology.
4. The people aspect of project management has become extremely important too and it has to be a huge part of your preparation plans.
Click HERE to see details of our January 2021 Project Management (PMP) Certification course.
Disclaimer:
PMP, PMI, PMBOK, are registered marks of the Project Management Institute.