Two months ago, Project Management Institute (PMI), announced that the Project Management Professional exam (PMP) will be changing. The new PMP exam content outline will also be published in June 2019. The PMP exam changes are now available!
This article will discuss all the important changes to the 2020 PMP exam. We will also answer your frequently asked questions to help you make the right decision about your PMP journey.
The PMP exam will be changing starting July 1, 2020. The current exam will continue to be valid until July 1, 2020. Candidates must prepare for the new exam. Let’s now look at the changes you will find in the PMP exam.
You can also check PMI’s official announcement regarding PMP exam changes here – https://www.pmi.org/certifications/types/project-management-pmp/exam-prep/changes
What are the new changes to the PMP Exam?
The current PMP exam content outline includes five domains that represent the stages of a project’s lifecycle. However, the new PMP test consists only of three domains.
People – refers to the skills and activities required for leading a project team effectively.
Process – This section focuses on the technical aspects involved in managing a project.
Business Environment – details the connection between projects, organization strategy
While not all domains will be focusing on a specific approach, all three domain areas will be focusing on predictive, agile and hybrid approaches. This outline of the new PMP exam content gives you an idea of what to expect in the new PMP test.
The table below shows the percentage of each domain included in the new PMP exam.
New PMP Exam Outline
DOMAIN
% WEIGHT
Domain I. Domain I.
42%
Domain II. Domain II.
50%
Domain III. Business Environment
8%
TOTAL
100%
What is the current PMP Exam?
According to the 2015 PMP exam changes, the PMP exam now consists of five domains. These five domains are: initiating, planning and executing, monitoring and controlling. These are the various stages of a project’s lifecycle. Each domain has pre-defined tasks. The current PMP exam tests the competency of the candidate based on the tasks assigned to each domain and his knowledge of each subject.
Below is a table that gives you an overview of domain names and the percentage of domains included in the exam.
Current PMP Exam Outline
DOMAIN% WEIGHTDomain 1 Initiating13%Domain 2 Planning24%Domain III. Executing31%Domain IV. Monitoring and Controlling31%Domain IV. Closing7%TOTAL100%
Why is the PMP Exam changing?
As you all know, the PMP exam is for project managers. It is important to update the Project Management Professional (PMP), exam outline, as the project management domain has changed and the role of project manager has changed. The PMP exam changes reflect current practices and help project managers get the skills and knowledge that they need to succeed in today’s complex project environment.
PMI continues to conduct research every 3-5 year to understand the development and changes in project management, the impact of the latest trends on project management domain, as well as the change in the roles and responsibilities for project managers. The PMP Exam Changes 2020 was the result of the last round of this research.
When will the PMP Exam Modifications take effect?
PMI (Project Management Institute) has announced the new PMP exam changes. The changes won’t take effect immediately. The PMP exam’s current version will continue to be valid until June 2020. On July 2020, the new PMP exam will become available.
There are two important dates that you should remember right now:
30 June 2020 – Last day to take the PMP exam
31 July 2020 – First day of the new PMP exam
Current PMP Exam vs. New PMP Exam
We will see a significant difference between the current version and the new PMP exam. The old PMP exam had 5 domains. The new PMP exam has 3 domains. The new PMP exam will include tasks under each domain, just like the PMP exam.
The new PMP exam content outline includes a new term, “enablers”. Let’s look at the new PMP exam changes. What are the domains, tasks and enablers?
Domain – It’s the high-level knowledge required for project management.
Tasks – These are the responsibilities of a project manager for each domain.
Examples of Enablers – Illustrations of the work associated with the task.
The difference between the new and current PMP exam is worth considering. Current PMP Exam vs. New PMP Examination.
Current PMP Exam vs. New PMP Exam
Points of Difference
PMP Exam Current
New PMP Exam
Domains
5
3
Tasks
42
35
Enablers
No
Yes
You may feel that you are tamed based on the table above.