Friendly Reminder about the PMP Exam Change On 2 January 2021!

Friendly Reminder about the PMP Exam Change On 2 January 2021!

The Project Management Institute (PMI)® announced that a change is coming to The Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam in January 2021. Every three to five 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.

If you have already taken the class and have been studying don’t delay, take the exam now!

Important Dates To Note

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.

PMP Exam Changes

The new 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.

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)

The 2021 PMP Exam Changes explained

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 an 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.

What are the BIG changes in the 2021 PMP Exam?

1.  The New PMP Exam is Bigger – 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.
2. Agile is a Must – Half of the questions on the new exam will be about agile and hybrid approaches. You must have both knowledge and experience of what it’s like to work in these environments.
3. The new PMP Exam will be Harder – Passing the new exam will be harder because it has so many new topics and methods that were added.
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”.

Should I take the current exam or wait for the new one?

We recommend that you plan on taking the exam before it changes!

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.
• Schedule your exam before December so you don’t feel rushed and you have time for a second attempt if you don’t pass the first time.

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.
• Sign up for a class at Intellectual Point.
• 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 Intellectual Point.
• Schedule your exam on or after 2 January 2021

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