New changes to the Project Management Professional certification exams are in the works! The Project Management Institute (PMI) has announced that the project management professional (PMP) exam will be changing on January 2, 2021, to meet the demand for more diverse skills and approaches than ever before. There are a ton of new changes coming, but here are some key areas that everyone should be aware of.

The Project Management Professional (PMP) exam is one of the most widely recognized credentials for project managers. You’ve probably heard that there may be some changes to the exam in 2021, and you may be wondering what those changes could mean for you. To help you get ahead of any potential changes, we’re going to outline what we know so far about the new PMP exam and how it could affect your study routine.

How Difficult Will the New PMP Exam 2021 Be?

The PMP exam is regarded as one of the most difficult project management exams due to its extensive syllabus, the time commitment required, the type and length of the questions asked, the duration of the exam, and the answer options. It assesses the candidate’s in-depth knowledge of Project Management skills as well as their level of patience. This is not to say that passing the PMP exam is impossible; if you study hard and prepare well, you can pass the exam.

Outline of the PMP Exam 2021 Content

The new PMP exam will include three new domains:

People: emphasizing the soft skills required to lead a project team effectively in today’s changing environment.

Process: reinforcing the technical aspects of project management success.

The Business Environment: emphasizing the link between projects and organizational strategy.

PMP certification validates that you have the project management skills that employers are looking for. Three key approaches are included in the new PMP:

• Predictable (waterfall)
• Agile
• Hybrid

Eligibility Criteria for PMP:

To be eligible for the PMP certification, you must meet certain educational and professional experience requirements. All project management experience must have been accrued within the last eight consecutive years prior to your application submission.

Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or global equivalent)
Minimum five years/60 months unique non-overlapping professional project management experience*
35 contact hours of formal education unless you are an active CAPM holder

OR
Four-year degree (bachelor’s degree or global equivalent)
Minimum three years/36 months unique non-overlapping professional project management experience*
35 contact hours of formal education unless you are an active CAPM holder

OR
Bachelor’s or post-graduate degre from a GAC accredited program (bachelor’s degree or master’s or global equivalent)
Minimum two years/24 months unique non-overlapping professional project management experience*
35 contact hours of formal education unless you are an active CAPM holder

PMP Exam Format 2021

The PMP exam consists of 180 questions. Five of the 180 questions are classified as pretest questions. Pretest questions do not affect the score and are used in exams to test the validity of future examination questions in an effective and legitimate manner. Throughout the exam, all questions are placed at random.

The exam is broken down into three sections. There will be two 10-minute breaks. The first will appear after you have completed questions 1 through 60 and reviewed all of your answers. After you have completed question 120 and confirmed that you have reviewed all of your answers, the second break will appear. Please keep in mind that once you have reviewed your responses and begun your break, you will be unable to return to the questions from the previous section of the exam.

When you sign back in after each break, you will have the remaining time allotted to finish the second part. You will have 230 minutes to respond to 180 questions in total.

In the previous exam, only multiple-choice questions were asked; now, you will see the following types of questions:

Multiple choice: You must select one of the best answers from four options.
Multiple-choice answers: You must choose two or more of the best answers from a list of five to six options.
Drag & Drop: You need to re-order in sequence.
Hotspot: To select the best answer, you must click on a specific diagram.
Limited Fill in the blank: You must fill in the blanks with appropriate answers.

How to Pass New PMP Exam 2021:

Here are a few tips to pass the new PMP exam 2021 in the first attempt:

• Master PMBOK guide
• Make a Study Plan
• Refer to another Study Guide
• Solve a lot of Practice Questions
• Write Practice Test
• Use the 35 hours of Project Management Training efficiently
• Manage time during preparation stage and during exam
• Join Leex’s PMP Exam Preperation Course

The four areas to focus on are communication, stakeholder management, risk management and procurement management. The exam will also include a new case study approach for delegates to demonstrate their understanding of project management skills in practice.

There is no need to worry about the changes because we will guide you through them with our PMP training courses. We can provide you with all the information you need to be successful in your studies and ensure that you pass the exam on your first attempt. Contact with us for more information.