PMI to Unveil New PMP Exam on August 31

The global professional organization Project Management Institute (PMI) will soon release a new version of its most popular credential examination. The PMP, or Project Management Professional, exam is set to change on August 31, 2011 as a result of an in-depth Role Delineation Study (RDS) conducted by PMI. The study revealed evidence that the role of a PMP credential holder has changed, necessitating an updated exam to reflect these changes.

In order to test the most relevant topics required by the project management profession, PMI conducts RDS studies every five to seven years. The most current study included participation from more than 3,000 PMP credential holders from 97 countries. As stated in PMI Today by Massachusetts PMP credential holder Julie Paradise, "By performing an in-depth look at the current PMP [exam] and comparing it to what project managers in the 'real world' are doing, a Role Delineation Study results in a more meaningful credential."

What's changing and why

As a result of the RDS findings, PMI effectively changed about 30 percent of the exam. Specifically, the exam will now test the content area for Professional and Social Responsibility as an integral topic, rather than as a separate exam section. According to PMI Today, "The RDS helped reveal that professional and social responsibility are integrated into all of the work of project management. PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct should therefore be viewed as now integrated into the day-to-day role of a project manager, emphasizing its importance in each phase of the project life cycle."

Exam changes will be apparent in the updating of existing questions, the addition of new questions, and the removal of questions that are no longer applicable to the project management profession. While the exam itself is changing, its education and experience eligibility requirements will not. The primary study reference for the PMP exam, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge--Fourth Edition (2008), will also remain unchanged and potential PMP candidates who are familiar with this reference should continue to use it.

What's the impact of these changes?

These changes do not affect current credential holders, as the changes are reflected in the exam and not in the credential itself. However, if PMP credential holders allow the three-year PDU cycle and one-year grace period to lapse without completing 60 PDU credits, they will have to retake the new version of the exam in order to reinstate the PMP designation.

For PMP candidates that have already passed the application process and begun studying for the exam, PMI highly recommends they sit for the exam before it changes on August 31. Candidates are urged to schedule their exam as soon as possible to ensure availability of a seat at the testing center during a time when many candidates are scrambling to schedule their exam before the pending deadline.

From an industry demand perspective, the general consensus is that updates are a positive step across the project management profession. A relevant PMP exam improves relevance among the profession. Global Knowledge, recognized by PMI as a Global Registered Education Provider (REP), contends that the exam update "reflects current demands of the project management profession and indicates what is relevant to the work of project managers."

How to study for the new PMP exam

Leading PMP training and education provider, RMC Project Management Inc. communicates the update on its website: "RMC is already in the process of updating its materials and classes for those planning to take the exam after August 31st of 2011, and we will have updated products, classes and e-learning courses available in advance of the exam change." Global Knowledge links to its own study references, as well.