How Hard is the PMP Exam?

How Hard is the PMP Exam?

Learning Mudra, Category - PMP

The certificate provided by Project Management Institute is globally renowned and highly reputable. The PMP certificate can ensure growth of career, increase in salary and better employment opportunities. Hence, the exam conducted is also of high level and not cake walks. In fact, the percentage of people passing the PMP exam in the first tryis about 45-50% hence, half of the people applying for the certificate fail each year.

Structure of PMP Exam

The PMP exam covers three domains and is heavily based on the PMBOK Guide latest edition by PMI. The candidates have to pass the PMP exam to get the PMP certification. 

People

This domain evaluates a candidate's ability to lead a project team and accounts for 42 percent of the exam. Here are a few examples of evaluable tasks:

• OPutting together a team and leading it
• Resolution of a conflict
• Make certain that your team has received adequate training.

Process

Professionals are evaluated on the technical aspects of project management at this stage, which accounts for half of the exam's weight (50 percent). A few process tasks are included in the PMP exam, such as:

• Planning and management of budgets and resources
• Bringing the various aspects of project planning together
• Maintaining a record of project changes

Business Environment

This domain, which accounts for only 8% of the total, evaluates a project manager's abilityto adhere to organisational requirements. The tasks listed below are just a few examples.

• Planning and managing project compliance
• Determining the project's worth and advantages
• Assisting in the transformation of organisations

Basis for preparation of PMP exam

These domains cover a vast range of fundamentals and understanding of concepts such as change management, continuous improvement and process analysis is required. This PMP exam does not require mathematical knowledge to a great extent but the candidate must be good in calculating present value, conducting PERT analysis and schedule variance. The trickiest part of the PMP Exam is that understanding concepts and terminology is not going to be enough. The candidate would have to use that knowledge to complex situations that would mimic real life project situations. Basically, a hands-on approach is required from the candidate.

Calculation of PMP exam results

With so much new content on new topics and methods coming out with PMBOK 7, it's understandable that this new test will necessitate a broader scope of study in order to cover everything. In short, there's a lot more to learn and master, so the exam will be more difficult objectively.
The PMP passing score isn't set in stone. Aim for a score of more than 70%, or 126 questions out of 180.
Passing Score: PMI® doesn’t give percentage instead there is a grade system. The grades are-

• Proficient
• Moderate
• Proficient
• Below Proficient

Only people who get a grade of below Proficient is Fail.

PMI does not use any specific percentage. Instead, they use sound Psychometric Analysis to establish a passing score. Each question in the exam is worth one point and PMI use Subject Matter Experts (SME) to decide how many questions a person must get right to pass the PMP exam. This is why it is difficult to determine what a good score is on a practice test and to decide if a person is ready for taking the test. But according to experts, getting 70% to 80% questions right in the practice tests means that the candidate is ready enough for the actual examination. However, it is important to not memorize the practice questions and also to practice questions from different and varied sources.

Retakes of PMP exam

As already mentioned above, about 50% of the people, taking the PMP exam for the first time, fail. If a candidate fails the exam, he/she is allowed to retake the exam three times within that year. The exam fees for PMI members are US$405 and for non-members is US$555. The candidate has to pay the exam fees each time he/she retakes the exam. It is desirable that the candidate scores above target or target in all domains to secure a passing grade but even if the candidate scores below target in one of the domains, he/she is declared as a pass.

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Difficulty Level of PMP exam

The difficulty of the PMP exam can be surmised from the fact that it is listed as the second most difficult exam after CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Exams) in the list of 10 most difficult IT certifications. In the field of project management only, PMP exam is the gold standard and hence the most difficult certification exam.

How to excel in the PMP exam ?

Even though the difficulty of the PMP exam is very high, it does not mean that it is impossible to pass. In fact, if a candidate follows the following steps, he/she can increase the odds of them passing the exam significantly-

• The candidate should know the PMBOK as the right palm of his/her hand. It is the most important source of information on Project Management and reviewing and understanding the PMBOK would help the candidate prepare for the concepts and principles that the PMP exam will cover.
• The candidate should take a PMP Training Course. They should enroll in a PMP study course provided by a good and reputed PMP Training Institute such as Learning Mudra as it is the best way to ensure that the skills and the knowledge of the candidate is up to par when going into the exam. It also helps them clear doubts and prepare thoroughly with the help of end-to-end support and solving practice questions and appearing for mock tests.
• The candidate should allocate enough study time. Although, PMI requires a minimum of 35-hour PMP education, the amount of time needed to prepare may vary from person to person. Hence, the candidate should assess his/her skills and allocate enough study time for preparation.

Conclusion to the topic : How Hard is the PMP Exam?

To conclude, we can say that the PMP exam is an in-depth and very challenging exam. It covers a vast area of project management topics and also requires the hands-on knowledge of those topics. But with the right planning and exam preparation and right resources, any candidate can pass the exam with flying colors.