PMP Exam Pattern and PMP Exam Pass Rate

Project Management Professional (PMP®️) is one of the most valuable certifications project managers hold as it is industry-recognized and highly valued across the globe. PMP certification is accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI®️).

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI®️), at least one-third of project managers have a PMP certification.

PMP exam pattern

Total Questions: 200

Pretest question: 25 (Not added to PMP score)

Type of questions: Multiple-choice questions

Duration: 4 hours (No scheduled breaks mentioned)

Note: We do not know which 25 questions are pretest questions so all the questions are to be attempted with equal importance. Pretest questions are generally experimental in nature and given to check the validity for further examinations.

Does the Pretest Question affect exam performance?

The answer is YES PMP® candidates are affected by the pretest questions in the following way:

• The 25 questions are spread across the 200 questions and you will not know which is the “pretest question”.
• You might spend too much on a “pretest question” for which there is no score.
• If the pretest question happens to be difficult, it might adversely impact the morale and confidence in your overall performance.

Download Free PMP® Exam Practice Test with 200 PMP® Questions.

Full-length PMP sample test with 200 PMP exam prep questions.

Preparation is fundamental to PASS. PMP exam is one of the most difficult exams to clear in one attempt. If you solve the sample PMP questions and score over 80%, there are chances of you clearing the PMP exam in the first attempt.

PMP examination is aligned to PMI’s PMBOK (Product Management Body of Knowledge) Guide- 6th Edition. PMP exam is based on five processes of project management and the questions are divided into the following percentages:

These percentages are used to determine the number of questions related to each domain and task that should appear on the multiple-choice format examination.

The detailed task for each domain is given in PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP) ® Examination Content Outline.

The different types of questions that appear in the PMP certification exam are listed below:

1. Formula based questions
2. Situational based questions
3. Definition based questions
4. Knowledge-based questions
5. Interpretational based questions
6. Specific technique based questions
7. PMBOK Guide knowledge-based questions
8. ITTO (Inputs, Tools, Techniques & Outputs) based questions
9. Professional and Social Responsibility based questions.
10. Combination questions

To know more about different types of question, go through our blog PMP Exam Guidance With PMP Exam Format

PMP exam pass rate

PMP pass rate is the percentage of candidates qualifying the PMP exam in the first attempt. PMI does not disclose any information on the PMP exam pass rate.

According to the survey conducted for Project Management Trainers And Experts In Linkedin,

“40% of project management experts responded that the passing rate for the PMP exam is less than 50%”.

In the Project Management Institute’s PMP Handbook PMI clearly states that the passing score for all PMI exams is determined by the static model -Sound Psychometric Analysis.

In Sound Psychometric Analysis, there is no fixed marks or percentage to clear the exam. It is based on the difficulty level of the exam. If a candidate gets easy questions then the passing percentage will be higher compared to the question paper with difficult questions.

PMI uses subject matter experts from around the world to determine a point at which each candidate should pass the examination(s) and the examination point of difficulty.

Each scored questions on the exam is worth one point and your final score is calculated by totalling the points you have earned on the exam. There is no negative marking for the wrong answers.

No two candidates can get the same questions. Hence, it is clear that by using Sound Psychometric Model, PMI determines the difficulty level of question papers is similar for all the candidates.

Hence the passing score for every candidate is different.

There is no official statement about the passing score of PMP.

The PMP exam report does not declare any score. PMI mentions – ‘Pass or Fail’

The report also provides information about performance in each domain in terms of,

• Above target- Exceeds the minimum requirements
• Target- Your performance meets the minimum requirements
• Below target- Your performance fails to meet the minimum requirements
• Needs improvement-  Your performance is far below target and recommends additional preparation.

PMI’s Sample Result Report showcases the performance information in terms of the above target, target, below target, and needs improvement.

Result report also shares a performance report in each domain:

The performance information in the result report is mentioned to convey the candidate about the strong and weak portion of the project domains. It does not conclude the pass or fail rate. PMP exam is judged based on overall performance in all the domains.

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What Is The Average Salary Of A PMP (Project Management Professional) Certified Project Manager Worldwide?

Is It Worth Getting a PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification?

How should I Re-apply for PMP (Project Management Professional) Examination?

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Download Free PMP® Exam Practice Test with 200 PMP® Questions.

Full-length PMP sample test with 200 PMP exam prep questions.

You may also be interested in Sample PMP® Exam Prep Questions before you download the Free PMP® Practice Test.

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