What If You Fail the PMP Exam?

Although the Project Management Institute has never offered to fail applicants who take the Project Management Professional certification exam, a minority of test-takers do indeed fail. 

This is usually more common than publicized and is nothing to be ashamed of. However, the PMP exam is challenging. If you ask most people who passed their first attempt at the PMP certification, I am sure that they would tell you that they were relieved and a bit uncertain about whether they would succeed.

For those who have not yet passed the PMP, I suggest that you devise a plan for passing the exam.

If you have failed the exam, please consider the following action plan:

• If you scored below the baseline on certain PMP areas, concentrate your studying on these weaker subject areas. If you contradict your PMP exam results, you may challenge your results with PMI.
• Don't wait to take the next step in your studies. Set up a schedule and register for the exam online or call our office. We'll help you schedule an exam date based on your information. If needed, you can retake the exam up to two times within your eligibility by submitting a completed re-examination form and paying the fee.
• To be successful at taking the PMI exam, you need to train your brain to think like PMI. Therefore, the online simulator should provide timed quizzes and mock exams, and progress measures to determine whether you have excelled in the material sufficiently to pass.
• Create a study schedule and stick to it.
• Get to know the people at PMI's PMP Question and Test Taking Tips and Techniques community.

Things You Should Know if You Failed the PMP Exam

Let's examine a few facts before discussing strategies for your next attempt.

For the second and third attempts, the exam fee will be discounted for PMI members and non-members.

The fees for the second or third re-examination of the computer-based test are:

PMI members: $275 

Non-members: $375

The second and third re-examinations of the paper-based test are offered for a fee:

PMI members: $150 

Non-members: $300

Failure Rate of PMP Exam

Since you have failed your test, you may be wondering how many aspirants are in the same situation. The Project Management Institute does not publish any official data about it, so there is no way of guessing how many candidates fail the exam. 

However, I can say that the number is relatively high, so this certification is highly valued. Although this is merely speculation, I have found that most test-repeaters can pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. 

Therefore, you have a better chance of succeeding in the exam on your second attempt than on your first.

Tips for PMP Success

You must study The PMBOK Guide to pass the PMP exam.

It is usually assumed that the PMP exam is based on the PMBOK Guide. It isn't, but you should use the Guide as an essential resource for passing the exam. Some people don't read the Guide or study it superficially; you won't do well on the exam if you do that.

Read the Guide at least once to increase your chances of passing; there are some excellent reference books, but none should replace the Guide. If you choose to learn from a reference book, do both; research both the Guide and that reference book.

After completing your chosen reference book, you should review what you've learned and see whether it aligns with what's in the Guide. You should never skip the PMBOK Guide--it is -has resources if you want to pass!

You will be required to attend a 35-hour training program.

You must register for formal training to pass the PMP exam at an accredited PMI-approved training provider. You can save money by choosing a cheap training program, but quality often comes with a higher price tag.

If you feel the fee is expensive, you can audit in a boot camp class or study independently through an online self-learning program.

It would help if you focused on studying to succeed.

Many people fail to study effectively and end up getting poor results. Here are some recommendations to help you avoid this problem: 

• First, prepare a formal study plan and schedule and stick to it.
• Make sure that your timetable is realistic, allowing plenty of time for revision; choose your study sources carefully and ensure they're relevant to the exams you're studying for.
• Don't leave any long gaps in your studies if possible; if you get stuck or lose motivation, try revising again or seek out the advice of someone who's successfully passed the particular exam before.

Make sure you do enough practice exams for the real thing.

To be successful on the PMP exam, it is wise to tackle many sample questions. Therefore, I recommend at least 1000 questions before taking the test. It would help if you also did free and paid practice tests.

Be selective about the free resources you use online.

You would do well to study only from reliable sources. I am not against free resources. This blog is also free. However, not all free resources are of the same quality—some are very good, while others contain questionable information. 

Do not learn just from Google searches and random websites. There are many sites on the Internet that are not entirely correct. Learn from reputable training companies that guide you toward worthwhile training material.

Be open to differing points of view.

Don't use your own project management experience to answer PMP® Exam questions. Although the PMBOK® Guide is written in a certain way so that you can use and learn the concepts from your project management experience, don't use the same experience while answering questions. Instead, follow what's written in the Guide.

Final thoughts

No one needs to feel like they're the only one studying for a PMP® certification; there are more than 1Mn PMP certified professionals worldwide. You, too, can become skilled at project management and pass the exam, regardless of whether you're taking it for the first time or the tenth time. 

Avoid obsessing over what might go wrong; don't worry if you fail to pass on your first or second try. 

If you make mistakes, identify knowledge gaps, and close those gaps by studying harder, you'll have a much better chance of passing on your next attempt. I wish you good luck!

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