Your route to the PMP
Understand what the PMP proves, whether you qualify, how the July 2026 exam works and how to plan your preparation.
1. What the credential says about you
The PMP tells an employer that you have led real projects, studied the discipline formally and passed a demanding judgement test. It is not a memory test of process names. Most questions describe a situation and ask what a capable project leader would do, so the exam rewards judgement built on sound principles.
Who qualifies
| Your highest education | Project leadership experience | Training |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year degree or global equivalent | 36 months in the last 8 years | 35 contact hours (or CAPM) |
| Secondary school or diploma | 60 months in the last 8 years | 35 contact hours (or CAPM) |
| GAC-accredited degree | 24 months in the last 8 years | 35 contact hours (or CAPM) |
Experience months are counted once, even when projects overlap. Leading or directing counts; being a team member on a project does not.
2. The July 2026 exam in one table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 180, of which 175 are scored |
| Time | 240 minutes, with two 10-minute breaks |
| People | 33% |
| Process | 41% |
| Business Environment | 26% |
| Approaches | Predictive, agile and hybrid scenarios throughout |
Business Environment now carries about a quarter of the marks. Governance, compliance, benefits, organisational change and external change are no longer side topics.
3. From application to exam day
- Collect evidence: degree certificate, 35-hour training certificate and a list of projects with dates, roles and outcomes.
- Apply online: describe each project in your own words using the Objective, Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing pattern. Our Application Helper builds this with you.
- Audit: a small share of applications is selected at random. Keep signed experience forms and certificates ready.
- Pay and schedule: after approval you have one year to sit the exam, with up to three attempts.
- Prepare: this Journey, then timed mocks, then targeted review of your weakest tasks.
4. How to use this Journey
Each stage teaches one block of the exam content outline in plain language, points you to the matching sections of the PMBOK Guide, and ends with a 10-question quiz. Score 70% or more and the next stage opens. You can retake a quiz as often as you like; we keep your best score.
- Read the lessons once, slowly, then explain each idea aloud in your own words.
- Take the quiz without notes. Read every explanation, including those for questions you got right.
- Practise the linked question sets before moving on.
- Stage 12 is the final gate: pass its quiz and score 70% or more on a timed mock of 60 questions or more to earn your Exam ready badge.
Key terms
| ECO | Examination Content Outline: the official list of domains and tasks the exam tests. |
|---|---|
| Contact hours | Hours of formal project management learning; 35 are required. |
| Audit | A random check where PMI asks for proof of education and experience. |
Stage 1 quiz
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