In case you hadn't heard, PMI will be launching a new PMP certification exam in July (the specific cutoff date for the transition has not been announced).
Info about the new exam is available from the PMP certification page at pmi.org
Some of the changes which jumped out at me included:
a) More weighting given to the Business Environment domain
b) 60% (vs 50) of questions relate to agile/hybrid approaches
c) 185 questions & 240 minutes
d) The experience eligibility period has been increased from the past eight years to the past ten years
e) More focus on AI, sustainability, stakeholder engagement & the evolved definition of project success re: value delivered
f) A much broader set of question types - not just the old single pick multiple choice questions.
The new Exam Content Outline (ECO) which acts as the "blueprint" for the questions in the exam is available from the same web page.
Thoughts on the changes - which do you like and which do you dislike?
And for those who were planning to attain their certification over the next year, will you accelerate your preparation to take it before the new exam launches or will you wait for the new exam?
Saving Changes...
Sort By:
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Kiron
The new PMP exam moves in the right direction, more value, more agility, more business acumen, and more realistic question formats.
But it still overlooks the most essential capability for the future of our profession: ethical decision-making.
Given PMI’s recent reinforcement of its four ethics documents, it is striking that the new ECO does not define a minimum percentage of ethics questions.
In a world shaped by AI, ambiguity, pressure and accelerated decision cycles, the failures that damage teams, stakeholders and organisations are rarely methodological, they are ethical.
As the role evolves from Project Manager to Regenerative Project Leader, leadership will not be “less important” than Business Acumen or Ways of Working.
It will become the integrating force that turns knowledge into judgment, options into decisions, and value into impact, more ethical, more systemic, more cognitive, and more central to organisational coherence.
Business acumen without ethics becomes opportunism.
Ways of working without ethics becomes noise.
Leadership without ethics becomes authority without trust.
If the PMP is meant to prepare professionals for the future, then ethics cannot remain invisible.
It must be explicit, measurable and examinable, because credibility is not a toolset; it is a discipline.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Kiron, most of these changes feel like steps in the right direction. For example, placing more emphasis on the Business Environment domain reflects the reality that project managers need a stronger grasp of organizational strategy and value delivery. I’m also fine with the increased focus on agile and hybrid approaches, although I’m not sure where the “60% agile-related questions” figure originated as I didn’t find it on the website.
The one change I’m not particularly fond of is extending the experience eligibility window to the past 10 years. Given how dramatically project delivery practices have evolved in just the last five years, especially with the rise of AI, new collaboration models, and shifts in organizational governance, I would have expected PMI to shorten the window to ensure that candidates experience is current. Broadening it risks validating experience that may not reflect today’s realities.
Overall, though, the direction of the exam updates makes sense. Personally, I don’t see a need to rush to take the exam before the transition, but I can understand why some might prefer to complete it under the current format.
By the way, the link you shared is not working. Double check.
...
1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Dec 02, 2025 12:19 PM
Kiron Bondale
...
Thanks Rami - the link works when you copy & paste it into a browser address bar but not by clicking on it. I removed it from the post to avoid confusion :-)
Kiron, most of these changes feel like steps in the right direction. For example, placing more emphasis on the Business Environment domain reflects the reality that project managers need a stronger grasp of organizational strategy and value delivery. I’m also fine with the increased focus on agile and hybrid approaches, although I’m not sure where the “60% agile-related questions” figure originated as I didn’t find it on the website.
The one change I’m not particularly fond of is extending the experience eligibility window to the past 10 years. Given how dramatically project delivery practices have evolved in just the last five years, especially with the rise of AI, new collaboration models, and shifts in organizational governance, I would have expected PMI to shorten the window to ensure that candidates experience is current. Broadening it risks validating experience that may not reflect today’s realities.
Overall, though, the direction of the exam updates makes sense. Personally, I don’t see a need to rush to take the exam before the transition, but I can understand why some might prefer to complete it under the current format.
By the way, the link you shared is not working. Double check.
Thanks Rami - the link works when you copy & paste it into a browser address bar but not by clicking on it. I removed it from the post to avoid confusion :-)
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Dec 02, 2025 12:19 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Thanks Rami - the link works when you copy & paste it into a browser address bar but not by clicking on it. I removed it from the post to avoid confusion :-)
Kiron
Kiron, what are your thoughts on the new changes?
...
1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Dec 03, 2025 7:25 AM
Kiron Bondale
...
Overall, I think they are positive. The experience deadline change doesn't bother me too much but it'd be good if they also added something which ensured they had some current experience as well otherwise you could get someone who had been a PM five years ago but hadn't practiced since and was hoping to attain the PMP to get their foot back in the pool.
I do agree with Luis's perspective that ethics is not given sufficient emphasis in the ECO. I'd assume that "some" questions will cover what's in the Code, but likely not enough.
Overall, I think they are positive. The experience deadline change doesn't bother me too much but it'd be good if they also added something which ensured they had some current experience as well otherwise you could get someone who had been a PM five years ago but hadn't practiced since and was hoping to attain the PMP to get their foot back in the pool.
I do agree with Luis's perspective that ethics is not given sufficient emphasis in the ECO. I'd assume that "some" questions will cover what's in the Code, but likely not enough.
Changes are good, generally changes are crucial for keeping profession and certificate up-to-date. PMI changed is in 2013, 2016, and 2021 before this, and it is good that change was not drastical.
Many people say that there is going to be more questions on Business Environment domain, but when I cross-checked ECO 2021 vs. ECO 2026 I found that Business Environment was increased by shuffling tasks from Process and People Domain.
Also, now it is officially stated that 60% for agile+hybrid, but practice showed that since 2025 most of the questions were either agile or hybrid. Saving Changes...
Community Champion
