The 2021 PMP^® Exam Format

For many years, practicing project managers have been attending Project Management Professional (PMP)^® exam preparation courses in order to pass the 200 question / 4 hour Project Management Professional (PMP)^®  exam.  However, since January 2021 and the advent of online examinations, the PMP^® exam has taken on a slightly different format.

The Number of Questions

In the old days, the PMP^® exam involved 200 multiple-choice questions. Within those questions were some 25 unmarked questions that the Project Management Institute used to test out new questions for future exams.

Today, there are only 180 questions and only 5 of these are unmarked. So, you are less likely to encounter strangely worded questions during the exam. The overall effect is the same: you are rated on 175 questions in total.

There will be Breaks!

One of the most difficult aspects of doing the old PMP^®  exam was getting match fit. You had to understand how a gruelling, 4-hour exam affected your concentration levels and you had to plan your breaks carefully.

Today, the PMP^® exam is available to do online, in the comfort of your own home. You are also allocated 10 fewer minutes to do it (230 versus 240). However, that works out well because there are 10 fewer minutes, but 20 fewer questions.

Another nice aspect of the online exam is the structure: Once you complete the first 60 questions, the system will give you a 10-minute break. When you complete the second 60 questions, you will get another 10-minute break. The clock is stopped during these breaks – a major plus over the older PMP^® exam certification regime.

This also allows you to see how you are doing in terms of time used. You should aim to have 60 questions done in around 76 minutes.

When you enter a break, you can no longer revise any of the previous 60 questions, so you are effectively making three submissions in the course of the new 2021 PMP^® exam.