Taking the PMP Exam Now or After July 2020?

2020 is already there. And many Aspirants are working effortlessly with the aim to pass the PMP Exam before the exam change in July 2020.

Recently, I have received an email from a reader of this website over the dilemma of whether to take the PMP Exam before the change. Below is the extract:

Hi, I’m Massimiliano, from Italy

I’m willing to apply for PMP certification.

Thank you very much for you very detailed and useful exam preparation guide.

Wanna ask you a question because I heard about a change in PMP exam from July-2020 on.

Do you know any detail about this? I went through the official exam outline for current and new version, and apparently it changes everything. They are completely different, with a completely different classification criterium.

But is it just the way the weigh each exam question (leaving the exam content the same as today) or does it actually affect also the topics?

For example PMBOK® Guide 6th edition is completely organized around the 5 domains (initiation, planning….): how can I use it now, with a completely different exam structure?

Are they planning to completely change the PMBOK® Guide as well?

Thanks
Massimiliano

Remember the day when I first made up my mind to take the PMP Exam and was told the PMP Exam will be changing in a few months. I shared the same worries. But after getting through several PMP Exam changes, I probably can have a more holistic view of the exam changes.

But as no one has taken the exam version from July 2020, I can only tell from my experience. PMP Exam changes every several years, the big changes being the update of the PMBOK® Guide (which accounts for around 85% of the exam syllabus); the relatively small changes being the update to the Exam Content Outline.

This July, we will see the update to the Exam Content Outline and therefore it is considered a relatively small change. The PMBOK® Guide will still be the same 6th edition (though the PMBOK® Guide 7th edition is currently being drafted by a team of professional project managers, it is expected the new PMBOK® Guide will only be available in several years from now).

But risks are often associated with changes. It is often a mission of project managers to minimize risks!

Therefore, it is highly recommended to take and pass the exam before the change as the study materials and mock exams are well developed. My study notes are based on the current exam version. Many lessons learned have already been published and we know the current PMP Exam version in great depths.

However, this is not a grave concern if you cannot follow this plan. But just wait a few months after the change to get a better picture of the new PMP Exam if you are not confident of your exam preparation (you can always re-schedule the PMP Exam for free). Lessons learned will soon be coming out and we will get a better picture of the changes involved and PMP course instructors will fine-tune their study courses/mock exams to align with the latest changes then.

If you would like to know the upcoming PMP Exam change in more details, please refer to this article:

PMP Exam Changes in 2020