The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification was and continues to be a compass for prospective project managers to test and prove their ability to perform the duties and responsibilities that their position entails.
The credential has undergone continuous evolution over the last 37 years, which is common after the release of a new version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), as it is one of the main reference guides for the certification exam.
That is why, with the upcoming release of the PMBOK 7th edition, an important question has arisen: Will the PMP exam be updated as a result of the changes made to the PMBOK?
Is the PMP exam going to change?
With the release of The PMBOK Guide 7th Edition scheduled for August 1st, 2021, PMP aspirants were wondering if it would have any impact on the certification exam. To begin, the exam is not based on the PMBOK; rather, the PMP exam follows the Examination Content Outline (ECO). Furthermore, the PMBOK guide is only one component of preparing for the PMP certification, along with ten other recommended reference books.
So, no, the PMP exam will not be changed immediately following the release of the PMBOK 7th edition, as we concisely stated in our blog post Everything you need to know about the PMBOK Guide 7th edition. The PMI has repeatedly clarified this issue, stating that the release of a new PMBOK Guide does not imply a change in the PMP exam. Furthermore, the PMP exam was updated not long ago in January 2021. As a result, another edition of the exam will not be released, at least not for the time being.
We strongly advise PMP candidates to consult the PMP exam ECO and use the recommended reference titles for their preparation. As a result, you should continue to use the PMBOK 6th Edition as one of several exam references.
The PMBOK guide and the PMP exam have evolved.
The PMI created and published the Ethics, Standards, and Accreditation (ESA) Report in August 1983, after recognizing the need for an official guide to promoting the development of the project management profession.
The ESA report served as a framework for project management knowledge, covering various aspects of the project management profession and establishing key standards for working in this field.
As a result, the PMI launched its first project management certification program in 1984, resulting in the first edition of the PMP certification exam, which was based on the ESA report at the time.
The ESA report was later upgraded to produce the PMBOK as we know it today, with the first version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge guide being presented in 1996. The PMBOK guide continued to evolve as the field’s theories and practices were defined and refined.
The PMI published the second version of the PMBOK in 2000, followed by the third in 2004 and the fourth in 2009. The guide was constantly revised in an attempt to document standard project management practices.
Meanwhile, the PMP, which was quickly becoming the de facto standard in the world of Project Management certifications, was undergoing changes in accordance with PMBOK and ECO updates.
The 5th edition of the PMBOK was released in January 2013, followed by an updated version of the PMP exam in August of the same year. The Examination Content Outline (ECO), which presented PMP’s blueprint and basic outline, was released in June 2015. In January 2016, the certification exam was changed, but it still used the PMBOK 5th edition as one of its preparation references.
The PMBOK Guide 6th edition was released in September 2017, and while the ECO remained in its 2015 format, the PMP exam was changed again in March 2018 to ensure accurate use of terminologies and to match the process groups, tools, and techniques addressed in the exam to the content of the PMBOK Guide 6th edition.
The ECO underwent some changes in May 2020, followed by a newly revised edition of the PMP exam in January 2021, while the PMBOK 6th edition remained unchanged.
The anticipated date of the upcoming PMP modifications
Considering the pattern of previous Exam Content Outline releases, the PMI tends to update the ECO every 5 years or after a period of 2 to 3 years following the release of a newly released edition of the PMBOK guide. As a result, we anticipate that the next ECO will be launched in 2024-2025.
However, there is a possibility that the PMP exam will be updated sooner. Historically, the certification exam has been changed every two years or after presenting an upgraded version of the ECO or the PMBOK for six months. As a result, we can expect the PMI to update the exam in 2022 or 2023 to reflect the new terminologies and concepts introduced in the PMBOK 7th edition.
These are only predictions; it is likely that the PMI will not follow the same pattern that it has established over the years. However, they usually allow a 6-month gap before making any changes to the exam in order to allow providers to update their training content and PMP candidates to choose which exam version to take.
Changes to the PMBOK guide will undoubtedly have an impact on the PMP certification exam, but this does not imply that the exam is based on the guide. So, aspirants who have begun preparing for the exam in 2021 based on the PMBOK 6th edition, don’t be alarmed! You will take and pass the exam using the most recent version of the PMBOK guide. Just keep in mind that, for accurate preparation, you should refer to all PMI-recommended reference books, as we previously explained in our blog post-2021 PMP certification: what you should refer to when preparing for the exam.
