Decoding PMP Syllabus | Exam Content Outline In 2024

You might not know but the PMP exam syllabus is defined in the PMP Exam Content Outline (ECO).

Surprised!

Most exam aspirants believe that the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification exam is based on the PMBOK Guide (A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge), but it is not true.

The exam curriculum is contained in PMP ECO. PMI (Project Management Institute) updates ECO periodically every 4-5 years – it was last published in January 2021.

However, reading ECO is quiet confusing. It provides very little explanation about how the PMP certification exam is conducted and what all you should study.

As per the ECO, the exam comes from the different performance domains viz. People, Process, and Business Environment. To understand these domains, you have to study the PMBOK Guide, Agile Practice Guide, and Process Groups Practice Guide. In addition, you can study some other reference books to prepare for the exam.

However, the best way to prepare for the PMP certification test is by joining a good PMP facilitation training program and following its course content.

Let’s look at the certification exam syllabus in detail and understand more about the performance domains.

Table of Contents

PMP Exam Syllabus

Before diving into the details of the syllabus for the PMP certification exam, let’s first understand its significance. The PMP credential exam syllabus like any other professional test curriculum serves as the blueprint of domains, tasks, and knowledge that are vital for the certified project managers.

At the core of the syllabus, there are three performance domains namely People, Process, and Business Environment. You can learn about these domains by studying the PMI publications:

These domains are detailed in the ECO.

Exam Content Outline

PMP ECO provides structure of the exam and gives guidance about what is tested in the exam. The exam syllabus is detailed under the three domains.

Beyond the domains, the ECO provides granular insights into the constituent tasks of each domain and associated enablers. The exam syllabus in ECO is categorized as under:

Domains: These are the high-level knowledge that is crucial for practicing project management.
Tasks: These are the underlying responsibilities of a project manager for each domain.
Enablers: These provide specific examples of the work related to each task. Enablers are just examples and do not provide an exhaustive list what each task entails.

PMI (Project Management Institute) maintains a specific percentage of questions from each domain. The exam questions cover all tasks from each domain.

The percentage of questions coming from each domain and number of tasks are mentioned in the table below.

Membership Type	%age of questions	Tasks
People	42%	14
Process	50%	17
Business Environment	8%	4

Let us understand each domain in detail.

1. People Domain

The people domains deal with the knowledge related to managing people. People include project team members, customers, senior managers, and other stakeholders.

The tasks in this domain include managing conflicts, building and supporting team performance, and empowering team members among their things.

Here is an example of tasks a task and its enablers from People domain.

Task: Manage conflict

Interpret the source and stage of the conflict
Analyze the context for the conflict
Evaluate/recommend/reconcile the appropriate conflict resolution solution

You can learn about this task in lesson 10 of Process Groups Practice Guide under section “Conflict Management” and lesson 2 of PMBOK Guide 7th edition under section “Team Perofrmance Domain”.

2. Process Domain

This process domain deals with skills and knowledge required to manage the technical aspects of a project. It includes tasks like risk management, change management, and schedule management.

Here is an example of tasks a task and its enablers from Process domain.

Task: Execute project with the urgency required to deliver business value

Assess opportunities to deliver value incrementally
Examine the business value throughout the project
Support the team in subdividing project tasks as necessary to find the minimum viable product

You can learn about this task at many places in all three PMI publications.

3. Business Environment Domain

The Business Environment domain deals with the business environment in which the project is being executed. This environment could be internal or external to the performing organization. It includes tasks like managing project compliance, delivering project benefits and value, and supporting organizational changes.

Here is an example of tasks a task and its enablers from Business Environment domain.

Task: Plan and manage project compliance

Confirm project compliance requirements (e.g., security, health and safety, regulatory compliance)
Classify compliance categories
Determine potential threats to compliance
Use methods to support compliance
Analyze the consequences of noncompliance
Determine necessary approach and action to address compliance needs (e.g., risk, legal)
Measure the extent to which the project is in compliance

You can learn about this task at many places in all three PMI publications.

How Should you Prepare for the PMP Exam?

PMP is a tough exam. The vastness of syllabus and confusion around the ECO makes the exam a bit more complex. You will need to put in a lot of time, effort, and diligence to prepare for the exam.

Before beginning the exam prep, you should create a formal PMP certification study schedule. It will help you put the whole syllabus in perspective and aid you to crack the exam in your first attempt.

Let us look at some tips that will help you in passing the exam successfully.

Note: You can also read my article on how to pass the PMP exam for a step by step guidance.

1. Join a Good PMP Facilitation Course

Attending a formal project management course is mandatory for appearing in the PMP exam. You will need a 35 contact hours training certificate before you can apply to the PMP exam.

You should choose a top PMP certification training course from a reputed organization – a course that offers extensive study material, explanatory videos, and exam like mock questions. Additionally, it should give you tips and best practices to prepare for the exam.

A good training program is essential for passing the exam. It can can kick-start your studies and help you to understand the syllabus for the exam. It will give you a complete coverage of ECO so that so that you don’t have to your worry about completing the exam syllabus.

2. Thoroughly Study the PMBOK Guide

The PMBOK Guide is a standard for project management. It is published by PMI and is used as the foundation for the PMP exam. You should study the PMBOK Guide thoroughly and make it your companion.

You can study the PMBOK Guide side-by-side with your training study material and reference book (explained in the next section) for doing your exam preparation.

You won’t leave anything to chance when you study from diverse sources; you will get a complete hold on the syllabus for the PMP exam.

You do not need to memorize anything. It is more important to understand the concepts written in the PMBOK Guide. The exam does not test your theoretical knowledge. Rather, it tests your your ability to solve project management problems. The exam will check your ability to apply concepts, principles, and ideas explained in the Guide to solve situational questions.

Although, you can download a free copy of the PMBOK Guide when you become a PMI member but you should consider investing in a hard copy as it will help you study properly. You can check price of the PMBOK Guide by clicking here.

3. Use a Good PMP Prep Book

Alongside studying for PMBOK Guide, you should also study a reference book. It will not only help you in understanding the PMBOK Guide concepts easily but also prepare you with the topics that are not covered in the PMBOK Guide.

There are many reference books available for the PMP exam prep. You can buy any one of the following books:

4. Practice Mock Tests

Practicing PMP mock tests is the last step in the PMP exam preparation. Good scores in the mock tests will not only help you validate you studies but increase you confidence before writing the exam. You should consider investing in a good PMP exam simulator to finish of your studies.

Conclusion

Refer to the PMI suggested PMP exam reference list. You will notice that PMI is suggesting you to read ten books to prepare for the exam. It is not really possible for working professionals to read so many books to prepare for one exam. If you seriously consider reading all the books, it might take you one year to study for the exam and still you would be in quandary if you are ready to take the exam.

However, if you are so serious about your studies that you can spend 1 year for the preparation then I would suggested to make a concentrated effort and plan for passing 3-4 professional certification exams.

The best way to prepare for the exam is by limiting your study material and focusing on a few important things – you should enroll into a good training, understand the PMBOK Guide, invest in a good reference book, and do lot of mock tests. If you do these things and do a regular study, you will be be ready for the exam in 2-3 months.

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