Detailed analysis of different sections of PMP exam

Certification: PMI PMP - Project Management Professional

PMP certification is one of those certifications which center its aim on providing high-quality skills and knowledge to the candidate. It is admired by lots of organizations world-wide. In fact, it is one of the best certifications in the field of Project Management. It caters to a number of advanced level topics which assess the ability of the candidates and prepare them for the professional life.

The most important credential of the PMP certification is the PMP Exam. This is a compulsory exam which has been associated with the PMP certification by Project Management Institute. This exam caters to 5 technical topics which the candidate will learn during the course of this certification. These topics will be assessed in detail in the PMP exam. In this regard, the candidate must prepare well in order to clear this exam.

As far as the structure of this exam is concerned, it comprises of 200 Multiple-Choice questions. However, only 175 out of these 200 questions will be marked, in order to give a relaxation to the candidate. The total duration of this lengthy exam will be 4 hours and no extra time will be given to the candidate. In addition to this, the minimum score required to clear this exam is 106. There are a total of 5 sections in this exam, with varying weights. Following is a detailed analysis of the different sections of PMP exam, along with their weights which will determine the number of questions which occur in the exam pertaining to a particular topic.

Initiation of the Project

This is the first topic which will be assessed in the PMP exam. The weight which has been allocated to this topic is 13 %. This means that you should expect to see around 26 questions from this topic in the exam. This section will check the ability of the candidate to start a project considering all of the factors which affect various decisions to be made in this regard. Following are the main points which will be assessed in this section.

The candidate should be able to carry out a feasibility study pertaining to the products to consider the plan for their development. In this regard, he should carry out a number of meetings with the stakeholders in order to plan the project according to its requirements.
The candidate should be able to assign an appropriate project manager in different departments of the project. He should also be able to communicate all the relevant details with him.
He should be able to identify all the risks which relate to the project. This will enable him to set all the limitations in the project.
The candidate should be able to create a project charter for the customer. He should also consider approving the charter from the customer in order to begin the project.

Planning of the Project

This is the second section in the PMP exam. It is one of the most important sections as it carries a weight of 24 %. The candidate should expect to see around 48 questions from section. This section will check the ability of the candidate to plan the project in detail while considering all the other factors and limitations. Following are the main skills which will be assessed in this section.

The candidate should be able to assess all the requirements of the projects, evaluate the constraints and consider any assumptions with the stakeholders.
He should be able to break down the tasks into smaller ones and assign appropriate teams to manage each task.
Develop the complete schedule for the project. In addition to this, he should allocate the labor to different tasks appropriately by devising a complete plan.
He should be able to define a number of other plans as well relating to how risk will be managed, how resources will be allocated, how changes will be handled and how costs will be managed.

Execution of the Project

This is the most important section of the exam. This section carries a weight of 30 %, which mean that you should expect to see at least 60 questions from this section. It will deal with all the processes which are involved in the execution of the project. Following are the main skills which will be assessed in this section.

The candidate should make sure that he is able to manage all the resources in an efficient manner so they are utilized wisely.
All the processes should be executed in the way they were planned.
The candidate should be familiar with the implementation of the quality management plan to maintain the quality of the products.
He should be able to implement all the approved actions and changes accordingly.
The candidate should be able to lead, monitor, train and motivate team members to maximize performance.

Controlling and Monitoring the Project

This is another important section which carries a weightage of 25 %. This section will deal with how the different processes will be controlled and monitored by the project manager. Following are the main points to be tested in this section.

The candidate should be able to evaluate the performance of the project by using appropriate techniques.
He should make sure that all of the outputs conform to the conditions which have been set.
He should be able to manage changes according to the requirement.
He should also be able to identify any issues and take appropriate action to resolve them
The most important task is to communicate the project status to the stakeholder and get their feedback.

Closing the Project

This is the last step in the PMP exam which carries a weight of 8 %. This means that you should only expect to see around 16 questions from this section. Following are the main topics which are included in this section.

The ability to communicate the final output with the customers to ensure that all the deliverables are met.
The ability to formally close the project by obtaining administrative, financial and legal closure.
The ability to create and distribute the final project closure report.
Evaluate customer satisfaction by the feedback received in order to improve future projects.

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