You have studied for weeks. Exam day should hold no surprises. Here is what to expect and how to use your four hours well.
The format
- 180 questions, of which 170 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest items mixed in.
- 240 minutes of exam time.
- Two optional 10-minute breaks. The breaks are not counted in the 240 minutes.
- An optional tutorial before the exam and a survey after it, neither counted in your time.
The exam is split into three sections of about 60 questions. Once you move past a break, you cannot go back to the earlier section. Review your flagged questions before each break.
Your pace
240 minutes for 180 questions is 80 seconds per question. A simple plan:
| Checkpoint | Target time used |
|---|---|
| Question 60, before break 1 | About 80 minutes |
| Question 120, before break 2 | About 160 minutes |
| Question 180 | About 230 minutes, leaving 10 minutes spare |
Case study sets take longer to read, so you will spend more time on some questions and less on others. Check the clock at the checkpoints, not after every question.
Flag and move on
If a question takes more than two minutes, choose your best answer, flag it, and move on. Never leave a question blank; there is no penalty for a wrong answer. Come back to flags before the break.
Take the breaks
Take both breaks, even if you feel fine. Four hours of reading scenarios is tiring, and a short walk and some water restore focus for the next 60 questions.
Online or at a test center
Test center
- Arrive at least 30 minutes early.
- Bring your government ID; the name must match your PMI application exactly.
- Personal items go in a locker.
Online proctored
- Run the system test on the same computer and network a few days before.
- Clear your desk and walls completely. The proctor will ask you to show the room with your webcam.
- Use a wired connection if possible and close all other programs.
- You cannot leave the camera's view except during scheduled breaks.
The week before
- Do your last full mock exam no later than three days before.
- Stop learning new material two days before. Review notes and explanations instead.
- Sleep. A tired brain misreads "first" as "best".
During the exam
- Read the last sentence of each question first to know what is being asked.
- Look for the environment clues: predictive, agile or hybrid.
- Eliminate the answers that escalate too early, decide for others, or skip a process.
- Do not look for patterns in answer letters. There are none.
After the exam
You will see a provisional pass or fail on screen at the test center, and an email confirmation later. The score report shows your performance in each domain as one of four ratings: Above Target, Target, Below Target or Needs Improvement. If you pass, your certification appears in PMI's online registry within a few days.
The best exam-day preparation is a full-length mock exam taken under real conditions: 180 questions, four hours, two breaks. Our Udemy practice exams give you four of them.