Today we will talk about the PMP passing score.
Every aspirant preparing for the PMP exam has wondered about the PMP exam passing score. I was there and can understand the curiosity of a PMP aspirant.
Attaining the PMP certification is not an easy process. You have to pass through many processes and, finally, attempt a computer-based PMP certification exam. Once you pass this test, you can use the “PMP” title with your name and signature.
Before we go in-depth regarding the PMP exam passing score, let’s understand the PMP certification.
The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a globally recognized credential for project managers. Offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the PMP certification demonstrates a professional’s expertise in leading and managing projects effectively. It is highly regarded in project management and is sought after by organizations worldwide.
The PMI has awarded the first PMP certification in 1984.
The PMP certification validates an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience in project management. It signifies a professional’s ability to successfully navigate complex projects, handle stakeholders, manage resources, and deliver desired outcomes within defined constraints.
The PMP certification involves passing a rigorous exam that assesses a candidate’s understanding of project management principles, methodologies, and best practices.
Holding a PMP certification enhances your professional credibility and opens up opportunities for career advancement and higher earning potential. It signifies a commitment to excellence in project management and sets you apart as competent and skilled professionals in your field.
The PMP certification is a valuable asset for project managers, demonstrating their proficiency and ability to lead successful projects. It serves as a benchmark of excellence in project management and provides a competitive edge in today’s dynamic business environment.
This blog post will discuss the PMP exam pass rate in 2023, including its history, some myths, and the current situation.
What is the PMP Exam Passing Score?
This is the most frequently asked question by PMP aspirants on blogs and forums. Everybody has his or her idea of what a passing score is. However, if you are asking me, my answer is: nobody knows except the PMI.
The PMP passing score was open knowledge at one time, but now it is a closely guarded secret.
Before we proceed further, please note that the PMP certification exam consists of 180 questions, 15 of which are pretest questions whose results are not added to your final score. These PMP exam questions are included to validate the exam pattern for future tests.
Before 2021, the PMP exam used to have multiple-choice questions with a single response, but after January 2, 2021, the PMI added three more question types:
- Multiple choice with multiple responses
- Fill in the blanks
- Answer selection
Put simply; the exam is more challenging now.
A Brief History of PMP Passing Score Changes
The PMP passing score was 61% until November 30, 2005, meaning 106 correct answers out of 175 scorable questions got you your certification.
The PMI changed the passing score to 81% in July 2005. Consequently, the number of professionals succeeding dropped drastically. After a few days, the PMI reverted the passing percentage to 61% and showed scores for each domain in the exam result reports.
However, after 2005, the PMI stopped publishing the passing percentage, so no one knows the new number. Still, many sites and forums claim that 61% is still the PMP exam passing score.
The PMI changed the format of the exam results again in 2007. The percentage was removed and replaced with proficiency levels for each domain: proficient, moderately proficient, or below proficient.
Again, in August 2017, the report card format was changed. It now shows the target level for each domain: Above Target, Target, Below Target, and Needs Improvement.
However, they still do not reveal the passing score for the PMP exam.
As you can see, there have been many changes to the PMP exam report format, and it is clear that no one knows the current passing score.
PMP Exam Report
The PMP exam has 180 questions from three different domains. These domains are described in detail in Exam Content Outline. The percentage of questions from each domain is as follows:
You can read the PMP Exam Content Outline for further details.
The result of the PMP exam is given on a PMP exam score report. The score report grades the candidates for the three domains. It gives a grading on a four-point scale called performance rating categories or levels of proficiency. These are
- Above Target: Your performance exceeds the minimum requirements for this exam.
- Target: Your performance meets the minimum requirements for this exam.
- Below Target: Your performance is slightly below target and fails to meet the minimum requirements for this exam. Additional preparation is recommended before re-examination.
- Needs Improvement: Your performance is far below target and fails to meet the minimum requirements for this exam. Additional preparation is strongly recommended before re-examination.
What PMP Score Should You Aim for on Your PMP Exam?
Aim for more than 70% in your practice exams if you want to pass the exam. Additionally, in January 2021, the PMI migrated the exam to the new exam content outline, including Agile and Adoptive project management methodologies. The candidates are complaining that the test is hard. The passing score or difficulty level might have increased.
Also, don’t be distracted by the pre-test questions. You should try to answer more than 126 questions correctly because you cannot differentiate the pretest questions from the real ones. Therefore, assume all 180 questions are scorable.
A Few Rumors About the PMP Exam Passing Score
Since the PMP certification is highly in-demand for project professionals and the passing score is secret, there will be many rumors about the passing score.
Let’s clear up some rumors here.
Rumor #1: The PMP Passing Score is Fixed
Many professionals assume the PMP passing score is the same for everyone.
This is not true. The passing score for the PMP exam is different for every professional who takes the test, and a psychometric analysis determines this.
According to the PMI:
“The passing score for all PMI exams is determined by sound psychometric analysis. PMI uses subject matter experts – project professionals from around the world and many different disciplines – to determine how many questions you must answer correctly to pass the exam.”
The above paragraph shows that the passing score depends on the questions received.
Rumor #2: Every Question Carries a Different Weight
Many experts, including me, believed this in the past. However, in the latest version of the PMP Handbook, PMI has clarified that each question carries a single mark.
According to the PMI,
Each scored question on the exam is worth one point, and your final score is calculated by totaling the points you earned. The number of questions you answer correctly places you within one of the performance rating categories you see on this report.
Rumor #3: Getting the Below Target Level in any Domain Means You Will Fail Overall
This is another misconception. I have seen many tests result reports with one below target, and the exam takers passed.
You will likely pass the PMP exam if you are above target in the other two domains. But, if you get “on target” for one domain and “below target” for one domain, you may fail the test.
Rumor #4: The PMP Exam is Based on the PMBOK Guide?
The PMP exam is based on the PMP exam content outline, not the PMBOK Guide. Before starting your PMP exam preparation, you must review the PMP Exam Content Outline.
Summary
The PMP passing score is a mystery, and only the PMI knows it. Therefore, you should not worry too much about the exact percentage. A PMP exam passing score depends on the questions received during the exam. Although we don’t know the passing percentage for the PMP exam, I advise you to aim for over 70% in the PMP practice exams. If you can cross this threshold, you will most likely see a congratulatory message.
Prepare well before you attempt the exam.
Have you attempted the PMP exam? What do you feel about your PMP exam score? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
I have given you my observations based on my knowledge. I do not take responsibility for the correctness of any information in this blog post. Do your due diligence before reaching any conclusion.
I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.
I am scheduled for my 3rd opportunity to pass the PMP Exam. I wish I had sought this encouragement on the first two tries. I feel like my “test anxiety” gets the best of me and I completely overthink the situational questions. Do you think it would help if I request an audio aid?
To solve situation based question, think you are working in a very big project and everything should be done as PMI says.
Reading at least two PMP exam reference books will help you understand the PMP concepts.
can u pls share your questions banks and suggestions to clear exams….
Hi Fahad,
I am writing PMP exam next week, can you please share some sample questions for me to practise and also if there is any formula guide which i can look at
Thanks
Focus on whatever you have studied. Regarding the formula based questions, you can refer my blog posts on evm concepts.
Hi, Fahad –
I have taken the exam and not passed with the following results:
Initiating – MP
Planning – BP
Executing – BP
Monitoring and Controlling – BP
Closing – MP
I have been studying the following: PMP exam guide by Joseph Phillips and taken the practice exam the book offers as well as several practice tests such as PMP Genius, the free ones online such as Head First Labs from O’Reilly, PM Exam Simulator, and Oliver Lehmann. I have already signed up to retake the end of April and wanted some advice on other formats of study or to just focus on what I’m already studying. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Read my free eBook on passing the exam on your second attempt, available at:
https://pmstudycircle.com/pass-pmp-exam-on-second-attempt/
Once you are done with it, contact me again with your further queries.
Dear Mr. Fahad,
Yesterday, I cleared my PMP exam in first attempt with following
Initiation: Moderately Proficient
Planning: Moderately Proficient
Execution: Moderately Proficient
M&C: Moderately Proficient
Close: Moderately Proficient
Thanks for your on line notes. I went through you EVM, Formula Guides and Question Banks. All helped.
Regards,
Rupam
Congratulations Rumpam on passing the PMP exam.
Whoohooo i just cleared the PMP exam today. Below are my score
Initiation – Moderately Proficient
Planning – Proficient
Execution – Moderately Proficient
M&C- Moderately Proficient
Close – Moderately Proficient
Passed the exam.
To be honest i will say that you have be absolutely understanding the fundamentals for all the 47 processes and not only memorize the ITTO but also understand in what situation you will use which tool.
About half way down i was like will i make it or not, but i took a small break, and refreshed my mind and built confidence.
You need to back your self with the study you have done and not get into the wordy game of the long questions.
For long questions , i tried the trick that read the last line of the question before you start reading the full question, and then start reading the options from the bottom. Helped me a lot.
In the last week, all i read was an overview of Rita’s guide. The incorrect question answers that i wrote down while i was taking several of the online mock tests.
and Yes Fahad, i didn’t tried to give me brain to load extra in the last week , which actually helped me focus on the preparation and notes i prepared along.
Happy to pass on the first trail.
Congratulations Rasesh on passing the PMP exam.
Fahad
I passed with self study! I read the book twice, practiced mapping out the knowledge area inputs & outputs, and took around 10 practice exams. I was very surprised at how many situational questions there were. 3-5 sentence contextual paragraph with the question of “What would be the next step for the PM to solve this scenario?”. My advice would be to take as many practice exams as possible and study the logic on why the answers were correct.
Initiating – Moderately Proficient
Planning -Proficient
Execution -Moderately Proficient
Monitoring and Control -Proficient
Close -Below Proficient
Congratulations Lisa on passing the PMP exam.
I passed the exam 1st try myself yesterday, but it wasn’t pretty. My situation was somewhat unique, in that I’ve developed some commercial real estate, and in fact “managed” those projects from start to finish, but did it backwards without any formal PM training or education. A bit later in life, I’ve gone back to school to pursue a graduate degree in Construction Mgmt. Part of our curriculum last semester was an Advanced Project Management Course. And, although the course was not designed to prepare one for the PMP Exam, it was quite robust. That said, after the end of the semester, I studied intensely for 2 weeks daily (probably not enough), and my profile looked like this:
My graduate course in PM included the PmBok 5th Edition, as well as two other texts. I obviously ready all of that, but did not focus on the PmBok, as I had no intention of sitting for the PMP, initially, until our instructor encouraged us towards the end. There were weekly PmBok Quizzes to familiarize us with the platform, but they were woefully inadequate to prepare us for the PMP. Don’t get me wrong – the course was great, it simply was designed to teach Advanced PM, not prepare students for the PMP. All of that said, my exam prep looked like this after completing the graduate course:
Andy Crowe’s Exam Prep Book. Read through it thoroughly, created flash cards for ITTO’s, took all chapter end quizzes, including the 200 Question Practice Test at the end. Score: 82. Reviewed all incorrect answers in book in Crowe and cross-referenced/reviewed in PmBok.
I took Oliver Lehmann’s 75 Q freebie after completing Crowe Book (scored 77.3), and took the PMStudy’s 200 Q online freebie exam and scored exactly 75 (per their readiness recommendation). That’s it. Now the hard truth: I barely passed with a BP in Initiating and MP in all other Process Groups.
I don’t write this post to encourage others to study so minimally, although it didn’t feel minimal to me…..I literally studied for 8 hrs/day for two weeks. However, I’m here to tell you that’s not quite enough to be confidently prepared. Since I had a break from school and work, I was able to attack a daily grind, which I think helped with flow and retention, but most other folks don’t have that luxury and it simply takes longer to prepare adequately. While I would have loved to score higher, as I have higher academic expectations than “the minimum pass” for myself, I only had so much time to prepare after the semester during a short break (we have a screwy 12 week semester system), and had to work with what I had. Preparing for this exam once back in grad school full-time was not an option.
Now for the exam itself. While I’ve seen one or two guys online boast of its easiness, most others have said it’s tough. It IS tough. The questions are long, obscure, and in many cases, boil down to two “correct” answers; you have to search the questions carefully for key words that will help you lean towards the correct answer, but in the end, understanding ITTO’s is what will guide you most.
There was very little math and calculations, but knowing all of the formulas and doing the brain dump was key for me. There was nothing on PAT on my exam, but several calcs on communication channels (easy), one tricky one on EMV, several fairly easy Critical Path/Float scenarios, and quite a few on straight-forward questions on Earned Value. There were a few PERT questions, Standard Deviation Calcs, Variance calcs, etc., but if you memorize the formulas and dump them, that part’s a breeze.
So the rest of it was just tough….the math part was easiest for me. Formulas are simple and easy to remember, and questions are easy except the one on Expected Monetary Value. While the formula there is simple, the question was worded so ridiculously that you had no flippin’ idea what they were asking and I was forced to make a WAG.
Now to the big question, ITTO’s. Some say you don’t need to memorize them, which is true, cause I didn’t. However, a strong working knowledge of them, especially in the heavily weighted ares of planning, executing and control, is essential. About 90% of the exam required you to know processes, inputs, outputs, tools/techniques to be able to answer the questions – period. While I think it’s a stretch to say that one “should” memorize ITTO’s to be prepared, to not focus heavily on them, or at least have a sound understanding of how things flow will spell difficulty.
I passed by the skin of my teeth, but would have ideally had at least 2 more weeks to re-read/study the PmBok again at least once, and then reviewed Crowe again, along with a few more practice exams, which are in fact very helpful. My .02.
Congratulations Roccodawg on passing the PMP exam and thanks for sharing lessons learned.
Hi,
I have taken PMP exam yesterday, my score is initiation -Proficient
Planning -Moderately Proficient
Execution -Moderately Proficient
Monitoring and Control -Proficient
Close -Proficient
Passed the exam.
I have used only pmbok 5 th edition book and PM Prepcast course and PM Prepcast simulators for my exam preparation as reference.
Thanks
John
Congratulation John on passing the PMP.
Hi just took PMP exam and passed. Wanted to share results for informational purposes.
Initiating – below proficient
Planning – below proficient
Executing – moderately proficient
Monitor/control – moderately proficient
Closing – below proficient
Was surprised (but very happy) I passed. Maybe this will be helpful for others that will take the test or have taken it and come close.
Congratulations Mark on passing the PMP exam.
This is the first time I am seeing some passing with three below proficient grade.
Hi, I just passed the test a couple of days ago. It is Sept and I started studying in May with two online PMP prep courses through the local college. Then, I ordered Rita Mulcahy’s book and went through it once. Then went through again and took all the exercises and tests again. She really prepares you how to read the questions carefully in order to answer right. THEN I downloaded PMP pocket prep and did those tests. I also did Oliver Lehmann’s free online test. I basically went crazy the last month studying at least 3 hours every day. I did not reread the PMBOK again since I had covered those during the PM Prep classes.
I worried and worried (since I couldn’t break 75% on any of the practice question mock tests – Online and on my App) But what I can say is to make sure you are confident on the “what would you do best/next” scenarios.
I passed with
Initiation: MP
Planning: P
Executing: MP
MC: P
Closing: MP
Congratulations Rachael on passing the PMP exam.
i am planning to appear within 3 weeks time for the PMP exam. I have been using Rita's book and also PMbok for my study. For Q&A, i am using free exam simulation sites. My question is – purely from a 'difficulty' scale, where you would like to place real PMP exam questions ? Are they at par with what we see in exam simulation websites OR they are at par with questions in Rita's book OR they are even more difficult ? Can you please respond.
thanks
As per 'difficulty' scale, I think Rita's simulation software and uCertify's simulation software are very close to the real exam. If you try any of these then I don't think you'll have any problem in passing the PMP Exam. Exam is not as tough as many people think.
Hope it helps.
chiran, i just passed on 28th may, blv u me, its very very difficult so prepare accordingly or you are back to square one for the 2nd attempt!
Congratulations!It will be great if you post your lesson learned at lesson learned section so that others could get help from your experience.Thank you and welcome to the family.Sent from my iPhone
I think you have to understand the PMP
contend and be able to apply it in real world. The exam is 4 hours and 30 minutes which seems like a lot of time, but given the complexity and length of the questions it is not a lot of time.
Take your time to prepare for the exam and do the exam simulations. I passed my PMP at first attempt and this was my recipe for success.
Thanks Sylvia for sharing your lessons learned.