PMI-RMP Exam Preparation: Pass Your PMI-RMP Exam in the First Attempt!

If you are interested in the PMI-RMP exam and wonder how you should begin your PMI-RMP exam preparation, this blog post will help you achieve your objective.

I passed my PMI-RMP exam in 2012, and after that, I have helped hundreds of professionals pass the PMI-RMP exam. In this blog post, I will provide all the information you will need for your PMI-RMP exam preparation.

I assure you that if you follow the steps in this blog post, you will be in a much better position to pass your PMI-RMP exam on your first attempt.

Let’s get started.

PMI-RMP Exam Preparation

Before you start your PMI-RMP exam preparation, you must know if you are eligible for the PMI-RMP exam.

To apply for the PMI-RMP exam, you must fulfill some requirements

PMI-RMP Eligibility Requirements

The PMI designed three sets of requirements, and you have to fulfill any of them to be eligible to apply for the PMI-RMP exam.

You need to possess:

Option-I

A secondary diploma (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent)
At least 36 months of experience in project risk management within the last five years
40 contact hours of formal education in project risk management

Option-II

Four-year degree (bachelor’s degree or global equivalent)
At least 24 months of experience in project risk management within the last five years
30 contact hours of formal education in project risk management

Option-III

Bachelor’s or post-graduate degree from a GAC accredited program (bachelor’s or master’s degree or global equivalent)
At least 12 months of experience in project risk management within the last five years
30 contact hours of formal education in project risk management

You can apply for the PMI-RMP exam if you fulfill any of the above requirements.

We can move on to the next part of the PMI-RMP exam preparation.

Collect All Necessary Information

After the eligibility check, you must collect all the information regarding the PMI-RMP certification exam. The right information will ensure that you are on the right path to becoming a PMI-RMP certified professional.

Visit PMI.org and browse for information focused on PMI RMP certification.

Afterward, download the PMI-RMP Handbook. Search on Google for the PMI-RMP Handbook, and you will get the result at the top. I am not providing the link for it as PMI often changes the location, and then the link will lead to nowhere. Just search and get it from Google. It is freely available.

Read it from cover to cover. This is the most authentic guide for the PMI-RMP certification, and reading the eBook alone will clear up most of your doubts.

Once you understand the PMI-RMP certification exam and its process, you can start preparing for it.

Start the PMI-RMP Exam Preparation

You need to understand the PMI-RMP exam structure, as it will help you prepare for the PMI-RMP exam.

The PMI-RMP exam has 115 questions, of which 15 are pretest questions. The marks from these questions will not be added to your score; thus, there are 100 scorable questions. Since you cannot differentiate these pretest questions from real ones, assume that all 115 questions are real, and you must answer them correctly.

These 115 questions are spread among five risk management domains as follows:

Risk Strategy and Planning: 22%.
Risk Identification: 23%.
Risk Analysis: 23%.
Risk Response: 13%.
Monitor and Close Risks: 19%.

Please refer to the PMI-RMP exam content outline to learn the details of the activities these domains contain.

Now, we come to the key part of this blog post.

I have seen many professionals who have passed the PMP exam also take the PMI-RMP exam.

If you are a PMP, PMI-RMP exam preparation will be easy for you.

Collect all your PMP exam reference books and other related study materials that you used for your PMP exam preparation. Go through them thoroughly. Revise all concepts as if you are preparing for the PMP exam.

While reading the PMP exam reference books focus on the following knowledge areas:

Communication management
Resource management
Quality management
Risk management
Procurement management
Stakeholder management

Ensure that you have revised all concepts and practice some questions.

Now, if you are not a PMP, follow this process:

Buy or borrow at least two PMP exam reference books based on the old PMP exam content guideline (before January 2021). If you don’t get the old version, try to get Head First PMP or Rita based on the latest version and ignore the Agile concepts.

Read these books at least twice from cover to cover (ignore the Agile and Hybrid part if you have the latest PMP exam reference book).

Next, read the PMBOK Guide. Reread it.

Repeat studying the concepts until you are comfortable with the PMP concepts and the PMBOK Guide.

Now, you are ready for the PMI-RMP exam preparation.

Buy any two PMI-RMP exam preparation books. Buy Rita and any other reference book that fits your preference. Read these books from cover to cover, and download Practice Standard for Risk Management from your PMI account.

This book is free for PMI members, so I recommend you become a member before applying for the PMI-RMP exam. This membership also reduces the exam fee, which is a more significant reduction than the PMI membership fee.

Read this practice guide from cover to cover at least twice.

PMI-RMP Training

You must attend a 30 contact hours training program (or 40 hours, depending on your educational qualification) on formal risk management.

I recommend you join an online PMI-RMP training program and earn your contact hours this way.

N.B. If you are looking for an affordable online PMI-RMP training program, you can join our PMI-RMP training program, which is available at the following URL:

PMSprout PMI-RMP Training Program

Keep your PMI-RMP exam reference books with you while completing the training. If you face issues understanding concepts during the training, open your reference books and review them.

Apply for the PMI-RMP Exam

After completing the training, apply for the PMI-RMP certification exam. At this point, you should have already spent around one month on exam preparation, so schedule the exam date for two months later.

Three months of exam preparation is usually enough for the PMI-RMP exam preparation.

To apply for the PMI-RMP, go to pmi.org, then certification, and then click on apply for the PMI-RMP certification exam.

Please note that the PMI-RMP exam fee for non-PMI members is 670 USD, and for PMI members, it is 520 USD. So, if you are a PMI member, the savings are 150 USD. The PMI membership fee is 129, so you can see that the PMI membership is worth joining if you plan to apply for the PMI-RMP exam.

You can apply online or through the mail. The online method is quick, and the paper method will take longer; I recommend you use the online method for faster processing.

Also, understand that once you start your application, you have 90 days to complete it. You can save the form and complete it in multiple sittings.

Complete the form and apply.

After your application is approved, you have one year with three attempts to pass the exam. Failing to do so will bar you from applying for the exam for one year.

Now, it’s time to practice PMI-RMP exam sample questions.

PMI-RMP Exam Practice Questions

I recommend you use the following resources for practicing questions:

PM Sprout PMI-RMP Mock Test
PMI-RMP Question Bank
A few more questions from Amazon

These resources will provide you with enough PMI-RMP exam sample questions. Reference books will also provide many practice questions, which will be enough for the PMI-RMP exam.

PMI-RMP Exam

The PMI-RMP exam lasts two and a half hours, and you have to answer 115 questions.

The PMI-RMP exam has no scheduled break; if you take the break, the time will be counted towards your exam.

The exam will be preceded by a tutorial and followed by a survey. The tutorial and survey are optional and last 15 minutes. Their time is not counted in the exam duration.

Complete the tutorial quickly and start the exam. I recommend you note down crucial concepts and formulas on the paper provided by the PearsonVUE staff. This will help you remember concepts at later stages and save you from unnecessary stress, especially while solving mathematical questions.

During my PMI-RMP exam, I took two breaks. The first break was after I finished a hundred questions, and the second was after I completed the rest. It took me around two and a half hours to complete the test.

I used the remaining time to revise my questions.

I recommend you do the same. Take two breaks, and after the last break, spend time revising questions.

After revising all questions, submit the answers. After submitting answers, you will complete a survey, and your result will be shown.

I hope you see the congratulatory message.

A Few Tips for the PMI-RMP Exam Preparation

Keep the following points in mind while preparing for the PMI-RMP exam:

#1. Join a Support Group

The PMI-RMP certification exam is more challenging than the PMP exam, and therefore, you need to prepare smarter and harder.

You can participate in your local PMI chapter activities, learn who is preparing for the PMI-RMP exam, and network with those professionals. You can also meet regularly to discuss issues you are facing and help others solve their problems.

You will meet many PMI-RMP professionals in your chapter meeting. Ask for their lessons learned and learn from them.

If you don’t have a local PMI chapter in your city or cannot join a group for any reason, I recommend you find such groups on LinkedIn or Facebook. Join and participate in the discussion. Usually, these groups are very active, and members are helpful.

You should join social media groups even if you have joined a group in your local area.

#2. Prepare Your Braindump

While preparing for the PMI-RMP exam, I recommend taking notes. Write down important points, formulas, chapter summaries, etc.

If you like drawing, you can create memory maps.

Keep enhancing and updating your notes as you study more and get more reading material. This will be a great asset for your exam preparation.

A quick read of these braindumps will be enough for you to revise concepts whenever necessary. You will remember most concepts once you revise them.

Note that brain dumps are helpful only for the person who made them. Reading others’ brain dumps is a waste of time and may confuse you.

You must prepare your brain dump and use it for the PMI-RMP exam preparation.

#3. Attempt All Questions

The PMI-RMP exam has no negative marking, so you should not leave any questions unanswered.

Even if you don’t know the correct answer, selecting a random answer gives you a 25% chance of being correct. Leaving an answer blank guarantees that you will get no mark.

Many times, aspirants are so busy with solving or revising questions that they forget to answer all the questions.

Ensure that you have sufficient time to at least select answers to unattempted questions.

The right strategy is to review the answers and remove whatever is obviously incorrect. If you can remove one incorrect answer, your chances of being correct increase to 33%, and if you can remove two wrong answers, your chances of being correct increase to 50%.

#4. Get Enough Rest Before the Exam

This is important. You must not be stressed or tired during the exam. Get enough rest and a good sleep before the exam day. If you don’t know the exam center location, find the location one day before the scheduled date. This will help avoid unnecessary stress in finding the exam center location.

Don’t look for new resources at the last minute; if necessary, you can review what you have studied and go through your brain dump.

A calm mind ensures that you give 100% to the exam.

Summary

With the right preparation, you can pass the PMI-RMP exam on your first attempt. Make a plan and follow it. Choose the right resources and avoid using too many. A PMI-RMP certification will equip you with the best practices in risk management, making you more employable.

Good luck with your PMI-RMP exam preparation.