PMI launched a new version of the PMP exam on 9 July 2026. If you started studying with older books or videos, some of what you learned may no longer match the exam. Here is what changed, what stayed the same, and what it means for how you study.
The changes at a glance
| Before | From 9 July 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 180 | 180 |
| Time | 230 minutes | 240 minutes |
| Breaks | Two 10-minute breaks | Two 10-minute breaks |
| People | 42% | 33% |
| Process | 50% | 41% |
| Business Environment | 8% | 26% |
| Question types | Mostly multiple choice, some others | More multiple-response, matching, hotspot, graphics, plus case studies |
1. Business Environment is now a quarter of the exam
The biggest shift is weight. Business Environment went from a small slice to about one question in four. It now covers governance, compliance, change control, risk, continuous improvement, impediments, organisational change and responding to outside changes. Topics many candidates used to skim now carry real marks.
Study tip: give the eight Business Environment chapters the same attention as People and Process.
2. Ten more minutes
You get 240 minutes for the same 180 questions, about 80 seconds per question. That sounds generous, but case studies take longer to read. Practise with a full-length, timed mock so you know your pace.
3. Case studies
A case study gives you a longer scenario, such as a project, a team and a set of problems, followed by several questions about it. The skill is the same as always: read the situation, find the real constraint, and choose what the project manager should do first or best. The difference is that you keep coming back to the same story, so read it carefully once.
4. More question types
Expect "choose two" or "choose three" questions, matching terms to definitions, clicking an area of a chart (hotspot), and reading graphs. Scoring is usually all-or-nothing: a multiple-response question with one wrong choice earns no marks. See PMP exam question types for how to handle each one.
What did not change
- The exam still tests judgement, not memorised definitions. Most questions are situations.
- Agile and hybrid ideas still appear throughout, not in a separate section.
- PMI's mindset still wins: understand first, talk to people, use the process, escalate last.
How to adjust your preparation
- Check that your course and mocks use 240 minutes and the 33/41/26 weights.
- Practise at least two full mocks that include case studies and multi-select questions.
- Spend more time on risk, governance, compliance and change control.
All 26 chapters on Adnan Khalid Prep follow the new outline, and the free 180-question mock exam uses the 2026 format, case studies included. Always check the latest details on PMI's own website before your exam.