Top 11 Changes: New PMP 2021 Exam and Beyond

 

The PMP exam has changed from January, 02, 2021. There are still a number of misconceptions about the exam and how it has changed. This I came to know as I interact frequently with PMP aspirants. 

A lot of panic, rumors and fear-mongering are being spread and it’s informed that the PMP exam has become tougher! The exam has not become tougher, but the coverage area has increased. If you have REALLY understood the content for the previous version of the exam (with its brief Agile content from the PMBOK), then this version won’t be difficult. The PMP credential is very much achievable. Nevertheless, you do have to put in the needed effort. 

Here are the top 11 changes for the new PMP exam. The content and the final video towards the end of this article are taken from:

PMP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back  

Exhaustive set of videos are available as part of the PMP Live Lessons.

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Change – 1: Reduced Number of Questions

Earlier, the exam had 200 questions, out of which 175 were scored ones and 25 were unscored. This has changed.

There will be 180 questions now, with 175 scored and 5 unscored ones. Do note that only the unscored ones’ number has changed, not the scored ones.

I get this question many times:
How to know the scored questions?

You can’t. For you as an exam taker, there is no way to know which one is scored or unscored. Hence, like the previous exam, take the new exam with full question-set in mind, i.e., take it like a single 180 question-set.

Change – 2: Reduced Exam Duration

Earlier, the exam had 4 hours (or 240 minutes) duration. Now, the exam will be of 3 hours, 50 minutes (230 minutes) duration. 

In other words, the exam is actually giving you more time now for every question.

So, from this perspective, one can say you have a higher chance of scoring well in the new exam. 

Change – 3: Changed Performance Domains or Exam Domains

Earlier, there were 5 performance domains:

• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Monitoring and Controlling
• Closing 

Now, there are 3 performance domains:

• People
• Process
• Business Environment

These performance domains are mentioned on the exam content outline (ECO), which sets the blueprint for the exam. It tells the domains, the tasks and associated enablers for the exam.

However, the theory part of these domains will be from the PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, the Agile Practice Guide (APG) and other reference books, from which few questions can come. 

Change – 4: Question Segregation (Predictive Vs. Agile or Hybrid)

In the previous version of the exam, there were Agile questions. The PMBOK guide covers almost all Agile concepts, though briefly. 

Earlier, some PMPs have mentioned NO Agile questions at all as this success story tells:

• Success Story: Be Honest With Yourself and Things Will Fall in Place 

Some PMPs have written that they received Agile questions, for example, FEW Agile questions have been mentioned:

• Success Story: Don’t Have to See the Whole Staircase, Just Take the First Step

Also, in some cases, a NUMBER of Agile questions are mentioned. In the below success story, the PMP has informed about 15 Agile questions in the exam.

• Success Story: Extraordinary Course Content and A Sincere Approach Helped to Crack the Exam 

For the new exam, it’s very clear. Now, in the new PMP exam 2021, it is explicitly mentioned that:

• 50% questions will be in Predictive mode, which is basically a project being executed in sequence of phases.
  Hence, out of 180 questions, 90 questions will be in predictive mode.
• 50% questions will be Agile/Adaptive or Hybrid mode: Agile projects are both iterative and incremental. Hybrid projects will be sitting in between predictive and adaptive modes with the end-result being non-Agile.
  The remaining 90 questions will be in Agile/Hybrid mode.

Change – 5: Percent Distribution of Questions 

Below are the topic areas or domains, with the percentage of questions expected from each domain. The number of questions from each performance domain shows the proportions. The PMP exam remains pretty close to it, but you can expect a few variations.

As you can see the highest emphasis is on the “Process” domain, which is fully covered by the PMBOK guide. For the “People” domain, you have to refer to the PMBOK guide, APG and some other minor references. For the “Business Environment” domain, again the previous mentioned references will be needed along with a few others. 

Change – 6: Reduced Number of Tasks 

Earlier, across the 5 domains from Initiating to Closing, there were 42 tasks. Now in the new exam, you have 35 tasks. 

These tasks map to various processes, knowledge areas, ITTOs of the PMBOK guide – in particular the process part which has the highest number of questions and tasks. 

Change – 7: Tasks with Enablers 

Every task now comes with multiple enablers. Earlier, it was not the case. The sequence is this:

• Every domain contains a set of tasks.
• Every task contains a set of enablers.

In total, there are:

• 3 Domains – People, Process and Business Environment 
• 35 Tasks – People (14 tasks), Process (17 tasks), Business Environment (4 tasks)
• 133 Enablers – People (53), Process (61) and Business Environment (19)

Change – 8: Exam Question Styles

Earlier, the exam had only multi-choice questions. Now, you have a variety of questions. 

• Multiple choice questions with ONLY ONE answer.
  There will be 4 choices with radio buttons. Only one answer will be correct.
• Drag and Drop questions.
  Drag from left and drop on the right.
• Hot-spot questions.
  Select the area in a graph or table depending on the situation.
• Multiple response questions with MORE THAN ONE correct answer.
  There will be more than 4 choices with check boxes. More than one answer can be correct.
• Fill-in the blanks questions.
  Questions will be there with empty “___________” lines. And you have to fill in the blanks.

Change – 9: Changed Filling of PMP Application forms 

This is not exactly a new change, but has happened before January 02, 2021. However, many candidates may miss this part. Currently, the exam process has been greatly simplified. 

You don’t have to fill-up your projects in hours, but overall in months. In writings (PMP book) and video, I mention it’s a Triple-E (EEE) approach.

• E = Education, where you have to mention your academic qualifications.
• E = Experience, where you have to mention your work experience. 
• E = Exam Details, where you provide the exam related information, e.g., if you have any special need.

Change – 10: Exam Score Report

Exam score report will be across 3 exam domains of People, Process and Business Environment. Your exam score will look like the sample shown below.

As shown above, you will be rated in every domain and rating will be one out of four performance rating categories. 

Change – 11: Multiple Reference Guides and Books

While the PMBOK Guide, latest edition remains the main reference, there are other reference guides such as Agile Practice Guide (APG) and other books.

Hence, you should have a material which encompasses all the needed content. Though almost every provider claims to have such a material, in reality, VERY FEW actually do.

Go with the course from a provider, who is genuinely interested in your success and invested in your success.

Your major sources of questions will be from the PMBOK guide and the Agile Practice Guide (APG).

Video – Exam Change Highlights 

The below video captures the change highlights in just over 6 minutes. You can plug-in your earphones and listen to quickly know the PMP exam changes. [Duration: 6m:21s]

The complete video set with full discussion on the changes and also detailed coverage on the new exam are part of PMP Live Lessons.

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Conclusion

Of course, above all, you have to know the content well and prepare thoroughly. The exam does test your project management knowledge thoroughly and the coverage area is quite vast. 

And, as I’ve frequently noted: Do NOT jump into practice questions immediately, like many do. You won’t get much value out of it, though you may pass. First understand the concepts well and then take high-quality mock exam questions. With this you not only has a high chance of being a PMP, but you also understand and can apply the concepts in your work.

Good quality questions are generally NOT available on the web. On the web, you will have useless questions (will waste your time), unless written by people who have genuinely built many PMP success stories.  

With these noted changes, I believe you are aware of the latest PMP exam and it helps in your journey to be a PMI-PMP.

You may also like:

PMP LIVE LESSONS - Guaranteed Pass:

• PMP LIVE LESSONS: Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back 

PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course:

• PMP 35 Contact Hours Online: Full Money Back Guarantee

Book  for PMP exam:

• Book for PMP Exam Prep: "I Want To Be A PMP"

Updated Course: What’s New – PMP Live Lessons, Guaranteed Pass

The PMP Live Lessons Video Course has been available since October, 2018. It has fully prepared and enabled many candidates to crack the PMP® exam. The complete course is in Video format, except the practice question sets. It comes with exhaustive coverage for requisite concepts, and currently has over 57 hours of video and includes full Agile content. 

Many professionals have gone through this course and cleared the exam, which is evidenced by their PMP Live Lessons Success Stories. 

This is a unique course and one of its kind in the world. This course comes with a full-money back guarantee linked to your passing the exam. There are no tricky terms and conditions written in small letters or ‘**, conditions apply’ at the bottom. 

Some PMP aspirants directly jump to exercises or simulators without understanding the concepts. You may pass the exam with that, but you won’t learn anything of value. 

This course not only thoroughly prepares you for the exam so that you can clear, but also ensures that you understand the concepts properly and the learning remains with you for a long time. 

Why the Updates?

The ONE and ONLY goal of this course is that you clear the exam. This is also the single objective of the course.  

The updates for the PMP Live Lessons Course are primarily driven by ten factors:

• Availability or updates to existing guides and standards: The project management professional (PMP) exam is based on various guides, which gets updated.
• Availability or updates to references: The PMP exam also now has a list of references and the guides internally refer others, which get updated.  
• Agile Content: Recently, Agile has been emphasized and 50% of questions will be from Agile and/or Hybrid approaches. Hence, the course gets updated.
• New Exam Content Outline (ECO): The ECO has gone through changes and a new ECO has been effective from January 02, 2021.
• New types of questions in the exam: New types of questions come in the PMP exam or new ways are introduced to take the exam. 
• Emerging new practices: There are continuously new emerging practices which will be tested in the PMP exam.   
• Feedback from exam takers: Some successful PMPs, who have used this PMP Live Lessons course, write their exam experiences and share their learnings.
• Updates on advanced or complex areas: Sometimes advanced concepts are tested in the exam. The updated videos reflect it.
• Updates on Smart Cards: The Smart Card concept is very unique to the PMP Live Lesson Course. It’s a set of index cards with tip on almost every card. The questions are simple, but tricky. The tips further help you to remember the concepts.
• Updates on Process and ITTO Exercises: This course has an exhaustive set of videos on Processes and ITTOs. With new changes, e.g., Agile concepts are used in multiple processes, new ones get added. This is primarily unique to the PMP Live Lessons course.

With this background, there have been very frequent and continuous updates to:
PMP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back Course 

All these updates are free for existing customers of this video course.

What’s New – PMP Live Lessons, Guaranteed Pass Course

These updates have happened over years and in total there have been 23 updates so far. As mentioned earlier, the entire content of this in video format and I’ve also explained 100s of questions and how to solve them quickly in video format.  

Following are the highlights of these updates. 

1. NEW Detailed Video Lesson: Agile Project Management 

You will have 50% questions from Agile and/or Hybrid approaches. For this reason, a new detailed Lesson: Agile Project Management, has been freshly added. This is not a machine reading lesson, but has human explanations and human interactions. 

I call this new lesson the 11th Knowledge Area (KA). The other KAs are from Project Integration Management to Project Stakeholder Management.

This lesson has:

• Number of videos: 109
  (including video exercises for Agile concepts)
  
•  Excluding Agile exercise videos: 98
  
• Duration: 6 hours and 51 minutes (~ 7 hours)
• Excluding Agile exercise videos: 5 hours 47 minutes
  
• A number of lesson-end practice questions with answers

The lesson-end practice questions are excluding the full-length question sets.

2. TWO NEW Full-Length Question Set specific to Agile/Hybrid Approaches 

Now the course has specific two full-length question-sets on Agile/Hybrid approaches. These question sets specifically questions on Agile/Hybrid, along with detailed answers. There are NO questions on Predictive mode. In total, there are dedicated 360 questions for adaptive/hybrid mode. 

3. NEW set of Exercises for the new ECO

The exam content outline (ECO) for the PMP exam has changed since January 02, 2021 with three new domains and associated tasks and enablers. I’ve mentioned more on the exam changes in the below article. 

What Should You Know about the PMP Exam 2021 Changes

While the article is written before the exam changes, the content is still highly relevant, except the number and types of questions.

The ECO is a barebone skeleton, but it gives the blueprint for the exam. This new set of exercises on the ECO informs on how to map with the processes, ITTOs of the PMBOK guide and other needed areas.

4. One NEW ‘Smart Card’ Exercise for Agile/Hybrid (Total 11 such set of smart cards with 100s of Tips)

The smart card concept is unique to PMP Live Lessons course. It’s basically a bunch of digital cards, where you have simple, yet tricky questions. For almost every answer, you have an associated tip.

These smart cards refer to the primary guides for the PMP exam. It also mentions the page number from where this question originates. 

5. NEW Question Set for New Question Styles – Drag and Drop, Hotspot etc.

Currently the exam has new types: hotspot, multi-response, drag and drop questions. A few fill-in-the blank types questions can also come. 

Based on it, a new question set has been added with a number of questions, which will specifically address these questions. This is excluding the full-length question sets and lesson end practice tests.

6. NEW/UPDATED Videos on Agile for every Knowledge Area 

Every knowledge area (KA) in the PMBOK guide has a brief content on Agile or Adaptive environments. Not only that, in the following areas Agile/Hybrid concepts have been outlined for every KA.

• Key Concepts, e.g., the processes of Scope Management and how they will be executed in Agile environment. 
• Trends and Emerging practices, e.g., Daily Stand-up meetings in Communications Management.
• Tailoring consideration, e.g., what kind of life cycle – iterative, incremental, adaptive or hybrid will be used, based on what. 

In all these videos, I’ve explained the concepts on digital whiteboards. Whenever needed, diagrams, definitions, sketches etc. have been used.   

7.  NEW/UPDATED Videos for Agile Concepts and Practices in the PMBOK Guide’s Processes 

The PMBOK guide currently has 49 processes. Interestingly, inside many processes, Agile/Adaptive concepts are available, which are unknown or missed:

• Retrospectives in the processes of Quality and Schedule Management KAs. It can also happen in other KAs!
  
• Iteration Planning meeting in the processes of Integration, and Stakeholder Management KAs. It can also happen in other KAs!
  
• Reviews/Demonstration, Testing in the processes of various KAs.
• Various Agile ceremonies or events.
• Types of Scheduling – for both iteration- and flow-based Agile.
• Agile artifacts, metrics, practices which are briefly mentioned in the PMBOK, among others.

This course explains all these concepts with detailed videos. 

8. ONE NEW (INITIAL) Full-length Question Sets.

Earlier the course had five full-length question sets. Now, it has six full-length question sets. Four of these will cover questions on predictive mode and two will specifically for Agile/Adaptive mode.

In total, this course now consists of 6 full-length questions, including 2 full-length Agile specific questions. Most of these questions are situational in nature, unlike other courses. Very few questions will be direct.

9. NEW ‘What-Happens’ flow diagram for every Knowledge Area

This is unique to PMP Live Lessons course. A new set of flow-diagrams have been added to every knowledge area (KA). This tells how the processes within one KA interact with each other.

You can check one partial sample here:

• Risk Management KA - Process Flow of Risk Management
• Integration Management KA -  Flow of Project Charter across the KAs
  

10. Multiple NEW Flow-Diagram Video Exercises, which combine multiple knowledge areas and process groups

These are unique to the PMP Live Lessons course. For the PMP exam, you not only have to know the process groups (PGs), knowledge areas (KAs) and processes, but you also have to know how they are interacting with each other across the PGs and KAs.

A number of flow-diagram exercises have been outlined in the course, along with solutions.  You can refer some of these in these articles to check such interactions:

• The Twins – Communications Management and Stakeholder Management
• The Close Sibling of Communications and Stakeholder Management: Resource Management
• Change Request (CR) Flow - PMBOK 6th Edition
  (A dedicated set of videos for CRs--very important for the exam--is part of PMP Live Lessons)
  

11. UPDATED Lesson-end Practice Questions.

Earlier, few lesson-end practice questions were available. On an average you will have 150 questions to practice for every lesson. Each question comes with detailed answers.

These exercises are separate from the full-length practice tests.

12. UPDATED Formulas in the PMP Exam Formula Gold Cards

Formulas in the PMP Gold cards are updated, primarily with respect to new formulas and concepts. 

Note: The formula gold cards of the book can be downloaded.

13.  NEW/UPDATED Sets of Process and ITTOs exercises

This is primarily unique to the PMP Live Lessons course. The PMBOK guide contains 49 processes and 100s of ITTOs, which can be challenging for any aspiring PMP. Hence, a dedicated set of videos have been made available with exercises on it.

There are around 800 such questions and explanations in video format. Yes, questions and answers are also explained in video format!

For Agile/Hybrid approaches, there is also a detailed set of videos on processes and ITTO exercises. 

• Number of videos: 11
• Duration: 1 hour 04 minutes
• Number of Questions explained with answers: ~70

14. MORE Explanatory Videos

When the course was first released it had over 700 videos. Today, the number of videos is above 900. You have to just listen, follow the content and do the excerises. This ensures a high chance of success in the PMP exam.

Again, a machine is not reading this course, but human-to-human interactions with videos. 

In total, PMP Live Lessons has now around 57 hours of videos. Earlier the duration was around 50 hours. When it was first released, it was around 40.5 hours.

15. NEW Software Toolkit for the ITTOs, with video explanations.

A new software toolkit has been provided, which has multiple spreadsheets to enable your mastery over the processes, PGs, KAs and most important – the ITTOs. 

Note: The files of the software toolkit can be downloaded. 

16. UPDATED due to the updates in the PMBOK Guide!

Very few know that the PMBOK guide also gets updated. In fact, it has gone through multiple updates. The course has been updated due to multiple changes in the PMBOK guide, latest edition. 

17. NEW Videos for PMP Online Proctored Exams

The PMP exam now has an option to take in proctored mode. Based on it, new video contents have been added, which will tell you in a step-by-step manner on how to proceed with the exam. 

18. UPDATED Content on filling PMP Exam Application Forms

The way exam applications are filled-up has changed. A step-by-step guide has been included on how to fill-up the exam application forms. 

19. UPDATED Preparation Plan for the PMP Live Lessons Course, i.e., how to Prepare with the Course 

This course had a preparation plan from the very beginning. It has been updated in light of the new contents, new videos and video exercises.  

20. NEW Videos on Procurement Management

The Procurement Management KA, like Risk Management KA, is a complicated one and not easily understandable. Hence, a number of new videos have been added on various types of contracts, when to choose which type of contract, the impact of budgeting, along with some concepts such as PTA and RIE. 

21. UPDATED Welcome Video Section for New PMP Exam from January 02, 2021

The exam has changed with updated PMP exam pre-requisites, the changed exam pattern, types of questions, among others. It also now has three NEW domains: People, Process and Business Environment.

Based on this, the Welcome section has been updated.

22. UPDATED with a number of yogic tips and revision tips

This course comes with 100s of yogic vision tips and revision tips. Many successful PMPs have informed (and written in their success stories) that by just going through the tips, one can answer many exam questions.

As the course has seen continuous updates, a number of new tips are added. For the new Lesson: Agile Project Management, a number of tips have been shared. 

23. UPDATES to Course Index File

The index file is important to know the content of the course. As the course gets updated the index file also gets updated with clear highlighting for the NEW, as well as the UPDATED content. 

How Will I Know about the Updates?

This is a frequently asked question and it’s a very important question. I understand this concern and below points clearly inform how to know about the updates.

1. All changes will be clearly communicated to you via E-Mail. 
2. Inside the course, the new videos will be highlighted as *** NEW ***, and the updates ones will be *** UPDATED ***. Green color coding will be there for these changes in the communicated mail.
3. All the previous updated mails are part of the PMP Live Lessons course, so that you are clearly aware of the new changes that have happened. 
4. The index file of the course is also updated, because that gives you a quick view on the new/updated content. This is important and needed by many to check their progress. 
5. For the new videos (the recent additions), the videos are clearly noted as NEW, so that you are immediately aware of it. If a complete lesson is new, then NEW is prepended for the entire lesson. 
6. A number of tips and revision reminders are also added along the content in the PMP Live Lessons course. They are also clearly highlighted.
7. As the subscriber of this course, you get the highest priority, because I want you to succeed and be a PMP. I’ve put everything that I know so that you succeed.
8. For any clarification or questions on these updates, you can ask your questions. You will surely get a response in a very short timeframe. 
9. As the highest priority customer, the fresh updates will come FIRST to you. And it will be detailed in nature. 
10. As noted earlier, all the new/updated content will be FREE of cost to you.

Conclusion

With these changes, the PMP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass course, remains fresh and latest. More importantly, it ensures that you clear the exam.

As far as I am aware, this is only of its kind course in the world, which has created many successful PMPs. Read the PMP Live Lessons success stories and know how it enabled them to clear the exam.

For the updated index of the PMP Live Lessons video course, you can refer:
Course Index: PMP Live Lessons - Guaranteed Pass

To all the subscribers and learners of this course, I wish the very best.
Stay the course in your journey, always hold the line and prepare earnestly to clear the exam. And never give-up. 

You may also like:

PMP LIVE LESSONS - Guaranteed Pass:

• PMP LIVE LESSONS: Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back 

PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course:

• PMP 35 Contact Hours Online: Full Money Back Guarantee

Book  for PMP exam:

• Book for PMP Exam Prep: "I Want To Be A PMP"

Updated Course: What’s New – PMP 35 Contact Hours Online

The course, PMP 35 Contact Hours Online has been available since early 2019 and has enabled many PMP® success stories. The entire course is in Video format and currently has over 35 hours of video. 

Many professionals have gone through this course and a few have written their success stories. Most of them used this PMP 35 contact hours course, along with the PMP Exam Prep book, I Want To Be A PMP. This is to be use both video and text content.

This course also comes with a full-money back guarantee for 15 days. There are no tricky terms and conditions written in small letters. You can know more on this money-back guarantee in the first linked and highlighted text. 

There is no machine reading this course, which makes you feel like a robot. You are not a robot interacting with another. A machine can never explain a PMP preparatory course, which is of high complexity. In reality, a machine reading course for PMP preparation, teaches you little to nothing. 

Why the Updates?

The updates are NOT there to make the course like the Exam Content Outline (ECO), which is a barebone skeleton. Based on the ECO, the questions are segregated on percent basis and inform on the Domains, Tasks and Enablers. 

The actual content of the exam will be from the PMBOK® Guide, the Agile Practice Guide, and other PMI® references. To understand the domains, tasks and enablers, you have to go through these guides, references and build a sound understanding. 

You can read more on the Exam Changes in the below article:

What Should You Know about the PMP Exam 2021 Changes

The article notes 2020 changes, but the exam changes were postponed to 2021. The content of the above article is still highly relevant and applicable.

The updates for the PMP 35 Contact Hours Course are primarily driven by eight factors:

• Availability or updates to existing guides and standards: The PMP exam is based on various guides, e.g., the PMBOK guide, the Agile Practice Guide (APG).
• Availability or updates to references: The PMP exam also now has a list of reference books. Also, the PMBOK guide internally refers to certain standards.  
• Agile Content: Recently, Agile has been emphasized and 50% of questions will be from Agile and/or Hybrid approaches.
• New Exam Content Outline (ECO): The ECO has gone through changes and a new ECO has been effective from January 02, 2021.
• New types of questions in the exam: New types of questions come in the PMP exam or new ways are introduced to take the exam. 
• Emerging new practices: There are continuously new emerging practices which will be tested in the PMP exam.   
• Feedback from exam takers: Some successful PMPs, who have used this 35 contact hours course, write their exam experiences and share their learnings.
• Updates on advanced or complex areas: Sometimes advanced concepts are tested in the exam. The updated videos reflect it.

With this background, there have been frequent and continuous updates to: 
PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course 

All these updates have been free for existing customers of this video course.

What’s New – PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course

These updates have happened over years and in total there have been 15 updates so far. Do note all these contents in Video format, except the ones of questions and answers, which you have to solve. 

Following are the highlights of these updates. 

1. NEW/UPDATED Videos on Agile for every Knowledge Area 

Every knowledge area in the PMBOK guide has a brief content on Agile or Adaptive environments. The course explanations are in videos with numerous diagrams, tips and detailed explanations. No machine is reading this course, which is effectively useless learning. 

2. NEW/UPDATED Videos for Agile Concepts and Practices in the PMBOK Guide

The PMBOK guide covers a number of Agile aspects in its 5 process groups (PG), 10 knowledge areas (KA) and 49 processes. This course explains the needed concepts with videos. 

Again, no machine is reading this course, but human-to-human interactions with videos. 

Many get surprised when I say that PMBOK has covered almost every important Agile Artifact, important Agile Practices, and important Agile Metrics etc. Some of these are:

• Iteration/Sprint Planning
• Iteration/Daily Stand-up
• Iteration/Sprint, Project Retrospectives
• Iteration Demonstration.

PMBOK also covers various Agile concepts such as:

• Product Roadmap
• Velocity
• Burndown/burnup Charts
• Reserve burndown Chart
• Agile Release Planning
• Iteration burndown Chart, among many others.

3. NEW Video Lesson: Agile Project Management 

While the PMBOK guide has Agile content, it’s not enough to prepare. You have to understand the fundamental aspects of Agile in a deeper way. For this reason, a new “Lesson: Agile Project Management” has been added. This is aligned with the Agile Practice Guide.

I call it the 11th Knowledge Area (KA). The other 10 KAs are from Project Integration Management to Project Stakeholder Management.

This lesson of Agile Project Management has the following ones:

• Number of videos: 47  
• Duration: 2hours and 45 minutes 
• A number of lesson-end practice questions with answers

These videos are freshly created. The practice questions are excluding the lesson-end and full-length question.

4. One NEW Full-Length Question Set specific to Agile/Hybrid Approaches 

Now the course has a specific question-set (out of 6 full-length sets) on Agile/Hybrid approaches. 

This question set has questions specifically on Agile, along with detailed answers. It has 180 questions with detailed answers.

5. NEW set of Exercises for the new ECO

The exam content outline for the PMP exam has changed since January 02, 2021. In light of this, the course now comes with an exhaustive set of exercises related to the ECO, the domains, tasks and enablers. 

6. Two NEW Full-length Question Sets.

Earlier the course had four full-length question sets. Now, it has six full-length question sets. Five of these will cover questions on predictive mode and one will specifically for Agile/Adaptive mode.

7. NEW sets of Video Exercises for every Knowledge Area.

A number of videos on ITTO exercises, taken from PMP Live Lessons, are part of the course. The PMP Live Lessons have exhaustive ITTO exercises. Some of the videos have been put into the 35 contact hours course.

These exercises are separate from the full-length or lesson-end practice tests.

8. UPDATED Formulas in the PMP Exam Formula Gold Cards

Formulas in the PMP Gold cards are updated, primarily with respect to new types of questions such as Range of Incentive Effectiveness (RIE), Earned Schedule Management (ESM) etc. 

Note: The formula gold cards of the course can be downloaded.

9. MORE Explanatory Videos

When the course was first released it had over 480 videos. Today, the number of videos is around 550. With this, you have 5 hours of additional contents. In total, it has now around 35 hours of videos. Earlier the duration was around 30 hours.

Many think that by just doing a set of questions in a simulator is enough to pass the exam. Nothing is further from the truth. The PMP Exam is not like that. Without understanding the concepts first, directly using simulators will be futile and useless. 

10. UPDATED due to the updates in the PMBOK Guide!

Very few know that the PMBOK guide also gets updated. Change Log’s behavior or content of Scope Statement. As the PMBOK guide gets updates, the corresponding videos have been updated. 

11. NEW Software Toolkit for the ITTOs, with video explanations.

A new software toolkit has been provided, with video explanations, with which you can quickly detect the ITTOs.

12. UPDATED Lesson-end Practice Questions.

Earlier, few chapter end practice questions were available. Now, a number of practice questions, process and ITTO related questions are added.

These exercises are separate from the full-length practice tests.

13. NEW Videos for PMP Online Proctored Exams

The PMP exam now has an option to take in proctored mode. Based on it, new video contents have been added, which will tell you in a step-by-step manner on how to proceed with the exam. 

14. UPDATED Content on filling PMP Exam Application Forms

The way exam applications are filled-up has changed. A step-by-step guide has been included on how to fill-up the exam application forms. It also has dos and don’ts, and templates needed.

15. UPDATED Preparation Plan for the PMP 35 Contact Hours Course, i.e., how to Prepare with the Course 

This course had a preparation plan from the very beginning. It has been updated in light of the new contents, new videos and video exercises.  

16. NEW Videos on PTA and RIE

The Procurement Management KA now has new videos on point of total assumption (PTA) and range of incentive effectiveness (RIE). There are also other updated videos as well as new videos on contract management. 

17. UPDATED Welcome Video Section for New PMP Exam from January 02, 2021

The exam has changed with updated PMP exam pre-requisites, the changed exam pattern, types of questions, among others. It also now has three NEW domains: People, Process and Business Environment.

Based on this, the Welcome section has been updated.

18. NEW Question Set for New Question Styles

Along with multi-choice questions, there can be other questions in the PMP exam. These can be hotspot questions, multi-response, drag and drop questions. A few fill-in-the blank types questions can also come. 

Based on it, a new question set has been added, which will specifically address these questions. This is excluding the full-length question sets and chapter end practice tests.

19. UPDATES to Course Index File

The index file is important to know the content of the course. As the course gets updated the index file also gets updated with clear highlighting for the NEW, as well as the UPDATED content. You will also know if any item has been removed. 

How Will I Know about the Updates?

Professinoals and people who want to purchase the PMP 35 Contact Hours course, raise this question frequently. I understand this concern and below points clearly inform how to know about the updates.

1. All changes will be clearly communicated to you via E-Mail. 
2. Inside this online course, the new ones will be highlighted as *** NEW ***, and the updates ones will be *** UPDATED ***. Green color coding will be there for these changes in the communicated mails. All emails will be part of update E-mail archive.
3. All the previous updated mails are part of the PMP 35 Conact Hours Online course, so that you are clearly aware of the new changes that have happened. 
4. The index file of the course is also updated, because that gives you a quick view on the new/updated content. This is important and needed by many to check their progress. 
5. For the new videos (recent additions) in the course, the videos are clearly noted as NEW, so that you are immediately aware of it. 
6. A number of tips and revision reminders are also added along the content in the PMP 35 Contact Hours course. They are also clearly highlighted.
7. For any clarification or questions on these updates, you can ask your questions. You will definitely get a response. This one of the biggest advantages of having the course as I respond not only the queries on updates, but also your questions and clarifications.
8. As noted earlier, all the new/updated content will be FREE of cost to you.

Conclusion

With these changes, the course, PMP 35 Contact Hours Online, remains fresh and latest. 

More importantly, these changes enable you to prepare better for the PMP exam. I expect these new changes to continue into the future. As far as I am aware, this is the only PMP 35 Contact Hours course in the world, which sees continuous changes and frequent updates. 

You can also go through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of this course, in the below link, to know more.
FAQs - Management Yogi's PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course 

For the updated index of the PMP 35 Contact Hours Online course, you can refer:
Updated Course Index: PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course

To all the learners and subscribers of this course, I wish the very best. Stay the course in your journey, and prepare sincerely to clear the exam. 

You may also like:

PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course:

• PMP 35 Contact Hours Online: Full Money Back Guarantee

PMP LIVE LESSONS - Guaranteed Pass:

• PMP LIVE LESSONS: Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back 

Book  for PMP exam:

• Book for PMP Exam Prep: "I Want To Be A PMP"

Updated Book: What’s New – I Want To Be A PMP, Second Edition

The book, I Want To Be An PMP, Second Edition has been available since 2018 and has been instrumental in creating many successful PMPs. 

This is evidenced by PMP success stories written by a number of successful PMPs. They have written it and shared with you so that one day you can be a PMP.

Why the Updates?

The Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam is certainly a challenging exam and it’s not a static exam. Project management profession is also dynamic in nature. Simultaneously, a project manager’s understanding and knowledge-base have to increase and improve over time.

What’s needed to be a PMP in year 2000 is not enough while being a PMP in 2010. Similarly, what is needed to be a PMP in year 2021 and beyond will be definitely more demanding compared to what is needed to be a PMP in 2010. Hence, any aspiring PMP needs to evolve and update to clear the exam. 

In light of these, the book: I Want To Be A PMP, 2nd Edition, has seen continuous updates based on the new aspects of project management and more specifically the new changes coming in the PMP exam.  

The book for Project Management Professional Exam (PMP) has seen frequent updates since its availability. 

These updates are possible, because all this book is hosted online. Unlike traditional printed books, this book is never static. They are also important for you to know the latest practices or frameworks and stay up-to-date.

The updates for the PMP book are primarily driven by nine factors:

• Availability or updates to existing guides and standards: The PMP exam is based on various guides, e.g., the PMBOK® guide, the Agile Practice Guide (APG) etc.
• Availability or updates to references: For example, there have been updates to Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) standards, Earned Value Management (EVM) standards. The PMP exam also now has a list of reference books. 
• Agile Content: The PMBOK, 6th edition has Agile content from the very beginning of its release. Recently, Agile has been emphasized and 50% of questions will be from Agile and/or Hybrid approaches. 
• New Exam Content Outline (ECO): The ECO is the blueprint for the PMP exam and based on the ECO the questions are segregated. However, it’s barebone skeleton and real content will be from the PMBOK Guide, APG and other references.  
• New types of questions in the exam: New types of questions come in the PMP exam or new ways are introduced to take the exam. For example, in the PMP exam now you have HotSpot, Multi-response, Drag and Drop questions. 
• Emerging new practices: There are continuously new emerging practices which will be tested in the PMP exam.   
• Feedback from exam takers: Some successful PMPs write their exam experiences and inform on new types of questions. 
• Updates on advanced or complex areas: For example, many times advanced concepts such as Earned Value Management, Reserve Management. Advance Practices in Agile Management etc.
• Updates on Videos: This book has quite a few videos in complex/complicated areas. Many times, I add additional videos so that the exam takers get more practice and feel more confident. 

With this background, there have been frequent and continuous updates to the PMI-PMP Exam Prep: I Want To Be A PMP. 

All these updates are free for existing customers of the book.

What’s New in the Book – I Want To Be A PMP?

The book, I Want To Be A PMP, as noted before, has seen frequent and continuous updates. These are highlights for the new addition, and updates to the book. These updates have happened over years and in total this book has seen 20 updates. 

1. NEW/UPDATED section on Agile for every Knowledge Area 

Every knowledge area in the PMBOK guide has a brief content on Agile or Adaptive environments. The book explains with numerous diagrams, tips and detailed explanation. 

2. NEW/UPDATED for Agile Concepts and Practices in the PMBOK Guide

It’s a common misconception to think that PMBOK guide hardly refers to Agile in its 5 process groups (PG), 10 knowledge areas (KA) and 49 processes. In fact, a large number of Agile concepts have been covered throughout the PMBOK guide. You will find information on:

• Iteration/Sprint Planning
• Iteration/Daily Stand-up
• Iteration/Sprint or Project Retrospectives
• Iteration Demonstration/Review, among many others.

The PMBOK guide also covers various Agile concepts such as:

• Agile Release Planning
• Iteration burndown Chart
• Product Backlog
• Product Roadmap
• Epics, Use Stories, among many others.

3. NEW chapter in Agile Project Management 

As Agile and/or Hybrid approaches will have 50% questions in the exam, I decided to put a brand-new chapter of Agile Project Management. This chapter also comes with a set of chapter-end practice questions with answers and numerous yogic tips and revisions. 

4. NEW Question Set specific to Agile/Hybrid Approaches 

The book has 3 full-length question sets. Now the book has a specific question-set (out of 3 full-length sets) on Agile/Hybrid approaches. It has questions specifically on Agile, along with detailed answers. 

5. NEW set of Exercises for the new ECO

The exam content outline for the PMP exam has changed since January 02, 2021. In light of this, the book now comes with an exhaustive set of exercises related to the ECO, the domains, tasks and enablers. 

6. UPDATED with a number of tips and tricks

A number of new tips and tricks have been added. In addition, as I frequently write on Project Management topics, they have brought in new additions to the book. These additions are specific to project management.   

7. NEW set of ITTO exercises for every Knowledge Area

The book is aligned with the PMBOK guide as it’s the main reference guide for the exam containing many Agile concepts. However, with 100s of Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs (ITTOs), it’s easy to get lost and not know the values of the tools and techniques (T&Ts). 

Hence, a number of exercises have been added to every knowledge area. This is excluding the full-length question sets and chapter end practice tests.

8. UPDATED formulas in the PMP Exam Formula Gold Cards

Formulas in the PMP Gold cards are updated, primarily with respect to new types of questions such as Range of Incentive Effectiveness, Point of Total Assumption, Earned Schedule Management (ESM) etc. 

Note: The formula gold cards of the book can be downloaded.

9. NEW section of Flow-Diagrams in every Knowledge Area 

There are many processes in any Knowledge Area, but for your PMP exam, you need to understand how they interact with each other. Hence, in every KA, a dedicated section of flow of processes have been added. 

10. UPDATED set of videos

Earlier edition of the book has some videos. In the current edition, you have more videos (over 70 now) in certain  complicated areas. 

11. UPDATED due to the updates in the PMBOK Guide!

Very few know that the PMBOK guide also gets updated. Yes, it does! For example, Change Log’s behavior or content of Scope Statement. Over years, the PMBOK guide has seen quite a few updates and this has resulted in the changes to the book. 

12. NEW Software Toolkit for the ITTOs

As noted earlier, the PMBOK guide has numerous ITTOs. Even for experienced managers it’s easy to get lost because of the sheer number of them. Hence, a new software toolkit has been provided, with which you can quickly detect the ITTOs.

13. UPDATED Chapter-end Practice Questions

Earlier, few chapter end practice questions were available. Now, on an average, 40 practice questions are available in the book. I’ve added these questions (taken from PMP Live Lessons) so that you get more practice. 

14. NEW Content on PMP Online Proctored Exam

The PMP exam now has an option to take in proctored mode. Based on this the section of “How To Be A PMI-PMP” has been updated. It describes, in a step-by-step manner, on how to take the exam in proctored mode. 

15. UPDATED Content on filling PMP Exam Application Form

The way exam applications are filled-up has changed since 2018. A step-by-step guide has been included on how to fill-up the exam application forms. It also has dos and don’ts, and templates needed.

16. NEW Preparation Plan for the Book, i.e., How to Prepare with the Book 

This is based on readers’ requests. Quite a few readers wanted to have a preparation plan as they purchased the book. This book has a preparation plan informing on the hours needed, daily expectations of readings, the duration needed to prepare for the exam. 

17. NEW Sections on Contracting under Procurement Management

The Procurement Management KA has been updated with budgetary implications of various contract types – Fixed Price (FP), Cost Reimbursable (CR) and Time & Material (T&M), how to solve the PMP exam questions related to contract types quickly and a few related videos for your understanding. 

18. UPDATED Introduction section for New PMP Exam from January 02, 201

The PMP exam has changed since January 02, 201. In the updated Introduction section, you will know the updated PMP exam pre-requisites, the changed exam pattern for the PMP exam content, changed PMP exam details with three NEW domains People, Process and Business Environment, and the question styles. You will also know the types of possible questions.

19. NEW Question Set for New Question Styles

Along with multi-choice questions, there can be other questions in the PMP exam. These can be hotspot questions, multi-response, drag and drop questions. A few fill-in-the blank types questions can also come. 

Based on it, a new question set with a few questions has been added, which will specifically address these questions. This is excluding the full-length question sets and chapter end practice tests.

20. UPDATES to Book’s Index File

The index file is important to know the content of the book. As the book gets updated the index file also gets updated with clear highlighting for the NEW, as well as the UPDATED content. You will also know if any item has been removed. 

How Will I Know about the Updates?

Professinoals and people who want to purchase the PMP book, raise this question frequently. I understand this concern and below points clearly inform how to know about the updates.

1. All changes will be clearly communicated to you via E-Mail. 
2. Inside the book, the new ones will be highlighted as *** NEW ***, and the updates ones will be *** UPDATED ***. Green color coding will be there for these changes. In some cases, the earlier updates will be removed to keep it clean. However, they will be part of update E-mail archive.
3. All the previous updated mails are part of the PMP book, so that you are clearly aware of the new changes that have happened. 
4. The index file of the book is also updated, because that gives you a quick view on the new/updated content. 
5. For the new videos in the book, the videos are clearly noted as NEW, so that you are immediately aware of it. Yes, the PMP exam prep book also contains many videos. 
6. For the new documents, the documents are cleared noted as NEW, too.
7. A number of tips and revision reminders are also added along the content in the PMP exam prep book. They are also clearly highlighted.
8. For any clarification or questions on these updates, you can ask your questions. You will definitely get a response. This one of the biggest advantages of having the book as I respond not only the queries on updates, but also your questions and clarifications.
9. As noted earlier, all the new/updated content will be FREE of cost to you.

Conclusion

With these changes, the book – I Want To Be A PMP, remains fresh and latest. 

More importantly, with these changes, I believe you will be not only preparing well for the exam, but also be prepared with the latest PMP exam changes, effective from January 02, 2021. I expect these new changes to continue into the future. 

For overall details of book, please refer (first in the list):
https://www.managementyogi.com/p/books.html

As far as I am aware, this is the only PMP Exam Prep book in the world, which sees continuous changes and frequent updates. I firmly believe it enormously benefits all the readers of the book, prepares them in a better way and gives them more confidence.  

For the updated index of the book, you can refer:
Book Index: I Want To Be A PMP, Second Edition

To all the readers of this book, I wish the very best. Stay the course in your journey, hold the line and crack the exam. 

You may also like:

Book  for PMP exam:

• Book for PMP Exam Prep: "I Want To Be A PMP"

PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course:

• PMP 35 Contact Hours Online: Full Money Back Guarantee

PMP LIVE LESSONS - Guaranteed Pass:

• PMP LIVE LESSONS: Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back