Key takeaways
- Since 9 July 2026 the PMP® exam has 180 questions in 240 minutes: 170 scored, 10 unscored (PMI’s July 2026 outline).
- The case-study section comes before the first break, and it locks once that break starts.
- Business Environment rose from 8% to 26%. People fell to 33% and Process to 41% (2021 and 2026 outlines).
- From 1 December 2026, live classes count toward the 35 training hours only from a PMI Authorized Training Partner or an eligible academic program (PMI’s new-exam page).
A weekend PMP batch in Bengaluru or Pune has long ended the same way: a full mock of 180 questions in 230 minutes, with breaks after question 60 and question 120. That was the exam in PMI’s January 2021 content outline. On 9 July 2026, PMI launched an updated exam. A mock built on the old pattern is now wrong on time, order, breaks and topic mix.
This checklist is for the trainer or corporate L&D team that owns the course and the mocks. Every fact is from PMI’s own documents, read on 13 November 2026; where we read between the lines, we say so.
Old vs new PMP exam
At a glance
What changed on 9 July 2026
| Up to 8 July 2026 | From 9 July 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 180: 175 scored, 5 pretest | 180: 170 scored, 10 pretest |
| Time | 230 minutes | 240 minutes |
| Order | Three blocks of 60 questions | Case-study section first, then independent questions |
| Breaks | Two of 10 minutes, after questions 60 and 120 | Two of 10 minutes: after the case-study section, and about midway through the rest |
| Domains | People 42%, Process 50%, Business Environment 8% | People 33%, Process 41%, Business Environment 26% |
| Approach | About half predictive, half agile or hybrid | About 40% predictive, 60% agile or hybrid |
| New question types | — | Case or Scenario, and Graphic-based |
PMI’s new-exam page tells candidates on older material to keep going, because the “core principles and approaches” are the same. So this is an update to your course, not a rewrite.
The case-study section and the break lock
PMI describes a case as “a detailed scenario or situation, which may include graphs or charts”, followed by “a series of questions” (July 2026 outline). The lock is not new: both outlines say that once a candidate starts a break, they cannot return to the earlier section. What is new is where the first lock falls: PMI puts the first break straight after the case-study section, so we read the case questions as coming first.
Exam day
The order a candidate meets
- 1 TutorialOptional, own 15-minute window
- 2 Case-study sectionScenarios with several questions each
- 3 Break 110 minutes. The section locks
- 4 Independent questions, part 1Up to about the midway point
- 5 Break 210 minutes. Locks again
- 6 Independent questions, part 2To question 180
A student who parks a hard case question “for later” loses it at the first break. PMI does not publish how many case questions a form has. How to write them is in PMP case-study questions: building practice sets.
Domain weights and what to rebalance
Share of the exam
Business Environment more than tripled
People
Process
Business Environment
Business Environment was 8% of 175 scored questions, about 14. It is now 26% of 170, about 44 (PMI says exact numbers vary by form). If one mock question in twelve was on the business environment, it now needs to be one in four. The new-exam page names what came in: AI, sustainability and stakeholder engagement. Tag every question with its domain so you can count the mix.
The 1 December 2026 rule for live training hours
A candidate needs 35 hours of project management training to apply. From 1 December 2026, says PMI’s new-exam page, hours from a live class count only if a PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP), a China Registered Education Provider or an eligible accredited academic program delivers it. Training finished before that date “will still be eligible”. A self-paced course can come from any organization if it passes PMI’s checks in its guide to the 35 hours:
What PMI asks of a self-paced course
- Formal instruction in project management
- Topics that match the current Examination Content Outline
- A clear number of training hours
- An end-of-course assessment
- A certificate or other completion record
PMI adds that all training is subject to audit.
Not an ATP and selling live batches? Apply to PMI’s partner program, or give students a self-paced course for the hours. That call is yours; ask PMI if your case is unclear.
Updating mock exams: sections, timing, breaks
One honest limit: the test-center exam also has matching, point-and-click and drop-down questions. Vacademy has no drag-and-drop, hotspot or drop-down question types, so show those formats in class.
Rebuild one old mock to the 2026 pattern with usBring a 2021-pattern mock. We will set it up in Vacademy as a timed 240-minute mock, with the questions grouped by domain.
Running PMP training in Vacademy
Mocks run on the standard Vacademy test screen, not a copy of the PMP screen, and there is no PMP-style break screen. One way to practise: run the case set as its own timed mock, take a 10-minute pause, then run the next part. A completion certificate is yours, not a PMI document; PMI’s rules decide what counts toward the 35 hours. See also live online classes on Vacademy and Vacademy for corporate training.
Questions PMP trainers ask
When did the PMP exam change in 2026?
On 9 July 2026, when PMI launched the exam built on its July 2026 Examination Content Outline. The exam before it followed the January 2021 outline.
How many questions are on the PMP exam now, and how long is it?
180 questions in 240 minutes: 170 scored and 10 unscored pretest questions, with two 10-minute breaks. Before July 2026 it was 175 scored and 5 pretest questions in 230 minutes.
Is the PMP case-study section at the start of the exam?
Yes. PMI's outline puts the first break straight after the case-study section, so the case questions come first. Once a candidate starts that break they cannot return to them. PMI does not publish how many there are.
Will our live PMP classes count toward the 35 hours after 1 December 2026?
Only if a PMI Authorized Training Partner, a China Registered Education Provider or an eligible accredited academic program delivers them. Training finished before that date stays eligible, and self-paced courses from any organization can count if they meet PMI's checks.
Do we need to rewrite all our PMP material?
No. PMI says the core principles and approaches are the same. Rebalance the domains, add AI, sustainability and stakeholder topics, and rebuild your mocks.
Can Vacademy show a PMP-style exam screen?
No. Vacademy's exam-style screens are JEE Main-style, JEE Advanced-style, GATE-style and Railway JE (RRB)-style. PMP mocks run on the standard Vacademy test screen. Vacademy is not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI.
Try Vacademy for your PMP batches
Bring one old mock. We will set it up as a timed mock with topic-wise reports.
“PMI” and “PMP” are marks of Project Management Institute, Inc. Vacademy is not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI. Exam facts are from PMI’s published documents as of 13 November 2026; check PMI’s site for later changes.