Scheduling the PMP exam: dates, test centers, online testing and retakes

How to schedule PMP exam: Pearson VUE or online

You can only schedule the PMP exam after PMI has accepted your application. PMI’s certification page sets the order: “Once your application is accepted, you’ll pay your exam fee and schedule your exam.” PMI then emails you scheduling instructions, and its Certification Handbook asks you to follow them and keep the PMI Eligibility ID shown on your scheduling notification — you need it to book.

The PMP exam scheduling itself leads to Pearson VUE, whose testing centers deliver PMI’s center-based exam. That is why searches for the Pearson VUE PMP exam schedule and for how to schedule the PMP exam with Pearson VUE lead to the same step: with your eligibility ID, you pick a delivery mode, a date and a time.

• Apply with PMI and wait for acceptance (or complete the audit, if your application is selected).
• Pay the exam fee — PMI varies it by membership status and region.
• Follow the scheduling email and keep your PMI Eligibility ID.
• Choose a Pearson VUE test center or the online exam, and book a date within your one-year eligibility period.

Source: PMI — Certification Handbook (revised June 2026). Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam dates: is there a schedule?

No. PMI does not publish a PMP exam schedule with fixed PMP certification exam dates, and the same holds for any search for PMP exam dates 2026 or PMP test dates 2026 — there is no annual calendar to wait for. PMP test dates are whatever appointments are open at your chosen test center or for online delivery when you book.

The date that does matter is the end of your eligibility period. PMI’s handbook says that once your application has been approved, you have one year to take the exam. Plan your study schedule backwards from that deadline.

If you searched for PMP exam dates 2025 or a PMP exam schedule 2025, the answer was the same then: appointments, not fixed sittings. The PMP exam schedule 2026 differs only in which exam version you sit — anything booked from 9 July 2026 onwards is the updated exam.

Source: PMI — Certification Handbook (revised June 2026). Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam centers and locations

PMI offers two ways to sit the exam: in person at a Pearson VUE testing center, which PMI recommends, or securely online. Pearson VUE testing centers are the PMP exam locations; you choose one when you book. PMI does not maintain its own exam centres.

At a Pearson VUE testing center, PMP exam candidates are asked by PMI to check in 30 minutes before the appointment. Outside the country that issued your ID, only IDs in Roman characters are accepted, at a test center and online alike.

One regional exception, stated in PMI’s handbook: in mainland China, only paper-based testing is available, and paper-based candidates receive their score report by email within 6–8 weeks rather than within days.

Source: PMI — PMP certification. Checked 9 October 2026.

Taking the PMP exam online

The PMP online exam is the same exam as at a test center: 180 questions in 240 minutes, with two 10-minute breaks. For online delivery PMI asks you to run a system test in advance, choose a private space and have a valid photo ID ready. All appointments, online and in person, are monitored by continuous audio and video recording.

Not everyone can take the PMP exam online. PMI’s handbook states that the online proctored option is not available to citizens of the People’s Republic of China, Macau and Hong Kong, regardless of where they live.

Source: PMI — Certification Handbook (revised June 2026). Checked 9 October 2026.

How to reschedule PMP exam appointments

You can reschedule or cancel an online or test-center appointment up to 48 hours beforehand. The rules for a PMP reschedule, exam cancellation or no-show, from PMI’s Certification Handbook:

• Within 30 days of your appointment: rescheduling or cancelling costs a fee of US$70 plus taxes — the handbook charges it only for changes inside that window.
• Within 48 hours of your appointment: you may not reschedule the PMP exam.
• If you do not attend, you forfeit the entire exam fee.
• Emergencies are evaluated case by case; if you miss an appointment, contact PMI within 72 hours.

Source: PMI — Certification Handbook (revised June 2026). Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam retake policy

If you do not pass on the first attempt, PMI allows two more — three attempts in total within your one-year eligibility period. Each time you retake, PMP exam fees apply again: PMI’s PMP Handbook says a retake within your eligibility period is available “for a substantial discount subject to membership and regional pricing”, without publishing a figure.

If you fail three times within the eligibility period, the handbook says you must wait one year from your last exam before you can reapply for the certification. That is the part of the retake policy worth planning around: booking before you are ready can cost a year.

Source: PMI — Certification Handbook (revised June 2026). Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam results: Pearson VUE and PMI

At the end of a computer-based exam you see a result, but PMI treats any score shown at the end of the session as preliminary. The official result comes from PMI, not Pearson VUE: according to the handbook, your exam report is available online no later than 10 business days after your exam date.

So searches for Pearson VUE PMP exam results end at PMI: Pearson VUE delivers the exam, and PMI confirms the outcome and issues the certification.

Source: PMI — Certification Handbook (revised June 2026). Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam updates: when did the exam change?

PMI launched the updated PMP exam on 9 July 2026. If you are asking when the PMP exam will change, that change has already happened: every exam booked today is the new version. PMI has not announced a further date.

The main PMP exam update is the content outline. Domain weights moved to People 33%, Process 41% and Business Environment 26% (from 42%, 50% and 8%), and PMI added AI, sustainability and stakeholder engagement in project-based scenarios. The exam now has 180 questions in 240 minutes, ten of them unscored pretest questions.

The same PMP test update came with wider eligibility: PMI’s new-exam page says it expands eligibility to apprenticeships and training, with a 10-year window for experience.

Source: PMI — PMP Exam Change: What It Means in 2026. Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam update 2026: what about the PMBOK Guide 8th edition?

When will the PMP exam change to the 8th edition? It is not tied to one. PMI published the PMBOK Guide Eighth Edition in November 2025, but the exam is built on the Examination Content Outline, and that outline states the exam “is not written according to any single text or singularly supported by any specific reference.” Neither PMI’s new-exam page nor its announcement links the July 2026 exam to a PMBOK edition.

If you studied with older material, PMI’s advice is to keep going: it says the core principles and approaches of the exam remain the same. Check that your preparation reflects the new weights, especially the larger Business Environment domain.

Source: PMI — PMP Examination Content Outline, July 2026. Checked 9 October 2026.

Live training change: 1 December 2026

One more date belongs on your calendar if you have not finished your 35 training hours. From 1 December 2026, live classes count only if they are delivered by a PMI Authorized Training Partner, a China Registered Education Provider or an eligible accredited higher education programme. PMI states that training completed before 1 December 2026 remains eligible.

Source: PMI — The new PMP exam. Checked 9 October 2026.

Building a study schedule for PMP exam preparation

PMI sets no study time, so a PMP exam study schedule has to come from your own starting point. A practical way to build one:

• Start from your deadline: the end of your one-year eligibility period, minus room for a retake if you need one.
• Weight your time by the outline: Process 41%, People 33%, Business Environment 26% — and more time where your work gives you little practice.
• Cover predictive, agile and hybrid delivery; the outline sets them across all three domains.
• Book the exam when your practice results are strong in every domain, not before — rescheduling within 30 days costs US$70, and within 48 hours it is not possible.

Source: PMI — PMP Examination Content Outline, July 2026. Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP online exam prep

PMI’s own self-paced option is its Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Prep Course, which PMI states is designed to satisfy the 35 training hours required to apply and is aligned to the PMP Exam Content Outline. Because it is self-paced, the 1 December 2026 rule for live classes does not affect it.

On top of training, Certsqill offers expert-developed PMP practice questions with an explanation for every answer option and a readiness score per exam domain, so your study schedule ends in a booking decision based on evidence. Every plan carries a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Source: PMI — Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Prep Course. Checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam registration: questions people ask

Are there fixed PMP exam dates in 2026?

No. You choose an appointment at a Pearson VUE test center or online within one year of your application being approved. Source: PMI Certification Handbook, checked 9 October 2026.

PMP exam dates and locations 2026: where are they listed?

They are not published as a list. Available dates and Pearson VUE test centers appear when you book with your PMI Eligibility ID.

Were PMP exam dates and locations 2025 any different?

The booking process was the same: appointments at Pearson VUE test centers or online, no fixed sittings. What changed on 9 July 2026 is the exam itself.

Do PMP certification test dates differ by country?

There are no fixed dates anywhere. What differs is which appointments are free at the test centers near you, or for online delivery, when you book.

Is there a PMI PMP exam schedule I can wait for?

No. PMI publishes no exam calendar; PMI PMP exam dates are the appointments you book yourself after acceptance.

What are the PMI PMP exam dates for the new exam?

The updated exam launched on 9 July 2026 and is the version you sit on any date you book now. Source: PMI blog, checked 9 October 2026.

When does the PMP exam change next?

PMI has not announced another change. The latest PMP exam change date was 9 July 2026.

Can I take the PMP certification exam online?

Yes, unless you are a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, Macau or Hong Kong. You need a system test, a private space and a valid photo ID. Source: PMI, checked 9 October 2026.

Is the PMP online test the same as at a test center?

Yes — 180 questions in 240 minutes with two 10-minute breaks, monitored by audio and video in both modes. PMI recommends the test center.

How do I find a Pearson VUE testing center for the PMP exam?

You choose one while booking, using the PMI Eligibility ID from your scheduling email.

What does it cost to reschedule the PMP exam?

Within 30 days of your appointment, US$70 plus taxes; within 48 hours, rescheduling is not possible. The handbook charges the fee only for changes inside the 30-day window. Source: PMI Certification Handbook, revised June 2026.

How many times can I retake the PMP exam?

Three attempts in total within your one-year eligibility period. After three failures, you wait one year from your last exam before reapplying.

When do I get my PMP result?

You see a preliminary result at the end of a computer-based exam; PMI makes the official report available no later than 10 business days after the exam.

When will PMP exam change to 8th edition of the PMBOK Guide?

PMI does not tie it to any edition. The content outline says the exam is not written according to any single text. The PMBOK Guide Eighth Edition was published in November 2025. Source: PMI, checked 9 October 2026.