PMP exam changes: the July 2026 refresh, new fees and a wider experience window
PMI refreshed the PMP exam in July 2026. The business side of the exam grew from 8% to 26% of the questions, AI, sustainability and stakeholder engagement now appear in scenarios, and eligibility widened. Fees also rose in August.
What changed
| Before | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| People domain | 42% | 33% |
| Process domain | 50% | 41% |
| Business Environment domain | 8% | 26% |
| New content | Predictive, agile and hybrid approaches | Adds AI, sustainability and stakeholder engagement in project scenarios |
| Experience window | 8 years | 10 years |
| Eligibility | Experience and education routes | Expanded to include apprenticeships and training |
| Exam fee, reported | $405 member, $555 non-member | $445 member, $675 non-member from August 6, 2026 |
Domain weights and eligibility changes are from PMI’s new-exam page. Dates and fees are as reported by several sources.
What PMI says it shifts
- Outcomes and value. More focus on business impact and the value a project delivers.
- Leadership, technical and strategic skills are meant to be better balanced.
- Adaptive, real-world dynamics are reflected in the scenarios.
The cut-over date
The refreshed exam launched on July 9, 2026, at Pearson VUE test centers and online. Anyone taking the PMP now takes the new version, including candidates who failed before the change and retake after it.
A change to watch: live training hours
Several providers report that from late 2026, live course hours will only count toward the 35 contact hours if the course is delivered by a PMI Authorized Training Partner, an accredited academic program or a China Registered Education Provider. Self-paced training is not described as affected. PMI’s own site is the final word, so check before buying live training.
What to do about it
Every candidate now takes the refreshed exam, so make sure your course and practice exams have been rebuilt for it.
Business Environment is now a quarter of the exam. Many older courses treated it as a small topic.
The window widened to ten years, so experience you could not count before may now qualify.
Common questions
Is the new exam harder?
The content changed, with a different weighting and new topics, so it is a different exam rather than an easier or harder one. PMI has not published any pass rates to compare.
Can I use a course from before July 2026?
Be careful. A course built before July 2026 will not match the new domain weights unless the provider has updated it, so check the course description for the 2026 content outline.
Do my existing contact hours still count?
Reports say contact hours do not expire once earned, and the change described is about which new live courses qualify. PMI’s site is the final word on how it applies to hours you already hold.