PMP Exam Syllabus - What you need to know in 2025

Before starting your PMP exam preparation, always download the latest version of the ECO directly from the PMI website. This is the only guaranteed and up-to-date source of the document. You can find it by searching for "PMP" at PMI.org. If PMI plans to update the ECO, they will provide a notice on the relevant page, ensuring you stay informed about upcoming changes.

PMP Examination Content Outline (ECO)

The Examination Content Outline (ECO), published by the Project Management Institute (PMI), serves as the official syllabus for the PMP and other certification exams. The latest major update was released in the summer of 2019, coming into effect in 2021 after a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While PMI typically revises the ECO every few years, the next update may likely be an incremental evolution rather than a complete overhaul. Overlooking the importance of ECO is the primary reason for exam failures. 

PMI’s Global Practices Analysis (GPA)

The syllabus for the PMP exam is grounded in PMI’s Global Practices Analysis (GPA)—a comprehensive review of the evolving demands of the project management profession. The GPA process includes tools such as the Role Delineation Study (RDS) or Job Task Analysis (JTA) to ensure the certification reflects real-world practices and expectations for project management professionals. This rigorous analysis helps PMI maintain the relevance and rigor of its certifications in a dynamic professional landscape.

Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)

A common misconception is that the PMP syllabus is based solely on PMI’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). However, this is not the case. The PMBOK Guide is merely one of many resources that PMP candidates are expected to know. While some exam questions will draw directly from its content, many extend beyond the PMBOK Guide to cover broader concepts, methodologies, and best practices. Candidates should treat the PMBOK Guide as an essential reference but not the sole source of preparation.
Three Domains in the PMP ECO

The PMP Syllabus is divided into three domains

People (worth 42% of the marks in the test)
Process (worth 50% of the marks)
Business Environment (worth 8% of the marks)

PMP ECO Domains: Tasks

Each Domain is divided into a number of tasks that set out the responsibilities that PMI has identified, in the domain:

People has 14 tasks
Process has 17 tasks
Business Environment has 4 tasks

PMP ECO Tasks: Enablers

The ECO illustrates the breadth of the knowledge PMI expects of candidates in each of the tasks with from 3 to 7 bullets points that they call ‘enablers’. These enablers derive from the results of the PMI’s Job Task Analysis.

The People Domain

The People Domain of the PMP Exam Content Outline covers your project team, leadership, and stakeholders.

The 14 Tasks are:

  1. Manage conflict
  2. Lead a team
  3. Support team performance
  4. Empower team members and stakeholders
  5. Ensure team members/stakeholders are adequately trained
  6. Build a team
  7. Address and remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
  8. Negotiate project agreements
  9. Collaborate with stakeholders
  10. Build shared understanding
  11. Engage and support virtual teams
  12. Define team ground rules
  13. Mentor relevant stakeholders
  14. Promote team performance through the application of emotional intelligence

The Process Domain

The Process Domain of the PMP Exam Content Outline covers the core project management process and disciplines.

The 17 Tasks are:

  1. Execute project with the urgency required to deliver business value
  2. Manage communications
  3. Assess and manage risks
  4. Engage stakeholders
  5. Plan and manage budget and resources
  6. Plan and manage schedule
  7. Plan and manage quality of products/deliverables
  8. Plan and manage scope
  9. Integrate project planning activities
  10. Manage project changes
  11. Plan and manage procurement
  12. Manage project artifacts
  13. Determine appropriate project methodology/methods and practices
  14. Establish project governance structure
  15. Manage project issues
  16. Ensure knowledge transfer for project continuity
  17. Plan and manage project/phase closure or transitions

The Business Environment Domain

The Business Environment Domain of the PMP Exam Content Outline covers project compliance, value delivery, organizational change, and a basic level of business awareness.

The 4 Tasks are:

  1. Plan and manage project compliance
  2. Evaluate and deliver project benefits and value
  3. Evaluate and address external business environment changes for impact on scope
  4. Support organizational change

Predictive, Agile, Hybrid

Finally, across all of the three domains and 35 tasks, candidates are expected to be able to apply their knowledge to predictive, adaptive, and hybrid contexts.

PMI states that about half of the examination will represent predictive project management approaches and the other half will represent agile or hybrid approaches.

Read the PMP Exam-related FAQs as well to get a better understanding of winning strategies. 
Created with