Message on Exam Security

Our Commitment to Upholding PMP Exam Integrity

I have a deep history with PMI as a Project Management Professional (PMP)^® certification holder, long-time volunteer, chapter president, and as the new chair of the Board of Directors. I consider my PMP certification to be a significant accomplishment in my career, and I personally understand the importance of maintaining the value, security, and integrity of the PMP certification we offer to professionals around the world.

The PMP is recognized as the world’s leading project management certification. In fact, since practitioners sat for the first PMP exam in 1984 - nearly 40 years ago - we have always been dedicated to having the highest levels of security and integrity for our exams, actively evaluating ways to prevent, deter, and detect misconduct, and innovating new best practices to match our evolving world.

When you become a PMP exam candidate with PMI, you are making a significant investment in your future, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. Once certified, you possess an unparalleled value for current and future career opportunities – it is widely known that a PMP-certified project professional has the experience, knowledge, and skills to effectively lead projects, deliver value, and make ideas a reality.

The PMI Board of Directors, and our more than 600 passionate employees, are committed to maintaining our global standard and upholding PMP exam integrity.

Enhancements to the exam process and detecting misconduct

In response to the pandemic, we have expanded our Online Protected Testing (OPT) solutions for the PMP certification exam. We implemented a rigorous and comprehensive exam security program that leveraged industry best practices to protect candidates and identify misconduct quickly and accurately.

We have a zero-tolerance policy on exam misconduct and the attempt to misuse exam content and intellectual property. Any test misconduct is a violation of the PMI Certification Application/Renewal Agreement, the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and PMI Certification Policies, which all candidates agree to explicitly in advance of taking exams.

Our processes continue to evolve with new enhancements being added to authenticate certification exam applications and detect and react to misconduct, in addition to updating questions and content on a continuous basis. This allows us to automate our application audit process, analyze candidate behavior during the exam and their exam results faster, in addition to keeping the exam content fresh.

When PMI is made aware of or finds evidence of, exam misconduct, we take immediate action. These actions include score cancellations, revocations of certification and/or membership, permanently banning candidates from taking future PMI exams, and, if appropriate, working with local authorities to pursue criminal action.

Speaking up about misconduct

If you are aware of an individual or an entity that is engaging in exam misconduct or theft of exam content and intellectual property, please speak up. We have made it easy for you to submit your concerns – simply send an email to [email protected] and we will investigate. 

The PMI Board of Directors has zero-tolerance for exam misconduct in any form. We will continue to work with our testing and certification industry partners to ensure the continued trust and active investment that you, and more than 1.4 million professionals, have made in PMI’s certifications.