Direct answer: what is in the PMI-SP exam content outline?
The PMI-SP Examination Content Outline organizes the exam into five official scheduling domains: Schedule Strategy, Schedule Planning and Development, Schedule Monitoring and Controlling, Schedule Closeout, and Stakeholder Communications Management.
The two largest domains are Schedule Monitoring and Controlling at 35% and Schedule Planning and Development at 31%. Together, they represent 66% of the published exam-content weighting, so they deserve substantial preparation time.
How the PMI-SP exam blueprint is structured
The current PMI-SP exam contains 170 multiple-choice questions and provides 210 minutes. PMI states that 150 questions are scored and 20 are unscored pretest questions.
Candidates should use the exam content outline to organize preparation by domain rather than relying on outdated or unofficial syllabus labels.
- Use official domain names and weights as the top-level study framework.
- Give extra attention to schedule development and schedule control.
- Practise baseline, critical-path, status update, variance, forecast, closeout, and communication scenarios.
- Treat the official PMI page and Exam Content Outline as the source of truth for changes.
PMI-SP domain weights
The domain percentages indicate how PMI distributes examination content across scheduling responsibilities. A lower-weight domain should not be ignored because scheduling decisions often connect strategy, planning, control, closeout, and communication.
| PMI-SP domain | Official weight | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule Strategy | 14% | Scheduling approach, governance, configuration rules, baselines, methodology and alignment with project plans |
| Schedule Planning and Development | 31% | WBS and activity definition, sequencing, dependency logic, estimating, critical path, resources, and baseline preparation |
| Schedule Monitoring and Controlling | 35% | Progress collection, schedule updates, variance and trend analysis, forecasting, recovery, change control, and rebaselining |
| Schedule Closeout | 6% | Final schedule acceptance, performance evaluation, final reporting, lessons learned, and archival |
| Stakeholder Communications Management | 14% | Stakeholder information needs, schedule reporting, communication format and frequency, changes, and forecasts |
Domain I: Schedule Strategy - 14%
Schedule Strategy focuses on the scheduling approach and governance rules that shape how the schedule model will be developed, maintained, controlled, and communicated.
Candidates should understand baseline control, configuration expectations, schedule methodology, tool considerations, and alignment between scheduling and broader project-management plans.
Domain II: Schedule Planning and Development - 31%
Schedule Planning and Development covers creation of the schedule model. Suitable study topics include WBS and activity definition, dependencies, sequencing, duration and resource considerations, network analysis, critical path, schedule development, and baseline preparation.
Domain III: Schedule Monitoring and Controlling - 35%
Schedule Monitoring and Controlling is the largest PMI-SP domain. It covers status collection, schedule updates, variance and trend analysis, forecasting, critical-path changes, recovery and compression decisions, controlled change, and approved rebaselining.
Closeout and stakeholder communications
Schedule Closeout covers final acceptance, final schedule-performance review, lessons learned, final reporting, and record retention. Stakeholder Communications Management covers tailoring schedule information to the needs, timing, level of detail, and decision context of different stakeholders.
PMI-SP content-outline page aligned with supplied PMI-SP research, official five-domain weights, and FindExams practice-package links.