Exam fact
How do you register and schedule the PMP® exam?
You register for the PMP exam in three moves: PMI® approves your application, you pay, then you book an appointment with Pearson VUE, at a test center or online. From approval you have one year, and up to three attempts, to sit it (PMI Certification Handbook, as of October 2026).
- Exam
- PMP
- Source
- PMI Certification Handbook (rev. June 2026)
- Checked
- Oct 13, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
Eligibility period
1 year from approval, up to 3 attempts
Once your application is approved you have one year to take the exam, and you may sit it up to three times in that year. If you're picked for an audit, the year starts when PMI tells you the audit is complete.
Source: PMI Certification Handbook (rev. June 2026) · checked
01From approved application to booked seat
Get the approval
The PMP application comes first, and PMI audits a random share of applications. Approval is what unlocks payment.
Settle membership, then pay
The member price applies only if you joined PMI before paying. Once your payment is received, PMI emails your eligibility ID, which you need to book. Amounts are on the PMP exam cost page.
Record accommodations while paying
PMI asks you to note accommodation needs during payment. They cost nothing extra, but they may rule out the online option.
Pick delivery and language
Choose a Pearson VUE test center or online proctoring through OnVUE. The exam runs in English and 14 other languages: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.
Book the appointment
PMP exam dates are appointments you pick from what Pearson VUE has open, any time inside your eligibility year. PMI asks you to keep every scheduling confirmation it and the vendor send.
02Test center or online
| Point | Pearson VUE test center | Online, OnVUE |
|---|---|---|
| ≠PMI's position | Recommended | Offered |
| Length | 180 questions, 240 minutes | 180 questions, 240 minutes |
| Breaks | Two, 10 minutes each | Two, 10 minutes each |
| ≠ID after a break | Not mentioned in the outline | The proctor may ask to see it again |
| ≠With accommodations | Available | May not be available |
| ≠Mainland China | Paper-based testing only | Not open to citizens of mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau |
≠ marks a row where the two differ. PMI lists some item types as computer-based only; the list is on the PMP questions and time page.
03Moving or canceling an appointment
| When you change it | Fee |
|---|---|
| More than 30 days before the appointment | None |
| Within 30 days, until 48 hours before | $70 plus taxes |
| Within 48 hours | Not allowed; a no-show forfeits the entire exam fee |
The 30 days don't include the exam day. To switch between test center and online, PMI has you cancel the appointment and pick the new delivery type when you reschedule.
04Treat the date as fixed
$70 inside 30 days, and no moves at all inside 48 hours. Those two numbers are the reason to book a date you can hold and plan backward from it.
Leave room for the worst case too. Three attempts fit in one eligibility year, and the PMP retake rules explain what happens after a third.