I’m starting my PMP journey and I'm confused about the study material. My older colleagues swear by the 6th Edition's "Process Groups," but the 7th Edition is all about "Principles." With the 2024 exam being so Agile-heavy, should I even bother with the 6th Edition inputs/outputs, or is the 7th Edition the only way forward?
3 answers
The short answer is: You need both, but for different reasons. The 2024 exam is roughly 50% Agile/Hybrid and 50% Predictive. While PMBOK 7 provides the high-level mindset, the "Process Groups: A Practice Guide" (which essentially replaces the 6th Edition) is still vital for understanding the mechanics of planning and monitoring. Don't skip the Agile Practice Guide either—PMI has moved away from "memorizing ITTOs" and toward "situational leadership," so focus more on why you use a tool rather than just its name.
Do the practice exams still focus heavily on the "Critical Path Method," or has that taken a backseat to Agile velocity?
Focus on the "People" domain. It's 42% of the exam and often where people fail because they think too technically and not enough like a servant leader.
Great point, Susan. The "People" questions are all about conflict resolution and team building—skills that a textbook can't always teach as well as experience.
David, to answer that, Critical Path is still there but it's usually presented in a situational context now—like "A stakeholder asks for a delay on a critical path task, what do you do?" You still need to know how to calculate it, but you won't see 20 questions purely on float. You'll see more questions on how to manage a team's Sprint Burndown or how to handle a product owner who keeps changing the backlog mid-sprint.