A practical PfMP® study plan: 30-day intensive, 60-day balanced, and 90-day part-time schedules with weekly focus by domain and tips for using the Mastery Cloud app.
This page answers the question most candidates actually have: “How do I structure my PfMP® prep?”
Pick a timeline, then follow the loop: Syllabus → drills → review misses → mixed sets.
Choose a plan based on hours per week:
| Time you can commit | Recommended plan | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 10–15 hrs/week | 30‑day intensive | fast coverage + heavy practice |
| 6–9 hrs/week | 60‑day balanced | steady progress + room for review |
| 3–5 hrs/week | 90‑day part‑time | slower pace + repetition |
PfMP domain weights (PMI Exam Content Outline):
| Domain | Weight | What to be good at |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Alignment | 25% | prioritization criteria, scenario building, roadmap sequencing |
| Portfolio Performance | 25% | metrics, monitoring, balancing, capacity optimization, records/compliance |
| Governance | 20% | governance model, standards, portfolio management plan, approvals |
| Portfolio Risk Management | 15% | risk tolerance, dependency risk, risk register, reserves |
| Communications Management | 15% | stakeholder analysis, comms plan, credibility and consistency |
Use the weights as your default time split, then adjust based on weak areas discovered in practice sets.
Target pace: ~10–15 hours/week.
Goal: cover the syllabus quickly, then harden decision instincts through drills and mixed sets.
| Week | Focus | What to do | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strategic alignment | Prioritization criteria, scenario analysis, roadmap logic. Daily drills + miss log. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 2 | Governance | Governance model, standards, portfolio management plan, approvals and thresholds. | Syllabus • Practice |
| 3 | Portfolio performance | Metrics, monitoring, issues/changes, balancing, capacity reallocation, compliance records. | Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 4 | Risk + communications + final review | Risk tolerance/register/reserves, stakeholder comms quality; then mixed sets + miss-log cleanup. | Practice • FAQ |
Target pace: ~6–9 hours/week.
Goal: cover each domain with reinforcement and spaced repetition.
| Weeks | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Strategic alignment | Criteria → ranking → scenarios → roadmap. |
| 3 | Governance | Governance model + portfolio management plan + approvals. |
| 4–5 | Portfolio performance | Monitoring, balancing, capacity optimization, records. |
| 6 | Risk management | Risk tolerance, dependency risk, register, reserves. |
| 7 | Communications | Stakeholder analysis, comms plan, quality and credibility. |
| 8 | Mixed review | Mixed sets + revisit weak objectives; tighten decision patterns. |
Target pace: ~3–5 hours/week.
Goal: slow-and-solid coverage with repetition and steady practice.
| Month | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strategic alignment + governance | Build your “portfolio decision system.” |
| 2 | Performance + risk | Monitoring, balancing, capacity; portfolio risk and reserves. |
| 3 | Communications + consolidation | Stakeholder comms, credibility, then mixed sets and miss-log cleanup. |