PMI-RMP® tests whether you can run credible risk management that drives decisions: clarify appetite and thresholds, identify threats and opportunities, analyze exposure, choose effective responses, and monitor until risks are closed or transitioned.
For the latest official exam details and requirements, see:
https://www.pmi.org/certifications/risk-management-rmp
Official exam snapshot (PMI)
Source: PMI-RMP Exam Content Outline and Specifications (Updated May 2022).
- Items: 115 total
- Scored vs pretest: 100 scored + 15 unscored pretest items (randomly placed throughout the exam)
- Question types: multiple-choice + multiple answer select
- Exam time: 2.5 hours (150 minutes)
- Breaks: optional 1× 10-minute break after the first section (approximately 58 questions; after review you can’t return)
Official domain weights (PMI-RMP)
The ECO specifies the proportion of scored content by domain (they sum to 100%):
| Domain | Weight | Target scored items (out of 100) |
|---|
| Risk Strategy and Planning | 22% | 22 |
| Risk Identification | 23% | 23 |
| Risk Analysis | 23% | 23 |
| Risk Response | 13% | 13 |
| Monitor and Close Risks | 19% | 19 |
Important note (PMI): predictive, agile, and hybrid approaches may appear throughout the exam and are not isolated to any single domain.
What questions tend to reward
- Decision-ready outputs: thresholds, triggers, and dashboards that lead to clear next steps.
- Correct technique selection: when to use qualitative vs quantitative analysis and how to interpret results.
- Bias-resistant thinking: evidence-based prioritization and structured facilitation, not gut feel.
- Response effectiveness: choosing strategies that measurably change probability/impact/exposure.
- Monitoring discipline: residual and secondary risks, trend/variance thinking, and clean closure criteria.
Common pitfalls
- Mixing up risk vs issue, or writing vague risks without cause/event/impact clarity.
- Doing “analysis” without thresholds (no decision changes as a result).
- Overusing quantitative tools without validating assumptions (inputs, distributions, correlations).
- Treating opportunity management as optional or ignoring it entirely.
- Closing risks without evidence or letting residual/secondary risks drift unowned.
A practical prep loop
- Use the Syllabus as your checklist.
- After each task set, review the matching part of the Cheatsheet and write a short miss log.
- Do focused drills in Practice, then re-drill the objectives behind every miss.
- Finish with mixed sets that blend planning + identification + analysis + response + monitoring scenarios.