By El Mehdi Bouchti, PMP, PMI-ACP · Updated October 20, 2026

PMP Exam Day Checklist: What to Bring and What to Do

The one item you cannot forget is a valid government-issued ID whose name matches the name on your PMI application exactly. Everything else on exam day (check-in time, permitted items, scratch materials and the online room rules) is set by Pearson VUE, so treat your Pearson VUE confirmation email and the Pearson VUE PMI page as the final word. This checklist covers what to do in the week before, the day before, the morning of, during the 240 minutes and after the exam.

For answering strategy and study habits, read our PMP exam tips. This page is about logistics and execution.

The exam at a glance

What to bring to the PMP exam

The short answer: your ID, your booking details and nothing you would mind leaving outside the room. The exact list of what you may keep with you differs by delivery method and is set by Pearson VUE, so use this table as a prompt to check, not as the rule.

If you need a testing accommodation, check the request process in your PMI account and on the Pearson VUE PMI page well before exam day rather than raising it at check-in.

The week before

• Compare your ID with your PMI application. Check spelling, order of names and any middle name. If they differ, contact PMI and Pearson VUE now, not on exam morning.
• Check that your ID will still be valid on exam day and confirm which ID types are accepted on the Pearson VUE PMI page.
• Reread your Pearson VUE confirmation: date, start time, time zone, delivery method and test center address. Note the check-in instructions it gives.
• For OnVUE, run the system test now on the exact computer, webcam and network you will use. Running it a week early leaves time to fix problems or switch equipment.
• For a test center, plan the route and parking, and allow for traffic at that time of day.
• Finish your last full mock and review it. If you have not yet sat a full 180-question mock exam, do one now to rehearse the 240-minute pace and your break plan.
• Stop adding new material. Spend the remaining study time on your error log and weakest ECO tasks.

The day before

• Put your ID where you will not forget it and check it one more time against your PMI application name.
• Reread the check-in and arrival instructions in your Pearson VUE confirmation.
• Decide what you will eat and drink before the exam; it is a four-hour sitting.
• For OnVUE, clear and prepare the room tonight (see the OnVUE section below) and charge or plug in your computer.
• Disable automatic updates or restarts on your computer if you test online, so nothing interrupts the session.
• Do a short review at most: your error log summary and a few formulas. Then stop.
• Set two alarms and go to bed at your normal time.

Test center: the morning of the exam

• Eat a meal you are used to. Avoid trying anything new.
• Bring your ID and your Pearson VUE confirmation details.
• Leave early enough to arrive by the time your confirmation specifies, with a buffer for delays.
• Plan for your belongings. Which items you may keep, where personal items go and what scratch materials are provided are set by Pearson VUE: follow your confirmation rather than assumptions from forums.
• Use the restroom before check-in.
• Follow the check-in steps the test center staff give you, and keep your ID in hand until they finish.

OnVUE online exam: setup checklist

Online proctoring moves the test center into your home or office, so the setup is your responsibility. Pearson VUE's rules apply; this list covers the basics PMI and Pearson VUE require.

Check-in timing, whether a whiteboard or digital notes are available, and what you may have on the desk are defined by Pearson VUE. Read those rules on the Pearson VUE PMI page and in your confirmation.

During the exam

Pacing

240 minutes for 180 questions is about 80 seconds per question. Use time checkpoints rather than watching the clock on every item:

Follow the on-screen instructions for how break time relates to the exam timer. If you are behind at a checkpoint, stop rereading long scenarios: identify the question being asked, eliminate two options and choose.

Breaks

• There are two optional 10-minute breaks. Decide in advance whether you will take them; rehearse that in a full mock.
• Once you start a break, you cannot return to the questions in the section you just finished.
• Follow the section prompts on screen rather than assuming a break appears at a fixed question number.
• Follow the proctor's or test center's rules for leaving your seat and returning.

Flagging and reviewing

• If a question takes more than about two minutes, pick your best answer, flag it and move on.
• Never leave a question blank before ending a section; a flagged guess is better than nothing.
• Review flagged questions before you end the section or start a break, because you cannot come back afterward.
• Change an answer only when you find a specific reason in the scenario, not because of a vague doubt.
• Treat every question as scored: the 10 pretest questions are not identified.

After the exam

PMI's result is pass or fail. There is no fixed published passing score. Your score report rates performance in each domain (People, Process, Business Environment); PMI's reports have used ratings such as Above Target, Target, Below Target and Needs Improvement, so check your own report for the current wording. Follow PMI's and Pearson VUE's instructions for where to find the official result and report in your account.

If you passed

• Your first 3-year certification cycle begins. You need 60 PDUs per cycle, at least 35 in Education and up to 25 in Giving Back. See our PMP PDU guide.
• Save your score report: the domain ratings show where to direct your first PDUs.
• Note the renewal fee, commonly reported as $60 for PMI members and $150 for non-members; confirm it in your PMI account.

If you did not pass

• Your one-year eligibility period allows up to three attempts in total, so check how much of it remains.
• Retake fees are commonly reported as $275 for members and $375 for non-members; confirm the amount in your PMI account.
• Start from the domain ratings: rebuild the domains rated lowest first, then retest with full mocks. Our PMP study plan shows how to rebuild a calendar around them.

Common exam day mistakes

• Name mismatch. A missing middle name or a different spelling between your ID and PMI application is the easiest problem to prevent and the hardest to fix on the day.
• Skipping the OnVUE system test until the morning of the exam.
• Relying on forum lists of permitted items instead of your Pearson VUE confirmation.
• Starting a break with flagged questions unreviewed, then losing access to them.
• Spending five minutes on one hard question early, then rushing the last section.

Last reviewed: October 20, 2026

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