How current is the PMP cheat sheet?

It's built from PMI's current Examination Content Outline and reflects the exam effective July 9, 2026, which weights the domains People 33%, Process 41%, and Business Environment 26%. We review it against PMI's official sources regularly.

Can I pass the PMP with the cheat sheet alone?

No — the cheat sheet is a review and final-week cram aid, not a substitute for working scenario questions. The PMP rewards judgment over recall, so use the sheet to lock in facts and the practice test to build readiness.

How do I get the PMP cheat sheet?

Click the download button (or the preview card) at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark this page so you can find it again in your final week before test day.

Free PMP Cheat Sheet 2026 — Downloadable PDF

Q: What's on the PMP cheat sheet?

It condenses the highest-yield PMP facts into a quick reference: the three PMI domains and their weights, the earned-value formulas (CPI, SPI, EAC), the five conflict modes, agile and predictive delivery, and the risk-response strategies — organized the way the PMI exam is built.

This PMP cheat sheet distills the PMI Examination Content Outline into a printable rundown of the facts the exam tests most — domains, earned-value formulas, and the judgment calls that decide scenario questions. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free PMP toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.

PMP exam at a glance

Questions: 180 (a mix are unscored pretest items)
Time: 240 minutes, with two optional 10-minute breaks
Passing basis: Pass/fail — no published cut score; per-domain rating of Above Target, Target, Below Target, or Needs Improvement
Cost (US): $405 PMI members / $555 non-members; re-exam $275 / $375 — verify current fees at pmi.org
Administered by: PMI via Pearson VUE (test center or OnVUE online proctoring)

What’s on the PMP cheat sheet

Process (41%) — integration, scope, schedule, cost and earned value, quality, risk, and procurement — plus choosing predictive, agile, or hybrid. The largest domain.
People (33%) — servant leadership, team development up the Tuckman ladder, the five conflict modes, and stakeholder engagement via the power/interest grid.
Business Environment (26%) — compliance, EEFs vs. OPAs, the business case, benefits realization, and supporting organizational change.
Earned-value formulas — CPI = EV ÷ AC, SPI = EV ÷ PV, CV = EV − AC, SV = EV − PV, and EAC = BAC ÷ CPI, with how to read each index — below 1 is unfavorable.
Delivery approaches — about half the exam is agile or hybrid: Scrum roles and ceremonies, Kanban WIP limits, and when to tailor a hybrid.

Highest-yield facts on the sheet

Earned value: CPI = EV ÷ AC and SPI = EV ÷ PV, CV = EV − AC and SV = EV − PV, EAC = BAC ÷ CPI — any index below 1 (or a negative variance) is unfavorable.
Conflict modes, best to worst: collaborate, compromise, smooth, force, withdraw — collaborating (problem-solving) is almost always the preferred PMP answer.
Servant leadership drives most People-domain answers: remove impediments, develop people, and empower a self-organizing team instead of commanding it.
The critical path is the longest path and the shortest project duration with zero float; crashing adds resources (more cost), fast-tracking parallelizes work (more risk).
Risk responses — threats: avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept, escalate; opportunities: exploit, share, enhance, accept, escalate.

How to use it in your final week

Lock in the earned-value formulas cold — CPI = EV ÷ AC, SPI = EV ÷ PV, and EAC = BAC ÷ CPI — because a handful of calculation questions still appear and they're free points.
Front-load Process (41%) and People (33%). Together they are nearly three-quarters of the exam, so that is where a final review pays off most.
Re-read the conflict modes and the servant-leadership mindset the morning of the test — most People-domain scenarios reward collaborating and empowering the team over forcing or escalating.
Pair each review pass with a short timed set of scenario questions to keep your pacing sharp for 180 questions in 240 minutes.

The cheat sheet is your review layer — your PMP practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.

PMP cheat sheet FAQ

Yes — the PMP cheat sheet is 100% free to download as a PDF, with no sign-up required. It's part of Career Employer's free PMP toolkit alongside the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.

References

1.Project Management Institute. “Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
2.Project Management Institute. “PMP Examination Content Outline (ECO).” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
3.Project Management Institute. “New PMP Exam (effective July 9, 2026).” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
4.Project Management Institute. “PMP Handbook (eligibility, fees & scoring).” pmi.org, 2026. ↑

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