Here is what the PMI says
“The passing score for all PMI credential examinations is determined by sound psychometric analysis. PMI uses subject matter experts from across the globe to help establish a point at which each candidate should pass the examination(s) and the examination point of difficulty. Data that shows how candidates actually performed is cross referenced with the subject matter experts to ensure that the point of difficulty on each examination is healthy”
In brief, the answer is NO. There is no fixed score that can help you pass the PMP exam. It depends on the difficulty level of the questions you get. No two candidates will get the same set of questions. Hence, it makes sense that the passing score also varies. An exam with easy questions will have the passing score higher than the exam with relatively more difficult questions. Further, each question does not carry equal weightage. Hence, it becomes even more difficult to estimate how much you need to score in order to pass the exam.
Before we bust some common myths about the exam, let us first understand the pattern of PMP.If your PMP® certification is in good standing (i.e. you have passed the PMP® exam and follow the PDU requirements for the re-certification), your name will be included in the online certification registry of PMI certification holders at the following URL:
www.pmi.org/Certification/Credential-Registry.aspx
You can then click the “Search the PMI Online Certification Registry” and type in your last name (or plus full name, country and credential) to search for your certification status.
This Registry will be updated to include your name in one day after you have successfully passed the PMP® Exam. I am sure most Aspirants will search for their name on the Registry after the exam. Yes, passing the exam will immediately make you a PMP® (you can immediately add the credential to your namecard after receiving your exam report card), but PMI will take time to get and verify your exam results and update your status on the Registry. Note that if you take the exam on Friday evening, it may take two days to have your name appeared in the search results. Don’t worry.
Likewise, you will be able to search for the certification information of other PMI certification holders by knowing their last name. This is the way to validate to authenticity of their certification status.
Another useful way to utilize the Registry is to know how many PMI Certification holders are in your current city / country (the figure is just approximate, please note the point below).
However, since the disclosure of information on the online registry is on a permission base (certification holders are asked whether they would like to have their information published on the Registry). If the certification holders indicate unwillingness to share the information, you will not be able to find the information by searching for the names of the PMI certification holders.
