How to Schedule the PMP Exam: Test Center or Online, Rescheduling, and Fees

Steps to book the PMP exam

1. Get approved. If PMI selects your application for audit, it tells you by email before you pay, and you finish the audit before going further.
2. Pay the exam fee. If you need test accommodations, request them during payment. You cannot schedule until PMI approves them, and they cannot be added to an appointment you already booked.
3. Receive your PMI Eligibility ID. PMI emails it after payment. Keep it: you need it to register, and test centers ask for it at check-in.
4. Schedule with Pearson VUE. Follow the instructions in PMI's email. Pearson VUE's PMI page sends candidates to PMI's site to sign in, and PMI's handbook routes later changes through your PMI.org account as well. Pearson VUE says it can take up to 24 hours for your exam eligibility to process.
5. Check the name and language. The name on your booking must exactly match your government ID. Ask PMI for any name change early, since PMI cannot guarantee a change within 5 business days of the exam. Choose the exam language when you book: PMI cannot switch the language of an existing appointment, so a change means canceling first.

These steps follow PMI's certification handbook and Pearson VUE's PMI pages, checked on October 27, 2026. The PMP exam summary with delivery options and attempt rules shows the same one-year, three-attempt window at a glance.

Test center or OnVUE online for the PMP

PMI offers the PMP at Pearson VUE test centers, which it labels "recommended," and online through Pearson VUE's OnVUE service, where PMI says "some restrictions apply." Paper-based testing is used in some cases.

Location rules also apply. In mainland China, the PMP is paper-based only, delivered by ATA. Online testing is not available to citizens of the People's Republic of China, Macau, and Hong Kong, wherever they live. Candidates in Japan and South Korea who test online in their local language are proctored by ATA. Pearson VUE notes that not every center offers every PMI exam, so check seat availability before you commit to a date.

A test center is usually the simpler choice if your only computer is a work laptop on a corporate network, if you cannot count on an empty private room for more than four hours, or if you need accommodations. Online makes more sense when the nearest center is far away and your own setup meets every OnVUE requirement. One detail to check if you plan to test from work: PMI's exam FAQ mentions testing from home or office, while Pearson VUE's OnVUE page lists offices, libraries, and coffee shops as public spaces you cannot use, so confirm a workplace room with Pearson VUE before you book it. The four test-center-only question types are explained in the PMP question types guide.

Whichever you choose, rehearse under similar conditions: one screen, a quiet room, and the full four hours. The PMP page describes a full-length PMP mock planned to run in any computer browser once full prep launches.

If you fail the online pre-scheduling identity check, PMI directs you to book a test center instead. Asking for a refund at that point costs a $100 administrative fee. To switch delivery type later, cancel the appointment and pick the new type when you reschedule. Within 30 days of the appointment, PMI's handbook says to contact PMI Customer Care for that change, and the fee rules still apply.

PMP reschedule and cancellation deadlines: a worked calendar

PMI's rules for both test centers and online appointments:

• Up to 48 hours before: you can reschedule or cancel online.
• Within 30 days of the appointment: each change costs US$70 plus taxes. The 30 days do not include the exam day.
• Within 48 hours: no changes. If you do not show up, you forfeit the entire exam fee.

Here is how that plays out for an appointment on Friday, June 18, 2027 at 9:00 a.m.

PMI does not accept emails as a way to reschedule or cancel. Use your PMI.org account, or call Pearson VUE directly if the website fails. Do not call the test center.

Emergencies are handled under PMI's extenuating circumstances policy, which covers events such as a medical emergency, military deployment, or a death or illness in the immediate family, but not work-related reasons. Inside the 30-day window you still reschedule online and pay the fee, then ask PMI for a refund with supporting documents. If you miss the exam, contact PMI within 72 hours. Fee amounts and refund rules are collected in the PMP exam cost guide.

Fitting your PMP attempts into the one-year window

Your eligibility period lasts one year from the date PMI approves your application. If you were audited, it starts on the day PMI tells you that you passed the audit. Within that year you can take the exam up to three times, with a re-examination fee for the second and third attempts.

Two rules make early booking sensible:

• An unused year is lost. If the year ends before you schedule, PMI does not refund the fee, and you must reapply to try again.
• A failed attempt needs room. If you sit your first attempt late in the year, there may be no time left to study and retake before the window closes.

A first attempt in the first half of the eligibility year leaves space for a retake or two with real study time between them. After three unsuccessful attempts, PMI requires a one-year wait from the last exam before you reapply. If your year simply runs out, you can reapply without waiting. The PMP retake guide lays out both paths, and the PMP exam day guide covers what happens once your date arrives.

To pick the date itself, work backward from your study plan. The free PMP study plan takes your exam date and daily study time, and if you are weighing paid prep, you can match the planned PMP access periods to your booking date.