A practical PMI-CP™ study plan: 30-day intensive, 60-day balanced, and 90-day part-time schedules with weekly focus by domain and tips for using the Mastery Cloud app.
This page answers the question most candidates actually have: “How do I structure my PMI-CP™ prep?”
Pick a timeline, then follow the loop: Syllabus → drills → review misses → mixed sets.
Choose a plan based on hours per week:
| Time you can commit | Recommended plan | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 10–14 hrs/week | 30‑day intensive | fast coverage + heavy practice |
| 6–9 hrs/week | 60‑day balanced | steady progress + room for review |
| 3–5 hrs/week | 90‑day part‑time | slower pace + repetition |
If you want one rule: start with ~55% learning + 45% practice, then flip to ~30% learning + 70% practice in the final 2 weeks.
PMI-CP domain weights (PMI-CP Examination Content Outline — February 2024):
| Domain | Weight | What to be good at |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts Management | 50% | risk tools, contract lifecycle, claims/disputes, interface management |
| Stakeholder Engagement | 30% | communication tooling, buy‑in, mitigation of comms issues, stakeholder management |
| Strategy and Scope Management | 15% | scope maturity, change orders, value engineering, cost‑benefit thinking |
| Project Governance | 5% | governance models, scope governance, decision rights and thresholds |
Use the weights as your default time split, then adjust based on weak areas discovered in practice sets.
Target pace: ~10–14 hours/week.
Goal: cover the syllabus quickly, then harden “commercial + governance” instincts through drills and mixed sets.
| Week | Focus | What to do | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contracts foundations | Contract lifecycle, delivery methods, key clauses, documentation discipline. Drill daily; keep a miss log. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 2 | Risk + claims + interfaces | Risk tools (register → probabilistic), claims prevention/resolution, interface management. Drill after each task set. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet |
| 3 | Stakeholders + comms | PMIS, central platforms, Obeya/Big Room patterns, stakeholder buy-in and mitigation plans. Add mixed sets every other day. | Practice • Cheatsheet |
| 4 | Scope/change + governance | Change orders, scope maturity, value engineering + cost-benefit reasoning, governance thresholds; mixed sets + miss-log cleanup. | Practice • FAQ |
Target pace: ~6–9 hours/week.
Goal: cover each domain with reinforcement and spaced repetition.
| Weeks | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Contracts lifecycle | Delivery methods, clauses, documentation, incentives and risk allocation. |
| 3–4 | Risk + claims + interfaces | IPRA/risk tools, claim prevention/resolution, interface planning and governance. |
| 5–6 | Stakeholder engagement | Communication strategy and tools, buy-in, resistance, culture, mitigation plans. |
| 7 | Strategy and scope | Scope maturity, change orders, value engineering, cost-benefit thinking. |
| 8 | Governance + mixed review | Governance models, scope governance, decision thresholds; mixed sets + miss-log cleanup. |
Target pace: ~3–5 hours/week.
Goal: slow-and-solid coverage with repetition and steady practice.
| Month | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contracts + stakeholders | Contract fundamentals plus stakeholder/comms foundations; light drills 3×/week. |
| 2 | Risk/claims/interfaces + scope/change | Risk tools, claims, interfaces, change order process; drill after each task set. |
| 3 | Governance + mixed sets | Governance and scope governance; mixed sets and miss-log cleanup. |