Best PMP Courses 2026: Exam Prep for the New July 2026 PMP Exam

Last updated: 7 October 2026. Course ratings, update dates and prices read on each provider’s own page that day; exam rules from PMI. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

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The PMP exam changed in July 2026, and PMI’s training rules change again on 1 December 2026. Both matter when you pick a prep course: a course that has not been updated for the new exam outline is teaching you to an old blueprint, and a live bootcamp from the wrong provider may soon stop counting toward the 35 training hours you need to apply. This guide ranks the PMP courses that clear both bars, with the price, update date and trade-off for each.

QUICK VERDICT

See Ramdayal’s PMP Course → See KnowledgeHut Live Classes →

What changed in the PMP exam in July 2026

PMI updated the PMP exam in July 2026. The format is the same, 180 questions in 240 minutes with two 10-minute breaks, but the weighting moved a long way:

Business Environment more than tripled, and PMI added questions on AI, sustainability and stakeholder engagement inside project scenarios, with more weight on outcomes and business value. In practice that means a course recorded for the 2021 outline under-prepares you for roughly a quarter of the exam. PMI’s own advice to people part-way through older material is to keep going, because the core principles are unchanged, then practice with questions written for the new outline.

The same update widened eligibility. Apprenticeships and training can now count, and PMI looks at experience from the last 10 years. The current requirements are: a high school diploma plus five years of experience, an associate’s degree plus four, a bachelor’s degree or higher plus three, or a degree from a PMI-accredited (GAC) program plus two. On top of the experience you need 35 hours of project management training, or an active CAPM. Our CAPM vs PMP comparison covers the no-experience route.

The best PMP courses at a glance

Udemy prices move almost daily, which is why the table gives a range rather than a list price. The PMI and PrepCast figures are list prices read on 7 October 2026.

1. Best overall: Andrew Ramdayal’s PMP Exam Prep Course (Udemy)

PMP Exam Prep Course 35 PDUs/Hours Updated for the 2026 Exam by Andrew Ramdayal and TIA Training is the most-reviewed PMP course we could find: 4.8 stars from 205,112 ratings and more than 660,000 students. It runs 35 hours across 273 lectures and gives you the certificate of completion you need for the training requirement. The last update is dated October 2026, after the new exam launched.

Ramdayal’s approach is built around the PMP “mindset”: how PMI expects a project manager to act, which is what most situational questions are really testing. That is also why his name comes up so often when recent passers on the r/pmp forum describe what worked: the course, then a lot of timed practice.

• Best for: working project managers who want the 35 hours and a clear exam method at the lowest cost
• Includes: 35 hours of video, 1 practice test, assignments, 26 downloadable resources, lifetime access
• Trade-off: one practice test is not enough on its own; budget for a full mock-exam bank (pick 2)

See the Course on Udemy →

2. Best practice exams: TIA PMP mock exams (Udemy)

PMP Certification Exam Prep Exam 720 Questions 2026 PMP Exam is the companion set from the same TIA team: four full-length mock exams with 732 questions (one of 192 questions and three of 180), last updated in September 2026. It is rated 4.3 from 3,648 ratings.

Full-length mocks do two jobs a video course cannot. They build the stamina to stay sharp for four hours, and they show you which domain is dragging your score down. PMI reports your result by domain in four bands (Above Target, Target, Below Target and Needs Improvement), so a weak Business Environment score is worth fixing now that the domain carries 26% of the exam.

• Best for: the last three to four weeks before your exam date
• Trade-off: practice only, so it does not count toward the 35 training hours

See the Mock Exams →

3. A second voice: Joseph Phillips’ PMP Exam Prep Seminar (Udemy)

PMP Exam Prep Seminar – Complete Exam Coverage with 35 PDUs by Joseph Phillips is the other long-standing Udemy favorite: 4.6 stars from 119,390 ratings and over 400,000 students. It has 29.5 hours of video, two practice tests and a 35-PDU completion record. Phillips teaches in a lecture style that suits people who want each concept explained properly before they drill questions.

One caution: the course page shows a last update of February 2026, before PMI’s July 2026 exam change. That does not make it wrong, since PMI says the core principles are the same, but it does mean you should add 2026-specific practice questions, especially for the Business Environment domain. Phillips also sells PMP Exam Cram Session, a 9.5-hour final review rated 4.8 from 8,270 ratings (last updated October 2025), which many candidates use in the final week.

• Best for: learners who prefer a teacher-led lecture format, or who want a second explanation of hard topics
• Trade-off: check for updates after July 2026 before you rely on it alone

See the Phillips Seminar →

4. Best for scenario practice: Umer Waqar’s PMP Certification Exam Prep (Udemy)

PMP Certification Exam Prep 35 PDU Project Management Course by Umer Waqar, PMP, runs 30 hours with two practice tests and ten role plays that act out project situations, which is a useful way to practice the judgment questions. It is rated 4.5 from 19,706 ratings and was last updated in August 2026, after the new exam launched.

• Best for: people who learn better from worked situations than from slides
• Trade-off: a smaller following than Ramdayal or Phillips, so fewer forum threads to learn from

See Waqar’s Course →

5. Best official option: PMI’s PMP Exam Prep Course

PMI’s own PMP Exam Prep Course is the on-demand course from the body that writes the exam. It is 35 hours, carries 35 PDUs and is aligned to the current Exam Content Outline, covering predictive, adaptive and hybrid approaches. It costs $699 for PMI members and $799 otherwise.

It is the safest choice for anyone worried about alignment, and the easiest to get reimbursed because the invoice comes from PMI. For a self-funded candidate it costs far more than the Udemy options for the same 35 hours. PMI also sells a separate PMP Practice Exam and a Study Hall subscription; we do not earn anything from PMI.

• Best for: employer-funded candidates, and anyone who wants the material straight from PMI
• Trade-off: the price, which is about 25 times a Udemy course on sale

6. Best live bootcamp: KnowledgeHut (and Simplilearn)

If you learn better with a live instructor, KnowledgeHut’s PMP Certification Training is a PMI Premier Authorized Training Partner, which matters for any class you take on or after 1 December 2026. The program gives 36 contact hours of live, instructor-led sessions, a complimentary on-demand course with 35 contact hours (taught by Carl Pritchard), a question bank of more than 2,000 questions, a mentor-led five-week study plan and help with the PMI application. KnowledgeHut advertises a 100% money-back guarantee; read its conditions before you rely on it. The price depends on the class schedule you pick.

Simplilearn is the other large ATP running live PMP classes. On 7 October 2026 its live online PMP course was $699, down 30% from $999, and it also advertises a money-back guarantee with conditions. We do not have an affiliate relationship with Simplilearn. Smaller ATPs advertise on PMI’s own site, with live online classes “as low as $898”.

• Best for: people who need fixed class times to stay on track, or whose employer prefers an ATP
• Trade-off: live bootcamps cost roughly 25 to 35 times a self-paced Udemy course

See KnowledgeHut PMP Classes →

7. Master of Project Academy

Master of Project Academy’s PMP Certification Training gives 35 contact hours and says it is mapped to the 2026 PMP exam. It offers a self-paced course and a four-day virtual class, and it bundles other PMI-related courses for people planning more than one certification. It has a 7-day money-back guarantee. Prices on its site vary by bundle and plan, so check the current offer. We cover it in more depth in our Master of Project Academy PMP review and the full Master of Project Academy review.

Check Master of Project Academy Pricing →

Also worth knowing: PM PrepCast and Brain Sensei

PM PrepCast is a long-running self-paced video course that gives a 35 Contact Hours certificate. On 7 October 2026 the Basic version was $279 and the Elite version, which adds a separate pool of 1,200 practice questions, was $349, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Its lessons are short and work well on a phone, which suits commuters.

Brain Sensei teaches through an animated story, which some people find easier to stick with than lectures. Its self-paced PMP course gives the 35 contact hours and includes its full exam simulator, which Brain Sensei says holds more than 2,200 questions rebuilt for the exam that launched on 9 July 2026. On 16 October 2026 a year of access cost $299.99 (a limited-time price; the list price is $499.99), or about $99 a month. It advertises a pass guarantee and a 30-day money-back guarantee, both under specific conditions: the refund only applies if you have started no more than one practice exam.

We earn nothing from PM PrepCast; we earn a commission if you buy Brain Sensei through our link. Both are reasonable picks; neither beats the Udemy options on price.

Not a PMP course: the Google Project Management Certificate

The Google Project Management Certificate on Coursera is a beginner program, not PMP prep. It is a good start if you do not yet have the years of experience the PMP requires, and Google says it gives you over 100 hours of project management education toward the CAPM. Read our Google Project Management Certificate review and the CAPM vs PMP guide before you choose between them.

What the PMP really costs

Training is only half the bill. The other half is PMI’s exam fee, paid after your application is accepted:

So the cheapest legitimate route is roughly $730 (a non-member exam fee plus a Udemy course and mock exams), and a fully live route can pass $1,500. PMI membership lowers the exam fee by $250; check the current membership price, because whether it pays for itself depends on what else you would use it for.

How to choose your PMP course

1. Check the update date. Anything last updated before July 2026 predates the current exam outline. That is not disqualifying, but add 2026 practice questions.
2. Confirm the 35 hours. You need a completion record that shows 35 hours of project management training. Keep it: PMI audits a share of applications.
3. Live class after 1 December 2026? Use an ATP. Self-paced courses are unaffected.
4. Budget for mock exams. Most people who pass describe several full-length timed mocks on top of the video hours.
5. Match the format to how you study. Self-paced suits people with irregular weeks; a live class suits people who need a fixed timetable to keep going.

A PMP study plan that fits around a full-time job

Most candidates with real project experience need six to ten weeks of evening and weekend study. A plan that works with any of the courses above:

1. Weeks 1 to 4: the course. Work through the 35 hours at about nine hours a week. Take notes on anything that contradicts how your own workplace runs projects: those are exactly the questions the exam uses to catch experienced managers.
2. Week 5: apply. Submit your PMI application as soon as you have the completion certificate, because review takes a few days and you may be selected for audit.
3. Weeks 5 to 8: practice questions. Do domain-by-domain question sets, then your first full-length timed mock. Read the explanation for every question you got right by luck, not just the ones you got wrong.
4. Weeks 8 to 10: full mocks and review. Sit at least two more four-hour mocks under exam conditions, then book the exam once your mock scores are consistent rather than lucky.
5. Final week: a short review course such as Phillips’ Exam Cram Session, light question sets, and rest before the exam day.

Applying to PMI: what your course has to give you

You apply on PMI’s PMP page. The application asks for two things your course does not supply, your education level and a description of the projects you led, and one thing it does: proof of 35 hours of project management training. Write project descriptions in plain terms (your role, the objective, what you did across the project’s life and the result) and keep them within the 10-year window.

Once PMI accepts the application you pay the exam fee and have a year to sit the exam, in person at a Pearson VUE center or online. PMI audits a share of applications at random. If yours is picked, you will need the course completion certificate, copies of your education records and signatures from people who can confirm your project experience, so keep all three to hand before you apply. A course that issues a clear certificate stating 35 hours (or 35 contact hours or PDUs) saves trouble here.

Is the PMP worth it?

For people already leading projects, usually yes. PMI reports a $135,000 median salary for PMP holders in the United States, and its Earning Power survey found PMP holders earned median salaries 17% higher than non-certified peers across 21 countries. Both are PMI’s own figures, and they partly reflect that PMP holders are experienced by definition, so read them as an association rather than a guaranteed raise. The credential matters most where job ads ask for it, which is common in government contracting, construction, IT services and consulting.

If you are earlier in your career, the PMP will not be open to you yet. Start with the CAPM or the Google certificate, and see our CAPM vs PMP comparison for when the switch makes sense.

How we chose

We started from the courses that dominate the search results and the r/pmp forum, then read each course’s own page on 7 October 2026 for its instructor, update date, length, practice material, rating and price. We checked PMI’s exam and training rules on PMI’s site the same day. We have not sat every course end to end, so the ranking weighs alignment with the 2026 exam, the depth of practice material, learner ratings at scale and price. Some links earn us a commission; PMI, PM PrepCast and Simplilearn do not. More on our process: how we review courses.

If you are weighing a training company not listed here, see our Invensis Learning review. For tool skills alongside the PMP, our Microsoft Project courses guide covers the scheduling software many PMs still use.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best PMP course in 2026?

For most candidates, Andrew Ramdayal’s PMP Exam Prep Course on Udemy: 35 hours of video, updated in October 2026 for the new exam, rated 4.8 from more than 205,000 reviews, and usually under $30 on sale. Pair it with a bank of full-length mock exams. If you want a live instructor, choose a PMI Authorized Training Partner such as KnowledgeHut, because from 1 December 2026 only ATP live classes count toward the 35 training hours.

Does a Udemy course count toward the 35 hours PMI requires?

Yes, if it gives you 35 hours of project management training and a completion record. PMI says the 35 hours can come from online, on-demand courses from any organization. Keep the certificate of completion in case your application is chosen for audit.

What changes on 1 December 2026?

From 1 December 2026, PMI will only count live classes (in person or online with an instructor) toward the 35 hours if they are taught by a PMI Authorized Training Partner, a China Registered Education Provider or an eligible accredited higher-education program. Self-paced, on-demand courses from any provider still count.

How much does PMP certification cost in total?

The exam is $425 for PMI members and $675 for non-members. Training adds anything from under $30 for a Udemy course on sale to $699-$799 for PMI’s own on-demand course, and roughly $700-$1,000 or more for a live ATP bootcamp. A realistic self-study budget is under $750 including the non-member exam fee.

Is my old PMP course still valid after the July 2026 exam change?

PMI’s advice is that if you are already studying older materials, you can keep going, because the core principles have not changed. The domain weights have moved, though (Business Environment rose from 8% to 26%), so add practice questions written for the 2026 exam before you sit it.

How long should I study for the PMP?

Plan on 35 hours of course time plus several weeks of practice questions. Candidates with years of project experience often finish in six to ten weeks of evening study; the practice exams, not the video hours, are what tell you when you are ready.

Which PMP course does Reddit recommend?

On the r/pmp forum, the most common pattern in recent “I passed” posts is Andrew Ramdayal’s Udemy course for the 35 hours, followed by heavy use of timed mock exams, sometimes with PMI’s Study Hall on top. Treat forum advice as a list of what worked for individuals, not a guarantee, and check that whatever you buy has been updated for the July 2026 exam.

Can I take the PMP exam online?

Yes. PMI offers the exam at Pearson VUE test centers or as an online proctored exam from home. The format is the same either way: 180 questions in 240 minutes, with two 10-minute breaks. You have a year from application approval to sit it, and up to three attempts in that year.

Is a free PMP course enough?

Not on its own. Free videos and PMI’s free introduction course can help you decide whether to pursue the PMP, but you still need 35 hours of training with a completion record to apply, and free resources rarely provide one.

Related guides

• CAPM vs PMP: which certification first?
• Google Project Management Certificate review
• Master of Project Academy PMP review
• Best project management courses
• Product manager certifications
• Coursera vs Udemy

Related: product management is a different job from project management; if you are deciding between them, see our ranking of the best product management courses.