Prepare for Project+ PK0-005 by reviewing project concepts, life-cycle activities, tools and documentation, and IT governance. Use the full objectives to find gaps and practice explaining decisions from the stated facts. This guide includes the format, a critical-path exercise, and a preparation checklist.
Which Project+ version should you study?
The current exam is Project+ V5, code PK0-005, launched November 8, 2022.
The scope includes coordinating small-to-medium IT projects, communication, resources and stakeholders, documentation, and supporting larger projects. The objectives cover both agile and waterfall approaches.
CompTIA describes the target knowledge as equivalent to 6–12 months of hands-on IT project experience. This is recommended preparation, not a requirement to document that experience before taking the exam. Compare your own work with the objectives to identify what still needs study.
Sources used: Project+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — Exam details and CertMaster product sections; CompTIA Project+ PK0-005 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives, Version 6.0 (PDF) — About the Exam, Test Details, and Objectives 1.1–4.5
What to expect on the exam
The exam lasts 90 minutes, mixes multiple-choice and performance-based questions, and uses a scaled passing score of 710 on a 100–900 scale, in English, Japanese, or Thai.
The passing score is scaled, so it cannot be converted into a raw percentage or a known number of mistakes you can afford.
CompTIA's current Project+ page lists a maximum of 90 questions, while its PK0-005 objectives document 6.0 lists a maximum of 95. These sources disagree. Both describe a maximum, not a guaranteed count. Confirm the current limit with CompTIA before testing; the sources agree on the 90-minute duration.
Check current prices, voucher terms, and appointment instructions with CompTIA before booking.
Sources used: Project+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — Exam details and CertMaster product sections; CompTIA Project+ PK0-005 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives, Version 6.0 (PDF) — About the Exam, Test Details, and Objectives 1.1–4.5
What to study in each domain
Use all four domains to check coverage, combining their weights with your own knowledge gaps.
The weights describe domain emphasis, not guaranteed question counts or a required allocation of study hours. The full objectives contain detailed tasks and examples; their example lists are not exhaustive.
The activities below are study suggestions. When choosing an answer, use the specific project context, requirements, and authority described in the scenario.
| Domain | Weight | Topics and suggested practice |
|---|---|---|
| Project Management Concepts | 33% | Methodology selection, change control, risks and issues, schedules, quality, communication, teams, and procurement. Compare proposed decisions with a project's stated constraints. |
| Project Life Cycle Phases | 30% | Discovery, initiation, planning, execution, and closing. Identify the purpose of a sample business case, charter, plan, or closure record. |
| Tools and Documentation | 19% | Tracking charts, logs, registers, dashboards, and quality or performance charts. Choose a document for a stated information need and explain why it fits. |
| Basics of IT and Governance | 18% | ESG, security, compliance, privacy, IT concepts, and IT change control. Review a fictional change request and list its governance and coordination questions. |
How to compare project approaches
Start with the selection criteria named in objective 1.2, including requirement stability, tolerance for change, budget, schedule, team size, and environment.
As a study activity, compare two fictional projects with different constraints. List what is known about delivery needs and requirements, then explain what information would help you assess an agile or waterfall approach.
Avoid treating one clue as a complete methodology decision. A firm date alone does not establish every planning, delivery, or change-control practice. Use the details in the question and the process it specifies.
Practice with change requests and project records
For a proposed change, identify the applicable process, impact information, decision authority, and records that need updating.
The objectives cover requests and logs, impact assessment, approval status, communication, and updates to the project plan. For a fictional request to add work, write down the schedule, cost, resource, and dependency questions you would investigate.
Then state who decides under the supplied project process and what must be communicated. Do not assume that every project uses an identical board or that a familiar phrase determines an answer without its context.
For closing, review the listed activities such as deliverable validation, contract closure, access removal, budget reconciliation, resource release, archiving, feedback, and sign-off. Practice explaining each activity's purpose; a list of topics does not by itself establish one mandatory order for every project.
Practice: trace the critical path
The exam expects you to sequence activities, identify dependencies, and reason about the critical path, so practice on networks small enough to trace by hand.
Objective 1.6 includes sequencing, dependencies, critical-path analysis, and schedule maintenance. This original example supplies all durations and excludes resource and calendar complications.
Draw the dependencies before reading the answer. Treat the two duration changes as separate variations on the original schedule.
Practice exercise
A fictional migration has four tasks. A takes 2 working days. After A finishes, B (3 days) and C (5 days) can start together. D takes 1 day and starts only after both B and C finish. All dependencies are finish-to-start with zero lag. Time is measured in continuous working days, resources are sufficient, tasks start as soon as dependencies allow, and no other constraints apply. What is the earliest finish and controlling path? Separately, what changes if only B takes 4 days, or only C takes 6 days?
Show answer
The earliest finish is 8 working days, controlled by the path A-C-D. If B lengthens to 4 days, the finish stays 8 days. If C lengthens to 6 days, the finish becomes 9 days.
A finishes at day 2. In the original schedule, B finishes at day 5 and C at day 7, so D runs from day 7 to day 8. Equivalently, 2 + max(3, 5) + 1 = 8. The controlling path is A–C–D. Adding all four durations incorrectly treats parallel work as sequential. With B alone changed to 4 days, it finishes at day 6 and the project still ends at day 8. With C alone changed to 6 days, it finishes at day 8 and D ends at day 9. These results apply only to the supplied dependencies and constraints.
How do simulation PBQs work?
Project+ includes simulation-style performance-based questions, which you can skip and revisit, with your work saved as you go.
CompTIA lists Project+ among certifications with simulation performance-based questions. They approximate a tool or workspace and may restrict functionality.
You can skip a simulation and return later, with work saved between questions. Reset clears that question only.
Multiple valid solution paths may be recognized, and partial credit may be available. CompTIA does not disclose a fixed PBQ count or points formula for individual items. Try its sample PBQs to learn the interface; they illustrate the format and are not actual exam questions.
Sources used: Performance-Based Questions Overview | CompTIA IT Certifications — Simulation and virtual PBQ descriptions; tips for completing PBQs; Performance-Based Questions FAQs | CompTIA Blog — FAQ on reset, navigation, multiple paths, and partial credit
Your preparation checklist
Use the objectives and your practice errors to decide what to review next.
- Match material to PK0-005 and map older lessons to the current objectives.
- Identify topics you can explain, project tasks you have practiced, and remaining gaps.
- Trace the schedule above and calculate each variation independently.
- Practice identifying the purpose of logs, registers, plans, and closure records.
- For each scenario, list the stated constraints and avoid inventing missing facts.
- Try official sample PBQs and timed practice, then review the reasoning behind mistakes.
- Confirm the current question limit and appointment details with CompTIA.
Sources used: Project+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA — Exam details and CertMaster product sections; Performance-Based Questions Overview | CompTIA IT Certifications — Simulation and virtual PBQ descriptions; tips for completing PBQs; CompTIA Project+ PK0-005 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives, Version 6.0 (PDF) — About the Exam, Test Details, and Objectives 1.1–4.5
What happens if you need a retake?
After a first failure there is no required wait before a second attempt. Before a third or later attempt, wait at least 14 calendar days after the most recent attempt.
Each attempt normally requires payment. The standard policy does not promise free retests; any retake-assurance bundle has its own terms. After earning a certification, retaking the same exam code requires prior CompTIA consent.
Sources used: CompTIA Certification Retake Policy | CompTIA IT Certifications — Waiting periods and payment per attempt; CompTIA Project+ PK0-005 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives, Version 6.0 (PDF) — About the Exam, Test Details, and Objectives 1.1–4.5
Sources used
Fact-checked against CompTIA's official pages and the PK0-005 objectives document: