CPMAI vs Cognilytica’s Original CPMAI: What Changed

CPMAI vs Cognilytica’s Original CPMAI: What Changed

On September 30, 2020, PMI introduced a new module for CPMAI, PMI-CPMAI. Changes were made to the length of the exam, training hours, and area of exam administration. Changes included reducing the number of training hours from 30 to 21, a change to a 120-question exam, and a shift to the administration of the exam on PMI’s servers. While the structure of the methodology was the same, the resources and tools that practitioners will analyze and evaluate in the context of the CPMAI framework are now provided under the PMI credential built on Cognilytica, as opposed to being a Cognilytica product that was sold independent of PMI — one of several ways CPMAI compares to other AI and PM certifications.

Before PMI’s Involvement, What Was Cognilytica’s CPMAI?

CPMAI was a training and certification program that was sold independently by Cognilytica and was centered around the methodology of the founders, Ron Schmelzer, and Kathleen Walch, and was based on the CRISP-DM standard of data science — see the full History of CPMAI: From Cognilytica to PMI for the complete timeline. Before PMI, Cognilytica was the only company that managed the testing facility of CPMAI, and Cognilytica was the only company that directly targeted Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and NGOs as an independent AI project management credential.

What Happened when PMI Acquired CPMAI?

After the acquisition by PMI, the CPMAI methodology consisting of 6 phases (Business Understanding, Data Understanding, Data Preparation, Model Development, Model Evaluation, Model Operationalization) was the same. PMI acquired Cognilytica to encompass a methodology into PMI’s offerings that was developed outside of PMI, and thus does not involve reinvention of designing a methodology for AI project management. As a result, what practitioners are studying is the same as what Cognilytica taught prior to the acquisition.

How Did the Exam Change?

PMI-CPMAI Version 1 required 100 total questions (90 scored, 10 unscored pretest questions). In the September 2025 Examination Content Outline, PMI required 120 total questions (100 scored, 20 unscored pretest questions) with the reorganization of the domains, but not the numbering. In 2025, with the help of The Ohio State University, PMI conducted the Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) job-task analysis with eight AI project and product management subject matter experts. Based on job tasks, the experts built the exam content outline using Cognilytica’s outline.

What about the exam?

How Did the Required Training Hours Change?

A significant reduction in training hours (approximately 30 hours to 21 hours) occurred for PMI’s present Exam Prep Course, which represents a significant reduction in training hours, but not training content. During the transition, PMI focused on its training content based on its own design standards and did not retain the original Cognilytica course.

What do the recent changes mean for those issuing or administering certificates?

Prior to the acquisition, PMI administered exams and issued certificates through Pearson VUE and issued credentials under the name of the PMI-CPMAI. Prior to the acquisition, Cognilytica issued certificates and administered exams through its own platform. Following the acquisition, PMI issues certificates under PMI-CPMAI and administers through Pearson VUE. The CPMAI exam was removed from the Cognilytica platform approximately in August 2025. Thus, the transition took place in stages rather than as a single event occurring overnight as the full transition was planned for September 30, 2025. .

What happened to CPMAI v7 certificate holders?

PMI offered the opportunity for a CPMAI v7 certificate conversion to PMI-CPMAI certificate to all holders prior to closing the CPMAI v7 certificate option on September 30, 2025. This was offered as an upgrade option to avoid a retest. People checking old CPMAI-related resumes, LinkedIn profiles, etc. should be aware of this as a CPMAI v7 certificate earned before the change is a legitimate earlier version of PMI-CPMAI and does not relate to other certificates or be considered an invalid certificate.

Why did PMI make these changes?

PMI made new exam content outline for themselves through a formal job-task analysis rather than adopting the outline as Cognilytica made it. For this reason, PMI has now aligned CPMAI with the same standards-based process as PMP, CAPM, and PMI-ACP. This is appreciated by users, and indicates that PMI considers CPMAI to be a valuable certification worthy of a standards-based redevelopment.

Does the Original Cognilytica CPMAI still exist?

No. Based on Cognilytica’s site, as of September 30, 2025, the original version 7 (v7) of its CPMAI will be retired. The current CPMAI certification process will not be found on Cognilytica’s website or in Cognilytica’s testing facilities. Many free Cognilytica resources, such as a “Patterns of AI” roadmap report and an AI glossary, have not been transferred to PMI’s site, according to user posts on PMI’s community forum. Thus, resources that have training materials or posts that refer to “Cognilytica’s CPMAI” should be considered out of date.

Where Are The Latest PMI-CPMAI Training Opportunities?

PMTI offers training for the PMI-CPMAI certification using PMI’s current Examination Content Outline in virtual classrooms as opposed to the retired CPMAI version 7.

CPMAI and Cognilytica’s Original FAQs on CPMAI

Are my CPMAI v7 credentials valid?

PMI provided v7 owners an opportunity to obtain the PMI-CPMAI certification at no cost, after which they retired the previous certification. You should reach out to PMI to confirm your certification if you did not take advantage of this offer.

Has the CPMAI methodology changed with the PMI acquisition?

No. It is the same. The methodology, the exam and training formats, and the administrative support changed.

Is it possible to get certified directly through Cognilytica?

No. The only route to certification is now PMI.

Is PMI-CPMAI a brand new certification or a modified version of CPMAI v7?

It is a new version. PMI conducted a job task analysis and created a new training outline, however, they kept the six phase methodology of CPMAI.

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