Shashank Shastri
I am, by inclination, a sceptic about memorisation. The current PMP exam is heavily situational and the candidates who pass with rote-learning alone are rare. But there is a category of content - the formulas, the process group/knowledge area matrix, the risk response strategies, the team development stages - where having instant recall under time pressure is genuinely useful. For that content, mnemonics work. They turn an exhausting recall task into an automatic one.
PMP Mnemonics & Memory Aids: 30 Tricks to Remember Formulas, ITTOs & Processes
I have collected 30 mnemonics and memory aids that I have personally used or have watched candidates use successfully. Some are well-known PMP community devices. Some I have built myself for specific patterns. All of them have one job: to let you, on exam day, retrieve a fact without spending mental energy on the retrieval, leaving your effort for the situational reasoning the questions actually demand.
This article is most useful in the last four to six weeks of preparation. Read it once, pick the ten or twelve aids that match your weakest areas, and rehearse them daily. By exam day you should be able to write out the high-value formulas and frameworks in under three minutes during your brain dump at the start of the exam. The combination of fast recall and clear situational thinking is what separates the candidates who finish the exam confidently from the ones who run out of time.
Why Mnemonics Work (and Their Limits)
Mnemonics work because human memory is associative, not literal. A list of ten knowledge areas is hard to memorise as a list. The same ten as a memorable sentence is easy. The mnemonic gives your brain a hook to retrieve the underlying content.
The limits matter, though. Mnemonics help with recall of structured content. They do not help with situational judgement. Memorising every formula does not tell you when to apply which formula on a question. Memorising every process does not tell you which process is the right next step in a scenario.
The best use of mnemonics is as a foundation under your situational reasoning, not as a substitute for it. Have the formulas and frameworks at instant recall so you do not have to think about them, and use the mental space for the actual question.
Memorisation buys you time. The mnemonics let you write a formula in five seconds instead of thirty, so you have the other twenty-five seconds for the situational reasoning. That is where mnemonics earn their keep.
If you find yourself spending more than 10 percent of your study time on mnemonics, you are over-investing. They are a tool, not the strategy.
The 10 Knowledge Areas
The 10 knowledge areas in PMBOK 6 (which still maps to the exam content) are: Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Risk, Procurement, Stakeholder.
The classic mnemonic is "I Saw Six Cute Quokkas Run Carrying Pink Roses Slowly" - I for Integration, S for Scope, S for Schedule, C for Cost, Q for Quality, R for Resource, C for Communications, R for Risk, P for Procurement, S for Stakeholder. The R repeats and the S repeats so be careful. Some versions use different memorable phrases. Find one that works for you and stick with it.
A simpler mnemonic I prefer: think of a project as a person.
- Integration (the brain)
- Scope (the body shape)
- Schedule (the calendar)
- Cost (the wallet)
- Quality (the standards)
- Resource (the muscles and tools)
- Communications (the mouth)
- Risk (the immune system)
- Procurement (the shopping list)
- Stakeholder (the relationships)
Visualising the project as a person with these ten attributes helps the order stick. See our knowledge areas guide for deeper detail.
The 5 Process Groups
The 5 process groups are: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Closing.
The mnemonic is simply "I Plan, Execute, Monitor, Close" - IPEMC. The sentence form: "I Plan Every Major Conference."
Visualise a project lifecycle as a journey. Initiate at the start (you decide to go). Plan the route. Execute the journey. Monitor along the way. Close when you arrive. The temporal order is intuitive once you connect it to a journey or a build.
The trap to remember: monitoring and controlling happens throughout, not just after executing. The order in the mnemonic is structural, not strictly sequential. See our process groups guide.
The 49 Processes Pattern
The 49 processes in PMBOK 6 are distributed across the 5 process groups and 10 knowledge areas. The matrix is one of the most rehearsed artefacts in PMP prep.
Rather than memorise all 49 individually, learn the pattern. Each knowledge area has a planning process (Plan X Management). Each has an executing process or several. Each has a monitoring and controlling process (Control X or Monitor X). Some have initiating processes (Identify Stakeholders, Develop Project Charter). Some have closing processes.
The distribution: most knowledge areas have one planning process. Most have one or more executing processes. Most have one monitoring/controlling process. Risk and Stakeholder have additional executing processes.
Memorise the pattern, then fill in the names. A blank 5x10 grid drawn from memory is the brain dump version of this. Many candidates write the grid in the first three minutes of the exam.
ITTO Memory Palace Technique
ITTO stands for Inputs, Tools and Techniques, Outputs - the four-column structure that each PMBOK 6 process uses. The exam tests ITTO recall less heavily than older versions did, but some questions still depend on knowing which input feeds which process.
The memory palace technique: pick a familiar location (your house, your office). Assign each room or wall to a process or process group. Mentally place the inputs in one corner, the tools and techniques in another, the outputs in a third. When you need to recall the ITTOs, walk through the room in your mind.
This technique works because spatial memory is robust. You will not forget the layout of your kitchen, and the items you have placed there are retrievable through the spatial walk.
For PMP, build memory palaces for the highest-value processes: Develop Project Charter, Define Scope, Develop Schedule, Estimate Costs, Identify Risks, Plan Stakeholder Engagement. Knowing the ITTOs for these well covers most exam questions about ITTOs.
Earned Value Formulas
EVM is the highest-leverage formula territory on the exam. Get these to automatic recall.
| Formula | Mnemonic |
|---|---|
| EV = % complete × BAC | EV is the value of work done. |
| CV = EV − AC | "We Earned, then We Paid – the difference is our Variance." |
| SV = EV − PV | "We Earned, then We Planned – the difference is our Variance." |
| CPI = EV ÷ AC | "Earned per Actual – efficiency of money." |
| SPI = EV ÷ PV | "Earned per Planned – efficiency of time." |
| EAC = BAC ÷ CPI | "Budget adjusted for cost performance." |
| ETC = EAC − AC | "What's left to complete." |
| VAC = BAC − EAC | "Variance at completion – what we planned minus what we expect." |
A general mnemonic for variances: variance is EV minus the other thing. Positive variance is good. Greater than 1 on an index is good.
A general mnemonic for indices: index is EV divided by the other thing. Greater than 1 means under budget (CPI) or ahead of schedule (SPI). Less than 1 means over budget or behind schedule.
Drill these to instant recall. Worked examples in our earned value guide help cement the application.
Variance Formulas (CV, SV)
A specific mnemonic for variances that helps avoid sign errors:
CV = EV - AC. Cost Variance = Earned minus Actual. Memory aid: "I earned a fiver, I spent a fiver - my variance is zero." If you earned more than you spent, your variance is positive (good). If you spent more than you earned, variance is negative (bad).
SV = EV - PV. Schedule Variance = Earned minus Planned. Memory aid: "I planned to earn a tenner by now, I earned a tenner - I am on schedule." If you earned less than planned, you are behind (negative). If you earned more than planned, you are ahead (positive).
The key trick: always remember EV comes first in the variance formula. EV minus the other. EV first, every time.
Performance Index Formulas (CPI, SPI)
Indices use the same trick but with division instead of subtraction.
CPI = EV / AC. Cost Performance Index. "Earned per dollar spent." If I earned $1.10 of value per $1 spent, CPI = 1.10. Above 1 is good.
SPI = EV / PV. Schedule Performance Index. "Earned per dollar planned." If I earned $0.90 of value for every $1 of work that should have been done by now, SPI = 0.90. Below 1 is bad.
Mnemonic: "Indices are EV-on-top." Always.
Estimate at Completion Formulas
EAC has multiple formulas depending on assumptions. The four common forms:
- EAC = BAC / CPI (assumes current cost performance continues)
- EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) (assumes future work at planned rate)
- EAC = AC + bottom-up new estimate (re-estimate)
- EAC = AC + ((BAC - EV) / (CPI x SPI)) (cost and schedule both affect future)
Mnemonic: "BAC by CPI is the default" for the first form. Use it unless the question specifies otherwise.
The trap: a question might describe a situation where the cost performance was bad but is now expected to recover. The right EAC formula then is the re-estimate or the second form, not the BAC/CPI form. Read for whether the question implies past performance continues or future performance differs.
Negative Risk Response Strategies
The five negative risk response strategies are: Avoid, Transfer, Mitigate, Escalate, Accept.
Mnemonic: TEAR-A or A-TEAM - "Avoid, Transfer, Escalate, Accept, Mitigate."
A more memorable version: TEAM for the active ones - Transfer, Escalate, Avoid, Mitigate - and Accept for the passive one.
A vivid mnemonic some candidates use: imagine someone crying (TEAR) over a project disaster - the responses that prevent or reduce the disaster start with the same letters in some orderings.
Define them clearly:
- Avoid: eliminate the risk (change scope or plan)
- Transfer: shift the risk to a third party (insurance, contract)
- Mitigate: reduce probability or impact
- Escalate: push outside the project's authority (programme level)
- Accept: acknowledge and either monitor (passive) or set aside reserve (active)
Drill these with risk management questions.
Positive Risk Response Strategies
he five positive risk response strategies are: Exploit, Share, Enhance, Escalate, Accept.
Mnemonic: EASE-E - "Escalate, Accept, Share, Enhance, Exploit."
A memorable framing: positive risks are opportunities. The responses parallel the negative ones with positive intent.
- Exploit: make sure the opportunity is realised (parallel to Avoid)
- Share: partner with another party to capture the opportunity (parallel to Transfer)
- Enhance: increase probability or impact (parallel to Mitigate)
- Escalate: push outside the project's authority (same as negative)
- Accept: acknowledge without active pursuit (same as negative)
The parallel pairs help: Avoid/Exploit, Transfer/Share, Mitigate/Enhance, Escalate/Escalate, Accept/Accept.
Team Development Stages
Tuckman's stages of team development are: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.
Mnemonic: FSNPA does not rhyme well. Try "Five Stages, Need Patience Always" - the first letters echo F-S-N-P-A.
A more memorable mnemonic: imagine the team's emotional arc. Forming (polite). Storming (arguing). Norming (agreeing). Performing (delivering). Adjourning (parting). The sequence is a small story.
For the exam, the trap is identifying which stage a team is in from a scenario description. A team that disagrees about approach is Storming. A team that has settled into routines is Norming. A team that is shipping reliably is Performing.
Conflict Resolution Modes
The five conflict resolution modes (Thomas-Kilmann):
- Withdraw / Avoid (lose-lose)
- Smooth / Accommodate (lose-win)
- Compromise / Reconcile (partial win-win)
- Force / Direct (win-lose)
- Collaborate / Problem-solve (win-win)
Mnemonic: WSCFC - "Withdraw, Smooth, Compromise, Force, Collaborate." Or the sentence "Wise Sailors Calmly Find Cures."
The exam's preferred mode in most situations is Collaborate (problem-solve), because it produces the win-win outcome and reflects the PMI mindset. Smooth and Withdraw are usually wrong answers. Force is wrong except in emergencies. Compromise is sometimes right when collaboration is not feasible.
Order them by preference: Collaborate > Compromise > Smooth = Withdraw > Force.
Communication Channels Formula
The formula: N(N-1)/2 where N is the number of stakeholders.
Mnemonic: "Multiply N by the number just below it, then halve."
Or remember by example: 10 stakeholders = 10 x 9 / 2 = 45 channels.
The exam variations:
- Calculate the increase when stakeholders are added
- Calculate the decrease when stakeholders are removed
- Include or exclude the project manager
When the question says "the team," include only team members. When it says "the team and the project manager," include the PM. When it says "stakeholders," count all named parties.
The main contract types:
- Fixed price (FFP, FPIF, FP-EPA)
- Cost reimbursable (CPFF, CPIF, CPAF)
- Time and materials (T&M)
Mnemonic for the cost-plus variants: F-I-A - Fixed fee, Incentive fee, Award fee.
For matching contract to situation:
- Well-defined scope, buyer wants budget certainty: Fixed price
- Uncertain scope: Cost-plus
- Short duration, defined rates: T&M
The trap is picking the wrong cost-plus variant. CPFF is a fixed fee on top of costs. CPIF gives the seller an incentive based on cost performance. CPAF gives an award based on subjective criteria. See our procurement guide.
Quality Management Tools
The seven basic quality tools (sometimes called the seven QC tools):
- Cause-and-effect diagram (Ishikawa)
- Check sheets
- Control charts
- Histograms
- Pareto charts
- Scatter diagrams
- Flowcharts
Mnemonic: C-C-C-H-P-S-F - "Coffee Cups Cool, Hot Pots Stay Full."
For matching tool to use:
- Find root causes: Ishikawa or Five Whys
- Find the few causes of most problems: Pareto (80/20)
- Identify trends over time: Control chart
- Find correlations: Scatter diagram
- See distributions: Histogram
See our quality management guide for application examples.
Stakeholder Analysis Categories
The classic four-quadrant power-interest grid:
- High power, high interest: Manage closely
- High power, low interest: Keep satisfied
- Low power, high interest: Keep informed
- Low power, low interest: Monitor
Mnemonic: "MCSI from top-right counterclockwise" - Manage closely, Keep Satisfied, Monitor, Keep Informed.
A visualisation: a 2x2 grid in your head. Power on the vertical axis. Interest on the horizontal axis. Quadrants labelled accordingly.
The exam tests whether you place stakeholders correctly. A senior executive who cares deeply about the project: high power, high interest, manage closely. A junior team member: low power, high interest, keep informed.
Change Control Steps
The change control process:
- Submit change request
- Log change request
- Assess impact (cost, schedule, scope, quality, risk)
- Submit to change control board
- CCB decides (approve, reject, defer)
- Communicate decision
- Update plans and baselines if approved
- Implement change
Mnemonic: SLAS-CC-UI - "Submit, Log, Assess, Submit, CCB, Communicate, Update, Implement."
A simpler heuristic: the change control process always starts with a formal request and ends with updated documentation. Skipping either end is a wrong answer.
Closing Process Checklist
The closing activities:
- Transfer deliverables
- Obtain final acceptance
- Close contracts
- Release resources
- Document lessons learned
- Archive project documents
- Celebrate and recognise
Mnemonic: TOCRD-AC - "The Old Cat Reads Documents And Celebrates."
The exam often tests whether you have completed the closing properly. Releasing resources without final acceptance is wrong. Archiving without lessons learned is wrong. Closing the project before closing the contracts is wrong.
The PMI Code of Ethics
The PMI Code of Ethics has four values: Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Honesty.
Mnemonic: R-R-F-H or "Real Respectful Fair Humans."
For ethics questions on the exam, the right answer always aligns with one of these values. Reporting a safety hazard is responsibility. Treating a difficult stakeholder politely is respect. Awarding a contract on merit is fairness. Reporting accurate status is honesty.
The PMI Code is not subtle on the exam. Ethics questions usually have one clearly right answer that maps to a Code value, and three wrong answers that compromise it.
Cost Estimation Techniques
Five main estimation techniques:
- Analogous (based on similar past projects, top-down)
- Parametric (based on statistical relationships, e.g., cost per square metre)
- Bottom-up (based on detailed work breakdown estimates)
- Three-point (best, most likely, worst)
- Reserve analysis (contingency and management reserves)
Mnemonic: A-P-B-T-R - "Apples, Pears, Bananas, Tomatoes, Raisins."
For matching technique to situation:
- Early stage, little detail: Analogous
- Have historical data and parameters: Parametric
- Have detailed WBS: Bottom-up
- High uncertainty: Three-point
- Adding buffer: Reserve analysis
Network Diagram Terms
The key network diagram terms:
- Early Start (ES), Early Finish (EF)
- Late Start (LS), Late Finish (LF)
- Total Float (TF) = LS - ES or LF - EF
- Free Float (FF) = ES of next activity - EF of current
- Critical Path = longest path through the network
Mnemonic: ESEF-LSLF-TF-FF-CP - "Every Senior Engineer Forgets Late Start Late Finish, Then Falls For Critical Path."
The trap: critical path is the longest path, not the shortest. Activities on the critical path have zero float. Total float and free float are different.
Schedule Compression Techniques
Two techniques:
- Crashing: add resources to critical path activities
- Fast-tracking: parallelise activities that were planned to be sequential
Mnemonic: "Crash costs money. Fast-track adds risk."
For matching to situation:
- Budget available, time critical: Crash
- Budget tight, willing to add risk: Fast-track
- Both: combination
Power-Interest Grid Quadrants
Already covered in section 17, but a visualisation worth repeating. Think of the grid as four rooms in a building. Top floor (high power) has the executives. Bottom floor (low power) has the operators. Right side (high interest) has the engaged. Left side (low interest) has the indifferent.
Stakeholder placement is dynamic. A stakeholder can move between quadrants as the project progresses. Update your stakeholder register accordingly.
Risk Probability/Impact Matrix
A 5x5 grid scoring risks by probability (low to high) and impact (low to high). The product is the risk score.
Mnemonic: "PIM" - Probability, Impact, Matrix.
Risks in the top-right corner (high P, high I) demand active response. Risks in the bottom-left (low P, low I) can be accepted or monitored. The diagonal is a judgement call.
The trap: probability and impact are not independent. A risk that becomes more probable as time passes also often becomes more impactful (delays compound).
Project Selection Methods
The two broad categories:
- Benefit measurement (NPV, IRR, payback period, BCR)
- Mathematical models (linear programming, decision trees)
Mnemonic: NPV-IRR-PP-BCR - "Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Payback Period, Benefit-Cost Ratio."
For selection on the exam:
- Highest NPV: select
- Highest IRR: select
- Shortest payback period: select (within reason)
- BCR > 1: select (the higher the better)
NPV is the most common selection criterion on the exam. Remember: future cash flows discounted to present value.
Decision Making Tools
Common decision tools:
- Decision tree (for sequential decisions under uncertainty)
- Multi-criteria decision analysis
- Voting (majority, unanimous, plurality)
- Autocratic (one person decides)
- Delphi technique (expert consensus)
For the exam, voting and Delphi are often correct in stakeholder contexts. Autocratic is rarely correct except in emergencies. Decision trees are correct when probabilities and outcomes are quantifiable.
Three-Point Estimating (PERT)
Two formulas for three-point estimating:
- Triangular: (O + M + P) / 3
- Beta (PERT): (O + 4M + P) / 6
Where O = optimistic, M = most likely, P = pessimistic.
Mnemonic: "Triangular is just the average. PERT weights the middle four times."
Standard deviation in PERT: (P - O) / 6.
Variance: ((P - O) / 6)^2.
The exam tests whether you can apply the formula and interpret the result. Knowing whether to use triangular or PERT depends on the question wording. PERT is more common.
Critical Path Calculations
The critical path is the longest path through the network and has zero total float. To find it:
- Calculate ES and EF forward through the network
- Calculate LS and LF backward through the network
- Compute float (LS - ES or LF - EF) for each activity
- Activities with zero float are on the critical path
- The critical path is the path connecting those activities
Mnemonic: "Forward for Early, Backward for Late, Zero for Critical."
The trap: a network can have multiple critical paths. If two paths have the same length, both are critical.
The Brain Dump Order
The order in which you write your brain dump at the start of the exam matters. Write in this order to maximise speed:
- EVM formulas (CV, SV, CPI, SPI, EAC) - quick to write, high-value
- Risk response strategies (negative and positive) - quick, frequently tested
- Conflict resolution modes - quick, frequently tested
- Tuckman's stages - quick, occasionally tested
- Process group / knowledge area grid (if you have time) - longer but useful
- Communication channels formula - one line, useful
Aim to finish the brain dump in three minutes. You have 230 minutes total and the brain dump pays back many times over the time invested.
See our brain dump sheet for a complete template.
Shashank Shastri is a PMP trainer with over 14 years of experience and co-founder of Oven Story. He is an inspiring product leader who is a master in product strategies and digital innovation. Shashank has guided many aspirants preparing for the PMP examination thereby assisting them to achieve their PMP certification. For leisure, he writes short stories and is currently working on a feature-film script, Migraine.
Questions people ask
Published