According to the PMBOK Guide, how many project management knowledge areas are formally described, grouping related processes such as scope, time, cost, and quality management?

Introduction / Context:
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) organizes project management processes into knowledge areas and process groups. Knowledge areas group together related processes, tools, and techniques for managing specific aspects of a project, such as scope, time, or quality. A common exam style question asks how many knowledge areas are formally described in the PMBOK Guide and expects you to recall the standard list used in PMI based certifications.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The context is PMI and the PMBOK Guide framework.
• Processes are grouped into knowledge areas such as scope, time, cost, and others.
• We are asked specifically for the number of knowledge areas, not the number of processes or process groups.
• The classic PMBOK edition used for many certification questions describes nine major knowledge areas.

Concept / Approach:
In the widely used PMBOK Guide editions related to this question set, there are nine project management knowledge areas: Project Integration Management, Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Quality Management, Project Human Resource Management, Project Communications Management, Project Risk Management, and Project Procurement Management. These knowledge areas cut across the five process groups of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The number 39 usually refers to an approximate count of individual processes, not knowledge areas, and terms like core versus facilitating processes are an older categorization, not separate knowledge areas.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the list of knowledge areas commonly memorized for PMI exams. Step 2: Count them: integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement. Step 3: Confirm that this produces a total of nine distinct knowledge areas. Step 4: Compare this with the answer options and select the one that explicitly lists nine knowledge areas and examples. Step 5: Recognize that options referring to two or five knowledge areas are actually describing process group classifications rather than knowledge areas.

Verification / Alternative check:
Checking typical PMP preparation materials, you will find many tables with nine columns, each representing one knowledge area, and rows showing the processes in each process group for that knowledge area. You will also find references to around 39 or 42 total processes depending on the PMBOK edition, which can easily be confused with the number of knowledge areas. This consistent repetition in training material reinforces that nine is the correct number in this context.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A describes a high level division between core and facilitating processes but not an official count of knowledge areas. Option B lists five and confuses knowledge areas with the five process groups. Option D confuses the approximate number of processes with knowledge areas. Option E invents 10 knowledge areas tied to industries, which is not how the PMBOK Guide structures its framework. Only option C correctly states that there are nine knowledge areas and gives representative examples.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent pitfall is mixing up process groups and knowledge areas because both terms are heavily used in PMP preparation. Another common error is remembering numbers like 39 or 42 and applying them to the wrong concept, such as thinking there are 39 knowledge areas instead of 39 processes. The safest memory aid is to keep a mental list of the nine knowledge areas and remember that process groups are only five. This will help you quickly select the correct answer on exam questions like this one.

Final Answer:
According to the PMBOK Guide, there are 9 knowledge areas, such as scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, procurement, and integration.