PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROCESS

PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROCESS

The Project Management Institute, commonly called PMI, grants the Project Management

Professional certificate. PMI is also an active advocate for project management, managers, and

standardization of the field. They provide membership opportunities to help connect managers

to helpful resources. As of this writing, their web address is www.pmi.org. You should check out

the website before taking the test to decide whether to become a member. While it won’t have

any impact on your ability to become certified, there are benefits to becoming a member

before you are certified, such as a reduced fee for the test and access to test study materials

and the Project Management Book of Knowledge, or PMBOK.

The certification is recognized worldwide within many different types of industries. A lot of

different types of companies prefer new project manager hires to be PMP certified. This helps

companies ensure their managers understand the many different facets of project

management, giving a measure of assurance in the applicants’ management skills, and helps

ensure a consistent approach from all the company’s project managers.

You must have some experience managing projects and at least a secondary, or high school,

education before you can become certified. If you completed secondary school, you must have

7500 hours of managing experience. If you have a college degree, you only need 4500 hours of

managing experience. Regardless of your education level, you will also need 35 hours of

professional development training in project management. Please see Table 1 in your follow-

along pdf guide for a summary of these requirements.

Table 1: A summary of prerequisites for taking the Project Management Professional exam.

The PMI website has the most current information on the application timing and process. The

PMP Handbook, available for download from the PMI website, has many details about the

exam, such as the audit and complaint processes. While you will not send all your

documentation on management and educational history when you turn in the application, you

need to keep it in a convenient location so that you can readily turn it in if you are chosen for

an audit. If you encounter any problems with the certification process, you should explore the

complaints process that PMI has established.

Once you are a certified PMP, you will need to obtain 60 PDUs, or Professional Development

Units, every 3 years to be eligible for recertification. One PDU is equivalent to one learning

hour. You can find continuing education opportunities from the PMI website or from your local

PMI chapter, at colleges and universities, and more. Some self-directed opportunities may also

be available. Refer to the PMI website for the most up-to-date list of available opportunities.

You also need to refer to the PMI website for the most up-to-date information on the PMP

certification testing details. The cost, location, and timing can change. As of this writing, the cost is $405.00 for PMI members and $555.00 for non-members. Note that a PMI membership is about $140 for a year, so it may be most cost-effective to become a member before applying

for the exam, especially as the membership includes a copy of the PMBOK. PMI certification

tests are taken at Prometric Testing Centers. You can find more information about testing

locations on their website, www.prometric.com. Once you have applied to PMI and been

deemed eligible, you will receive additional exam scheduling instructions. You will then be able

to schedule the test with the testing center. Testing centers are available worldwide, and the

test is available in multiple languages.

Besides the basic qualifications required to be eligible to take the PMP exam, you do need to

spend time studying the material to be sure you are ready. While this guide summarizes and

highlights the most important aspects of the project information management information you

need to know, you also need to review the PMBOK to be truly prepared. If you do not pass the

exam the first time, you can retake it twice in the year you are eligible. The PMI website and

certification handbook will have current information about the fees for retaking the exam.

The PMP test is made of 200 multiple choice questions. You will have 4 hours to take the exam.

The questions will be drawn from each of the process groups in a specific proportion: 13% will

come from the Initiating Process Group, 24% will come from the Planning Process Group, 31%

will come from the Executing Process Group, 25% will come from the Monitoring and

Controlling Process Group, and 7% will come from the Closing Process Group, as shown in Table

2 in your follow-along pdf guide. About 10% of the questions will involve math or formulas.

Table 2: The distribution of question categories on the Project Management Professional exam

Of the 200 questions, 25 are not part of the score but are used to develop future versions of the

test. You won’t know what questions are scored or not scored, so treat them all with equal

attention. There is not a set score to pass. Each version of the test will have a different

combination of questions with varying levels of difficulty. Since the questions are weighted

based on difficulty, the passing score can be different for each version of the test, though will

range somewhere between about 50% and 70% correct.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities required for project management are covered next. Since

people come to the PMP exam with a wide variety of backgrounds, you can expect some areas

to be more comfortable for you than others. As you go through this guide, this can give you a

better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to strategically

prepare for the test by focusing on areas where you need the most help. This will also help you

recognize your management strengths so that you can build teams with talents complimentary

to your own.