The PMP certification is widely recognised as an accredited qualification for project management professionals and is awarded by the PMI Institute.
This certification therefore avails an affirmation of the skills, knowledge, and experience of project managers in the management of projects.
Thus, in the remainder of this article, we’ll give an overview of the process of gaining the PMP certification.
Understanding the Prerequisites
The given guidelines must be met before you start preparing for the PMP certification examination as outlined by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
These criteria encompass two key aspects: Education and project management experience segment
Educational Background
- Bachelor’s Degree: Possess a four-year college degree or its international equivalent.
- High School Diploma: Have a high school diploma (or a qualification that is equivalent to a high school diploma around the world)) and at least 3 years of project management experience gained within the last 8 years.
Project Management Experience
According to PMI, the Accumulated experience may be documented only once in the PMBOK® Guide project management experience.
The experience requirements vary based on your educational background:
- Bachelor’s Degree Holders: The candidate should have worked on at least three projects each of which has been completed within the last 8 years and meeting the following requirements:
- High School Diploma Holders: These need a candidate to show effective project management experience of not less than 60 months in the past eight years.
The term project according to PMI means ‘a temporary organization that has been formed to achieve a defined aim’.
Your resume on project management should capture milestones such as initiation, planning and design, execution and monitoring, controlling and completion, and closing phases of a project.
Furthermore, for any person to be accorded a PMP certification, he/she must have attended not less than 35 hours of project management education.
This education can be obtained through various avenues:
- PMI-approved training courses: Available from authorized training partners (ATPs) and cover the material by the current parameters set by the PMBOK® Guide.
- Online courses: PMP preparation is available from many online for-profit institutions with many of them providing courses at a slower speed and convenient timings.
- Self-study: Although it is possible, self-study can be a very demanding task as it involves all the necessary and hard work, using materials such as the PMBOK® Guide and appropriate books.
Navigating the Application Process
Once you are positive about your eligibility it is time to deal with application formalities.
Here’s a breakdown of the key steps:
- Create a PMI Account: Create a free account on PMI’s website and you will get easy access to application forms and other certification information.
- Gather Documentation: Documents must be provided to support the education that you have undergone, the project management experience you possess, and if applicable, the PM education that you have completed.
- Complete the Application: If the job posting requires an online application, make sure to complete it to the best of your ability and include an accurate description of your project management experience using the terminology outlined by the PMI.
- Submit the Application and Fee: The applicant should then pay the application processing fee such a fee depends on the prevailing market price and then submit his or her application.
Still, as a part of application validation, PMI performs a random audit of roughly 10% of applicants.
In case of an audit, be ready to present document proofs for your statements and findings, in the case you are selected for an audit.
Process To Obtain The PMP Certification.
Step 1: Ensure Eligibility
Before going in for the PMP certification exam, one needs to meet the education and experience criteria of the PMI. These include:
An associate’s degree with at least 7500 hours spent leading and directing projects, or a high school diploma, at least 8500 hours of leading and directing projects, and 35 hours of project management education.
Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of four thousand five hundred (4500) hours of leading and directing projects and PMI with a minimum of thirty-five (35) hours of project management education.
Step 2: Total Success at Project Management Education
To qualify for PMI Membership and the PMP exam you must have completed 35 hours of formal project management education.
Options that are open for consideration are, for instance, PMI-endorsed training, online classes, or sessions from PMI REP.
Step 3: RSS-152: Getting Ready for the PMP Certification Exam
Here are some tips for preparing for the examination:
For this reason, one could utilize other study materials to prepare the PMBOK Guide or Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMP exam prep online course, practice exams as well as study groups.
Step 4: Submit Your Application
The exam could be applied from the official website of PMI by creating a new profile and getting to the list of available certifications.
To apply for this qualification you will be required to meet the following requirements regarding education and experience.
Step 5: Please Review Your Schedule, especially for examinations.
After submitting the required documents and getting approval from PMI, you can then proceed to select your exam date online through the PMI website.
There are two options for RTA: To sit from a test centre or a test that will be proctored online.
Step 6: Clear and Obtain the PMP Certification Examination
As a way of ensuring the certification, the PMP certification certification exam has 200 questions and the taker’s knowledge is checked to a maximum of 4 hours.
You have to get more than 106 right answers and no percentage is given as the passing rate.
Step 7: Maintain Your PMP Certification
Once you have been certified as a PMP, renewal of the certification is done every three years through Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR).
This entails getting an accumulation of 60 professional development units (PDUs) via education and professional development activities.
In a bid to monitor and check possible irregularities, PMI conducts a random audit on an estimated 10% of the applications. If you are chosen for the audit, then be ready to back your statements with sufficient evidence.
Best PMP Certification Course Providers
These are the best PMP certification courses that you can get the certification course from:
1. StarAgile
StarAgile is recognized as an Authorized Training Partner by the Project Management Institute (PMI). This live online PMP class includes 35 PMI–approved PDUs (Professional Development Units) which is a prerequisite of the PMP certification exam.
2. Acte.in
Apart from Staragile, Acte is also a good name in career development courses and they have great experts for PMP certification from whom you can learn a lot.
3. PremierAgile
You can also take courses from Premieragile but they are yet newer and currently offer less development options and as per my personal opinion, they don’t have much placement options.
Conclusion
By doing so and dedicating ample time and energy to preparation, one ought to be in a better position to gain the PMP certification and portray a professional project manager.
Wishing you a smooth sailing on your journey towards becoming a certified Project Management Professional.
