There are many steps in obtaining your PMP. This article breaks them down into four major steps that lead you towards taking and passing the PMP exam.
The overall process to obtain your PMP is as follows:
1. Ensure you meet the criteria:
a. Project Experience (working on projects)
i. With a Baccalaureate degree
1. At least 4,500 hours
2. Over 36 months
ii. Without a Baccalaureate degree
1. At least 7,500 hours
2. Over 36 months
iii. If you have less than this experience, you can apply for the CAPM certification.
b. 35 hours of formal Project Management education (our class provides 40)
i. You must have this education before you can complete your application
ii. You can count hours from college, etc. as long as the course was related to project management
iii. You will need a transcript or course certificate to confirm this if you are audited.
2. Complete your application.
a. Create a PMI account at www.pmi.org (no $ is required for this).
b. Go to www.pmi.org/certapp to start your application. (Note: the application process can be very time consuming. In our classes, we send you a spreadsheet, and help guide you through capturing the information needed for the online form. This alone can save you between 2-4 hours.)
c. Submit the application for review.
d. You will receive an email with an approval code within 1-2 weeks after submission.
i. It’s good for one year from the date it’s sent.
ii. If there were any irregularities, you may be audited.
3. Pay for and schedule the exam
a. You will return to the www.pmi.org/certapp site to pay for your exam. Once you pay online you will either:
i. Receive instructions on how to schedule the exam through www.prometric.com, or
ii. Receive notification you have been randomly selected for an audit, which means you must provide to PMI
1. Transcripts from the educational institution with the highest degree you listed;
2. A certificate from the Project Management educational courses you listed; and,
3. Signed verification forms for each of the contacts you listed for each project listed in your Project Experience section.
b. When you are approved, you can schedule your exam through www.prometric.com. In Lexington your Prometric test center is at Sylvan, off of Richmond Rd.
4. Study for and take the exam.
a. We will provide you with materials and guidance that will help you prepare for the exam well before the class. This provides:
i. The chance to learn the language: there are a lot of very specific terms that you have to understand to really understand the questions on the exam.
ii. The change to learn how to take the test: we provide you with an exam simulation tool that you can use to practice answering questions, which are very similar to what you’ll see on the exam.
iii. Optional access to an instructor to ask questions.
iv. Optional access to participate in pre-course webinars, and exchange questions with other PMP students in our online forum.
v. Optional access to flashcards to practice.
vi. Optional access to games that help you learn the information needed for the exam.
b. We provide the class with an instructor who is both very knowledgeable and engaging.
i. We have five days of focused review that helps to bring all the pieces together.
ii. On the last day you take a full PMP exam simulation, which you will review with the instructor at the end.
c. At the end we update your Individual Study Plan, and determine whether we need to adjust your test date.