2021 PMP® Certification Requirements | Are you eligible for PMP®?
You must have heard about PMP® Certification. In this article, we will discuss, what is PMP Certification, the requirements for getting a PMP Certification and its process.
What Is PMP Certification?
PMP is the acronym for Project Management Professional, a certification that is awarded by the Project Management Institute or commonly known as PMI. To get the certification, a candidate has to fulfil the requirements for becoming eligible for the PMP® certification first, then pass the PMP Certification examination.
You need to be aware that there are a couple of criteria regarding PMP® certification. First, PMP® Certification is valid for three years. Within these three years, the candidate has to earn a minimum of 60 PMP PDUs and then renew the PMP Certification before the completion of three years.
One of the most recognized professional certificate course around the world is PMP certification. Many organizations are now looking for PMP certified professionals when hiring candidates for project management positions.
Companies are also hiring current employees with PMP® certification so they can be eventually promoted to project management positions in future. Several surveys have recently revealed that PMP certified professionals get 23 more salary than their uncertified counterparts. However, to appear for the PMP® Certification examination, a candidate has to fulfil a few requirements.
What is the eligibility for PMP® certification?
The reason that PMI® ensures that a candidate fulfil the pre-requisites to become eligible for the PMI® certification is because of two primary reasons. First, a robust project management experience is required because a project manager is required to communicate throughout a project with different stakeholders. Furthermore, they need to have the right communication skills and attitude on how to interact and manage expectations of stakeholders, employees, team, departments and the management of the company. Without this knowledge, the success of a project delivery might get jeopardized.
Second, a project management professional needs to have knowledge about theoretical techniques. These are 10 areas of expertise that the candidate is tested on in the PMP exam that he/she is required to pass.
It is essential that the requirements for the PMP® examination are fulfilled to showcase that the candidate has both the soft skills and theoretical knowledge for project management. Furthermore, it is essential to fulfilling the requirements is because PMP does not prove a candidate’s experience or competence in project management; rather, the certification confirms a candidate’s knowledge in the project management area. Companies and organizations give value to PMP® certification because PMI audits hold the requirement guidelines very strictly, where fulfilling the requirements for filling the examination form is concerned.
Eligibility criteria for PMP® exam
There are some initial requirements that a candidate has to meet to become eligible for the PMP® exam. To fill the form for PMP® certification examination, you have to fulfil the following requirements:
If you have a bachelor’s degree or Globally recognized equivalent qualification, then you have to fulfil the following:
• Professional project management experience that is not over-lapping and minimum of 36 months or 3 years.
• Minimum 7,500 hours spent in directing and leading projects relevant to your field.
• Minimum 35 contact hours in receiving formal project management education, this can be satisfied with the PMA’s 4 Day PMP certification training course.
OR
If you have an Associate’s Degree, High School Diploma or Globally recognized equivalent qualification, then you have to fulfil the following:
• Professional project management experience that is not over-lapping and minimum of 36 months or 3 years
• Minimum 3,500 hours spent in directing and leading projects relevant to your field
• Minimum 35 contact hours in receiving formal project management education, this can be satisfied with the PMA’s 4 Day PMP certification training course
PMP Examination Application Process
There are a few simple steps for the application process that you need to follow once you satisfy the requirements for the PMP® certification course. They are:
• The candidate has to register with the Project Management Institute (PMI®) to become a member. You have to spend $139 to become a member and then pay $405 for the exam. In case you do not want to become a member, you have to pay $555.
• To satisfy the PDUs of 35 hours, take the PMP certification training course, which is the examination requirement.
• Once you complete the 35 hours of training, you can submit the PMP application online. Your application will be reviewed by the PMI, which will be between 3 and 5 business days. Once the application is reviewed and they deem you qualified for the examination, they will invite you to schedule and pay for the examination.
• With Pearson VUE schedule your examination. After your examination application has been approved, you can take the examination anytime within a year. You are also eligible to take the examination three times within that year from the date your application has been approved.
• In the examination, you have 4 hours to answer 200 questions, which is categorized into 5 groups:
- Initiation (13%)
- Planning (24%)
- Executing (31%)
- Monitoring and Controlling (25%)
- Closing (7%)
PMP® certification provides high credit to the person who has been certified, giving them a better opportunity to project management jobs with a better salary.
