Beginners Guide to PMP® 2024: What is PMP Certification?

The requirement for good projects is rising in the industry. Due to this, more and more career opportunities are opening up in the field of Project Management. Research shows that companies might need to fill around 2.2 million project-oriented roles every year in the near future. This directly relates to the hype in demand for skilled management professionals and project managers. Having a PMP certification is therefore like adding a feather in one’s cap.  

What is PMP?

PMP certification is globally recognized. It stands for Project Management Professional certification, an industry-accepted credential for all project managers. PMP not only demonstrates the education but also the skillset, experience and competency necessary for leading and directing projects.

A survey conducted by the Project Management Institute reports that experts in Project Management can look forward to good career opportunities. The requirement for professionals however varies based on the region and the industry type. As organizations recruit people from different cultural backgrounds, companies are looking for project managers owning standardized skillsets. Today a lot is expected from the project managers like turning the strategic vision of the company into tangible goals and ensuring agreed and outcomes while balancing numerous project constraints.

Is PMP Certification worth doing if you are not a “project manager”? I would say, “Yes”.  Like CPA recognizes accountants for their expertise and credibility, PMP too validates your ability in managing projects efficiently. Anyone who plays a role to reach a project to its completion can apply for PMP certification.

Enroll in our PMP Certification today and develop a strong foundation in the principles of project management.

Benefits of PMP certification

There are some awesome benefits one gets to enjoy after getting PMP Certified. Research says that driving forces in favour of PMP Benefits are much more than the restraining forces anti-PMP certification. A force field study conducted earlier projects that the PMP benefits are much higher than the investment one makes to acquire this certification. PMP benefits are not just limited to better job prospects and salary but much more. Some of these benefits are listed below.

1. Helps You Stand Out in the Crowd

PMP certification helps to equip a candidate with deep knowledge of how one can efficiently execute projects. Thus, sets one apart from others applying for the same job.

2. Growth in Career

As a PMP certified professional, you earn international recognition. Most companies and businesses looking to hire a PMP certified candidate these days. Hence, meet the required criteria that most organizations specify for good career growth.

After doing this certification one can also contribute by volunteering for a project management community with PMI.

3. Expect Higher Salary

Another alluring benefit of the PMP certification is that one can expect to earn 20% higher salary as compared to those who are not PMP certified. The reason for this is that their certification is worldwide recognized.

4. Managing Project more efficiently

You gain enough knowledge after doing a PMP certification to execute all projects effectively and efficiently. As a project manager one can expect to bring about more improvement in one’s work and complete undertaken projects successfully.

5. Better Jobs Prospects

Project management has evolved rapidly to meet the needs of different industries. The job market has seen a steady rise in jobs being created in the project management domain in recent years. Project managers are in high demand. If one has this certification in one’s arsenal then they get more preference over their non-PMP counterparts.

6. Enhances Skills

To be PMP certified, one has to go through rigorous training and a substantial volume, of course, related work. One is taught all the main practices and processes involved. This expands one’s knowledge and enhances one’s skills to a greater level.

7. Contribute towards Organizational Growth

While studying for PMP certification one learns about the best skills and practices used for ideal project management. This makes one capable to train other employees in the company for swift, efficient and smooth project execution. This contributes to overall organizational growth and better performance.

8. Good Networking

PMP certification helps one build their network base by becoming a member of the PMP elite club of those who are globally recognized for their knowledge.

9. People Skills

PMP certification enables to evaluate one’s team members better. It equips one with the skills to figure out if a potential candidate will be a good team player or not easily.

10. Get Recognition

As a PMP certified professional, one benefits by getting recognized amongst peers and superiors as one is up-to-date and aware of the current developments and processes coming up in the project management industry.

11. Effective Communication

A PMP certified speaks in PMI jargons and a similar language when dealing with stakeholders and clients. Therefore is able to communicate effectively, which is one of the key requirements to drive any project to success.

12. Agile Training

With PMP certification, it becomes easier to apply for agile training as PMP is a prerequisite for this. Agile training is beneficial as it gives one an edge over all other professionals in this field.

Prerequisites for PMP Certification

One might have managed several projects of different volumes and time durations in their respective work fields. Unfortunately, this is not sufficient to meet the PMP prerequisite needs.

By experience in Project management one should understand it as the time spent on directing and leading the project. This is expected to be done at a project manager or a supervisory level. However, doing the same as a team member is not acceptable. 

Though one might be designated as the technical engineer of one’s company and not as the project manager, they will still be considered eligible if their company gives them a project management role and they gain experience in this field.

Having an experience in project management simply means that one should be involved in the commencing stage, in the planning stage, in leading the team, in monitoring the project and in controlling the project tasks irrespective of one’s job title. So, it does not matter whether one is a supplier manager, quality manager, IT manager, manufacturing manager, software lead or a project lead. What really matters is that one has successfully worked their way to get the project to completion.

What are these PMP Prerequisites?

Whether one seeks admission in a college, applies for a job, conducts training sessions or one intends to enrol for a competition, there are some prerequisites that require to be fulfilled for everything. Similarly, PMP certification also has some prerequisites. Every candidate who wants to apply for the PMP certification exam needs to satisfy the PMP prerequisites.

PMP Prerequisites – Category1

• An applicant must have a secondary degree Eg. high school degree or diploma, an associate’s degree or any global equivalent

• Have 5 years or 60 months of non-overlapping experience in project management (i.e. 7,500 hours of work)

• Should have attended a recognized PMP training or attended a good facilitation workshop (of 35 contact hours).

PMP Prerequisites – Category2

• An applicant must have a 3 – 4 years degree Eg. bachelor’s degree or any global equivalent

• Have 3 years or 36 months of non-overlapping experience in project management (4,500 hours of work)

• Should have attended a recognized PMP training or attended a good facilitation workshop (of 35 contact hours).

A candidate satisfying all these PMP prerequisites from any one of the two above categories is eligible to apply for a PMP certification test.

In both the categories of PMP prerequisites Category1 and Category2 mentioned above, it is important to know that the project management experience you show needs to be within the last eight years. Also, one needs to be aware that one will need to report their project management experience i.e. how many hours one has put in for initiating, in planning, in executing, in monitoring, in controlling and in bringing the projects to closure in their PMP application form.

PMP prerequisites expiry terms

• When one applies for the PMP certification, their project management experience that they show must be of the last 8 years.
• PMP education one shows must be attended in the last 5 years.

Why is Experience Needed for PMP EXAM?

A question frequently asked by many, “Does one really need to be experienced to get PMP certified?” I assume many of us believe we are victims of wrong news flowing through the grapevine. The simple answer to this is “Yes, one is expected to have some professional experience in project management experience to sit for PMP certification exam.”

There is no need to get disheartened. Project Management Institute (PMI), a governing body for this exam has made this mandatory to ensure that every certified PMP should be able to translate theory learnt in books to real-life practices. This allows employers to be more confident and rely on the skills of their professionals holding a PMP certification.

What does one need to know to ensure that one’s experience counts?

•  One’s experience in Project management represents professional project experience only. This does not include any personal projects like planning a personal wedding, conducting academic research for the degree-granting program, creating newsletters, or projects on home improvement.
• Project experience cannot be mistaken to be an operational involvement. A project should be considered a temporary attempt that will produce some unique deliverables. Projects must not include any operational, administrative or routine responsibilities and tasks 
• One must perform the role of the project manager and not like that of a team member or a contributor. PMI Exam content outlines a typical role expected from a project manager. The role one served in their projects must align with this list. 
• Project experience must be non-overlapping. In case one has worked on multiple overlapping projects in a month, only work done on one specific project during this period will count towards meeting one’s eligibility criteria.

To ensure your project management training counts:

Make sure that the course(s) undertaken contains content related to project management learnings and objectives. One can satisfy educational requirements by validating successful completion of workshops undertaken, training sessions and courses offered below mentioned education providers:

Apply for the PMP® Exam

After one fulfils all the PMP prerequisites, it is time to finally apply for the PMP exam. PMP® exam application form is online and can be accessed via the (PMI)® website. Applicants often find the application process overwhelming. One needs to show they meet the required criteria for taking the test and that their experience covers all relevant domains.

Step1: Creating a PMI.org account.

To begin with, one needs to set up their account at PMI.org. First, go to the PMI website.  Now login to mypmi.org. Get a free account for yourself to start unless you already have PMI membership.

Navigate to the Dashboard once logged in. You will find a link to all PMI’s certifications. Click on the link. Now select PMP certification. This will direct you to the PMP page where you can see the link for applying.

Step2: Complete and submit the online application.

The online form is designed in a way that it is user-friendly, easily navigable and also convenient to use. One does not need to worry about finishing filling the form immediately. One can save their responses, go back later to the form and complete it anytime within the next 90 days.

In the form, one has to provide information about themselves and their eligibility. There are 3 sections to complete:

• Education – Here one has to enter their highest degree of education, the number of years, high school, university one attended with the time frame and region where studied. One will need to continue adding more fields to in cooperating their educational details.

• Experience -This section covers the project management experience and education. Here, one needs to make evident that they have successfully completed required training hours (35 hours) in the project. Start with the most current project. PMI will compute the total numbers of months worked on from Beginning Date to End Date, ensuring no overlaps. Here, one will need to provide the details of one’s training provider, dates when attended training and record the training program name also. Any project management educational program must have been complete before you submit the application. The system does not let you to save these details with a future course end-date. A description about the project must summarize your experience focusing on the project objective, the outcome and your responsibilities and deliverables.

• Exam details – This is the final section of the application form. Here one has to provide their complete contact details and how one wants their name on their PMP® certificate. One can also request for exam accommodations, if required.

After completing the application, one can download it and keep for their records.

Step3: Wait for Approval

PMI takes about five calendar days to verify if the application is fully complete. Once you get notified that your application is approved, you can proceed and make the payment (Step 5). You can then get your exam scheduled.

Alternatively, you might receive notification for being audited (Step 4). One will then need to go through the audit process.

Step4: Audit Process

PMI Audits are done on a random basis. If you get selected for audit, you will be notified by email. This email will include all the details you need to follow during the audit process.

Generally, one is asked to provide additional information to support the application. You will have to submit copies of your education and training certificates, letters and signatures from superiors on projects worked on, in the experience section. The audit material needs to be submitted within 90 days. It takes about 5-7 days for PMI to process this.

Step5: Paying the Fee.

One can pay the PMP exam fee online. Sometimes companies/current employer might also offer to pay a fee for PMP Prep training and for the exam.

Step6: Exam, Preparation and Clearing the test

The PMP® exam can be taken at a nearby testing site or online. A web search can give you access to many free PMP exam sample questions.

it is a wise decision to solve some of these sample papers before tackling the exam.

The PMP exam is a multiple-choice paper of 200-questions. Irrespective of your experience, your exam preparation needs to be rigorous. With the numbers of PMP exam takers increasing, the pyramid is getting steeper every year. Successful aspirants make use of multiple study aids like reference guides, PMP training and online classes to benefit themselves.

After taking the exam one immediately receives their scores. The results categorizes candidates based on their performance levels as:  “Above Target candidate, Met Target, Is Below Target, Or Needs Improvement”. The test reports are domain specific.

In case one hasn’t passes this exam, they can opt to reappear for the test up to 3 times during a year, after their application approval. The PMP certification becomes official from the day the candidate passes the exam.

PMP Training

Many well-known institutes like Henry Harvin are offering high-quality, Interactive, effective and story-based training programs on Project Management Certification Training Course for candidates to ace PMP in their first attempt. Get A Free Trial. Though most institutes offer both eLearning programs and classroom training, online courses are more in demand. Getting enrolled in an online PMP Training program means getting access to in-depth and comprehensive e-learning study material, question banks and training by experts in this field in the comfort of one’s home. These courses are designed to ensure they are time-saving, cost-effective and flexible to the users. Compare the various courses before you embark on one. Read Reviews, check out testimonials of students, ask for free trial classes and compare the many PMP training courses available in the market. This will help you to select the best suitable course.

PMP aspirants can also purchase PMBOK® Guide and some credible PMP® exam reference / preparatory books that are available in the market. These books help the candidate to start with basics concepts and gradually move on to higher-level nuances dealing with tools, inputs, outputs and techniques.

Many recognized providers conduct PMP Exam Preparatory workshops. They offer both one-on-one interface and a classroom setting. These workshops connect one to other project management aspirants and also fulfil the 35-contact-hours prerequisite for taking the PMP exam.

Signing up for PMP Mock test is another good way to find out if one is prepared to take the PMP Exam. PMP® simulators are the best way to practice for exams. The format of the sample question paper is similar to that of the actual PMP® exam. This process not only gives on an insight into the different kind of questions to expect in the exam but also helps to refresh one’s memory and apply the theory one has learnt.

One can also join a discussion forum or a study group of PMP aspirants in the neighbourhood. This is one of the most logical and time-saving methods. Contributing by providing answers to other queries is the best way to prepare for the exam. A good study group be helpful in addressing your doubts and unanswered questions too. Another advantage is that it will update you with various suitable resources.

PMP Scope & Jobs 

A simple keyword search for PMP on any job site such as LinkedIn, monster etc. brings up thousands of job opportunities that are available for PMP professionals. Industry research shows that there will be 2.2 million project management jobs created every year till 2027 at least. PMP is one of the few certifications that is widely recognized across industries.

PMP professionals are sought after in the software industry, IT services, talent solutions, management consulting, education, mass media, manufacturing, construction, and many other industries where the project, resource and time management are needed. PMP is a certification that is recognized globally with job opportunities available in nearly every country in the world. There are 2.9 million PMP professionals in 214 countries around the world. CIO magazine rated PMP as the top project management certification globally, indicating the amazing global opportunity available for a PMP professional. 

Is experience needed for PMP EXAM?

Yes, one is expected to have some professional experience in project management experience to sit for PMP certification exam.”

PMP certification is globally recognized. It stands for Project Management Professional certification, an industry-accepted credential for all project managers. PMP not only demonstrates the education but also the skillset, experience and competency necessary for leading and directing projects.

Recommended Reads:

• Top 9 Project Management Courses in Kolkata
• PMP certification exam cost
• TOP 20 PMP Exam Questions and Answers
• Is PMP Certification Worth It in India?
• 10 Best PMP CERTIFICATIONS IN SINGAPORE

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