PMP: Project Management Professional (Newbie)

Project Management Professional (PMP) is the most globally recognized certification in project management. It is managed by the Project Management Institute and is based on the PMP Examination Specification published by PMI in 2005. Most exam questions reference to PMIs ANSI standard A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, abbreviated to PMBOK Guide.

The PMI (Project Management Institute) has three levels of certification, starting with the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) which is the basic level and is intended as certification for project team members. The PMP (Project Management Professional) is the second, higher, level of project management. Individuals who have passed the PMP certification test successfully and have met the PMI requirements for documenting their professional experience are entitled to use the abbreviation PMP with their names. A new certification, PgMP (Program Management Professional) has also been introduced by the PMI, for Program Managers.

Benefits of becoming PMP

Getting a PMP Certification would help you in many ways

• The PMP designation following one's name demonstrates to employers and other stakeholders that the individual possesses a solid foundation of experience and education in project management.
• PMP Certification is used as a screening tool by companies that have to fill their Project Management positions.
• PMP certified person applies Project Management methodologies in a standardized way. You get to know the best project management practices worldwide and your project management methodologies are not limited to hard work and organizational skills. And that is why employers are willing to pay more money for a PMP-certified professional.

Eligibility for PMP Exam

Certification by the Project Management Institute (PMI) as a project management professional (PMP) demonstrates that you have mastered essential project management skills and knowledge. To earn PMI’s PMP designation, you must demonstrate the required "long-term commitment" to project management professionalism as well as pass a rigorous, 200-question exam covering the five project management processes and ten knowledge areas in PMI’s project management body of knowledge (PMBOK). To receive the PMP certification, each candidate must satisfy PMI's qualifications for experience and education and pass the Project Management Professional Certification Examination. To qualify for the PMI exam applicants must have:

1. A Bachelor degree and 4,500 hours of relevant project management experience in the past 6 years OR
2. A high school diploma or equivalent and 7,500 hours of relevant project management experience in the past 8 years.

Candidates who do not meet the minimum requirements for the PMP certification can apply for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) examination.

About PMP Examination

PMP examination is a computerized test of 4 hours duration, with 200 multiple-choice questions, each with four choices. Out of the 200 questions, 25 questions are pretest questions. These 25 pretest questions are randomly placed throughout the examination to gather statistical information on the performance of these pretest questions. This strategy is followed to determine whether the pretest questions can be used in future PMI examinations as actual questions. The pretest questions, included in the 200-question examination, are not considered for pass/fail determination. Hence, candidates are evaluated on basis of the remaining 175 questions.

To pass the PMP examination, out of the 175 questions, candidates must correctly answer a minimum of 106 questions. Which means the minimum percentage score to be obtained should be 60.6%.

All of PMI’s credential examinations are administered in English. Examination language aids are available to assist candidates for whom English is a second language. The aids provide a translation of exam questions and answers and are available in 10 languages – Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, and Spanish.

Examination Content - Percentage of Questions

• Initiating the Project - 11%
• Planning the Project - 23 %
• Executing the Project - 27 %
• Monitoring and Controlling the Project – 21 %
• Closing the Project – 9 %
• Professional and Social Responsibility - 9 %

PMP Exam Registration

You can apply Online or use the paper form..Your payment to PMI is normally by credit card or mailed check. You should plan on joining as a member of the Project Management Institute to save money now and in the futureClick to apply on-line

For candidates who need to apply via a paper application, please download the following documents (as needed).

PMP Handbook and Application Forms

CAPM Handbook and Application Forms

Fees for PMP Exam

Project Management Professional (Fee in USD)

• Initial Certification Fee - member of PMI in good standing ($405.95)
• Initial Certification Fee - non-member of PMI ($555.95)
• Re-Examination Fee - member of PMI in good standing ($275.95)
• Re-Examination Fee - non-member of PMI ($375.95)

Important Material for PMP Examination

• Project Management Professional Study Guide (.pdf)
• PMP-Q&A-Troytec 1000 q (.pdf)
• PMI-PMP-Actual Tests-001 (.pdf)
• 75Q Sample PMP (.pdf)
• PMP Project Initiation (.pdf)
• Project Management Practitioner's Handbook (.pdf)
• Boson Project Management Institute (Pmi)
• 175 PMP Sample Questions (.pdf)
• PMP Framework (.pdf)
• PMP Processes (.pdf)
• PMP Essentials (.pdf)
• PMP (.zip)
• PMP Project Cost Management (.pdf)
• PMP Procurement Management (.pdf)