Step-by-step PMP Certification Guide 2017

Everything you should know about PMP Certification is covered in this post. Learn the details, why you should opt for it and how this certification can benefit your career:

PMP - A brief
PMP stands for Project Management Professional, and it is a certification provided by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The discipline of project management requires a team effort to initiate, plan, execute, control and complete a work or task, the end result of which could be a product or a service. The result is pre-planned by a project manager before undertaking the tasks associated with creating and running the project,

What is the role of a Project Manager?
Project Managers basically oversee a project from the planning to the completion. They are responsible for allocating resources, mitigating risks, keeping a tab on budgets, ironing differences between team members, testing products or procedures – basically all the tasks that are required to ensure the timely delivery of the pre-decided goal or result. Technical know-how along with management strategies are a required for successful completion of the project.

Why do the PMP course from PMI?
PMI is the globally recognized certificate. Clearing the PMP exam is a clear indication to prospective employers or hirers of the candidate's ability to understand technical processes and value of time to achieve optimal results.

Are there any pre-requisites to taking the examination?
There are two sets PMP certification eligibility depending upon the educational qualifications and work experience of the candidate:
1. A secondary degree that is basically the high school diploma or 12th standard pass student or any other global equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years/60 months of exceptional NON-overlapping proficient project
• Minimum of 7,500 hours of leading and directing projects as a professional
• 35 hours of project management education, called contact epochs as determined by PM
2. A Bachelor's degree (4 years) in any stream. In India, since most Bachelor degrees are of 3 years you can do a professional degree of one year to gain a four-year study program.
• Minimum 3 years/36 months of solo NON-overlapping proficient project
• Minimum of 4,500 hours of leading and directing projects as a professional
• 35 hours of project management education, as determined by PMI

What are the steps to submitting an application?
Before joining a PMP training, there are certain steps to be adhered to.
Create a login and fill in the application form. The process for filling the form is online and once the payment is made, there cannot be any cancellation. Once an application is submitted, PMI takes up to 5 working days to process the application.

Read the instructions before filling the form and prepare in advance all documents that need to be uploaded. There is a 90-day window to edit details or share documents.

You will be required to share your scanned and authenticated documents such as your educational certificates, statements by supervisors or managers testifying to your project management experience and if you have joined a PMP training program, signed certificates from the Institute stating that you have completed the required PDUs.

What are the costs involved for a obtaining a PMP certification?
The fees you have to pay for the exam is determined by your PMI membership status. Members are charged a lower sum than non-members. A computer based testing will cost more than a paper based testing.

All figures are approximate and may change as per PMI rules.

PMI Member Status	Computer based testing	Paper based testing
Members	US$405	US$250
Non-members	US$555	US$400

Cost for preparing for an PMP exam will also include the cost of the training institute you join. This cost varies from institute to institute and you should balance budget with teaching methodology and success rate, and not focus solely on the PMP Certification Exam Costs.

How do I prepare the PMP Examination?

Preparation of the exam requires a thorough consumption of Project Management Institute (PMI) Credentials Handbook. Now there are two steps to it:
Do it on your own, and seek help from online forums specializing in PMP Course. There would be several free sites you can refer to, but the quality of feedback may not help with successfully clearing the exam in the first attempt.

Join a PMP certification online training which can help you understand concepts, help complete PDUs and even give mock tests to judge your preparedness. Experts will be on hand to help resolve issues with understanding concepts.

What will the exam entail?
Once an application is approved, the candidate has one year to appear for the exam. Keep in mind, only one chance is given. If unable to clear in the first attempt, a candidate can appear 3 times with a re-examination fee.

A candidate has to appear for 200 MCQs in 4 hours. Out of which 25 are pre-test questions, which do not affect the final outcome. Since the exam is preceded by a tutorial and a survey (both are optional), it is advisable to reach the center well in advance. This 15-minute is not deducted from your 4 hours.

You can re-give the exam after a period of 3 years. And, if you want you can explore options for Program Management (PgMP) and Portfolio Management (PfMP) by PMI, both of which are higher credentials than PMP.

Why are the major benefits of a PMP certificate?
The four major benefits of a PMP certification are:

• Skill enhancement
• Better career growth
• Liable to be a paid a higher salary
• More job responsibilities and respect at work

In conclusion:
Organizations across the world are more likely to hire a PMP trained candidate to lead a project than an untrained one. The certificate is a testimony to a candidate's ability to understand the requirements of the project at both the macro and micro levels, and take action accordingly. Clearing the exam is not that much of a hurdle if you treat your examination as a project and study with the aim to succeed.

Note- Expected changes in PMP Exam of 2018