What You Need To Prepare For The PMI PMP Certification


For professionals in project management, getting certified to the Project Management Professional (PMP) is the ultimate objective. PMP certification is important because it is recognized globally and is truly respected.

The body that carries out PMP certification is the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI has been in existence since 1969 and its prime objective has been to develop project management as a professional endeavor. To serve project management professionals all over the world, PMI has offices all over the world. PMI offers certification in other areas such as Program Management and Risk Management among others but the certification that really seems to define PMI is PMP certification.

What do you need for PMI PMP Certification?

The process of getting PMI PMP Certification is quite rigorous. To be certified, a person needs to have obtained a minimum of 4,500 hours experience as a project manager. In addition, a professional seeking certification will need to have obtained formal training in project management by attending a minimum of thirty five hours class room lessons. For a project manager who meets this basic criterion, certification will be complete once he or she passes an examination conducted by PMI. Fortunately for applicants, this examination can be taken online.

The PMP Examination

The PMP Examination consists of two hundred multiple choice questions which the candidate is supposed to answer in a period of four hours. Out of the two hundred questions, the pass or fail rate is based on only one hundred and seventy five questions while the other twenty five questions are used for research. To pass the examination, a candidate will need to get at least one hundred and six questions right. With the PMP Examination, there is no negative marking. For those that pass the examination, the PMP Certificate is delivered to them by regular mail in two months.

While PMP Certification immensely improves the career prospects for people in project management, it is a rather expensive certification to obtain. The examination alone costs $405 for people who are members of PMI and over $500 for people not registered with PMI. It therefore a wise idea to obtain PMI membership before sitting the examination as your annual membership fees will be only $119.

While PMI PMP certification is no guarantee of a high flying project management job, it surely does improve the marketability of an individual. Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of sitting and passing the examination is that you become conversant with some of the terminologies that are becoming frequently used in most working environments. Some of these terminologies and tools have been borrowed from the lingo of PMI. The fact that the examination is administered globally makes the person so certified marketable anywhere in the world.

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