PMP Examination Preparation Information – Learn how to Turn out to be a PMP Licensed Challenge Supervisor

Whether or not you’re already a challenge supervisor otherwise you need to turn out to be one, getting the PMP certification is an effective transfer. On this article, we’ll go over what the certification is and the way, why, the place, and when to get it. Let’s get began!

What’s a PMP Certification?

The PMP certification by PMI is a challenge administration certificates – therefore the acronym PMP, which stands for Challenge Administration Skilled. It’s the main challenge administration credential on this planet. Actually, many firms and organizations think about it the gold commonplace.

So what precisely does the PMP certification do? Nicely, it helps challenge leaders work smarter by educating them mushy expertise (like good communication), technical expertise (like workflows and processes), and enterprise expertise (like the connection between tasks and organizational technique). It additionally teaches challenge leaders three key methodological approaches to challenge administration: predictive (waterfall), agile, and hybrid.

The PMP credential is designed by challenge professionals for challenge professionals, to assist improve their work and advance their careers.

What’s PMI in Challenge Administration?

At this level, you might be questioning what PMI stands for. PMI stands for Challenge Administration Institute. It’s a US-based nonprofit group based in 1969 with practically 700,000 world members and over 300 native chapters. It’s by far the highest affiliation for challenge administration on this planet, and for good cause:

The PMI has so much to supply to its members and to the challenge administration neighborhood as an entire, together with globally acknowledged requirements, certifications, on-line programs, thought management, instruments, digital publications, communities, and extra. Right here’s a more in-depth take a look at what PMI presents:

• Eight certifications. These embrace the PMP, the Licensed Affiliate in Challenge Administration (CAPM), the PMI Skilled in Enterprise Evaluation (PMI-PBA), the Program Administration Skilled (PgMP), the Portfolio Administration Skilled (PfMP), the PMI Threat Administration Skilled (PMI-RMP), the PMI Scheduling Skilled (PMI-SP), and the PMI Challenge Administration Prepared.
• International requirements. The PMI supplies world requirements for challenge administration in enterprise and authorities. These requirements are developed by volunteers who’re specialists within the discipline and supply a standard language for challenge administration professionals.
• Over 300 native chapters. The PMI has over 300 native chapters throughout 80 international locations. Every chapter is led by volunteers and presents many networking occasions and studying alternatives for challenge administration professionals.
• Coaching and training. The PMI presents challenge administration coaching through digital occasions, on-line programs, in-person seminars, and approved coaching companions for persevering with improvement. In whole, PMI has educated over 2.9 million challenge administration professionals in practically each nation. As well as, the PMI International Accreditation Middle for Challenge Administration Schooling Applications (GAC) has acknowledged virtually 100 diploma packages worldwide.
• Thought management. The PMI is a number one voice in challenge administration worldwide. It runs a yearly Thought Management collection and an annual analysis challenge referred to as the Pulse of the Career, which focuses on present trade developments.
• Tutorial analysis. The PMI has a analysis program that goals to advance the science, follow, and occupation of challenge administration. It does this by working analysis tasks, symposiums, and surveys and sharing its findings in publications and dealing periods.

As you possibly can see, PMI is advancing the sphere of challenge administration in some ways. For (aspiring) challenge managers, it’s vital useful resource.

What’s the proper time to get a PMP Certification?

Should you’re contemplating getting the PMP certification from PMI, you might be questioning what one of the best time to do it’s. The reply is it relies upon. Ideally, you need to get the PMP certification when the next is true:

• You’ve got sufficient time to organize. After making use of to the PMI, getting your PMP certification normally takes round 8 to 12 weeks.
• The PMP examination hasn’t been up to date not too long ago, so that you don’t need to be taught new materials.
• You’ve got the wanted work expertise. To qualify for the PMP certification, you need to have three years of expertise in main tasks.
• You’ve accomplished the wanted challenge administration coaching. To certify, it’s worthwhile to full 35 hours of challenge administration training/coaching or the CAPM certification.
• Your organization chooses to put money into your profession improvement by providing to pay for the PMP certification, enroll you in a preparation course, and offer you time to check for the PMP examination. In case your employer really values its workers, it is going to do that.
• You might be scoring effectively on follow exams (over 75% is right), so you’ve got an excellent probability of passing the PMP examination.

Should you examine all of the containers above, it is likely to be an excellent time to use for the PMP certification. However solely do it should you’re assured. Should you take the PMP examination on the fallacious time and fail, you’ll have to retake it.

You may retake the PMP examination twice inside the year-long eligibility interval, however you need to register and pay the applying payment once more. So it’s finest to cross the primary time by getting ready effectively upfront and solely making use of for the PMP certification when you’re prepared.

Learn how to get a PMP Certification

Now let’s go over how precisely you get the PMP certification. First, you need to meet some eligibility necessities. These embrace having a four-year diploma, 35 hours of challenge administration training/coaching or CAPM Certification, and three years (36 months) of expertise main tasks.

Should you don’t have a four-year diploma, you need to have a highschool diploma or an affiliate’s diploma (or a worldwide equal), 35 hours of challenge administration training/coaching or CAPM Certification, and 5 years of expertise main tasks. Remember that for a number of work experiences to rely individually, they need to not overlap.

Should you meet all these eligibility necessities, collect the required paperwork to show such. Your expertise paperwork ought to present the place you’ve labored, your position and duties, and the period of the tasks. Your coaching paperwork ought to present the establishments you attended, the programs you accomplished, and what number of qualifying hours you gathered.

At this level, you’re prepared to use for the PMP certification. To do this, you’ll first have to create a web based PMI account (except you have already got one). You then’ll have to add the paperwork exhibiting you fulfill the eligibility necessities and register for the PMP examination.

Registering for the PMP examination prices $555 or $405 for current PMI members. As soon as accepted, you possibly can schedule to take the examination at a Pearson VUE testing website positioned close to you or on-line whereas being monitored by a web based proctor.

The PMP examination itself has 180 questions (175 scored and 5 unscored questions), which embrace multiple-choice, matching, scorching space, restricted fill-in-the-blank, and multiple-response questions. The questions cowl three principal domains:

• Folks (42% of questions)
• Course of (50% of questions)
• Enterprise Setting (8% of questions)

The PMP examination questions additionally mirror completely different approaches to challenge administration:

• Predictive (waterfall) – This technique focuses on detailed challenge planning and predicting the long run to anticipate dangers.
• Agile – This technique focuses on breaking the challenge into a number of phases, encouraging fixed collaboration amongst stakeholders, and adapting and enhancing the challenge because it goes alongside.
• Hybrid – This technique combines the predictive and agile (and presumably extra) strategies. It depends on cautious planning and flexibility.

You’ve got 230 minutes to finish the examination, throughout which you get two 10-minute breaks if it’s the computer-based model (paper-based exams haven’t any scheduled breaks). You additionally get a further 5 to fifteen minutes for an non-compulsory tutorial earlier than the examination and an non-compulsory survey afterward.

After you have completed the PMP examination, you can be notified immediately whether or not or not you’ve got handed. Should you cross, you’ll get a bodily PMP certificates within the mail inside two to 4 weeks. Inside two weeks, the PMP registry may also replace your standing as a PMP certificates holder.

Should you don’t cross the PMP examination, you possibly can retake it as much as thrice inside your one-year eligibility interval. Should you nonetheless don’t cross after three retakes or your eligibility interval expires, you need to reapply for the PMP certification (and wait one yr out of your final retake to take the PMP examination once more).

Lastly, to maintain your PMP certification lively, you need to preserve 60 Skilled Growth Items (PDUs) over a 3-year cycle. PDUs are one-hour blocks of time spent studying, educating others, or volunteering for all issues challenge administration. Then after three years, you need to renew your PMP certification by paying a recertification payment ($60 for PMI members and $150 for nonmembers).

And that’s it! Getting the PMP certification might sound like so much, nevertheless it’s effectively price it.

Can we require expertise for a PMP Certification?

The PMP certification does have a piece expertise requirement. Nevertheless it varies relying in your state of affairs. Let’s break it down:

Should you maintain a four-year school diploma, PMI requires that you’ve got a complete of a minimum of 4,500 hours of labor expertise throughout a three-year interval. However should you don’t maintain a four-year diploma, you need to have a minimum of 7,500 hours of labor expertise throughout a five-year interval. So your work expertise should meet a selected quantity and period requirement relying in your instructional standing.

So what precisely counts as work expertise? Initially, any work expertise that’s over eight years previous (from the time of your PMP utility) gained’t rely. In any other case, something that falls beneath the next 5 PMI challenge administration course of phases will:

• Initiation (when the challenge is launched)
• Planning (when the challenge’s scope is outlined)
• Execution (when the challenge formally begins)
• Monitoring and controlling (when the progress of the challenge is tracked, reviewed, and assessed)
• Closing (when the challenge is accomplished and the consumer approves it)

You probably have expertise throughout any of the above 5 challenge administration phases, it could rely towards your PMP certification. Consider your expertise from jobs, volunteering, and aspect tasks. Should you don’t fairly have the hours, begin logging your work expertise and having your boss log out on it so you possibly can maintain an correct report.

With regards to verifying work expertise, the PMI isn’t overly strict. Nonetheless, you should be truthful and correct. The PMI runs common audits to confirm work expertise claims, so that you don’t need to be caught fudging numbers in any manner, or you might be disqualified from ever getting the PMP certificates. 

Should you do all that, you’ll accumulate the required work expertise very quickly!

Is it helpful to check PMP as an Entrepreneur?

As an entrepreneur, you might marvel if finding out the PMP can be helpful. The brief reply is sure. Challenge administration has many functions for entrepreneurship. Let’s go over them in additional element:

Initially, beginning a enterprise is a sort of challenge. It requires making a plan, constructing relationships, speaking the plan to different stakeholders, problem-solving and analytical expertise, and managing scope, price, and danger. None of this comes straightforward.

Actually, in line with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 20% of recent companies fail through the first two years, 45% fail through the first 5 years, and 65% fail through the first 10 years. Solely 25% of recent companies make it to fifteen years or extra.

However challenge administration expertise (like those you be taught from incomes a PMP certificates) might help you achieve higher management and confidence as an entrepreneur. Listed below are some PMI challenge administration frameworks that may come in useful:

• Scope administration – Challenge administration entails figuring out obstacles to beginning a enterprise, defining options, delegating duties, documenting challenge execution and milestones, evaluating and forecasting scope modifications, and growing strategies for challenge intervention.
• Efficient execution – Challenge administration requires efficient execution. This entails efficient time administration, scheduling, and estimating timelines.
• Useful resource administration – Challenge administration entails ensuring you meet targets inside time and budgetary constraints. This requires budgeting, current worth analysis, cost-benefit evaluation, cost-schedule and forecasting, sensitivity evaluation, and useful resource accounting.
• Threat administration – Challenge administration entails danger administration. It teaches you reduce danger by way of avoidance, discount, transference, sharing, and retaining.

As you possibly can see, entrepreneurship and challenge administration go hand in hand. So getting the PMP certification is a good way to spice up any new enterprise.

PMP Programs – Discover, Examine, and Assessment

Earlier than taking the PMP examination, think about enrolling in a PMP examination preparation course. It’s not required, however it is going to dramatically enhance your probabilities of passing the examination. The true query is, which PMP examination prep course is finest?

The reply relies on your schedule, price range, and studying type. Most PMP examination preparation programs are provided by third-party distributors, so every is a bit completely different in its strategy. Listed below are our suggestions for the highest PMP examination prep programs at the moment in the marketplace:

• Readynez PMI: PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMP) course – This course is a five-day instructor-led course provided on-line for two,490 Euro or in a classroom setting for 3,790 Euro. Each variations embrace instructor-led coaching, all course supplies, and a certification assure. The classroom course additionally supplies lodging and all meals. So should you plan to take the PMP examination quickly, this course is a good way to organize!
• PMP Certification Coaching Course by Simplilearn – For $999, this on-line boot camp presents 20 hours of video lectures, over 1,400 follow questions, eight follow exams, 90-day versatile entry to all course materials, and a 100% money-back assure.
• The Full PMP Certification Course by ExamsPM – It is a six-week boot camp with over 1,500 examination questions and on-demand video lectures that may be downloaded. Should you don’t cross the PMP examination inside six weeks, you’ll get a full refund. The course additionally counts towards 35 PMI contact hours and 30 skilled improvement models (PDUs).
• PMP Examination Prep and PMP Coaching Course by PM PrepCast – This course is available in three tiers: a Fundamental model for $279, an Elite model for $349, and an Elite PLUS model for $389. The Elite and Elite PLUS variations embrace over 2,280 examination pattern questions, over 2,000 examine questions, and 90-day entry to a PMP examination simulator. Should you don’t prefer it, you will get your a reimbursement inside 90 days, no questions requested.
• PMP Certification Coaching Course by Dooey – This course prices $677 for the self-paced model and $875 for the dwell on-line model. Each embrace 4 examination simulations and over 700 follow questions. The dwell model additionally consists of common conferences with the teacher.
• PMP Certification Coaching by GreyCampus – This boot camp course is on the market over 4 or 10 days, on-line or in particular person. Every teacher has 10 years of expertise in challenge administration. You get 24/7 buyer assist, 30-day entry to the teacher helpline, 12-month entry to all supplies, and a 100% money-back assure should you don’t cross the PMP examination in your first strive (granted you are taking the examination inside 14 days of finishing the course, full the complete course, pay enrollment charges, and cross two mock exams with a rating of a minimum of 75%).

Examine and distinction the above PMP examination preparation programs and discover one which most accurately fits you. Should you’re critical about passing the PMP examination, enrolling in a getting ready course is one funding you gained’t remorse.

PMP Certification Preparation

Examination preparation programs aren’t the one method to put together for the PMP examination. Right here’s a full checklist of what you need to do to begin getting ready at the moment:

• Set a deadline. Earlier than you do something, set a date for if you need to take the PMP examination. This offers you a goal to purpose for. Additionally, remember to share your purpose with others for assist and to maintain you accountable. For instance, inform mates, household, and even your boss. Should you’re fortunate, they could even offer you time to check at work.
• Create a examine plan. After you have a time-frame to work with, it’s time to create a examine plan that integrates along with your work and household obligations. Determine home windows in your schedule when you possibly can examine. Then break up the examination materials into manageable chunks and unfold it evenly throughout your out there examine time. A superb go-to reference e book for a lot of what the examination covers could be present in PMI’s flagship Challenge Administration Physique of Information (PMBOK) Information.
• Take a course. Some individuals do higher in a category setting than they do finding out on their very own. If this sounds such as you, try completely different on-line or in-person programs which have dwell instructors.
• Be a part of a examine group. Research teams offer you friends that may be a supply of motivation and assist as you put together for the PMP examination. You could find them by way of your native PMI chapter, PMI’s Challenge Administration Insitute group on LinkedIn, com, and different locations on-line. Even should you don’t find yourself utilizing it a lot, being a part of a examine group might help you when you’ve got occasional questions you possibly can’t discover the reply to.
• Take follow exams. Along with finding out, you need to take loads of follow exams. This offers you a really feel for the way the precise examination will go. Give your self the allotted 230-minute time restrict and attempt to maintain your self to all of the official examination guidelines and pointers. You could find many free and paid follow exams on-line or as a part of prep programs.
• Develop good test-taking expertise. A significant a part of how effectively you do on the PMP examination relies on your test-taking expertise. Learn to learn questions rigorously, tempo your self, skip questions you’re uncertain about and return to them later, and use the method of elimination. Should you’re undecided what the correct reply is, begin by eliminating the choices are fallacious. This can allow you to slender down your selections. If all else fails, guess. There’s no penalty for guessing fallacious on the PMP examination, so that you may as effectively strive. In spite of everything, you’ve got a 25% probability of guessing proper!
• Come ready on examination day. Earlier than the day of the examination, ensure you go to the testing middle to familiarize your self with get there (should you’re taking it in particular person). Get an excellent evening’s relaxation the evening earlier than and have an excellent breakfast that morning. Then arrive on the testing middle half-hour early to offer your self a pleasant security cushion. Additionally, ensure you carry a authorities ID so the proctors can confirm your identification. It must be legitimate and embrace your photograph and signature. Don’t fear about bringing a calculator, scratch paper, or a pencil. These things might be supplied for you.

Should you comply with all of the steps above, your probabilities of passing the PMP examination are a lot increased. So don’t underestimate the ability of adopting a number of examination preparation strategies.

How a lot does a PMP Certification price?

Earlier than you resolve to get the PMP certification, you need to know precisely how a lot it is going to price. That manner, what you’re getting your self into and whether or not the funding is price it to you or not. Right here’s an in depth breakdown of the varied prices to think about:

The PMP examination itself prices $555 except you’re already a PMI member, through which case the examination solely prices $405. That mentioned, you additionally want to think about the time funding. Should you don’t have already got the required work expertise, you’ll want to accumulate anyplace from 4,500 to 7,500 hours of challenge administration expertise, relying in your increased training standing.

To take care of your PMP certification, you need to full 60 skilled improvement unit (PDU) hours each three years. Plus, you need to pay a PMP certification renewal payment ($60 for PMI members and $150 for nonmembers) each three years.

If you wish to turn out to be a PMI member, it’ll price $129 per yr plus a one-time $10 utility payment. In alternate, you’ll get to get pleasure from many member perks, like unique content material, occasions, instruments, templates, and a replica of the PMBOK Information. It will possibly positively be definitely worth the funding, particularly should you plan to get any of PMI’s different seven certificates.

On the finish of the day, getting your PMP certification might put you again about $2,400 to $2,500. However your long-term features could possibly be rather more. PMP certificates holders can count on to extend their wage by as much as 25% within the US and rather more in different international locations. Meaning you can also make up for the PMP certification price very quickly.

Benefits of getting PMP Licensed?

Getting a PMP certification can profit your profession in some ways. Should you’re nonetheless on the sting about whether or not or not it’s for you, listed here are some benefits you possibly can stay up for:

• Acquire world recognition. The PMP certification is acknowledged worldwide and throughout many industries. CIO journal ranked it as the highest challenge administration certification in North America, and it’s arguably the highest one on this planet. Many employers search for it in job candidates. So you possibly can put it in your résumé to face aside from the competitors.
• Develop your profession alternatives. The demand for PMPs is rising. By 2027, the challenge administration labor pressure is predicted to develop by 33% (or practically 22 million new jobs), and employers might want to fill practically 88 million challenge administration roles. That is nice information for PMPs trying to develop their profession.
• Develop your skilled community. Changing into a PMP offers you entry to the PMI community, which has practically 700,000 PMI members and over 300 native PMI chapters throughout the globe. The individuals you meet at occasions and trainings will open up new profession alternatives you wouldn’t have in any other case.
• Grasp helpful expertise. One of many principal advantages of getting the PMP certification is that it demonstrates your information and expertise. These embrace expertise in communication, management, group, staff administration, useful resource administration, problem-solving, battle decision, time administration, and extra. The examination and all of the work expertise required to earn the PMP certificates present that you’re a true skilled.
• Be taught to work smarter. Getting PMP licensed will train you to make higher enterprise selections, preserve trade finest practices, and apply predictive, agile, and hybrid rules. This can add loads of worth to no matter enterprise or group you’re employed for.
• Enhance your wage. Incomes the PMP certificates will allow you to earn extra. Within the US, challenge professionals with the PMP certificates have a median wage that’s 25% increased than the wage of these with out it. Plus, your wage solely goes up with time. Those that’ve held the PMP certificates for 1 to five years have a median wage of $103,727. Those that’ve held it for five to 10 years have a median wage of $120,000. And people who’ve held it for 10 to twenty years have a median wage of $130,000.
• Exhibit your dedication to the sphere. Getting the PMP certificates is not any straightforward process. You should meet strict necessities and cross a troublesome examination. However by doing it, you exhibit your dedication to the trade and you understand how to talk the language of challenge administration so you possibly can higher collaborate with others within the discipline.

No doubt, getting the PMP certificates has many profession advantages. There’s no higher method to supercharge your challenge administration expertise and advance your profession on the similar time.

2023 Assessment of Challenge Administration Skilled (PMP)

The final time the PMP examination was up to date was in January 2021. Till it modifications once more, you possibly can count on the examination to cowl three principal domains: Folks (42% of examination), Course of (50% of examination), and Enterprise Setting (8% of examination).

Every area incorporates underlying duties that you’re anticipated to satisfy as a (future) challenge supervisor. Right here’s the complete checklist of area duties so what it takes to turn out to be a PMP:

Area 1 (Folks) duties

Handle battle.

• Lead a staff.
• Assist staff efficiency.
• Empower staff members and stakeholders.
• Guarantee staff members/stakeholders are adequately educated.
• Construct a staff.
• Tackle and take away impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the staff.
• Negotiate challenge agreements.
• Collaborate with stakeholders.
• Construct shared understanding.
• Interact and assist digital groups.
• Outline staff floor guidelines.
• Mentor related stakeholders.
• Promote staff efficiency by way of the applying of emotional intelligence.

Area 2 (Course of) duties

Execute tasks with the urgency required to ship enterprise worth.

• Handle communications.
• Assess and handle dangers.
• Interact stakeholders.
• Plan and handle price range and assets.
• Plan and handle schedule.
• Plan and handle the standard of merchandise/deliverables.
• Plan and handle scope.
• Combine challenge planning actions.
• Handle challenge modifications.
• Plan and handle procurement.
• Handle challenge artifacts.
• Decide applicable challenge methodology/strategies and practices.
• Set up challenge governance construction.
• Handle challenge points.
• Guarantee information switch for challenge continuity.
• Plan and handle challenge/section closure or transitions.

Area 3 (Enterprise Setting) duties

Plan and handle challenge compliance.

• Consider and ship challenge advantages and worth.
• Consider and deal with exterior enterprise setting modifications for impression on scope.
• Assist organizational change.

To be taught extra particulars about every area process, overview the Challenge Administration Skilled (PMP) Examination Content material Define.

Incomes a PMP certificates will not be straightforward. However should you put your thoughts to it, it’s positively attainable. Enroll in a PMP examination prep course just like the one by Readynez at the moment to take your challenge administration profession to the subsequent degree! We’re blissful to discover your choices with you, simply contact us for a dialog.