PMP certification requirement 2021

What is the PMP?

The Project Management Professional (PMP) is a certification administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMP exam consists of 180 questions and it validates Project Management on these skills.

Since this is the most recognized and valuable certification in the project management industry worldwide, candidates have to meet several strict PMP certification requirements to sit for the exam. Therefore, before you apply for the PMP exam, you must ensure that you meet all the PMP certification requirements.

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PMP certification requirement

PMP certification eligibility is based on 3 prerequisites as listed below:

A four-year degree
At least 36 months leading projects
35 hours of PM education/training or CAPM® Certification

Or if you do not hold a four-year bachelor’s degree:

An HS diploma or an associate’s degree or equivalent
60 months leading projects
35 hours of PM education/training or CAPM® Certification

PMP eligibility Quick References:

PMP eligibility requirement	Secondary Degree	4-year Degree
Hours Leading and Directing Projects	7500 hours	4500 hours
Hours of Project Management Education	35 hours	35 hours

Project Management Education

A Project Manager must have high skills in reading, writing, preparing reports, making plans, and obtaining new concepts to correctly make beneficial decisions. The educational requirements for PMP certification can be either a high school degree (or any associate’s degree and global equivalent) or a four-year bachelor’s degree (or global equivalent).

Hours Leading and Directing Projects

A Project Manager takes responsibility for successfully initiating a project. They must also be accountable for the planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling, as well as the closure of a project. A PMP must thoroughly understand the responsibility and perform managerial and leadership skills.

To meet the requirements of PMP certification, a secondary degree holder is required to have at least 7,500 hours spent leading and directing projects. A 4-year degree holder must have more than 4,500 hours in leading and directing projects.

You should know that the PM experience should be gained in the last eight continuous years. They must also have lots of experience in all domains of the project, from beginning to closing.

Training

Getting a PMP certification is such a hard challenge. In addition to 35 hours of project management education, and Leading and Directing Projects, candidates also must pass the PMP certification with at least 60PDUs. This type of training can be achieved from a PMI registered education provider (REP) or non-REPs.

Why the PMP?

While obtaining a PMP certification can be expensive, complicated, time and effort required, it demonstrates the specific skills that employers seek, excellent dedication, and the ability to perform at the highest levels. Obtaining a PMP certification brings you a certain level of prestige and higher opportunities to achieve better jobs with higher salaries. In Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, Ninth Edition, indicates that “PMP certification holders earn 20 percent more than their non-certified peers.”

Moreover, there are more and more employers asking their project managers to have PMP certification or give hiring preference in PMPs. Research indicates this can help their firms become more competitive, effective, and meet their final goals. A PMI’s Pulse of the Profession 2015 research shows that if an organization has at least one-third of PMs that are PMP certified, a higher number of projects are done on time, within budget, and scope.

PMP certification costs

When taking the PMP certification exam, candidates have to pay for a few exam costs. And if you become a PMI member, you’ll save more in the long run — especially in case you are about to maintain and renew your PMP certification on an ongoing basis.

So what is the PMP certification annual fee? The PMP exam costs are $405 for those who are PMI (Project Management Institute) members and $555 for a non-membership. Although the fee may seem expensive, this is an open door to a new stage in your career.

You can take a quick look at the following table about PMP certification exam costs for both PMI members and non-PMI members:

Cost	PMI Member	Non-member
PMI Membership fee	$139 ($129/year and $10 application fee)	n/a
PMP Exam Fee	$405	$555
PMP Re-Exam Fee	$275	$375
Certification Renewal Fee	$60	$150

Apply for PMP Certification

Register to become a PMI member

First, we recommend you register to become a PMI member. You will have to pay $139 for membership, but it will save you money on exam fees as well as the maintenance cost. As mentioned above, if you are a non-member, you must pay the standard non-member price to take the exam of $555. Meanwhile, the PMI membership price for the exam is only $405.

Confirm You’re Eligible for the PMP certification requirement

If you have a four-year degree, you’ll need at least 36 months of experience leading projects and you have to spend 35 hours of project management training.

If you got a high school diploma or an associate’s degree, you are required to have at least 60 months of experience leading projects and spend 35 hours of project management training.

Gather Your information

You have to demonstrate the documents of your experience and training by gathering information about:

Projects you’ve led
Where you’ve worked
Your role and responsibilities
Duration of projects

Training/course you’ve completed

Institutions attended
Courses completed
Qualifying hours

Dive into the Application

You’ll need a pmi.org account to start the process. Prepare all the information and documents mentioned above so you can sail through the application.

Payment

Your application will be reviewed and responded to within 5 business days. After your application is reviewed and you’re qualified to move forward, you’ll have to pay an exam fee. It’s $555 for the non-member and $405 for a PMI member. Once you are approved to take the exam, you can choose your exam time and testing center.

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