PMP stands for Project Management Professional. PMP is the most popular globally recognized and respected certification for project management professionals. Following certification is globally offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI captures global best practices to deliver the project successfully.
Companies across the world are looking for professionals who are not only talented and experienced but also hold relevant professional certifications such as PMP.
PMP certification is based on PMBOK (Project Management Body of knowledge) According to PMBOK there are ten aspects of project management also known as knowledge areas,
- Stakeholder
- Procurement
- Integration
- Risk
- Cost
- Human Resource
- Scope
- Time
- Cost
- Quality
And PMBOK has five process groups
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
- Monitoring and Controlling
- Closing
Passing a PMP exam is not an easy task. A typical PMP certification training requires 35 hours of instructor training and 30-45 days of self-preparation.
PMP certification Prerequisite
PMP Prerequisites are
- A graduate degree of four year or Secondary degree or high school diploma associate degree or any global equivalent
- Leading and directing projects for 7500 hours (or 4,500 hours).
- Along with 3500 hours of compulsory project managerial experience
PMP APPLICATION PROCEDURE
PMP applications need to be submitted at pmi.org
Step 1: Application for PMP – Certification.pmi.org
Step 2: Pay the Examp Fee – 40 member fee or $505 non-member fee
Step 3: Authorization Email
Exam Pattern
PMP exam has 200 questions, of which only 175 are marked, and the remaining 25 are no mark questions. The duration of the exam is 4 hours, and it is a closed book exam. It is widely believed you need 61% minimum to pass this exam.
It is very important to choose the optimum PMP training and try to understand PMP content. After that practice, several types of PMP questions and enroll in PMP certification training. In training, you will go through different types of PMP questions that will make you more confident to sit for the PMP exam.
There are thousands of PMP sample resource on the internet. Before going to any website online, please check whether they are up to date based on the latest PMBOK changes.
Reason to get PMP Certification
Go for your dream job
One of the most highlighted reasons to go for PMP certification is that it is not restricted to any one industry or sector. It gives you the liberty to work for any industry of your choice. Hence chances to achieve your dream job will be increased to 100%.
Worldwide recognition
PMP certification is a platform which gives you a platform for global recognition. It changes your culture, demographics, and industries since PMP is proof that you can work anywhere in the world.
Learn fast and continuous
It trained you to learn continuously. Being a project manager will develop vivid knowledge and can be replaced by success sooner or later. IT will help you expand your expertise areas. After passing the PMP exam, you will become a PMI member, which will help you get more and more development opportunities.
Salary
PMP will efficiently boost your salary. The initial expected salary is USD 115,000 a year. Which will get better by time, and PMP certified earns up to 20% more than non-PMP?
Study guide to PMP Certification
Cracking the PMP exam is not an easy thing today. They require continuous practice and a lot of hard work, regardless of your education and experience. Don’t take PMP an easy deal because, in the past, people who have spent more than a decade with projects failed worse. Successful candidates who passed PMP had said, they spent 35 hours or more for preparation. So, make up your mind for long hours of preparation. Some best practices performed by toppers of PMP are,
PMP Examination online content
Go through PMP Examination online content. It is an essential document, and it is published by PMI. It shows questions as per the process area and lists down knowledge, tasks, and skills as per the PMI study.
formal study course
Enroll yourself in a formal study course offered by Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s). PMI approves R.E.P.s. It is famous for project management training. R.E.P.s. Hence it provides readymade PMP materials that are best for practicing examination of the PMP Certification. They also provide you quick formulae, terminologies and management concepts. Most of the courses offer you 35 contact hours.
Study plan
Prepare a full-time schedule of study plan that covers up all your important activities for PMP certification. Always remember to break your sessions of study into smaller chunks. And schedule your plan, which follows PMBOK, Studying various online materials, mock test practicing, etc.
PMBOK guide
Please be careful and only review the latest edition of the PMBOK guide and avoid previous versions. It is highly recommended going through the latest PMBOK. Open page 61, it has a table that connects 13 knowledge areas, five process groups along with 47 processes, and how they applied to project management, learn this table by heart. Also consider other training organizations, R.E.P.s, and PMBOK book guidelines.
Study mock test
Well-study mock test by hard, they make you ready for final exams. They teach you and fulfill gaps in project management training. Taking a mock test has many other benefits, such as it helps you identify the weak areas that you need to improve on.
Study group
The form study group is very helpful. Find people around you or local meetups who are studying for PMP; it breaks the monotony of studying alone. It will help you and you can help someone else too. Discussions between groups will help you grow confidence and motivates you. It will also remove laziness and force you to study regularly.
PMP Workshops
PMP Workshops for exam preparation is a good way to go if you prefer a classroom environment or need one-to-one interaction. Also, this way, you can meet another aspiring project management. Also, it fills up 35 hours requirement that’s important for PMP examination.
Make Flash Cards
Remembers flashcards in your childhood; they are tiny, cost-effective, portable, and super helpful. It is also available online but writing down is a more efficient way and immensely helpful for learning purposes.
Conclusion
PMP stands for Project Management Professional. It is a globally recognized certification for Project Managers. It is based on PMBOK, which has ten aspects of project management and five process groups. One must have a bachelor’s degree and project management leading a duration of 7500 or 4500 and 3500 hours of project managerial experience.
There are a few important steps to apply for PMP. Before giving an exam of PMP, please check if you follow the latest PMBOK.
You must be clear why you want to be certified as PMP, and then only this blog will study guide you for PMP certification.
Always go for online study and prepare yourself fully by mock-test. Also, make a study group so that other people can motivate you to study, and you can exchange ideas with them. Studying alone for PMP is not a healthy idea.
There are certain workshops, too, where you can meet other aspiring project managers that can guide you extensively.