How to Become a PMP Certified in 2024? Step-By-Step Guide

The PMP is a well-known certification with more than a million holders globally and has been connected to numerous advantages for project managers. Here's everything you will need to know on How to become PMP Certified.  

Are you in charge of a project? Or perhaps you want to advance in the field of project management? Then you unquestionably require PMP! You've come to the perfect place if you are wondering how to ace the PMP exam on the first try! However, let us first understand PMP before responding to your query regarding how to get PMP certification.  

PMP Certification is a globally renowned, essential, and a highly pursued credential for Project Management professionals. The best method to advance your project management career is to earn a PMP certificate. With this certification, you'll be able to assume greater responsibilities at higher business levels. Your new credential will probably also result in a significant pay rise. 

LinkedIn ranks the PMP certification exam as the second-most tricky exam among all IT certifications. Even though the PMP test is challenging, you should know that it is inappropriate to compare one subject to another, particularly given the difficulty. You must pass this exam to earn the title of "Project Manager Professional," which is regarded as the industry's gold standard.  

Let us chart your course toward earning your Project Management Professional certification.

Table of Contents

1) What is PMP Certification?

2) A Step-By-Step Guide on How To Become PMP Certified

   a) Fulfill the Prerequisites for PMP Certification

   b) Join a project management training course

   c) Study the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide

   d) PMP Resources

   e) Participate in a face-to-face PMP Workshop

   f) Become a PMI Member

   g) Apply for the PMP Exam

   h) Take the PMP Exam

   i) Maintain your Certification

   j) Renewing your PMP Certification

3) Conclusion

What is PMP Certification? 

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, a widely respected project management credential, assesses a candidate's capability to supervise a professional project's people, procedures, and business prospects. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), which oversees the certification, there are over a million PMP practitioners worldwide. It is helpful to project managers in almost every area, including business, information technology (IT), architecture, and health.   

You must pass a certification exam and have the necessary experience to earn the certification.
 

Here are some essential details regarding the certification- 

A Step-By-Step guide on How to become PMP Certified

Let’s discuss the 10 steps of how one can become PMP certified.

1) Fulfil the Prerequisites for PMP Certification

To be eligible to take the PMP certification test, make sure you have the following qualifications- 

1) Add 60 months of project management work experience to your secondary education diploma from high school or associate degree. This experience must be obtained within the last five years of completion of your PMP certification application. Additionally, you must possess a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification or 35 contact hours of project management training from PMI-approved institutions. 

2) You should add 36 months of project management-related work experience if you have a four-year degree. A CAPM certification or 35 contact hours is further required. 

Choose to retake the exam after completing the necessary PMP job experience and contact experience if you do not meet these prerequisites. 

Want to learn the basics of Project Management? Check out our Project Management Office (PMO) Fundamentals course!

2) Join a project management training course

Getting a course with the best review is an investment in your future. You should not settle for some basic-level study guide, PMP study material or a podcast because that would not help you much. Unfortunately, many aspirants use the latter approach, thinking they can get away and clear the exam.  

But, it does not work. One always needs a course with a good rating, and it should fit ones and budget and learning style. This will result in studying quickly, retaining more information, and passing the exam on the first attempt.  

3) Study the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide

The PMBOK Guide is a primary reference handbook used for the PMP examination. The PMBOK guide gives correct answers for approximately 75 per cent of the PMP exam questions. Hence, it is to be noted that one must study the guidebook at least twice to know the in and out of the book.

4) PMP Resources

Although these additional sources may not be necessary, many PMP candidates find them useful for their preparation. You can decide whether to use these resources in your study preparation based on your preferred learning method.

a) PMP Flashcards - Available both in hardcopy and online, these cards have the concept or subject written on one side and the definition and justification on the other. They make it easier for you to remember any idea you have studied. It would be best if you created your flashcards and always carry them so that you can test your knowledge when you have free time.

b) PMP Podcasts - Both audio and video podcasts are accessible. PMP podcasts are available to you wherever you go. Some of these are so thorough that they fall within PMI's Category F ("distance learning") for PMP Examination courses and even offer 35 contact hours to qualify for the PMP exam.

c) PMP Formulas - For a quick review, you can utilise the PMP formula guides anywhere, anytime. It will aid in formula memory under stress during the actual exam.

d) Networking with PMPs - A notable change can be networking with other professionals with a PMP certification. You can speak with them to discover further what to learn and where to learn it from. They could also act as a mentor for you as you prepare. At the very least, you can ask PMPs how they handled the certification process.

e) PMP Online Forums - The internet has made it possible for today's online forums to host a wealth of knowledge, much of it freely available. In these forums, you can ask PMPs for advice or talk about how other students prepare for their PMP exams.

5) Participate in a face-to-face PMP Workshop

Globally, universities, colleges, PMI chapters, and training companies provide several face-to-face workshops in PMP, which last around two to six days. In addition to the course, some need self-study, whereas others don't. Some companies even offer a guarantee of passing, but you should not be lured into this belief. This is because the guarantee is given just for marketing, and their risk is low.  

An employer may also offer to pay for a workshop if you are lucky enough. If you can afford to pay for it by yourself, then look for a course offered by your local PMI Chapter because they are reasonably priced. The classroom training will help you understand the PMBOK Guidebook as much as the self-study course and books. The benefit of classroom training is having a trainer and several students. They will help you understand difficult sections like earned value or risk from the PMBOK Guide.

6) Become a PMI Member

Becoming a PMI member is not compulsory, but it is highly convenient and recommendable because being a PMI has a lot of advantages. One of them is that the exam costs are lower. Secondly, becoming a PMI member gives access to a large amount of material, including the last release of PMBOK, in the form of courses and events.

7) Apply for the PMP Exam

To start applying for the PMP exam, make a PMI account. Providing basic personal information like your school background and specifics of the projects you have worked on will be required. After being accepted, you'll pay the PMP exam cost and schedule an exam appointment.

Pay the PMP Exam Cost: The examination fee is £337 for PMI members and £462 for non-members as of 2022. A £10 one-time registration cost and a £129 annual PMI membership makes the exam slightly more affordable for members. 

Particularly compared to non-PMI members, you can get the PMP certification for a slightly cheaper fee if you are a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI). When you take the exam for the initial time, you must pay £345 if you are a PMI member and £473 if you are not. Additionally, you can retake the PMP exam three times annually at a reasonable cost. If a PMI member, the re-examination charge is £235; otherwise, it is £320. (If a non-PMI member).

8) Take the PMP Exam

The test can be performed online or in a testing facility close to you. It takes under four hours to finish the exam. Let us look at the features of the exam briefly.

A) What Does the PMP Exam Consist of?

Here is a summary of the aspects covered by the PMP certification exam as of June 2022.

1) Total Questions: 200 questions

2) Duration: 230 minutes (3 hours 50 minutes)

3) Two 10-minute breaks

4) Questions with a mix of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching, hotspot, and some fill-in-the-blanks

B) The questions fall into three categories-

1) People: 42% of the Exam- This component makes up a little less than half of the exam. It consists of questions on mentoring, resolving conflicts, assisting virtual teams, leading and creating teams, and others. 

2) Process: 50% of the Test- The process part assesses your comprehension of the steps required to complete the project end-to-end. The questions asked in the test can be based on scheduling, change management, fund management, and others.

3) Business: 8% of the Test- The exam's section on the business environment broadly covers the more business-related issues that project managers must deal with, such as compliance, creating value, and enabling organisational change. 

Predictive project management methods comprise around half of the content, while Agile or hybrid approaches comprise the other half.

C) Pass the PMP Examination

Once the payment is done from your end, you can set the examination date and location. The PMP certification exam is in one of Prometric's testing sites globally. On exam day, you will typically sit in a cubicle with access to things like a plain calculator, a blank sheet of paper, and a pencil. You should also note that you will be monitored continuously. The result as pass/fail will be shown immediately after the examination is completed, while the certificates will be issued a couple of weeks later.

Also, check out our blog to prepare the top PMP interview questions to ace your interview!

9) Maintain your certification

The validity of the PMP certification is only three years, and to get the certificate, you will have to invest 60 hours focusing on professional growth. If not, you can sign up to retake the exam.

Cost of maintaining the certification: Other than the initial expenses, the only cost you will need to maintain your PMP status is the necessity to gain 60 PDUs every three years. This cost can be reduced by participating in the activities of PMI, and for the free PMI members, there are exclusive courses which set an example of opportunities to achieve PDUs for free.

10) Renewing your PMP Certification

The PMP certification is valid for three years, although it can be renewed or maintained continually by earning 60 PDUs (PDUs). PDU is the hours you spend on approved project management tasks. If you are a PMI member, you need to pay £52; if you are not, you need to pay £128 for your PMP® Certification Renewal.

Kick-start your PMP preparation from here – sign up for the Introduction to Project Management course! 

Conclusion

Your career as a project management professional could improve  by earning  a PMP certification. You now have access to all the knowledge needed on how to become PMP certified.  

Start with attaining the PMP certification, and your career will prosper in the years to come. If you're ready to start, explore our PMP Training Courses today!