Welcome to JayantKodwani.com, This post is dedicated to my PMP® certification Journey.  If you are preparing or thinking about PMP® certification, This post can help you answer questions like:

1. What is a PMP® certification?
2. Is there any worth of doing the same?
3. Am I eligible for PMP®?
4. How much does it cost?
5. How long does it take to prepare?
6. Is it very difficult to crack?

1. What is a PMP® certification?

PMP® stands for Project Management Professional. You might already know that this certification is provided by Project Management Institute USA. In a nutshell, PMP® certification syllabus is all about PMI’s project management methodology which had been captured in the bible called PMBOK. Having PMP® certification means you have studied this methodology in detail and demonstrated your learning by passing an exam (200 MCQ, 4 hours). It also means you have knowledge of important aspects of project cycle. PMP® certification makes you stand in bettter position than those who are not certified. I personally find the content and methodology well organized and sensible.

Having PMP® certification does not mean that only a PMP® can manage project effectively. It does not guarantee project success and your dream salary package. PMP® gives you the ammunition you need but how you utilize it is upto you only. It gives you knowledge and skill, however attitude is what makes each PMP® professional different.

2. Is there any worth of doing the same?

Undoubtedly Yes, Why companies make PMP® a hiring criteria? Simply they won’t have to put much effort in evaluating knowledge and skill. During the interview they just check the experience and attitude and should be able to shortlist candidate easily. The hiring managers who are already a PMP® understand very well what all effort and dedication is required for becoming a PMP® and do prefer and complement other PMP®’s. You may not use all the tools and techniques you learn, but I am 100% sure that directly or indirectly you are already implementing some part of it. Project management knowledge helps you in Professional as well as personal life.

3. Am I eligible for PMP® Exam?

Below is the eligibility criteria criteria grid for your ease. Most of the professionals will fall in Criteria 2.

• Degree Requirements: It might appear little complicated specially in Indian education system context, so let me clear the doubt, a 3 Year Degree/Bachelors course in India is what i meant by a 4 year global equivalent degree. So you are usually done with row #1 and left with 4500 hours of project management experience and 35 PDU’s or hours of education.

• PM Experience: As per PMI, the 4500 hours experience in leading and directing the project as identified with the tasks, knowledge, and skills specific in the Project Management
  Professional Examination Content Outline. You should have experience in all five process groups across all your project management experience submitted on the
  application. However, on a single project, you do not need to have experience in all five process groups.

To make things easy to understand, you would need to provide details like Project Name, Duration, Sponsor name, Sponsor email address, sponsor phone#, Description (what was your role in the project?), # of hours spent on each of the Project management process groups etc.

Below is a sample snippet from my PMP® application. If you are confident with providing these details for 4500 hours of Project management experience, then you are eligible for PMP®. Hope this will definitely help you.

• PDU or 35 hours of project management education: This is an easy part and nothing much too worry. This can be taken from REP training provider by paying training fee or can be gathered FREE by resources like Lynda.com, Projectmanagement.com etc. This is usually provided by REP’s in 4 days workshop which includes training materials. Attending these workshops is highly recommended but not mandatory.

4. How much does it cost?

Below is an approximate cost of PMP® training.

Training Fee:- Training Fee is paid to the training provider (generally a PMI approved REP). This includes 4 days workshop + training materials (slide handouts, mock tests, Books) + 35 PDU’s credit for eligibility. This training fee can vary based on the training provider.

If you already have resources available for study and PDU’s, like office provided access to Learning portals like http://www.Lynda.com and http://www.Projectmanagement.com, you can actually make the Training Fee minimal or even Free.

PMI Membership and Exam fees: This is a Fixed cost and is directly paid to PMI. It is always beneficial to become PMI member and then pay the Exam Fee

Apart from below, there are indirect costs as well. i.e. transportation cost to the training center and the exam center, applicable taxes as per your country rules (GST in India), Stationery etc.

*Amount calculated below are approximate basis $1 = 65.00 Rupees

5. How long does it take to prepare?

It generally takes 1-2 months depending upon your understanding and dedication. Having said that, it is not easy to focus on study when you are already a working professional and a family person. You had to compromise the time borrowed from your family and professional commitments. Be ready to return that time by celebrating your PMP® with your family. A family vacation after your PMP® exam is a perfect way to do the same and keeps you motivated as well. I am not including detailed study plan at this moment. It will be provided as a separate topic.

6. Is it very difficult to crack?

Honestly, I would break this question in 2 parts (a) Preparation (b) Exam

Here are the facts:

• Only 20% percent of candidates who attend PMP® 4 days workshop actually prepare and give the exam.
• Over 90% of candidates who give the PMP® exam actually pass it in first attempt.

So, you probably know the answer now. If you put your time, effort and dedication in preparing for the exam, you are surely going to find it easy in the exam. But if you lose your focus and not ready to dedicate time and effort, you will end up losing your money and most important your ambition.

So, How do you feel now? Is PMP® your cup of tea???

If you feel confident please go ahead and explore more information at PMI website and download PMP® Handbook and Exam Content Outline.

If you don’t meet the requirements for the PMP®, consider the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®.

Stay Tuned for my next post on “How to prepare for PMP exam?“, which will include study plans, references for books, tips and tricks etc.

If you have any questions please raise your query at the following and I will try my best to respond. HAVE A QUERY??

Disclaimer

“PMI®”, “PMBOK®”, “PMP®” and “PMI-ACP®” are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.