PMP Exam Eligibility

With this being a short workweek and the need for my attention on rewriting one of my class lecture sets for online delivery, I thought this might be a good week to have a short discussion on PMP Exam eligibility. In fact, I'll post a synopsis of this with every PMP Challenge Question. I see a need to address this since I've been asked several times recently and also found people were searching this blog for the information.

The requirements are really quite simple:

- Have 35 hours of Project Management training. For those who have learned "on the job", many PMI Chapters offer PMP Exam review classes which have at least 35 contact hours to help you meet this criteria.
- With a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent: Have a minimum three years’ professional project management experience, during which 4,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, within an 8-year period.
- Without a Bachelor's Degree, the hours are increased to 7,500.

Perhaps more daunting than the exam itself is the application. You will have to create a detailed resume showing the experience project-by-project. Each entry requires a reference contact. In general, the steps to take are:

1. Join PMI and your local PMI Chapter (this will save you money and provide important resources for assistance).
2. Fill out the detailed online application and pay the (reduced for member) fees.
3. Take the 200 question multiple choice test at a Prometric testing center.

You will know your status as soon as you pass the exam and upon passing will automatically be added to the online registry of PMPs. Prospective employers and clients have access to this registry to verify your certification.

If you require further assistance with certification, please leave a comment or drop me a line at sdcapmp@aol.com.