PMP Certification: Discover How To Obtain PMP Certification Here!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PMP Certification

Hello, I'm Craig. If you are looking at becoming a certified Project Management Professional, then you are in the right place.

I, myself, have attained PMP Certification in December of 2006, and have a wealth of knowledge to share with you on how exactly to attain your own PMP Certification.

PMP Certification is distributed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and I believe that it is quite a simple process to obtain your own PMP Certification.

Read below for a lot more detailed information that I have put together about PMP Certification.
 
     

PMP Certification:  The Most Coveted Certification
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The globally-accepted Project Management Program or PMP certification assures prospective employers or your current employer that you have the skill and the knowledge to handle major management assignments.

So how do you get your certification?  
Investing in Your Career

The PMP certification is recognized worldwide as the best guarantee of proficiency level in varied disciplines.  Meaning, holders of this certification have a full grasp of management concepts.  A course can cost as much as $3,000 but this is worth every penny of your investment because once you have your certification, you can get better paying jobs.  Holders of this certification can earn as much as $140,000 or $90,000 as project coordinators, project managers, project administrators, or project consultants. 

Where to Get PMP Training

The project management professional courses are offered by the Project Management Institute.  In your locality, check out the PMI chapters for their activities. It makes sense to sign for PMI membership to get a discounted price on the PMBOK, a very important guide to the PMP examination and the best reference material for PMI guidelines.   As a member, you are also entitled to a discounted examination fee.  Non-members have to shell out as much as $555 while members only have to pay $405. 

These local chapters also provide courses leading to your desired PMP certification. It is all a matter of personal choice and convenience.  If you learn better in a classroom environment, by all means sign up for classes but if you want flexibility of schedule or if you learn better if you have control over your own learning pace, online courses are for you.

Basic Requirements      
 
Not everyone can easily qualify for a PMP certification.  For those who have a Bachelor's degree, they must present proof that they have spent at least 4,500 hours as project managers, project administrator or director.  If you have been involved in all the five project processes - initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and control, and closing - you have the basic requirements to be accepted for a course of your preference.

If you do not have a bachelor's degree, it is important that you have documentation proving you have spent 7,500 as a professional project leader and that must cover the past eight years.  If at this point, you still lack the numbers, try to accumulate these points before qualifying for a PMP course. 

The Course

You have to complete the 35 contact hours for your PMP training course.  During the training, whether it is in a traditional classroom setting or at home via the online courses offered, the course administrators require you to pass a simulated examination after finishing one module of the course.  Since there are varied topics, it pays to pay close attention to your lessons.

The training will further hone your skills in project planning, project scheduling, budgeting and controlling costs, managing different teams, performance reporting and documentation, and project analysis, and improve your present proficiency in the five project processes.

The Exam

When your application for the exam is approved, you receive further instructions from PMI.  This is the time to schedule your exams so it is to your advantage if you plan your exam date in advance.  You can take the exam three times during the year and the reexamination fee cost $150.  It will take also take another year before you can reapply.  So for your PMP certification exam, choose the best training center.     
 

 

 
 

Be a Project Manager's Manager with a PMP Certification
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Is your career in the doldrums? Sure you are a project manager, but are you getting the right pay and better projects? 

If you are not, then you need a PMP certification to boost your flagging career.

The Project Manager and a PMP Certification

Anyone can be a project manager but not anyone can be a project manager's manager.  If you have started out with small projects and gained the knack for handling a project team you'll be handling more projects in the future. Fine.  But if you hear that there are those who do the same job but get a bigger paycheck, then there must be something missing.  You are missing out on the advantages a PMP certification gives to its holders.  So why settle for less if you can ace that PMP exam?

The certification is a guarantee that you have grasped the different aspects associated with project management.  There are different certification courses tailor-fitted for different fields. A mining engineer's certification would differ from a certification needed by engineers and construction managers but these certifications are grounded on the same principles in project management.

If you have a PMP certification, the boss or prospective employers can measure your project management abilities to figure out how best suited you are to their organization and how much you deserve in pay.  
What it takes

The level of your expertise plus your academic credentials has a say on your promotion as a certified project manager.  With a college diploma you need only three years or 4500 project management hours.  However this is not written in stone.  Those who took two-years community college courses can get the PMP certification but will have to present a documentation of 7500 hours spent on project management.  

Basically, the course is a tool for a career move or transition and the experience you need may take three to ten years to achieve.  As a fresh college graduate, you are not immediately given the responsibility of managing a project but in due time after you have proven yourself reliable management can consider you to work with a management team.   
 
When you have the required number of hours, you become eligible to take the project management professional course.  The course covers several knowledge areas and practice exams are given to prepare you for the actual examination. After passing the exam, the PMI grants the PMP certification, which is shows your training level in project management.  
     
The Exam

PMA certification exams are computer-based examinations held in designation examination centers.  Examinees go through four-hour 400 multiple choice exam.  Hence, it is very important that you understand the underpinnings in project management.   The exam simulates situations needing management input and you have to choose the right answer for the given situation.

To prepare for this, pay close attention to the course and the evaluation of your performance given by the course provider or your personal coach. 

Should you fail to pass the exam, you are given two more chances to retake the exam but for each removal, you have to pay a fee.  Or if you are not prepared to take the next exam, you can apply for another examination after a year.

But once you have your PMP certification, you have all the chances to be a project manager's manager in the near future.

 
 
     
 
 
     

Preparing for Your PMP Certification Exam
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School is over and you have your college diploma yet to your dismay you still have to hit the books if you want to grab career opportunities in project management.

The project management professional or PMP certification exam is one test to hurdle to get better paying jobs in any part of the world.    

So, Are You Ready?

Before you take the PMP certification exam, take hold of your PMP handbook.  This handbook contains all the information you need before taking the exam.  Browse the handbook's section on eligibility, examination information, policies and procedures, credential terms of use, and credential application forms.  All these information are strictly in line with the PMI requirements and knowing what to do prepare you for the big day.

PMP training providers usually do the tedious process of enlisting you for the PMP certification examination and this gives you more time to review the lessons you have taken up. All you have to do on part is to pay the PMP certification exam fee and show up during the big day at the local PMI testing centers.  

From day one, since you have decided to enlist in a PMP training course, collect all the documents needed.  You cannot afford to be running around looking for missing documents or doing those last minute document compliance when you need more time to go over your notes and books; especially along the areas you need more improvement.  

Practical Examination Tips

The examinations are held daily and for those who are eyeing a date, it is best to choose an exam date between the two weeks after your training course.  This would provide you ample time for review and complete exam requirements. At this point too, the lessons are still fresh in your mind.   
    
Don't take those course exams for granted.  These would give you the idea of the actual 4-hour exam with 400 multiple choice questions.  Of course, the question wouldn't be 100% identical to the PMI exam.  Yet, if you manage to bat 90% in your review exams, your chances of passing the exam on the first try increases.  

Choosing the nearest the examination site and visiting the area prior to the exam will give you an idea how long it would take you to get there and knowing where your exam room eliminates the worry of getting lost and wasting precious time looking for the venue. 

Hone your computer skills.  Asking tips from your course provider can also help you manage your computerized PMP certification exam.  Don't take the chance that you can hurdle the computer if you are uncomfortable with your basic computing skills. It won't work.

Before the Exam

Everyone panics before an exam, even the best of them; don't let the jitters get you.  Focus on your review and give more time to the subjects that need your attention and try to relax.  A good work out will be good for you - it sharpens the mind and keeps you focused.  It also helps to relax a day before the exam.

Instead of burning that midnight oil, get a good sleep.   You should know; after those grueling exams in school, you know by now that sleep is a potent mind refresher. A PMP certification exam is no different; so loosen up before the big day.  So, are you ready?

 
 

PMP Certification:  The Best Career Investment  
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Career opportunities can pass you by if you are not ready for it.  If you are new to your job and tasked to handle project inception and planning, grab it fast and be sure you document the activities you work up and the time you spend on it. 

This will be the start of your journey towards a highly-prized PMP certification.

The Value of a PMP Certification

With inflation a certainty, you cannot stay forever in that job and receive the same pay check for years.  As your responsibility broadens in scope, you learn the tricks of the trade and deserve a better chance at earning bigger pay or getting hired by a big name company that pays well. So what has to be done to prove that you have mastered project management in the course 7 years?  A project management professional or PMP certification will give you all the chances to get a better paying job and the recognition and respect of your peers.
        
This certification is also recognized around the world yet you don't have to travel far and wide to get this PMI accredited certification.  Right in your locality, there are PMI accredited training centers that provide the required 35 hours contact prior to the PMI certification exam, which is also available in your area. 

Of course, a PMP training course is not cheap; but if you consider this as a career investment, every cent you spend on the training and the examination fee is worth all the trouble.  Once you pass the PMP certification exam, doors to opportunities will open like a charm to let you in - towards better paying jobs in any part of the globe.  For starters, a PMP education or training can cost as much as $3,150 and higher and there's the grueling study hours to master the practice exams. 
       
What You Learn

The PMP training course covers a range a project process that will enhance your skills along the following: project planning, project scheduling, project budgeting, project team management, performance reporting and documentation, and project analysis.

All these activities are already familiar to you as project team leader but you are going to give your acquired skill the professional veneer with added knowledge from accredited PMP training.  The course also hones your evaluation and analytical skills, which are prized by companies with projects world-wide.  With a PMP certification, you become the expert with a bigger income. 

Where to Take a PMP Course

The course is offered world-wide. You can easily sign up for a course online complete with lectures and exams, and if you have a question a quick private call to your instructor solves the problem.  No you are not lumped in a chat room, you have a private instructor who will go through the paces with you or guide you through the 1,500 possible questions that may be asked at the computer-based exam at the examination centers.    

Before taking the PMP certification course, check out the requirements.  If you qualify, sign up for an online training course or get yourself into a classroom environment in the nearest training center.  Master all the lessons before you decide you are ready for an exam.  Exams are held everyday so there's no hurry.  You have all the time in the world to prepare for your exam but there is no time like now to invest in your career.