Next up in my blog series on certifications, I cover how to get through the rigorous PMP® application process. It’s not the most laborious application I have experienced before (the CBAP® beats the PMP® hands down), but it’s also not the simplest, either.
Pre-requisites
Before you can even complete the application, you first need to have some things under your belt, which are:
- A secondary (high school or equivalent) diploma or a post-secondary degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, etc.)
- 35 Contact Units of project management education – these can be courses you took online, an in-person boot camp, PMI content and webinars on their website or PMIStandards+, attendance at PMI Chapter meetings, etc. Most people get their employer to sponsor a course that provides the necessary number of contact units. But, if you’re not so lucky, there are several low-cost alternatives on sites such as LinkedIn Learning or Udemy.
- The required amount of project management experience, which is dependent on your level of education (36 months if you have a degree, 60 if you do not)
Once you have met these requirements, then you can begin filling out the application.
The PMP® Application
The application is (fortunately) online. It’s a straightforward set of forms to fill out. The first section covers education and the second covers experience.
Education
Academic
Academic education is your high school or other educational degree conferred. Please note that you may only include your most recently earned academic credential. You must include:
- Your level of education
- When you attended the school
- The country of the educational institution
- The name of the school
- Your academic field of study
Professional
For professional education, you can add as many different courses as you want. PMI requests that you start with the most recent (but I don’t think it makes a difference what order you enter them in). For each course, you will need to provide:
- Course Title
- Provider Name
- Course Dates (in months, not specific days)
- Number of qualifying contact hours
Hopefully, you either took one course that fulfills all the requirements, or you kept a list, and you can enter that information from there. If you didn’t keep track of your classes, this could be an arduous and time-consuming task. So, if you haven’t earned the hours yet, my advice is to start a spreadsheet and record every contact hour. You won’t be able to finish the application until you have all 35 hours.
Side note: what is the difference between a Contact Hour and a Professional Development Unit (PDU). My answer: not much. Contact Hours can be a little bit easier to obtain, as it doesn’t appear that you must earn them through an authorized training provider. However, with PDUs, which you must achieve to maintain your certification once you have it, the requirements are a bit higher to get credit for a PDU.
Only enter enough education until you meet the 35-hour requirement (the system won’t let you enter more than that, anyway). There is a visual counter that you can watch as you enter each professional education item. Once you hit 35, the button to continue your application journey will magically become enabled.
Experience
Like your academic education, you need to document all your project experiences for the last 36 months (if you have a degree) or 60 months (if you don’t). For each project you worked on, you will need to provide:
- Project Title
- Organization
- Job Title
- Functional Reporting Area
- Organization Primary Focus
- Approach/Methodology
- Project Team Size
- Project Budget
- Project Dates (again, in months, not specific dates)
- Project Description (high-level, recommend between 200-500 words) including:
- Project Objective
- Outcome
- Your Role on the Project
- Your Responsibilities and Deliverables
You can save as many experiences as are necessary to meet the months of experiences needed.
Audits
Yes, the PMI does like to ensure that its exam is well-respected, and that means they do random audits on certification applications. Getting audited is highly unlikely, but it could happen to you. You shouldn’t make things up or lie on your application. It’s best to keep a folder (virtual or physical) that has all your certificates of completion or proof that you participated in an event. Just provide that information when audited, and you should be fine. It might take a while longer before you can take the exam, but it keeps the certification trusted.
Exam Details
The last step of the application process is to confirm your information and select an exam location. You may edit your basic information at this point if something is wrong. Be sure to verify that the “Name on Certificate” is the name you want to use. If necessary, you can request special accommodations is have a disability.
Before completing your application, you must agree to PMI’s Terms and Agreements and affirm that all the data you provided is complete and accurate.
It usually takes a few business days to process your application, so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear anything back right away. You also check the PMI’s website to check the status if you want to do that manually. That’s how I learned I was approved for the PMI-ACP® exam.
Once Approved
Once you’re approved, you can then pay for and schedule your exam. I’m not there yet, so I can’t tell you what you may experience. I will cover that topic in a separate blog once I get to that step of the process.
Final Thoughts
The application for this certification is almost half the battle, but don’t let that discourage you. If you meet the requirements, have the documentation, and take the time to do it, you can complete your PMP® application successfully.
Now, it’s your turn! If you have this designation, how hard did you find the application process to be? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!