PMP certification eligibility criteria – do you know how to fulfill them? What are the main requirements for PMP certification? How to become an expert in project management? PMP is well-known certification that enable the professionals to increase their expertise in project management. The certification helps organizations to find the best professionals, who will perform and achieve great results. Is this form of training for you? Read the article to find out more.

PMP certification – table of contents:

  1. PMP certification eligibility criteria
  2. PMP certification – not for all
  3. Criteria for taking the exam
  4. Education and experience
  5. Why is it worth to get PMP certificate?
  6. PMP certification – summary

PMP certification eligibility criteria

What kind of project management certificate is best to persuade the recruitment team that the candidate has the best qualifications to perform his duties? What type of an exam you should pass to be able to call yourself a Project Manager? There is one answer to both questions: the PMP (Project Management Professional) certificate awarded by Project Management Institute. This American institution gathers specialists in project management among its members. The certificate is acknowledged and recognized all over the world, by all types of industries. How can one obtain it? Is it hard to gain this type of certification?

PMP certification – not for all

Taking an exam, that allows achievement of PMP certificate is not easy, as it looks like – even for a person, who is involved with project management during his everyday work. The candidates for the certification have to meet the specific requirements related to their education and work experience. Those standards are set by the organization. The PMP certificate is the oldest, the most popular and the most valuable at the job market. The education is seen as the proof that the candidate has the right theoretical background, while the experience shows that the candidate has acquired in the process of work all the necessary skills, that will allow him to manage project at the highest level.

See the requirements as they are presented in PMP Credential Handbook, which is available to be downloaded free on the website of the organization. The document shows comprehensively all the topics related to the certificate and the exam, that can rise your doubts.

Criteria for taking the exam

Do you have higher education diploma? You need to have at least Bachelors degree. When you have the degree, you can consider taking the exam, but you must prove that:

  • you have undertook 35 hours of project management study (cumulatively – there is no requirement that it has to be one continuous course)
  • you have 3500 hours of experience in project management

Practically, what is required, it is approximately 3 years (36 months) of employment as the project manager.

What if you have only high school education and have never been at the university? You still try your hands with the certificate. All you have to do is to prove that:

  • you have undertook 35 hours of project management study (cumulatively – the same way as in case of graduate candidates)
  • you have 7500 hours of experience as a leader or a project manager

This all means that if your have not graduated from university, PMI expect you to have 2 years of professional experience more (60 months). What is crucial is the fact, that in both situations the experience cannot cover the period longer than recent eight years.

Education and experience

To gain the required experience in project management will be a challenge (both in situation, when what is needed is 3500 of hour, and in situation of 7500 hours), but how to undergo the required 35 hours of study? The PMP certification authorized issuer can help you with this – all can be done withing the PMP academy, where intensive workshops are offered, that are run on the basis of the newest edition of Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). This well-known all over the world document is the basic text that describes how the projects should be managed (no matter the industry).

During the 5 day or 10 day course you will acquire both theoretical and practical knowledge from the best practitioners in the scope of project management, as well as the solid hints related to the PMP certification (for example, how the questions in the test look like). Alle the provided advice should help you with the preparation for the exam.

PMP certification

Why is it worth to get PMP certificate?

PMP certificate is the document that confirms that you have the right hard skills and soft skill in the scope of project management, what should increase your chances on the job market. Undoubtedly this should open the new career paths for you, hence you will be able to manage project in the country and abroad, generally everywhere where the discussed method is used. Moreover, the results of the study carried out by the Project Management Institute concerned on salaries, indicate that certification can help you to reach better earnings, what should be a fact of great importance.

PMP certification – summary

Before you make your decision about the PMP certification make sure that you fulfill all the presented above requirements. Undoubtedly, the possession of the certificate should increase your value on the job market, even if you are sure, that you can prove the right education and experience, try to enroll to the exam. Examination centers can be found all over the world. The acquisition of the certificate is just the beginning of the process, later you will have to be active in project management area to keep the certificate valid. The certificate is a must for all managers that wish to become involved in project management for good.

If you like our content, join our busy bees community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok.

PMP certification eligibility criteria caroline becker avatar 1background

Author: Caroline Becker

As a Project Manager, Caroline is an expert in finding new methods to design the best workflows and optimize processes. Her organizational skills and ability to work under time pressure make her the best person to turn complicated projects into reality.