9 Steps To Becoming a PMP® Certified Professional

The growing complexity of industrial challenges has led to a crisis of human resources who can meet the demands of projects across the globe. PMP® certification offered by PMI is designed on rigorous standards and ongoing research to enable you to meet the real-world challenges of organisations.

Project Management Professional Certification is the gold standard of project management certification which is developed by practitioners for practitioners. If you are getting curious about how can a certification help you to be in demand for various organisations across all industries, then you have picked the right spot to clear your doubts. Our PMP certification courses make it simple for you to obtain your PMP® certification.

Become a PMP® Certified Professional in 9 steps

If you are planning to take up the PMP® certification exam soon then the following 9 steps will surely help you to plan your schedules to clear the exam at the first attempt: 

Know more about importance of project charter.

Step 1 - Begin with the PMP® Handbook 

The PMP® Handbook is a guide to all your queries about the procedures for applying and taking the exam. It consists of all the information that you need about the process of taking the PMP Exam and become a PMP® certified project manager. 

Step 2 - Fulfill the prerequisites to become a PMI certified project manager

You must fulfill the following educational and experience requirements in order to take the PMP® exam:

• If you have a high school diploma, an associate degree, or the global equivalent of these, then you must hold a minimum of 60 months of unique, non-overlapping project management experience. Moreover, you should have spent at least 7,500 hours of these 60 months in leading and directing project tasks.
• If you have a bachelors or its equivalent in your country then you must possess a minimum of 36 months of non-overlapping and unique project management experience of which you must have spent 4,500 hours in directing and leading project tasks.
• You must also show 35 contact hours of project management training in both cases.

Step 3 - Become a Member of your local PMI Chapter 

Once you get a PMI membership, you realise that the discount is bigger than the membership fee. Apart from the free PDF version of PMBOK® Guide and discount on PMP® Exam, you stay updated with information related to PMP Prep Workshops once you become a PMI member.

Moreover, you also get an opportunity to network and interact with the new and seasoned PMPs which increases your chance to clear your exam at the first go.

Step 4 - It’s time to sign up for your PMP Exam

I am sure, you will agree that exam preparations work better when there’s a deadline. Start with your PMP application procedure by visiting project management institute to register and then filling up your PMP Credential Application. You need to submit the same to PMI for approval. Once you receive your confirmation number, you can schedule your exam on the Prometric website.

Step 5 - Study the PMBOK® Guide

Once you start preparing for your PMP® certification exam, you can use PMBOK® Guide as your primary reference. According to most trainers, one can find the correct answer for around 75% of the PMP® exam questions in the PMBOK® Guide. So, you must treat it as a resource and read it thoroughly.

Step 6 - Get study materials for self-study

As mentioned above, PMBOK® guide will give you a rough knowledge about the answers for your PMP® certification exam. So, apparently, you will have to use other study materials to cover up the gap. You can download the same from the internet

In addition to self-study, you may also consider enrolling in top PMP Bootcamps to further enhance your knowledge and skills. You can also try the self-study courses like PM PrepCast which will also help you to earn a certificate for the PMI-required 35 contact hours which you can’t earn by reading books.

Step 7 - Attend a PMP® Workshop

PMP® workshops for 2 to 6 days are conducted by PMI Chapters, universities, and training companies around the world. These workshops give you an opportunity to interact with the instructors and other students to help you clear your queries about the PMP® certification exam.

Step 8 - Answer Sample PMP® Exam questions

There are numerous free sample questions which are available on the internet and you can use the same to check your learning curve. You should also keep a track of your scores to see where you are.

Step 9 - Take the exam

After all the hard work, it’s time for you to appear for your PMP® certification exam. Don’t skip the short tutorial on how to use the computer and the software at the beginning of the exam to avoid a blunder.

PMP®  Certification: Why should you get one?

‘Professionals with a PMP® certification garner a higher salary (20% higher on average) than those without a PMP® certification’; Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey Ninth Edition. Well, this statement might have answered one of your major queries. Having this PMI certification under your belt helps you to land up in any industry, anywhere in the world, and enable you to work with any project management methodology.    

So, if you meet the following eligibility requirements as an experienced project manager then you should go ahead with adding this certification to your collar:

• Responsible for all aspects of the project for the life of the project and perform duties under general supervision.
• Deliver projects within the constraints of resources, schedule, and budgets by leading and directing cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrate sufficient experience and knowledge to appropriately apply a methodology to projects that have reasonably well-defined project deliverables and requirements.

The PMP® certification enables you to understand and speak the global language of project management and connects you to a community of experts, organisations, and professionals worldwide to become a project hero.

The Misconception About PMP® Certification Cost 

A common misconception prevails among all the PMP® aspirants about the PMP® Certification cost that it only consists of the exam fee. But least does anybody thinks about the other costs involved in it. The PMP® exam fee for the members and non-members of PMI are $405 and $555 respectively. Then other factors responsible for the cost of PMP® Certification are as follows:

• Online training cost for PMP® certification
• PMP® classroom training
• PMI membership fee and joining fee
• PMI membership renewal fee
• PMP® Certification Exam fee
• PMBOK Handbook cost for non-members
• Cost of study guides and resources
• Cost of practice tests
• Renewal cost of PMP® certification

Online and classroom training for PMP® certification: 

It gets very tricky when it comes to clearing your PMP certification exam at the first attempt. So, to be at a safer side you can choose between online or PMP classroom training from any leading training provider in the market.

The features and costs of these training might vary for every training provider. Also, this gives you the opportunity to meet the 35 hours of training requirement which you need to qualify for your PMP® certification exam.

PMI Membership fee and joining fee: 

You need to pay a processing fee of $10 along with a membership fee to the PMI chapter to avail the PMI membership. Now, did you know that you can bring down your fee for PMP® certification exam, Re-examination, and CCR certification renewal by becoming a PMI member?

Other than this, you can get free access to PMBOK® Guide, save money on globally recognized certifications and more, master new skills through free events and webinars, stay ahead of deadlines using 1,000+ free tools and templates, and make local as well as global connections.

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Cost of learning resources and PMBOK®: 

As soon as you get a PMI membership, you get access to a free version of the latest version of PMBOK® which a foundation standard for project management developed by Project Management Institute. Other than that, you require additional materials to for your PMP training online which costs you between $40 to $100.

You can also buy practice tests for $60 to $100 which will give you a fair idea about the test format for PMP® certification.

Renewal cost of PMP® certification:

Once you get a PMP® certification, that’s not the end. Your credentials are valid for only three years and you need to renew it after that. You can renew your certification by paying $150 which can be brought down to $60 by getting a PMI membership.

Maintain your PMP® certification with 60 PDUs

Getting PMP® certified is not the end of your journey, as it is only valid for 3 years. You need to maintain your PMP® certification by earning 60 PDUs to fulfill the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR).

You can earn these PDUs by engaging yourself with various professional development activities which center around the areas of Education and Giving back to the Profession. You can also earn your 60 PDUs at one go by signing up for a 60 PDU bundle online training program offered by an established Registered Educational Provider.

Looking to advance your project management career? Our project management certification coaching will guide you to mastery in the field. Enroll today and elevate your career to new heights!

The way beyond PMP® Certification

Getting a PMP® certification opens your door towards a promising career. A PMP certified professional earns 20% more than a non-PMP certified professional. The following list consists of the country-wise industries along with the average salary earned by the Project Managers:

Country	Industry	Average PMP Salary
Australia	Agriculture/Mining	$166,000
Australia	Financial services and Consulting industry	$150,000
United States	Pharmaceuticals	$125,000
United States	Agriculture/Mining, Consulting	$120,000
Canada	Agriculture/Mining	$115,000
Canada	Utilities	$110,000
India	Agriculture/Mining, Healthcare	$25,278
India	Telecommunication, Engineering	$23,874

Salary of a Project Manager: Certified Vs Non-Certified

Getting a PMP® certification apparently contributes towards increasing your annual earning. A non-certified Project Manager may earn up to $91,000 whereas, this figure can go up to $111,000 by adding a PMP® certification to your collar. However, even work experience contributes to an increase in salary for a PMP® certified professional but this growth is not uniform across the globe. Singapore tops the list where the difference between a three-year experienced and a twenty-year experienced PMP® certified professional is 177%.

Your salary can also vary based on the type of job you are in. The salary of a PMP® certified professional is higher in IT. The following figures show the salary of  PMP® certified professionals by job in the United States:

Job	Salary Range
Project Manager  (Information Technology)	$65,161 to $125,836
ProjectManager (General)	$57,877 to $122,485
Program Manager	$68,150 to $139,552

Further, the size of the company also plays a key role in determining the salary of a PMP® certified professional. The following table will give you a clear idea of how the salary figures increase with the company size:

Company Size	Salary Range
1-9	$94,724
50-199	$93,614
600-1999	$103,697
>5000	$111,620

Conclusion

If you wish to grow in the field of Project Management, then getting a PMP® Certification is the best way to do that. Also, you can avail a lot of discounts and networking opportunities by becoming a PMI member. Further, it gives you access to the free PDF version of the latest PMBOK® Guide.  

To conclude, this blog gives you a clear idea of how to begin your PMP® certification journey. Moreover, you also get a glimpse of the professional future which lies ahead of PMP® certification.