PMP Certification Requirements

1. 1. PMP Certification Eligibility Criteria
2. 2. PMP Certification Application Process
1. A. PMP Application Submission
2. B. PMP Application Fees
3. C. PMP Application Audit Process
4. D. Approval & Eligibility Period
3. 3. PMP Examination Process

Ensuring you meet the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification requirements is the first step to becoming PMP certified. PMP eligibility is based on combined requirements of academic education, project management experience, and project management professional training. Once you have satisfied the eligibility criteria, you can submit your application online via PMI’s online portal. A small percentage of applications will be put through a random auditing process, more information about this below. After approval, you can take your PMP exam from the comfort of your home as an online proctored test (OPT) or at your nearest PearsonVUE testing center as an in-person proctored exam. Whether you take it at home or in a test center, the computer based exam allows you to receive your score immediately. Upon passing, you are approved to use the PMP credential for 3 years. During this time must earn 60 professional development units (PDUs) to maintain your PMP status for an additional 3 years.

For complete eligibility documentation, please review the PMP certification requirements within the Project Management Professional (PMP) Handbook.

PMP Certification Eligibility Criteria

* A secondary degree is defined as a high school diploma, associate's degree, or global equivalent.

Requirement Details

Academic Education

• Indicate whether you have secondary diploma or a four-year degree. You will need the name of the institution, the year you graduated, and your major.

Project Management Experience

• The experience must be leading or directing projects that are non-overlapping, cumulative across all process groups or using agile or hybrid principles and within the last 8 years to be counted on the PMI PMP application. Refer to the above table for full experience requirements.

Project Management Education

• You will need to show 35 contact hours of project management education, preferably covering the complete project delivery spectrum which spans the waterfall, hybrid, and agile methodologies. Traditional methodologies involve initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. As a PMI Premier Authorized Training Partner (PMI-APT), PMTI plans ahead for our students and provides an inclusive online course so you qualify for this requirement even prior to attending the live class.

Tip: It is incredibly important that you do not falsify any of the information in your application. PMI has a random audit process which requires anyone being audited to present evidence to validate all information submitted with their application. Falsifying application documentation will result banishment from all future attempts to obtain any PMI certification. Since the pandemic has started, PMI has suspended most of the audits.

To simplify the entire process of PMP application, you can optionally use the PMTI PMP Application Exam Prep Tool after you register for one of PMTI’s PMP Exam Prep classes to help facilitate your application documentation. You may also optionally try out our PMP Eligibility Assessment calculator.

PMP Certification Application Process

PMP Application Fees

For more information on the complete value of being a PMI member, see our PMP Certification Guide.

PMP Application Audit Process

Is PMI conducting audits during the Pandemic?

No. Although there is no official statement from PMI, our experience since May 2020 shows no one was asked to send hard-copy version of evidence of work or project. However, PMI is conducting "soft audits" which involves PMI reviewing the project descriptions more thoroughly and seeking clarificatin if the descriptions are confusing.

Why Does PMI Audit PMP Applications?

In order to maintain the integrity of the PMP certification and enhance the credibility of PMP Certification holders, PMI routinely conducts random audits of a certain percentage the PMP exam applications. Although PMI does not publish what percentage gets audited, our 18 years of experience shows about one in four or five of the applications get audited.

Approval & Eligibility Period

It generally takes PMI^® 5 business days to review your application and respond. Once your application is approved you will receive an invitation to pay for and schedule the exam. You will schedule your exam with PearsonVUE at PearsonVUE.com. You will have one year to take the exam after your application has been approved and may take the exam up to three (3) times during the eligibility period.

PMP Examination Process

Scheduling the Exam

Once you have been approved to take the PMP certification exam, you will need to schedule, take, and pass the test at your home as a Online Proctored Exam or in a PearsonVUE test center near you. You can find a complete list of testing locations on the PearsonVUE website. You will need the testing code PMI has provided you to successfully schedule your exam.

Take the PMP Exam

The PMP Exam is taken at your home or at your nearest PearsonVUE test center and is a 180 question test with a 230 minute time limit. The questions are broken down into 3 process domains; People (42%), Process (50%), and Business Management (8%). The test includes two optional breaks of 10 minutes each at the end of 60 questions and 120 questions mark. These 10 minute breaks are not counted into the exam time.

Because of the computer based exam, you will receive your score immediately.

Did I Pass the PMP Exam?

PMP exam provides instant results at the end of the test. Be patient and wait for the test to score after you submit it. If your test results show that you received a target or above target score in the entire exam, congratulations! You are now a PMP! Remember, you may score below target in one or more domains and still pass the exam.

When can I start using my PMP credential?

You may use the PMP credential immediately for the next 3 years!

How do I maintain my PMP certification?

During the three years after you obtained your PMP credential, you must earn 60 additional Professional Development Units (PDUs) to maintain your certification. To learn more about earning or reporting PDUs refer to PMI's Continuing Certification Requirements Program documentation.

I Failed my PMP, Now What?

The PMP certification exam is a very difficult exam and non-passing scores are no need for alarm. If you have failed an attempt it is extremely important not to get discouraged. You have 3 attempts per year to pass the PMP certification exam. Here are some simple next steps you can take to get ready for your next attempt.

If you are a PMTI student, simply let PMTI know and we will assist you with preparations to retake the test. With the PMTI guarantee backed by our dedicated instructors, our retake study plan aligned with PMI Authorized Training Provider content, and our online learning tools, you can feel confident you will be ready before your next test. After following your customized study plan, you simply need to schedule your 2nd PMP exam attempt through PearsonVUE. The PMTI money-back guarantee also provides you 90 days of support following your course to pass one of your three attempts or receive credit. Refer to the money-back guarantee for more info.

If you are not a PMTI student, you should take your PMI exam report and note the areas where you scored "Below Target" or "Need Improvement". Re-read the PMBOK^® Guide, Agile Practice guide, and other relevant resources, paying particular attention to the domain areas you noted. When you feel you are ready, you can re-schedule your exam with PearsonVUE.

The fee to retake the test is $275 for PMI members and $375 for non-members. Please visit the PMTI guarantee for details.