Project Management Institute Certifications

Certification: PMI PMP - Project Management Professional

Certification overview

PMI is the world's most renowned Project Management Institute or school, which is accepted in more than 100 countries. This number increases every year, since project managers and companies and organizations in need of this type of workforce increasingly recognize the value of accredited project managers. According to some polls, PMP accredited professionals get job 58% faster than those who do not hold the accreditation. Additionally, having the PMI PMP certificate in your CV guarantees that you are capable of performing tasks such as initiating, leading and successfuly delivering the project in the best possible manner, internationally. This increases your chances of being employed worldwide as well.

PMP stands for Project Manager Professional. This certification was marked as the IT certification of year in 2006 and since then, the number of applicants has significantly increased. This is so since the employers recognize that PMP accredited workers are more risk-taking, organized and more experienced than non-holders. The reasons for this are numerous, starting from the rigid PMP exam questions, to strict trainings and prerequisites that the trainees have to fulfill prior to engaging to the certification programme.

Who should take this certification?

This certification programme is designed for the following categories:

• Project management related professionals
• Workers in project related field who wish to master their project intiating, leading and delivery skills
• IT professionals especially

Benefits

The benefits of holding the PMI PMP certificate will immediately strike the holder, since he/she will be more trusted on job interviews and more likely hired. Additionally, the certification is worldwide accepted, which increases the chances of going international. The salary may increase, as well as the amount of work. Regardless of the financial issues, the examinee will earn significant experience during the training process.

Associated exams

The exam associated with PMI PMP certification is marked as PMP examination. This exam is the only prerequisite for obtaining the certificate.

Prerequisites

In order to take the PMP exam, trainee has to take the PMP course. In order to enroll into a course, the trainee can be holder of:

• Highschool diploma
• Bachelor degree

If the trainee holds only highschool diploma, he or she has to have the following conditions fulfilled:

• 5 years of experience in project management
• 7 500 hours of work in the field
• Applied for 35 hours of PMP course

If the trainee has a Bachelor degree, the conditions are as follows:

• 3 years of experience in project management
• 4 500 hours of work in the field
• Applied for 35 hours of PMP course

Exam overview

The project management is famous for the five stages of project management, which are:

• initiating
• planning
• executing
• controlling and monitoring
• closing of the project

The PMP exam questions are also divided according to the above mentioned phases. Each phase accounts for different number of questions on the exam:

• 13% - the initialization of the project
• 24% - planning of the project
• 30% - the project execution
• 25% - controlling and monitoring of the project
• 8% - the project closure

PMP exam prep questions can be found on the official PMI PMP webpage. Practicing pmp exam sample questions is a very useful way of exam preparation. Sample pmp exam questions are usually very similar to those the examinee will actually get on the exam.

Validity of certification

Professional development units are also internationally recognized points which are assigned to professionals who get certifications with condition of recertification or renewal. PMI PMP certificate holder must gather at least 60 PDUs within 3 years from obtaining the certification in order to be recertified.

Expert review

Getting the PMI PMP certification changed my professional life. I used to work in an IT company, on project development position and I had lots of issues in my work which I could not assign to lack of knowledge. Later, I heard of the PMI and their certifications. I took the PMP training and exam. The true benefits of taking this certification do not lay only in getting certified and recognized by the potential employers, but in the fact that, through the training, you get answers to many questions that bothered you in practice up to that point in time. I realized that I lacked project management skills up to then. I started applying them in my job and now, 8 years after, I own my own company. I cordially advise all my employees to take this examination, since it will change their lives. And mine!

Joe Brighton

Corporative IT, CEO, Boston