Get Your PMP® Certification!

"I passed!" Pete

You Can Do It!

Congratulations on starting your journey toward gaining the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification!  Certainly there is work ahead for you to attain this certification, but I can assure you that you will look back at this day with satisfaction that you invested the time and resources to make it happen.

You can do this!  This page is designed to help you take the next steps.

Starting with a Strong Why

So, why do you want to get your certification?  I've found that a strong why--a compelling motivation--can help fuel you for the work that is necessary to get certified.  Even if you are a highly seasoned project manager, you will need to invest time that you probably don't have using materials you likely don't own, keeping you from things you'd rather be doing!

So, what's your Why?

Maybe it's because you want to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack?  Sure, there are hundreds of thousands PMP's worldwide, but there are far more project managers that aren't certified.  Why not show you're one of the best?

Maybe it's because you want to show your current employer that you're passionate about developing into a more effective leader.  You're not satisfied with status quo--you want to be and do more.  This certification can send that message.

Maybe you want to prove to yourself that you can face a challenge like this and complete it.  It's very satisfying to set a goal like this and then deliver on it.  Many desire to do so.  Few do it.  Why not you?

Whatever your motivation, I suggest you treat this certification as a project.  Your Strong Why is like the Business Needs that drive the project.  You'll want to identify stakeholders that will be actively involved in helping you succeed. Consider us as one of those stakeholders! Brainstorm constraints, assumptions, and objectives.  Indeed, you are embarking on a project--one that you will look back at with pride for the rest of your career.

Steps to Prepare For Your PMP® Certification

Here are the major phases for your certification project:

• Preparation (reviewing requirements, getting the necessary education hours, etc.)

• Application (filling out the PMI application, submitting payment, and receiving approval.  My opinion: this is the most difficult part of the entire journey.  You have to document the required training and project hours in your application.  Read the handbook mentioned below, then force yourself to get started. I have a simple spreadsheet I used to document my hours that I would be glad to share with you. E-mail us if you'd like a copy.)

• Studying (using preparation materials to prepare for the examination. See below for recommended resources.)

• Examination (actually taking the test)

• Celebration! (You did it!)

I suggest you start with the Credential Handbook, which is available from PMI.  Click here to download it from their site.

In that handbook you will get a detailed overview of the requirements, process, and examination.  Let me know what questions you have after reviewing the handbook.

In addition, you might find it helpful to review PMI's FAQ regarding certification.

Recommended PMP® Certification Resources

Here are some examination preparation materials that I recommend:

PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam is one of the best prep books out there.  You might just learn some things about project management while you go through it, but you will definitely get the insights you need to pass the exam.  You'll find many other resources offered by the author to help you pass the examination.  If money isn't an issue, you might want to consider the exam simulation software (lists for around $300 USD). If you're serious about passing the exam, use the link on the right and get the book today.  I've yet to have a friend, client, or associate use this reference and not pass the test.

A must-have reference comes from PMI: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (also referred to as the PMBOK® Guide). If you join PMI (I recommend you do), you can get a discounted rate on the PMBOK® Guide, though you can typically get it less expensively at Amazon (see the link on the left).

The PMBOK® Guide doesn't read like a novel!  It's also not sufficient by itself to help you pass.  I know a good project manager that only used this document, reading and re-reading it multiple times, which would be enough to put the best of us to sleep.  Unfortunately, he didn't pass the examination.  You need this guide for reference but you'll need other prep material to supplement it.

I've heard good things about Andy Crowe's book: The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try.  Since I haven't used it personally, I can't give it as hardy of a recommendation, but I do suggest you at least look into the reviews on it from Amazon.

When it comes to getting the necessary training hours to qualify for taking the examination, I invite you to check out:

• The PMP Prep workshop offered by Systemation.  I've had the privilege to be part of Systemation's facilitation staff for years now.  They offer high quality, practical training, and their PMP Prep class will help you pass the exam.

• Our Real World Project Management workshop.  This popular PMI-based workshop is delivered in-house at organizations and qualifies you for 8 training hours.  This will not only help you and other project managers get hours toward certification, but it is also a great option for getting team members and stakeholders in other parts of the business up-to-speed with how project management can help you deliver.

Getting Started with Your PMP® Certification Process

In my opinion, the most difficult part of the entire process is right now:

Getting started.

Going through your project and training history to document the necessary hours is flat out not fun.  When you're tempted to just forget it, recall your Strong Why.  Remind yourself that, in the perspective of a career, this is short term pain for long term gain! 

Start telling people that you are pursuing it.  Giving public notice will build extra motivation to follow-up on it. 

How Much Will It Cost?

The computer-based exam currently costs $405 USD (if you're a member of PMI. Be ready to pay $555 if you're not). If you don't pass, it will cost PMI members another $275 USD (or $375 for non-members) to re-take it.

That's sufficient motivation for most of us to make sure we pass it the first time! See if your employer is willing to pay the exam costs.  Why pay for it yourself if your manager is able to do so?

You can spend under $100 for prep materials if you get one book, such as those recommended above. The cost for PMP Exam Prep classes, if you decide to take one, can vary widely among providers. If your company won't cover the cost, sometimes a less expensive option is to check your local community college to see what they offer.

I've heard good reviews on Rita Mulcahy's PM FASTrack® PMP® Exam Simulation Software, which typically goes for around $300.

The reality is you can spend thousands of dollars on prep classes and materials if you want. Diligently working through a good prep book and creating or joining a test prep group with one or more colleagues can save you a lot of money.

How Much Time Will It Take to Prepare?

There's no set time to prepare. Once your application is approved you decide how much time you want to prepare.  I choose a month, and during that time I went through my prep book about 3 times. I recently heard from a guy who I helped pass the exam. He decided to take longer, saying his preparation "was my life for the last 4 months outside of work."

The big message: be prepared to sacrifice time, most likely in the 1-3 months range. You don't want to "wing it."  You definitely want to show up knowing the material.

Some Test Tips

It's helpful to have a strategy going into the test.  My strategy could be summarized as:

• There's plenty of time--don't rush.

• Answer every question.  If you don't answer a question, it's guaranteed to be wrong!

• If you're not confident with your answer, make a note of the question number on the scratch paper that is provided.  If you're quite sure (for example) that answers B and C are not valid, note B and C with an X through them on your scratch paper. This allows you to not start the thinking from scratch when coming back to it.  Also, tell the exam system to mark the question for review, making it easier to find it later.

• After completing the exam, go back and review the marked questions.  My recommendation is to only override your previous guess if you are strongly confident it was wrong.  Otherwise I recommend you trust your initial gut feel.

You'll need to study because the questions can be tricky. There are often at least two reasonable answers for each multiple choice question.  Your prep material can provide some pointers on what PMI is looking for.

Don't panic when you come across a question that seems "out there."  Forget about them and move on. 

Remember: the examination is completely passable!  To successfully pass the current exam (this has changed periodically), you must correctly answer 106 questions out of the 175 scored questions (Wait! Aren't there 200 questions? They include 25 non-scored evaluation questions). 

The math: you only need to get 61% of the scored questions correct to pass. 

You can do this!

What questions do you have?    E-mail us or call us now at 847.550.0974.  We'd be glad to help you achieve this goal. 

One last tip: 41Things.com can help encourage your certification project. Tell the world you're going for it!  You'll also pickup good advice there.

Go get 'em!

"PMI and PMP" are trademarks, service marks or certification marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc., which is registered in the United States and other nations.