Project Management Professional certification (PMP) is a globally recognized certification managed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The primary purpose of PMP certification to access and accredit established individuals who have acquired enough experience in project management. This is according to the PMP Examination Specification guide published by PMI in 2005. Since inception, PMP certification has grown to become widely accepted and is considered a standard certification for mid-level to highly experienced individuals in Project Management. Although, PMP certification is mostly associated with Project Managers, project team members who are able to scale through the eligibility requirements set by the Project Management Institute may also attain PMP certification provided they pass the examination.

Attaining the Project Management Professional certificate allows you to add the “.pmp” suffix at the end of your names. This is on the provision that you are able to show the Project Management Institute some evidence of your project managing experience. PMI has also made provision for employers who would like to verify their employees PMP status on the PMI Website.

Eligibility Requirements

The PMP experience and examination requirements focus on five process groups. These are Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling and Closing. Any candidate wishing to gain PMP certification must have undergone high school education and at least have a high school diploma.) Eligibility requirements for high school diploma holders and University (B.Sc) Degree holders somewhat differ. Candidates with high school diplomas must have gathered up to 7,500 hours of project managing experience over a period of 60 months within the past 8 years. This is in addition to having received over 35 hours of education in Project Management by any PMI acknowledged centers. Candidates possessing a bachelor’s degree only require 4,500 hours or 36 months of project management experience.  For candidates who do not meet the eligibility requirements for PMP, the Project Management Institute established another certification known as Certified Associate for Project Management.

Examination

Candidates must gain approval from the Project Management Institute before sitting for the PMP certification examination. The examination consists of 200 multiple-choice questions to be answered within 4 hours. Of the 200 questions, 25 are said to be dummy questions and do not count towards the final score of a candidate. These dummy questions remain hidden to a candidate during the examination. Out of 175 questions (200 minus the 25 dummy questions), a candidate has to answer 106 questions correctly in order to pass the exam. Candidates are able to write the examination at any Prometric testing centers nearest them. To write the examination, non-PMI member have to pay an examination fee of $555while current PMI members pay $405.

Recertification

PMP certification conferred on a candidate is valid for 3 years only. This 3-year validation is under condition that PMP holders must accumulate 60 Professional Development Units (PDU) or lose their accreditation. The Professional Management Institute (PMI) recently announced a new plan that will replace what was formerly in place. Under this new scheme, which will take-off as from Aug 2008, current and future PMP holders will be assigned expiry dates corresponding to the date they wrote the certification exam.