Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Application

Before one can take the PMP exam, one needs to apply for it.  The applicant needs to meet the requirements stipulated by Project Management Institute (PMI).

According to http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/Project-Management-Professional-PMP.aspx, I must meet all the following requirements.

1. A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent).
2. At least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects.
3. 35 hours of project management education.

Out of the 3 requirements, I would say that requirement 2 is the hardest and to amass all the information requires a bit of effort and time.  It took me a while to dig out all my project documents and also found a few Excel templates which I used to document down the project management tasks and hours I spent on each project.  It is very important to be truthful in documenting the project management experience.  After completing filling up the project management experience requirements, shows them to my boss and make sure he agreed to what I have put down.

As for requirements 1 and 3, they are covered by my Master course and the Software Project Management module I took in my Master course.  I actually made a genuine mistake in filling up the number of hours for my project management education.  I would suggest getting the actual number of hours from the institute/school/university to avoid the mistake.

Within 5 business days, I received an email informing me that my PMP application has been accepted.  The next step stated in the email is to make the payment before I can schedule for the exam.  I proceeded to make the payment and received a “surprise” message.  I was selected for audit.  It didn’t really feel good at first as it means more effort and time for the application to go through.  However, I fully understand that PMI needs to upkeep the integrity of the certification.

For the audit process, I need to prove all the requirements stated in my application.  For requirement 1, I provided my Master degree certificate and transcript.  For requirement 3, I got a letter from the university as a proof.  For requirement 2, I printed out all the Experience Records and passed them to my boss.  He will need to verified all my experience records are valid and acknowledge them.  After I have gathered all the required documents for the audit, I sent them to PMI.  PMI sent me a acknowledge email upon receiving the audit document.  Within 5 business days, I am delighted to receive an email from PMI that my audit has completed successfully and I am able to schedule my exam.  I actually feel good being audited now because it gives me the assurance that my experience and education meet the exam pre-requisites.

In summary, when filling up the application, also assume that you will be selected for the audit.  Be truthful in the information provided in the application.  Discuss with your boss/ex-boss and make sure they agree with your project experiences.  Get the institute/school/university to help you in calculating the project management education hours when in doubt.

I am given a year to pass my PMP exam and I am hoping to achieve that in 3 months.