1.1. All About the PMP Exam
In order to become a PMP, you need the following (check out Figure 1-1; it's pretty):
Figure 1-1. The PMP candidate must qualify to take the examination.
Bachelor's degree or global equivalent and 36 non-overlapping months of project management experience totaling 4,500 hours of project management activities within the last eight years.
Or a high school diploma, associate's degree, or the global equivalent and 60 non-overlapping months of project management experience totaling 7,500 hours of project management tasks within the last eight years.
Regardless of your degree, you will need 35 contact hours of project management education. (Ahem—I teach project management classes for companies around the world, including an Exam Boot Camp that satisfies this requirement. E-mail me for details: [email protected].) Here are PMI-approved methods for accruing the project management education hours:
Courses offered by PMI-registered education providers.
University or college project management courses.
Courses offered by PMI component organizations.
Courses offered through your organization.
Yes, you can complete your hours through distance learning education companies if they offer an end-of-course assessment.
Courses offered by training companies.
No, PMI chapter meetings and self-study don't count. (Darn! Just reading this book won't satisfy your project management education hours.)
Extended review period of each application. Every application will pass through a review period. If your application needs an audit, you'll be notified via e-mail.
Audit! Not every application is audited, but if your application is selected for an audit, you'll have to provide documentation of your experience, education, and signatures from your supervisors for the projects you've worked on. It's fun, fun, fun. Oh, and PMI can even audit a person after they've "earned" their certification. (Yikes! Here's where honesty is the best policy.)
Applicants must provide contact information for supervisors on all projects listed on their PMP exam application. In the past, applicants did not have to provide project contact information unless their application was audited. Now each applicant has to provide project contact information as part of the exam process.
Once the application has been approved, candidates have one year to pass the exam. If you procrastinate taking the exam more than a year, you'll have to start the process over.
Be good. You will also agree to abide by the PMP Code of Professional Conduct. You can get your very own copy through PMI's Web site: www.pmi.org. We'll cover this code in Chapter 13—something for you to look forward to (no peeking!).
A score of 61 percent is required to pass the exam. The exam has 200 questions, of which 25 questions don't actually count towards your passing score. These 25 questions are scattered throughout your exam and are used to collect stats on candidates' responses to see if these questions should be incorporated into future examinations. This means you'll actually have to answer 106 correct questions out of 175 live questions.
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The PMP exam will test you on your experience and knowledge in six different areas, as Table 1-1 shows. You'll have to provide specifics on tasks completed in each knowledge area on your PMP examination application. The following domain specifics and their related exam percentages are taken directly from PMI's Web site on the PMP examination.
| Exam Domain | Domain Tasks | Percentage of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Initiating the Project | Conduct project selection methods
Define scope Document project risks, assumptions, and constraints Identify and perform stakeholder analysis Develop project charter Obtain project charter approval | 11.59 percent |
| Planning the Project | Define and record requirements, constraints, and assumptions
Identify project team and define roles and responsibilities Create the Work Breakdown Structure Develop a change management plan Identify risks and define risk strategies Obtain plan approval Conduct the kick-off meeting | 22.7 percent |
| Executing the Project | Execute tasks defined in project plan
Ensure common understanding and set expectations Implement the procurement of project resources Manage resource allocation Implement quality management plan Implement approved changes Implement approved actions and workarounds Improve team performance | 27.5 percent |
| Monitoring and Controlling the Project | Measure project performance
Verify and manage changes to the project Ensure project deliverables conform to quality standards Monitor all risks | 21.03 percent |
| Closing the Project | Obtain final acceptance for the project
Obtain financial, legal, and administrative closure Release project resources Identify, document, and communicate lessons learned Create and distribute final project report Archive and retain project records Measure customer satisfaction | 8.57 percent |
| Professional and Social Responsibility | Ensure individual integrity
Contribute to the project management knowledge base Enhance personal professional competence Promote interaction among stakeholders | 8.61 percent |
| TOTAL | 100.00 percent |