Mike:

Doug, I’ve visited PMI.org, but I think I need some guidance as to how to get started in the PMP process.

Doug:

Sure Mike, where do you want to start?

Mike:

Well I know I have to complete an application and pay a fee, right?

Doug:

That’s right, and we can talk about that, but first you need to address the educational requirements for qualifying to take the exam. 

Your course work must be completed before you do the application.

Mike:

Okay, I read that I need 35 contact hours.  What’s a contact hour?

Doug:

A contact hour is essentially one hour of project management education.

Mike:

When I asked you and Debbie about this in the quarterly meeting the other day, she recommended getting the education through an online provider called PMCAMPUS.com   

Do you agree with her?

Doug:

Absolutely!  They provide the necessary 35 hours of training you need.  They will also get you ready to pass the test.

Mike:

How do they do that?

Doug:

They start with training in each of the defined process groups of project management. 

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (or PMBOK) defines these process groups as Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Closing, and Professional and Social Responsibility. 

The exam has questions in each of these areas.  Debbie told me she was quite pleased how well these groups were covered in the PMCAMPUS.com training. 

Each process group was essentially a course to be completed.  There were questions and answers, practice tests, and explanations of why the right answer was right and why the other answers were wrong. 

The practice tests were actually very much like the real thing.  Different questions of course, but she felt like she had taken the actual exam. 

When Debbie had completed the online training, she herself printed the certificate of completion that proved the 35 contact hours of project management education, required by PMI, had been completed. 

The certificate actually lists your training accomplishment, course by course!

Mike:

So what happens after I complete the training?  You know what I mean, what happens after I have my 35 contact hours?

Doug:

You need to assemble the history of your project experience; this will help you when you are doing the online application. 

Download from PMI.ORG the PMP Credential Handbook and read it. It has all of the information you need including a paper application. 

I recommend you look at the paper application to help you prepare for doing the online app.

Mike:

Why do it that way?  Can’t I just do it on paper?

Doug:

You can do it on paper, but with the online process you can work on it, save it, and come back to it again and again. 

The online application is also processed much faster by PMI than the paper apps.

Mike:

So why bother looking at the paper application then?

Doug:

Because it is very detailed, and knowing what you need before you get into the online process will save you a lot of frustration. If you know what’s coming, you can prepare for it. 

That’s why I said you need to assemble your project history. 

PMI carefully reviews your experience.  You need experience in each of the project management process groups I mentioned. 

Because you’re a college graduate, you need 4,500 hours of project management experience, but there’s more.

Mike:

What do you mean “there’s more?”

Doug:

You’ve heard that expression, the devil is in the details, well PMI requires that your 4,500 hours of PM experience span at least three years. 

Overlapping hours; that is, project hours for separate projects that occurred at the same time can only be counted once. 

I know this restriction doesn’t apply to you, but project management experience that is older than eight years cannot be included in the 4,500 hours required by PMI to sit for the exam.

Mike:

Let’s go back for a second.  Let’s say I’ve earned the 35 contact hours from PMCAMPUS.com and I have my certificate of completion. 

Let’s also say I’ve used the paper application as a guide to get ready for doing the online application.  What happens next?

Doug:

It should be fairly straightforward once you have had the training, and you have your experience information together.  

Remember, your training and your experience are the main factors that determine your eligibility to take the PMP test.

 First, you complete the application.  Take your time and do it right. Applications are subject to audit by PMI. 

The PMP credential means more than just passing a difficult test. 

The required experience and education means that you’ve earned the opportunity to take the test.

PMI’s audit program helps to ensure that people who take the exam are not only experientially ready for it, but have also earned the opportunity.

Secondly, when you submit the application to PMI you pay the fee to PMI. 

How much you pay depends on whether (or not) you’re a PMI member. 

When I took the exam years ago it was on paper, but now you take it on computer.  

When Debbie took the computer-based test, she got her preliminary score immediately after she finished the test.

After you’ve submitted the application and paid the fee, the third thing to expect (assuming PMI has approved the application) is the “Authorization to Test Letter” – ATT for short. 

This Authorization to Test Letter makes it official – your eligibility to take the PMP exam has been confirmed by PMI! 

The ATT will explain how to schedule the exam through PMI’s testing partner Prometric.com.

Schedule the exam as soon as you get this letter because exam seats can fill up fast. 

You want to be able to take the test when and where you want; if you wait too long, you might have to wait longer or drive further.

Mike:

What if I have to wait a while before I can take the exam? 

Can I take practice tests to keep sharp before the scheduled date?

Doug:

Yeah, Debbie told me that PMCAMPUS.com offered 90 days of access to their course offerings and additional practice tests, which she used to do exactly that, “to keep sharp.”

Mike:

Can you think of a reason why I should not pursue this?

Doug:

Not one Mike.  You have the experience and the drive. 

All you need now are the 35 contact hours, prep time, and patience. 

As you know, there are few things that are worthwhile doing and that are also easy to do.

Mike:

Thanks Doug.  I’ll go back to PMI.org to download the handbook to get ready.  I’ll also go to PMCAMPUS.com and sign up for their course!

Doug:

Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help!