PMP Exam Registration [7 Simple Steps!]

Taking the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam is one of the most critical steps to building a career as a project manager. Before you can even take the PMP exam though, you first need to navigate the registration process, which can be daunting to first-time applicants.

To qualify for the PMP exam certification registration, one must have the following:

Hold a degree or its global equivalent

At least three years of experience managing projects

35 hours of project management training

If you don’t have a degree, the Project Management Institute (PMI) requires the following:

A high school diploma

Five years of experience managing projects

35 hours of project management training

Let’s look at the PMP exam registration process step by step.

How To Register For The PMP Exam (Step-by-Step)

PMP Exam Registration Process in 7 Steps

Visit the PMI Website and log in or Create an Account

Fill Out the Online Application Form

Submit the PMP Application

Wait for PMI to Confirm Completeness

Complete the PMI Audit Process

Pay the Required Fees

Schedule and Pass the PMP Exam

Step 1: Visit the PMI Website and log in or Create an Account

Visit the pmi.org website and log in; if you have an account register a new account if you don’t have one. The account creation process is simple, and PMI doesn’t require too much information. You’ll only enter your name, email address, country, and a few more details.

Verify to ensure that you’ve entered accurate information. You don’t need to be a PMI member to take the PMP certification exam.

Step 2: Fill Out the Online Application Form

You can access the application form on the PMI website after logging into your account. Once you start filling out the form, you cannot cancel it. You can only save the information you’ve entered and complete it later. PMI allows you to complete the application within 90 days. PMI may send you reminders to complete the PMP exam application form.

The form has several sections which require you to enter information about yourself. The sections include the following:

Education Section

The education section requires information about your academic and professional education. The educational information needed includes:

Highest level of education you’ve attained

Name of the institution

Your field of study

The country where the institution is located

Years attended

Information about your professional education is also necessary. The aim is to prove that you have attained the required 35 hours of training in project management. It is a mandatory requirement. The required information in the professional education sections is as follows:

Title of the course

Name of provider

Course dates

Qualifying hours

Experience Section

PMI requires information about your relevant experience, i.e., your experience in running projects. The projects should be in a professional setting. Please enter all the projects undertaken plus their timelines. The details to enter in this section include the following:

Title of the project

Name of organization

The organization’s industry (primary focus)

Job title

The functional reporting area

Methodology (whether traditional, agile, or hybrid)

Project team size (range of individuals)

Budget for the project

Project dates (indicate if it’s still underway)

Project description

When writing the project description, focus on the critical aspects of the project, including the objectives, the role you played on the project (your responsibilities), and the deliverables. Before you list your duties on the project, ensure they are what PMI lists as the roles of a project manager. Check the exam content outline for details.

Remember to cover the scope of the project and compare it against what you did.

Exam Details

This is the final section of the PMP exam registration form. It requires your contact information and details of where you want to take the exam. You will enter the following information:

Your address

Your email address

Your name (as it is on your ID. It must be an exact match)

The name you want to appear on your PMP certificate (not necessarily the name on your ID)

Your phone number

Where you’ll take the exam

This section also requests you to enter details on whether you need special accommodation due to disability or other conditions that may require special treatment. Test accommodations don’t attract an additional fee.

Step 3: Submit the PMP Application

Once you have completed all the details, it’s time to submit your application. But before you click the submit button, it’s good to counter-check everything you entered. Check your name and contact information and ensure that it is accurate.

PMI’s primary mode of communication is via email, and you would want to make sure to get all important mail because of an incorrect email address. Consider downloading a copy of your PMP application as you submit it. It can be suitable for your records or if you get audited by PMI.

Step 4: Wait for PMI to Confirm Completeness

As indicated on the PMI website, reviewing your application takes five days. The application completeness review checks if you submitted all the required information to qualify to take the PMP exam. It is important to note that the five days are calendar days, so weekends also apply.

You may receive a response sooner, depending how many other applications are being processed. If you’re applying with lots of other candidates, expect to wait the full five days.

Four possible outcomes may result from the application completeness review:

You are approved to sit for the PMP exam, so they ask you to pay for the exam

PMI may require additional information from you

Your application may get rejected

They may recommend that you undergo the PMI audit process

If the feedback shows that you are eligible to take the PMP exam, pay the exam fee and proceed to schedule your exam. If your application was selected for audit, you must undergo the audit process before scheduling your exam (PMI selects audit candidates randomly).

Step 5: Complete the PMI Audit Process

Audits are random, and PMI can audit applications anytime. PMI uses audits to check the quality of applications., and doesn’t charge applicants. You don’t have to worry about extra fees if your account gets selected for auditing.

You will receive an email about the auditing, with all requirements and terms for a successful audit. Auditing allows applicants to submit supplementary information to support the qualifications you stated in the application. These will be official documents, certificates, and any other material. You will only pay the certification fee after undergoing the audit process.

Some of the documents to submit include the following.

Copies of your education certificates (Degree, diploma, or professional education certificates)

Signatures of the supervisor or sponsor of the projects mentioned in the application

Copies of certificates from the training provider mentioned in your application. They must prove you completed 35 contact hours. If you mentioned multiple trainers, get the certificates from all of them.

This information should be readily available for postage if you have prepared well for the PMP registration process. PMI gives you 90 days to find it and post it back. The audit takes five to seven days before you receive a response.

The best way to send the information is to collect it and post it in one envelope. This way, the auditors will have an easy time auditing all the information at once and respond to you. You will only succeed in the audit process if you follow the guidelines. Audit failure results in a 1-year suspension from any of PMI’s programs.

Step 6: Pay the Required Fees

Once PMI approves your PMP exam registration, you will get a notification directing you to pay for the exam. PMI gives you a one-year eligibility period to take the exam after your application gets approved. They allow you to take the exam up to three times during the one year you are eligible.

You’ll log in to your account and proceed to make the payment. PMI members get a discount.

The PMP exam registration cost is as follows:

Members – $405

Non-members – $555

If you applied for PMI membership before PMP registration, check if you received the email confirming your membership. Non-confirmed members will pay the same rates as non-members, and PMI doesn’t refund you when you receive a membership.

PMI accepts both online and offline payments for the PMP exam. The processing for online payments is faster than for offline payments. Offline modes of payment include mailing a check, money order, or submitting credit card information.

Step 7: Schedule and Pass the Exam

When scheduling the exam, you decide how you want to take it. You can take the exam in two forms; a computer-based exam or a paper-based exam.

Read PMI’s exam scheduling instructions before scheduling the exam. If you lost your PMI Eligibility ID, you can visit the PMI website and schedule your exam. Go to myPMI section and follow the prompts.

The site allows you to search for exam centers around you. You’ll choose your preferred time and see the available seats. On confirming your booking, you receive an email with the information.

Summary of the steps for scheduling your exam:

Follow the instructions on the PMI Exam Scheduling Instructions document

Use your PMI Eligibility ID to book a time slot

Select the preferred time and date

Review the exam appointment information

The exam contains 180 questions that test various aspects of project management. You are allocated 230 minutes to respond to the questions.

The PMP exam requires rigorous preparation because it’s detailed and challenging. Regardless of your experience, you should start preparing well before your exam date. You may need to use various study aids and methods, including study groups, courses, and trainers.

Rescheduling the Exam

If something hinders you from taking the exam or you feel like you need more time to be ready to take the exam, you can reschedule the exam. PMI allows you to reschedule the PMP exam up to two days before your scheduled initial exam. The cost implications for exam rescheduling are as follows:

Before 30 days – no fee is charged

Two to thirty days before the exam – $70

You cannot reschedule within two days of the PMP exam. If you do so, you forfeit your PMP exam fees. This means that you will pay the PMP reexamination fee the next time you want to schedule an exam.

You can take the exam up to 3 times during the eligible 1-year period after the approval of your PMP exam registration. Once you pass the exam, your PMP exam certification becomes official.

The Requirements to Register for the PMP Exam

PMI lists what every candidate must fulfill before applying for PMP exam registration. The areas of focus for the eligibility requirements are:

Education

Project experience

Project training

Education

The candidate’s highest level of education determines their eligibility requirements. A candidate may have a four-year degree, an associate degree, or a high school diploma.

Candidates With Four Year Degrees

You will need the following:

36 months of experience leading projects. The projects must be in a professional setting and should not overlap.

35 hours of training in project management

Candidates With a High School Diploma or Associate Degree

You will need the following:

6o months of experience leading projects. The projects led must be in a professional setting and must not overlap.

35 hours of training in project management

Project Management Experience

For your experience to count, PMI looks at various attributes,

The project management experience must represent experience gained in professional work. Experience from personal projects does not count. Projects that don’t count include:
1. Academic research for a degree program
2. Home improvement projects, etc.

Don’t include routine, operational, or administrative responsibilities handled at any time in your career. Projects are short-term or long-term endeavors with clear timelines and unique deliverables. Operational experience does not count as project management experience.

You must have played the role of a project manager on the mentioned projects, not just a contributor. The PMI Exam Content Outline lists the examples of roles that PMI will recognize. Please read it and ensure the roles you played align with those highlighted.

The timelines for your project experience must not overlap. If at any one time you worked on more than one project simultaneously, the eligibility requirements need you to count the time spent only on one project during that period.

Project Management Training

PMI requires that you undergo at least 35 hours of project management training before taking the PMP exam. When registering for the PMP prep course, the course’s learning objectives must be tailored toward project management. The recognized bodies that can provide such training, workshops, or courses include the following:

PMI Chapters

PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs)

Training companies or consultancies

University/college academic programs (continuing education programs also apply)

Distance-learning institutions

Company-sponsored programs

You cannot list self-directed learning as training or educational hours.

The Cost of Applying for the PMP Exam

Once you have been approved to take the PMP exam, you can proceed with the payment for the exam. The cost implications for the PMP certification exams are as follows:

PMI Members – $405

Non-members -$555

It is good to note that PMI membership costs an annual $129 subscription fee. You also pay a one-time registration fee of $10. If you reschedule your exam within 30 days and earlier than two days before the exam, you will be charged $70.

How Do You Prepare for the PMP Exam?

The PMP exam covers various aspects of project management, and you must be fully prepared to take the exam. Many people find the preparation process overwhelming. You may need to employ multiple strategies when preparing for the PMP exam.

Some methods you can use while preparing for the PMP exam include the following:

Get trained by PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs).

Work with a qualified instructor.

Complete practice questions.

Get trained by PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs). ATPs are approved by PMI and can help you understand the official PMI-developed study materials. By signing up to learn from ATPs, you also fulfill the 35-hour training eligibility requirement for taking the PMP exam. ATPs have access to cloned questions from PMI, so you will familiarize yourself with the type of questions to expect on the PMP exam.

Work with a qualified instructor. Registering for a PMP exam prep course is an excellent way to ensure you review the material before the exam. But the prep course can be demanding, and you will want to work with an instructor that understands your needs. Carry out your due diligence before engaging an instructor. Working with a kind and experienced instructor can help you understand the concepts. You can email them questions about their class and how they conduct it. Only engage them if their response is satisfactory.

Complete practice questions. Practice questions and exams will help you rate your understanding of the concepts. You can only master the concepts after repeated attempts at different questions. You get to understand what the examiners want from you and measure how quickly you respond to various questions. This can help you improve your time management skills in the exam room.

Follow the Steps and Register for the PMP Exam

The steps highlighted in this article will help you find it easy to register for the PMP. The earlier you register, the more time you have to prepare for the exam. Remember that the PMP exam is challenging and will need you to prepare rigorously.