The Steps To The PMP® Exam Application Process

If you plan to apply for the PMP® exam, you must know the entire application process. To be certified by the Project Management Institute(PMI), you need to be tested if you meet the standards of a project manager. The exam tests your skills, necessity, precision, organization, and expertise to become a project manager.

The PMP exam has long and broad tests comprising 180 assessment questions that outline the process, including Initiation, Planning, Executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing. It has nine other areas of expertise: integration, extension, cost, quality, time, human resource, risk, communication skills, and appropriation. Here is all you require to understand to get started.

---

Step-By-Step Process Of The PMP Exam Application.

Applying for a PMP exam is not complicated but time-consuming; therefore, it will require you to collect relevant information and documentation before you start. The PMP application process begins once you start filling in your application form.

The process has a 90 days time limit to complete once you start. After you submit your forms, it takes PMI 5 days to review them and inform you if you are eligible to take the exam.

We have compiled a detailed step-by-step process to help you apply for the exam.

1. Ensure your eligibility
2. Gather your information
3. Join PMI.org
4. Complete the application
5. Submit your PMP application
6. Wait for PMP to confirm the completeness
7. Pay for the PMP exam
8. Prepare for exam
9. Schedule and take the PMP exam

Step 1: How To Ensure You Are Eligible?

Before you apply for your PMP exam, make sure that you meet PMI eligibility requirements. These requirements are as follows:

• A four-year bachelor’s degree or global equivalent
• Thirty-six months of experience in leading and directing projects.
• Also, 35 hours of project management training or a CAPM certification

Or

• High school diploma or associate degree
• 60 months of professional project management in leading and directing projects
• 35 hours of project management training/education or a CAPM certification

If you are not CAPM certified, you can enroll in a PMP facilitation course to meet the requirement. The certification training helps improve your management skills and exercise to use of standard communication tools & techniques. You will also learn skills to design a definite project schedule, pinpoint approach, and control project risks.

Step 2: What Information To Gather for the PMP Application?

Compile documents on your past achievements like;

1. Places you have worked
2. Roles and responsibilities.
3. Continuation of projects you have worked on. Do not include any overlapping projects.
4. Training that you may have attended and completed
5.  Courses have been done and completed
6. Qualifying hours

Step 3: How Do You Join Pmi.org?

Create a PMI account by logging into their website and registering for a membership account. With these membership accounts, you will get access to connect and interact with other professional project managers who can help and guide you through the challenges of the PMP® exam.

Step 4: How Do You Complete Your PMP Application?

Once you have gathered all the necessary information, go to your PMI account and start filling out the online application form. You can download the application form from the website, and you will need to fill and submit it online.

Here is how you access and fill out the application form;

1. Go to the PMI website and click on certifications
2. Select the Project Management Professional (PMP) part
3. On your right side, click on (APPLY NOW FOR YOUR PMP)
4. Once the form opens, browse and check all the requirements
5. Fill in all the gathered academic details
6. Fill in your professional details
7. Fill in additional experience summary and elaborate accordingly
8. Enter the exam details

How To Fill In Your Academic Details

The PMI starts by reviewing your academic eligibility and entering your highest academic achievements. You will be required to document the field of study, the name of your training/education provider(high school, college, or university) you attended, and the country.

You will also need evidence to show that you completed the required project management training (35 hours of training or a CAPM certification). In addition, you should include the particulars of your training provider, the specific dates that you attended the training, and the title of the training program.

To validate your project management training ensure that you have complied with the PMI education requirements. You must have at least taken training sessions from any of the following education providers;

• Company sponsored programs
• PMI-authorized training partners(ATPs)
• From PMI chapters
• Training consultants
• Colleges or university 

You must have all these specifications before submitting your application. For the training certificates, you do not need to upload them since your training provider will grant you a certificate of attendance to corroborate that you trained.

How To Fill In Your Professional Details

Here you will fill in your professional project management work experience. Include all your projects, and the projects should be strictly professional. Your projects should also not be overlapping. Each project must show its start to the end.

In case you had two projects running at the same time, you should only include one. Choose the most detailed. These must be projects within the past eight years before the application.

The form will require the following;

1. Your job title
2. The project title
3. The organization of the project took place and its main area.
4. The technique used to complete the project
5. The project budget
6.  Duration of the project
7. State your role and responsibility in the project objectives, results, and outputs. The response requirement by PMI must range from at least 200 to 500 words.
8. You should add more project achievements as required in the form

Also, include the necessary time experience depending on your academic level as follows:

• For a high school diploma, you require to present 60 months of project management experience
• For a bachelor’s degree, you need to submit 36 months of project management experience
• And those with GAC-accredited degrees require to show 24 months of project management experience
• The months of experience involve the duration you spend leading, directing, and controlling a project. Limit your proclaimed PMP application hours breakdown to 40 working hours per week to avoid any inconvenience in case you are audited.

Your response must be as brief as possible; PMI recommends a typical description of a project in a  PMP application to have 500 words. The most important part is giving a sample PMP application project description that shows your knowledge and skills that stretches  over various management areas and projects.

It is not necessary to document every project you have achieved. Start from your most recent project heading backward until you accomplish all the required months. Outlining stakeholders in at least two of your descriptions is also essential.

How To Enter Your PMP Exam Details Section

The exam detail section is the last entry in the PMP application form. To complete this section, you need to fill in the following;

• Your address
• Your name (must match your ID)
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• The name you would like to appear on your certificate
• The country you would prefer to take the exam
•  If you have any exam accommodations, you can request them.

Step 5: How Do I Submit My PMP Application?

Once you complete your online PMP application form, you must submit it to PMI. Before submitting, download your copy of the application for reference if you are audited.

After you are content with all the details, you have filled in, read and accept the terms and agreement by ticking the box. Also, confirm that the details given are accurate by ticking the box. Finally, click the submit button.

Step 6: How Long Do I Wait for PMI To Confirm Completeness?

PMI will take five to ten days to process and review your application completeness. The PMI will verify if you have submitted everything accordingly to be eligible for the exam. The possible outcome may be as follows;

• If they find you eligible, you will receive a confirmation to pay and take the exam.
• They may request additional information
• Your application can be rejected
• The PMI can urge you to take the PMI audit process

What Happens if Your Application Is Audited?

If you are to be audited, the PMI audit team will email you the required guidelines and details for the audit. You will need to;

• Go to the online PMI certification system and download the audit package
• Print out the forms received from the audit package
• Envelope and send the required documents through postal mail or deliver them to the mentioned address.

The PMI will also require you to submit some materials during the audit process:

• Copies of your degree and diploma certificates
• Signatures from your listed projects manager, supervisors, and sponsors.
• Copies of training certificates, including a letter from the training provider showing that you have completed the specified hours for the courses as indicated in the application.  

You will have 90 days to send back the required information to PMI. Once they receive your documentation, conducting a PMP audit will take about 5 to 7 business days. When the PMI clears you after the audit process, they will give you the schedule for the exam.

What Leads to PMP Rejection?

Here are some of the reasons that can make PMI reject your application;

1. Your academic and experience entries do not comply with PMI requirements
2. Providing the PMI with false information. It can lead to permanent suspension.
3. If your listed work experience does not fall under the project management category or does not indicate your role in the project entries you submitted
4. You did not achieve all the required training hours
5. If you used unclear terminologies in your PMP application description
6. If your application did not meet the PMP application requirements

Step 7: How Do I Pay the PMP Exam Fee?

After completing your PMP application and being approved by PMI, you will be qualified to take the PMP exam. The exam has an eligibility period of one year which commences once PMI approves the PMP application. If you take the exam and fail, you will have to retake it within that one year.

If you take the PMP exam for the first time without a PMI membership, you will pay $ 555. Those with PMI membership will pay $405. If you apply for membership when paying for the exam, you will still be charged at the nonmember rate. If you retake the exam for members, they will pay $275, while nonmembers will pay $ 375.

Step 8: How To Prepare for the PMP Exam?

Before you sit for your PMP exam, give yourself some time to prepare adequately. Passing the PMP exam requires more than project management experience. It would help if you adopted a study strategy to guide you through your preparations.

• Start by reviewing the PMP examination content document. It is a dependable document published by PMI to guide PMP candidates on exam questions. Using PMBOK(PMI study guide), compare and ensure that your content matches their requirements.
• You can also enroll for a course from PMI-authorized training partners (ATPs) or look for Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s)  to provide project management training. They offer courses that give adequate PMP study materials to help you prepare.
• Create a study plan covering all the tasks that will help you achieve a PMP certificate. You can divide the session into various categories to enable you to practice for the exam as you read the PMBOK. It is suitable to use the latest edition of the PMBOK.
• Practice the mock tests and review the study guides provided by REPs to help you determine the weak points in your knowledge and discover the areas that need improvement.
• Look for other candidates and form a study group; you can hire an instructor together. Discussing topics with others helps you achieve more experience in tasks you might find complex. You can look for groups online.

Step 9: How To Schedule the PMP Exam

You can schedule your exam appointment at PMI.org. The exam has 180 questions that you have 230 minutes to complete. Try as much as possible to attempt all the questions, complete the survey, and wait for the results. You have three times to attempt the exam within the year in case you fail.

---

PMP Application Tips

1. Make sure you meet all the PMP certificate requirements
2. Your descriptions should be clear and precise
3. Make a summary of project achievements and write them without inconsistencies.
4. Describe the outcome of all the listed projects objectively
5. Show and focus your information on the most crucial areas of each project
6. Describe your projects using PMI terminologies
7.  Describe all projects individually to avoid irregularities

---

How Can I Get a CAPM Certificate?

A CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) certificate is a preliminary PMI certification for project management professionals with minimal experience. To obtain a CAPM certificate, one has to pass an automated three-hour test with 150 assessment questions.

You can take the test within one year after PMI approves your application. You are awarded an authentic CAPM certificate for three years if you pass. To renew it, you must achieve  CAPM CCR Cycle, which means you must get 15 PDUs (Professional Development Units) within three years and relay them to PMI.

The PMP application process can be complicated but valuable for your professional and financial growth as a project manager. If you follow the above steps precisely, you will get a PMP certificate without difficulties.

Meet all requirements and provide clear documentation before submitting your application. Suppose You are PMP certified; you can earn 16% more salary than project managers without PMP credentials. Take your PMP exam today and join the high number of PMP-certified project managers.

---

FAQs: