The PMP certification is a professional qualification awarded to Project Managers by the Project Management Institute. It is an internationally recognized professional qualification with over 9 Lac degree-holders around the world.
It is an extremely in-demand certification, especially in business fields, due to its expertise being tied so closely to a business’ core. A PMP certified project manager earns almost double what a regular salaried person does in the US. If you wish to advance in your career as a project manager, this certification is the right path for you.
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How To
If you wish to get PMP certified, you will have to appear in an exam conducted by the Project Management Institute. The exam is based on the institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge. These contain 5 domains: Initiating the project (13%); Planning the project (24%); Executing the project (31%); Monitoring and controlling the project (25%); and Closing the project (7%).
You will need to specify some specific prerequisites to sit the exam. They are:
- a) Candidate must possess a Secondary Degree (it can be a High School Diploma, an Associate’s Degree, or the Global equivalent of it) with at least 5 years / 60 months of unique Project Management experience. Unique here means that it should not overlap. Candidates must also have 7,500 hours in leading and directing projects, and an additional 35 hours of Project Management Education.
OR
- b) Candidate must possess a 4-year degree (be it abachelor’s degreeor its Global equivalent) and will need a minimum of 3 years / 36 months of Project Management experience. This should be in accordance with 4,500 hours of leading and directing projects, plus 35 hours of Project Management Education.
These are admittedly a very specific set of prerequisites and we recommend you to ensure that you meet the needed criteria before applying for the certification.
Benefits Of Certification
The PMP certification offers a lot of benefits that directly impact your career positively. First of all, and probably the most important one, is the boost this designation will give to your career. Being a certified project manager will help you attract the best job offers in your industry along with gaining recognition at your current firm.
Firms need managers that can handle daunting and demanding projects and your certification is the validation of your skills and expertise anyone will ever need. A business head will almost certainly pick the project manager who is certified over one who isn’t as it is a clear indicator of one’s professional prowess.
The second benefit of getting certified is the broader and much deeper understanding of various processes and frameworks one gets once they complete the course. You will get a complete understanding of all the terminologies and learn about the concepts of Project management.
The Project Management Framework comprises the project life cycle and five big project management Process Groups: Initiating; Planning; Executing; Monitoring and Controlling; and Closing.
Problem Solving Expertise
is one of the more understated merits that come with PMP. Project Management is all about achieving all of the project goals within the given constraints. You have to get the team going and make sure operations run smoothly. Solving issues arising among teammates needs an approach that is careful and nuanced.
Everyone on the team should feel valued and contribute to the best of their abilities. Certification courses make sure that avoiding and solving issues should come to the manager like the back of their hand. It is directly related to the final outcome.
Certified Managers also get adept at managing budgets and scheduling tasks with impressive efficiency. Budgets are perhaps the most important aspects of projects and quite a lot of managers fumble over in keeping their budgets in check. Certification certainly gives you the expertise, understanding, and experience in managing the money effectively.
PMP managers learn to stay within the budget and allocate it appropriately to all departments. This increases the efficiency of the project as the right amounts of funds reach the departments. In other words, managers understand the money matters and prove to be great leaders in the long run.
Get Certified Today
As mentioned above, you will have to book yourself an exam to get PMP certified. Everyone from project coordinators to project sponsors can enroll, considering they qualify the criteria. People usually adopt two approaches to an exam. They either study on their own or get enlisted in an online course.
Studying on your own can be a bit daunting, given that you will certainly be managing a full-time job side by side. But it is nothing that is not achievable with a bit of dedication and discipline. Make a time table, make sure you allocate time to study and practice daily, even if in smaller periods.
We suggest the following books to study: PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy and Project Management Body of Knowledge by the Project Management Institute. In fact, all the books by the institute are worth checking out as they adhere to the guidelines as well as the syllabus most closely. They are also sure to follow updates much quicker than other guides.
They will help clear the concepts in an easier, layman language. Additionally, they are written with the objective of examination in mind. Learning from these will help you gain a better perspective.
You can enlist yourself in online courses that will make your exam preparation much easier. A course will get you hours of interactive study videos, performed by certified experts. These sessions allow you to ask questions and queries back and forth with the teachers.
What is more, is that these videos are archived, allowing one to revisit them as and when needed. You also get mock tests to test your knowledge from time to time. They are a great way of self-assessment and strengthening your weak areas.
All in all, PMP certification is a great opportunity to advance your project managing career in the right direction and there is no better time to get started than now.
