Do I qualify for the PMP examination?
The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification application process can sometimes be a confusing one.
In order to qualify for the PMP certification, three requirements have to be satisfied. We will go through all requirements below.
Firstly, you have to either have a high school diploma or a degree in order to qualify for the PMP certification examination. A high school diploma for the purposes of qualifying for the PMP exam is equivalent to SPM/GCSE certificates, STPM certificates, and diplomas in any field of study awarded by a college or university. Additionally, a degree in any field of study, awarded by any competent university, will ensure you satisfy this requirement.
The second requirement is the requirement of at least 3 or 5 years of project management based work experience. If you possess a high school diploma or equivalent, you will need to prove that you have 60 months (5 years) of experience in working with projects within the past 8 years. If you have a degree or equivalent, you will only need to prove you have 36 months (3 years) of project management experience within the past 8 years.
Then comes the question, what is ‘project management based work experience’? For the purposes of this exercise, a ‘project’ is defined as an activity which:
- Creates a unique product, service or result
- Is time-limited
- Drives change
- Enables value creation for a business or organization
So long as your project satisfies the definition above, any project within any industry or specialty, can be used to satisfy this requirement. Common examples include construction projects, process and systems improvement, research, and software development. This is not an exhaustive list, with projects being commonplace across any industry.
This third requirement in order to sit for the PMP exam, is that one obtains 35 hours of project management education/training. As Authorized Training Partners (ATP) for PMI, we offer these 35 hour training sessions online and physically regularly. Please click here for more information on the courses we offer. There is one exception to this requirement. If you have passed the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification, you then do not have to take up the 35 hours of PMP training and can directly apply for the PMP examination.
Here at Sharma Management International, we are happy to review your work experience, and advise if you qualify for the PMP Certification and Examination process. This consultation service will not bear any costs, do reach out to us at contact[at]sharma.com.my to find out more on how we can help.
