Guide on how to apply for the PMP exam in 2023
A Complete guide on how to apply for the current PMP Exam. 2021 Edition
Satisfactorily completing the Project Management Professional Exam application process has always been an area of concern for several people over the years. Many applications are rejected by PMI because they do not follow the guidelines and capture relevant information.
In this guide, I will work you through all the steps needed to complete the PMP exam application from scratch, including how to schedule your exam after your application has been approved. We will cover some critical areas.
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Table of Contents
Understanding PMP Eligibility Requirements
Candidates must meet certain requirements before their Application can be considered. These requirements span 3 major areas, and the application process includes documenting how you satisfy each of them.
- What is your level of academic education?
- Do you have the required professional project management education?
- Do you have the required Project Management Experience?
After your application has been approved, you will need to make payment for the exam accordingly.
Create a FREE Account at www.PMI.org
Anybody can create an account at PMI. This does not make you a member of the professional body but gives you a platform to relate with the organization and gain access to basic features, including submitting applications for any of the certification exams.
Visit www.PMI.org to create an account.
You can take your relationship further with PMI by becoming a member. One of the benefits of membership is reduction in the cost of exam and several free/discounted resources. For PMI members, the cost of the exam is $405 while non-members pay $555. PMI membership is $129/year ($10 addition fee for your first payment).
It is highly recommended to become a member before paying for the certification exam. The discounted fee is a better financial bargain.
The application process involves providing details in 3 areas;
- Academic Education
- Professional Education, and
- Project Management Experience
The Application form has indicators to let you know if you have completed each stage properly or have outstanding information. You can use the navigation buttons to move forward or backward to review your content till you are ready to submit.
You will also have to accept the terms and agreements to complete the process.
Fill Your Academic Education
On this page, you will be required to provide details for your Academic and Project Management Education. The Academic Education section requires details of your Highest Education achievement.
Note, your field of study does not affect your application in any way
Fill Your Professional (Project Management) Education
Where and how did you get your Professional Project Management Education?
The PMP Application requires a minimum of 35 contact hours of professional education which must have been completed before you finally submit your application.
One hour of classroom/virtual instruction equals one contact hour.
If you had multiple education sessions to make up the 35 contact hours, you will have an option to “Add additional Education” when you are filling this section.
If you are an active CAPM certification holder, you do NOT need to document the 35 contact hours. Your project management education requirement is waived.
If you are a graduate of a GAC accredited degree program you will receive a 12-month credit towards the work experience requirement. Also, you can use the GAC course work to fulfill the 35 education contact hour requirement.
Professional Experience
Here you will provide details about the projects you led.
Enter your Project experiences on this form to meet the number of hours required for the exam. When entering multiple experiences, start with your most recent.
All project management experience must have been accrued within the last eight consecutive years prior to your application submission and cannot overlap.
The total months will be calculated from Start Date to Finish Date provided.
Project description should be between 200 to 500 words and summarize your experience on the project, including the project objective, outcome, your role on the project, and your responsibilities or deliverables. Ensure that the responsibilities you list generally align with the responsibilities of a project manager, as described in the Exam Content Outline.
How To Manage Overlapping Projects
You will most likely be involved in several projects to make up the required Project Management experience for your Application. If some of these projects overlap, the form will only count the time spent on one of those projects toward fulfilling your eligibility requirements.
Using this example above, the time spent working on Project 1 from January–April would count as four months toward the eligibility requirement, while the time spent working on Project 2 during Feb–June would count as two months toward the eligibility requirement. However, you cannot count the time working on both projects during February–April twice. Therefore, Project 1 and Project 2 equal six months (January–June) of project management experience toward your eligibility requirement.
Exam Details
The final section is where you specify some additional information like how you want your name to appear on your PMP® certificate once it is earned and agree to the terms.
PMP Certification Fees
- The proper fees for payment are determined by your PMI membership status.
- If you apply for membership right before you apply for the certification, make sure you receive confirmation of your membership before you pay for the certification.
- If PMI membership is obtained after you submit payment for the certification, PMI will not refund the difference.
- Please be advised that while the selection process for an audit is primarily random, PMI reserves the right to select any candidate to be audited at any time, including after the certification has been bestowed. If you fail to meet the audit requirements after obtaining the certification, you are not entitled to a refund.
PMP Examination Information
- The PMP examination comprises 180 questions. Of the 180 questions, 5 are considered pretest questions. Pretest questions do not affect the score and are used in examinations as an effective and legitimate way to test the validity of future examination questions. All questions are randomly placed throughout the examination.
- The exam is divided into two sections. You will have a 10-minute break once you complete the first section. Once your break has begun, you will NOT be able to review questions from the first part, either during the break or the second section. When you are signed back in, you will have the remaining allotted time to complete the second part. In total, you will have four hours (230 minutes) to respond to 180 questions.
- The examination is preceded by a tutorial and followed by a survey, both of which are optional and which take 5-15 minutes to complete. The time used to complete the tutorial and survey is not included in the examination time of four hours.
How to Schedule Your PMP Examination
- The PMP Exam is currently available via 2 modes; Online Proctored Test (OPT) & Center-based testing (CBT)
- The Online proctored test delivery allows you to take an exam in the comfort of your home or office while being monitored by a proctor via webcam and microphone.
- After your application has been approved, you can schedule for your exam online at PMI.org. Upon logging into your PMI.org account, click the “Schedule Exam” link under “You may now schedule your PMP examination”. You will be directed to schedule your exam through Pearson VUE.
- You can reschedule or cancel your online proctored exam or center-based exam at any time, up to 48 hours before your scheduled exam appointment. However, because of limited seating capacity (both physical and virtual), late rescheduling and cancellations will result in a fee. It is recommended that you reschedule or cancel your exam as soon as you know you won’t be able to make the appointment.
- You need to reschedule or cancel your appointment before you are within 48 hours of your exam appointment (local time). If you wait until you are within 48 hours of your exam appointment, you will not be able to cancel your appointment and you will forfeit the entire exam fee if you do not show up. You will not be able to reschedule your appointment at this point and will need to pay associated reexamination fees to schedule a new exam.
Steps For Online Proctored Test (OPT)
- When you are directed to your Pearson VUE account, the PMP exam will be available under Pre-approved Exams. Click the PMP exam link.
- Read through and agree to the online proctoring policies and click “Next”.
- The next page will display the PMP exam and language you have selected. Please make sure to click “View Testing Policies”, then click “Schedule This Exam”.
- Choose the date and time you wish to take your exam. You do not need to select a location. You may schedule online at any time of day. Select the date you would like to take your exam and then the time.
- After you make your selection, you will review your appointment details and then click “Proceed to Checkout”.
- Follow the next steps to complete the checkout and then click “Submit Order”.
- Your appointment is confirmed and you will receive a confirmation email from Pearson VUE.
Steps For Center-based testing (CBT)
- When you are directed to your Pearson VUE account, the PMP exam will be available under Pre-approved Exams. Click the PMP exam link.
- On the next page, you will see the PMP exam and language you have selected. Please make sure to click “View Testing Policies”, then click “Schedule This Exam”.
- Next, search for a test center. Once you have located a test location with availability, select a date and time.
- After making your selection, review your appointment details and then click “Proceed to Checkout”.
- Follow the next steps to complete the checkout, and then click “Submit Order”.
- Your appointment is confirmed and you will receive a confirmation email from Pearson VUE.
4 thoughts on “Guide on how to apply for the PMP exam in 2023”
Phew, it was such a relief when you pointed out that we can sit for the PMP exam via online monitoring as well. My cousin has been planning to take the test next year, but she finds it hard to find a test centre near her house. I’ll ask her to consider this option so she’ll be able to get through the necessary procedure later.
Hi Amy,
I am glad you found this helpful.
Thanks, this is very helpful.
Thank you for this