How to become a PMP (Project Management Professional)

Managed by the Project Management Institute, the Project Management Professional (PMP) is a globally accepted certification ad its contents cover a wide range of activities spanning from contract negotiation, administration planning and interpersonal problem solving to profit calculation.  These are all critical success factors to compete with operational effectiveness and competitive advantages, such as project quality control, scope, time, cost, human resources, communication, risk, procurement and integration management. Thus, professionals in various disciplines usually seek out more project management skills to build up their profession, in particular for those who are in the business of Event Activities, IT, Engineering and Contractor, etc.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) basically has three levels of certification, starting with the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) which is the basic level and is intended as certification for project team members. The PMP (project Management Professional) comes after the CAPM and is viewed as the standard among all PM certifications.  Individuals who have passed the PMP certification test successfully and have met the PMI requirements for documenting their professional development are entitled to use the abbreviation PMP with their names.  Starting from the late 2007, a similar certification named as PgMP (Program Management Professional) has been offered by the PMI for Program Managers.

To become eligible for a PMP, one must possess a high school degree or equivalent; has agreed to adhere to a code of professional conduct including 7,500 hours in a lead role directing tasks, performed tasks associated with being a Project Manager over a period of 60 months within the past 8 years and completed 35 hours of education specific to Project Management and aligned with PMI methodologies.   However, an individual possesses a baccalaureate degree are exempted from 3,000 hours leading and 24 months of experience. The candidate is also required to pass a test designed to objectively assess and measure project management knowledge, such test consists of 200 multiple-choice questions which can be taken either on a computer or in written form. Although 25 are actually trial questions which won’t count towards the final score, candidates have to answer all to the best of their ability within 4 hours with the passing rate of 60.5%.  Moreover, a PMP must satisfy continuing certification requirements through professional development or resulting in loss of certification.  Beginning in January 1 after the exam, the PMP status is granted for a period of three years which is called the CCR Cycle that requires all PMPs to collect 60 PDUs (Professional Development Units) to verify their professional experience.  Certification claims can be verified through the Project Management Institute’s Web site at www.pmi.org/CertApp/Registry.aspx

For more info on examination locations and scheduling; examination and renewal fees, see the link below:
http://www.prometric.com/PMI/default.htm
http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Examination
-and-Renewal-Fees.aspx

Source: 
http://www.pmi.org/Pages/default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Management_Professional