Project Management Professional (PMP) Handbook

Project Management Institute

Table of Contents

Topic Page

Overview

How to Use this Handbook (copyright and revision) 3

About PMI’s Certification Program 4

All about the PMP Credential, Application & Payment

Overview of the PMP Credential 5

Timeline of the PMP Credential Process 6

PMP Role Delineation (Job Analysis) 7

PMP Eligibility Requirements 8

How to Record Your Experience and/or Education on the

Application

How to Complete the Online Application 11

Application Processing 12

PMP Credential Fees 13

How to Submit Payment 14

PMP Refund Policy 15

PMI Audit Process 16

Credential Examination Policies & Procedures

PMP Examination Information 17

PMP Examination Blueprint 18

Examination Administration 19

Examination Language Aids 20

Special Accommodations for the Examination 20

Examination Eligibility 21

How to Schedule Your Examination Appointment 22

Examination Cancellations, Rescheduling, No Shows 24

PMI Examination Security & Confidentiality 25

Examination Site Requirements & Instructions 26 Examination Report 28

Reexamination 29

PMI Appeals Procedure 30

Use of Your PMI Credential 31

Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) Program

About the CCR Program 32

CCR/Credential Maintenance Overview 32

Work Online 32

How to Determine Your Certification/CCR Cycle 33

Certification Status 34

Professional Development Units (PDUs) 35

Why You Keep PDU Documentation 36

PDU Categories 37

Map PDU Categories from Old to New 41

Limits on PDU Categories 42

How to Transfer PDUs to the Next Cycle 42

How to Record PDU Activities 43

How to Maintain Multiple Credentials 44

Application Fees & Audit Process for Credential Renewal 45

PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct 46

PMI Credential Candidate/Renewal Agreement 51

Overview

How to Use the PMP

Credential Handbook This handbook contains information on how you can apply for the globally recognized, highly valued PMP credential. This handbook applies to both computer-based and paper-based testing candidates.

PMI requires that all PMP credential applicants read this entire handbook. The purpose of this handbook is to provide you with important information about the policies and procedures for obtaining and maintaining the PMP credential.

The features in this handbook allow you to:

• Find information on each policy or procedure by clicking on a topic in the left navigation bar.

• Find tips and important information by reading NOTES throughout the handbook.

• Access the online application system and other information by clicking on links within this handbook.

PMI CONTACT INFORMATION

customercare@pmi.org

Use the Online Certification System to Apply https://certification.pmi.org

Use the Online Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) System for credential maintenance https://ccrs.pmi.org/

PMP

Credential Handbook last updated August 31, 2011.

―PMI‖, the PMI logo, ―Making project management indispensable for business results‖, ―PMBOK‖, ―CAPM‖, ―Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)‖, ―PMP‖, ―Project Management Professional (PMP)‖, ―Project Management Professional‖, the PMP logo, ―PgMP‖, ―Program Management Professional (PgMP)‖, ―PMI-RMP‖, ―PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI- RMP)‖, ―PMI-SP‖, ―PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)‖, ―PMI-ACP‖ and ―PMI Agile Certified Practitioner‖ are marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.

For a comprehensive list of PMI marks, contact the PMI Legal Department.

Overview

About PMI’s Certification Program PMI offers a comprehensive certification program for practitioners with different levels of education and experience. The certifications are developed and maintained through a vigorous process.

The certification program includes:

• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

certification

• PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)

credential

• PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)

credential

• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

certification

• Program Management Professional (PgMP)

credential

• Project Management Professional (PMP)

credential

The PMP

credential scheme is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) against the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17024. The 17024 standard includes vigorous requirements for examination development and maintenance and for the quality management systems for continuing quality assurance.

The PMP credential is registered against the ISO 9001:2000 standard for quality management systems.

PMI’s certification and credentials are distinguished by their global development and application, which makes them transferable across industries and geographic borders. The strength of PMI’s credentials is that they are portable and not tied to any single method, standard, or organization.

PMI’s certification program is designed to ensure that all certification holders have demonstrated their competence through fair and valid measures. Steps are taken to ensure only the most reliable testing measures are used in the assessment of candidates. For example, interviews can be influenced by how difficult the interviewer tends to be, how well the candidate is performing that day, and even how many questions the interviewer asks along the same line of questioning.

PMI certification and credentials are also developed by project management practitioners for practitioners. The certification program is driven by the thousands of certification and credential holders who volunteer to spend time constructing and refining the exam questions used by PMI. These volunteers represent the diversity of PMI’s market, coming from every region of the world, industry, job level, and experience level.

The exam questions are monitored through industry-standard statistical procedures, also overseen by volunteers.

Finally, PMI’s entire certification program is supervised by the Certification Governance Council (CGC), a committee of PMI credential holders who have a Board mandate to oversee PMI’s credentials.

A candidate is assessed by examining their competence using:

• Reviewing Education and Experience—A combination of education and/or experience in project management is required for each certification.

• Testing Competence—The candidate is required to apply project management concepts and experience to potential on-the-job situations through a series of scenario-based questions.

• Ongoing Development—Maintenance of a PMI certification requires the accumulation of ongoing professional development and education or, in the case of the CAPM certification, re-certification.

PMI Certification Department Mission Initiate, establish, evaluate, maintain and administer a professional credential program to promote and support project management practitioners and the profession.

All about the PMP Credential, Application & Payment

Overview of the PMP Credential Globally recognized and demanded, the PMP credential demonstrates to employers, clients and colleagues that a project manager possesses project management knowledge, experience and skills to bring projects to successful completion.

As the demand for skilled project managers is at a critically urgent level, practitioners who hold the PMP credential are well positioned to provide the professional skills necessary to lead project teams and achieve successful project results.

The PMP recognizes the competence of an individual to perform in the role of a project manager, specifically experience in leading and directing projects. Year after year, the PMP credential has garnered global recognition and commanded a higher salary for credentialed individuals over non- credentialed individuals.

All about the PMP Credential, Application & Payment

Timeline of the PMP Credential Process

All about the PMP Credential, Application & Payment

PMP Role Delineation (Job Analysis) PMI conducts Role Delineation Studies for each credential every five to seven years. A third party, independent of PMI, conducts the study which includes volunteer project management professionals from around the world. These individuals discuss the specific roles associated with each credential and the tasks and responsibilities that are expected to be performed within that role. In other words, a Role Delineation is a job analysis. It also provides a blueprint for the exam and links the exam questions to the role.

The PMP Role Delineation states that candidates for the PMP credential:

• Perform their duties under general supervision and are responsible for all aspects of the project for the life of the project

• Lead and direct cross-functional teams to deliver projects within the constraints of schedule, budget, and scope

• Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and experience to appropriately apply a methodology to projects that have reasonably well-defined requirements and deliverables

All about the PMP Credential, Application & Payment

PMP Eligibility Requirements To be eligible for the PMP credential, you must meet certain educational and professional experience requirements. All project management experience must have been accrued within the last eight consecutive years prior to your application submission.

Educational Background Project Management Experience Project Management

Education Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or global equivalent)

Minimum five years/60 months unique non- overlapping professional project management experience during which at least 7,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks*

35 contact hours of formal education

OR Four-year degree (bachelor’s degree or global equivalent)

Minimum three years/36 months unique non-overlapping professional project management experience during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks*

35 contact hours of formal education

*Leading and directing project tasks as identified in the Project Management Professional Examination Specification. You should have experience in all five process groups across all your project management experience submitted on the application. However, on a single project, you do not need to have experience in all five process groups.

NOTE: The A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK

Guide) defines a project as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result (PMBOK

Guide—Fourth Edition, p. 434).

All about the PMP Credential, Application & Payment

How to Record your Experience on the Application

Use the experience verification section of the online application to record your experience leading and directing project tasks. Record projects individually regardless of the number of projects you include.

Number of Months of Project Management Experience

Each month in which you worked on multiple, overlapping projects counts as one month toward the total requirement. In the following example, the project manager worked on Project 1 and Project 2 simultaneously February–April. However, the time spent on both projects counts as three, not six, months toward the total to fulfill the professional project management experience requirement.

Number of Hours that You Led or Directed Project Tasks

Consider all of the projects that you have worked on and identify how many hours you led or directed project tasks. For this section of the application, if you worked on multiple projects at one time, all the hours spent leading and directing project tasks count toward the total.

Contact Hours of Project Management Education

Verify at least 35 contact hours of specific instruction that addressed learning objectives in project management. Record all education hours regardless of when they were accrued. The course work must be completed at the time you submit the application.

NOTE: One hour of classroom instruction equals one contact hour. If you have completed a university or college course on project management that met for three hours per week for 15 weeks, you would record 45 contact hours. If only a portion of a course dealt with project management, only the hours spent on project management can be applied toward the total.

The course hours may include content on project quality, project scope, project schedule, project budget, project communications, project risk, project procurement, and project integration management.