PMI was founded in 1969 and first started offering the Project Management Professional certification exam in 1984. PMI is accredited as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards developer and also has the distinction of being the first organization to have their certification program attain International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 recognition.

PMI boasts a worldwide membership of over 1,65,007 and 1,10,906 PMPs (as on April 2005), with members from 125 different countries. Local PMI chapters meet regularly and allow project managers to exchange information and learn about new tools and techniques of project management or new ways to use established techniques. I encourage you to join a local chapter and get to know other professionals in your field.

PMI is the leader in project management practices and is the most widely recognized organization and certification in the field. PMI strives to maintain and promote standards and ethics in this field and offers publications, training, seminars, chapters, special interest groups, and colleges to further the project management discipline.

The following benefits are associated with becoming PMP certified:

• It demonstrates proof of professional achievement.
• It increases your marketability.
• It provides greater opportunity for advancement in your field.
• It raises customer confidence in you and your company’s services.

This is a very good question.

When I watch some of the very experienced project managers in action, sometimes I get very disturbed. Most of them do not monitor critical paths, perform earned value analysis. If these two are not practiced in projects, I am sure that it is the project which is managing them.

If you are an experienced project manager, who already know how to;

• initiate a project
• plan a project
• execute a project
• monitor and control a project
• close a project

If you are a project manager, who is not very confident of the internationally accepted standards for initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing a project then a PMP credential will give you the opportunity to learn globally accepted project management best practices along with the the globally accepted PMP credential

If you are university degree holder;

4500 hours of project management experience within project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling and closeout. This do not mandate, experience under the role of a 'project manager'. For example, a person involved in quality planning and tracking can count that experience also while reporting the 4500 hours of experience. However, the candidate should have at least three years of project management experience, during the six year period, prior to applying.

The candidate should have received 35 hours of project management training and must include content on project scope, quality, human resources, communication, risk, procurement, integration and professional management. The candidate can count all the project management trainings received prior to application and no time frame is stipulated for this.

If you are not a degree holder and holds a high school diploma or equivalent;
7500 hours of project management experience
five years of project management experience (non over lapping)
35 hours of project management education (coverage as in the degree holder's case)

Required supporting documents;

• educational background
• experience verification forms, meeting criteria above
• 35 hours of project management education, conforming to the criteria above

The PDU is a measure of time spent in a structured learning activity. For formalized learning activities, the course content should be consistent with the knowledge areas and processes as outlined by the PMBOKR Guide and involve appropriate expert resources. One (1) PDU is given for each hour of structured learning. Fractions of hours will be accepted in .25 increments. An activity or group of related activities must be a minimum of one full hour to be accepted. Ten minutes per each hour for breaks are permitted in programs that exceed one hour in length. Exceptions: Specified numbers of PDUs may also be earned for service to the profession and for specified professional activities.

If you have worked on more than one project during the same month / months , only one can be counted.

It is perfectly all right. No where, PMI has mandated that, one has to work on all peoject management phases to qualify for the PMP exam. That means, If you are a project planning expert and if you have spent all your professional years in just planning projects after projects for the required eligibility period, still you will qualify.

Not much of a difference

While preparing for the PMP examination, referring to 'Guide to PMBOK ' alone will not help and at the same time, there is no other authentic material apart from 'Guide to PMBOK' to act as a reference material. End to end understanding of PMBOK is very important and at the same time, there is no need to mug up things as most of the questions are not very direct.

There are several very good books (PMP exam centric) available in the market.

Project management professional -study guide by Kim Heldman, PMP

The project management Question and answer book by Michael W.Newell, PMP and Marina N. Grashina, PMP

PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy

are some of them. I will suggest you to rely on the 'Guide to project management body of knowledge, third edition' to understand the concepts, and to use any of the above mentioned books, to get a hang of the exam. Once you register as a member at SJ Pmtraining Co. you will get access to simulation tests, which will help you to get a feel of how the real test will be. Sound understanding of the concepts as defined in the PMBOK guide as well as some practice in answering sample questions will help you to prepare well for the PMP credential. My sincere advise is to read the PMBOK guide end to end three times and to do the exercises in one of the above books, three times end to end... and that should do the trick!

I will say that 'Guide to the PMBOK third edition' is more reader friendly than the earlier versions. The third edition is is structured to give more emphasis to the process groups. Chapter 3 is renamed as 'Project management processes for a project' is extensively revised and is moved to a new chapter titled 'The standard for project management of a project'. In the third edition, seven processes have been added, thirteen renamed and two deleted. The terms 'facilitating processes' and 'core processes' are no more used. The project management processes are still grouped under;

- initiating process group
- planning process group
- executing process group
- monitoring and controlling process group
- closing process group

To make it clearer - if you have done your preparation well using the 'Guide to PMBOK third edition' and write the exam based on PMBOK guide 2000, your probability of success will remain the same, if not more! I think, that explains it better.

Registered Education Providers (REPs) are organizations approved by PMI to offer project management training for Professional Development Units. Currently there are over 700 organizations from 55 countries in the PMI registry. The criteria for becoming and maintaining an REP status are;

• Must be a legal entity
• Must have offered project management training for at least one year
• Must submit at least one sample course for review
• Must have a PMP review the content of each course submitted into the REP database
• Must show evidence of appropriate course selection, design and delivery
• Must show evidence that content of courses is substantially consistent with PMI standards or is clearly noted as offering an alternate theory
• Must show evidence of instructor qualifications appropriate to topics taught
• Must use PMP certified instructor to deliver PMP exam preparation courses
• Must make accurate representations of course objectives
• Must be reviewed by a designated PMI reviewer before acceptance as an REP and once every three years thereafter

I can inform you that if the course content of the class you attended is based on one of the knowledge areas, process areas or sub-process areas of "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge," it will satisfy the 35 hour education requirement." For every hour that you are in a classroom environment and it deals with project management then you can claim one "Contact" hour.

To calculate "contact" hours all you must do is take the hours that you are in a classroom environment dealing with project management and subtract any time not devoted to project management from the time. This includes lunches, breaks, and time not devoted to an aspect of project management. For example, if you are in a twelve (12) week course that meet for three hours a week, and the course deals entirely with project management then you would receive 36 "Contact" hours. It does not matter where you have taken the course, just as long as the course is in a classroom environment and dealing with a project management topic.

This depends on your current preparedness level. If you are already prepared for the 2004 test, I suggest you to go and take the 2004 test, before 24th September. For that you will have to apply before 29th August 2004. Two months is enough time to prepare and pass the exam.

If you are just starting your preparations, then my suggestion is to start the preparation with PMBOK third edition. There is not much of a difference in subject areas between PMBOK third edition and the earlier version, except that PMBOK third edition has more clarity and some more best practices are incorporated. Start your preparations, based on PMBOK third edition, by around 25th August 2005 take stock of your confidence level and if you are confident, go ahead and apply for the 2004 test, before 29th August 2005 and take the test before 30th September.

In case you are not very confident about your preparedness for the exam by around 25th August 2005, don't worry. Your preparation is not wasted, since it is based on the third edition. It is only a matter of some more preparation, before you attempt the 2005 examination.

80 to 90 hours, including 35 hours of project management training

Friday 30th September 2005. This will introduce several changes to the PMP exam format, testing policy and overall application process. All changes to the testing policy and overall application process will be effective from 30th August, 2005, which is precisely one month before the launch of the new examination. In a nutshell, the application processing steps will change from 30th August 2005 and the new exam will be launched on 30th September 2005.

The change is only in the application format. One may have to provide more detailed information about their project experiences. Please note that, the hours required to meet the project management education and the project management experience requirements for the PMP will remain the same.

PMI is strengthening the application process to build upon the credential’s rigor and make the process more customer-centric. Changes include:

• A new and improved online application. To be released with the introduction of the new examination, this easy-to-use system will enable users to view their status throughout the credentialing process.
• Collection of project contact information. Applicants will be required to provide contact information for each project that is submitted as part of the application. During the application evaluation review period and if an application is selected for audit, PMI will contact manager(s) indicated on the application to validate the documented experience.
• Evaluation period. All applications submitted will go through an enhanced review process.
• Instant audit notification. Applicants selected for audit will be notified electronically. Automated follow-up reminder notifications will be issued to candidates electronically throughout the audit process.
• One-year eligibility period. All candidates will be given one year to take the examination. This one-year eligibility period begins when a candidate's application is approved.
• Limit on the number of times candidates will be permitted to test. Candidates will have three opportunities to take and pass the PMP examination within their one-year eligibility period. If candidates do not succeed on the third attempt, candidates will have to wait one year from their third unsuccessful attempt before being permitted to test again.

The Revised PMP Credential Examination will Test Knowledge in the Following Six Domains

Initiating the Project……11%
Tasks

• Conduct Project Selection Methods
• Define Scope
• Document Project Risks, Assumptions, and Constraints
• Identify and Perform Stakeholder Analysis
• Develop Project Charter
• Obtain Project Charter Approval

Planning the Project……23%
Tasks

• Define and Record Requirements, Constraints and Assumptions
• Identify Project Team and Define Roles and Responsibilities
• Create the WBS
• Develop Change Management Plan
• Identify Risks and Define Risk Strategies
• Obtain Plan Approval
• Conduct Kick-off Meeting

Executing the Project……27%
Tasks

• Execute Tasks Defined in Project Plan
• Ensure Common Understanding and Set Expectations
• Implement the Procurement of Project Resources
• Manage Resource Allocation
• Implement Quality Management Plan
• Implement Approved Changes
• Implement Approved Actions and Workarounds
• Improve Team Performance

Monitoring and Controlling the Project……21%
Tasks

• Measure Project Performance
• Verify and Manage Changes to the Project
• Ensure Project Deliverables Conform to Quality Standards
• Monitor all Risks

Closing the Project……9%
Tasks

• Obtain Final Acceptance for the Project
• Obtain Financial, Legal, and Administrative Closure
• Release Project Resources
• Identify, Document and Communicate Lessons Learned
• Create and Distribute Final Project Report
• Archive and Retain Project Records
• Measure Customer Satisfaction

Professional and Social Responsibility……9%
Tasks

• Ensure Individual Integrity
• Contribute to the Project Management Knowledge Base
• Enhance Personal Professional Competence
• Promote Interaction Among Stakeholders

Project Management Professional (PMPR) Examination Specification, to be available for purchase at PMI’s Online Bookstore early 3rd Quarter 2005. This publication will detail how the updated PMP credential examination was built, and provide the most up-to-date global information on the maturity of the project management profession with respect to the credential.

To pass the PMP examination, candidates must answer a minimum of 141 of the 175 scored questions correctly. It is possible to fail one or more of the Domains, yet still pass the exam (the chart above demonstrates the total percentage of what each domain is worth on the new examination). While attending the test, the candidate will have to take 200 questions out of which 25 questions will be in the beta stage, and will not be counted for pass/fail determination.

Official announcement is 14 working days from the date of receipt of application. Actuallt it works much faster than that, if it is an online application.

Memebers need to pay only USD 405 where as non members pay USD 555. The difference is almost same as the membership fees for a year and along with the membership, you get access to PMI's site covering the 'wisdom centre'. If you are a member, you will receive additional monthly publications from PMI, which are of real value and depicts the latest in project management. Members get additional discounts at PMI events. The smartest thing is to get the membership, before applying for PMP.

email your queries to pmpquestions@pmi.org
for expert guidance email service@pmtraining.com.tw