Contents

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1. STEP 1: Read the PMI Credentials Handbook.

2. Step 2: Make sure that you are eligible to become a PMI certified
project manager.
3. Step 3: Become a PMI Member & Member of your local PMI Chapter.
4. Step 4: Sign up for the PMP Exam.
5. Step 5: Read the PMBOK Guide. Twice.
6. Step 6: Listen to a PMP Audio Workshop or Read a PMP Preparation
Book.
7. Step 7: Take an In-Person PMP Workshop.
8. Step 8: Answer as many Sample PMP Exam Questions as you can.
9. Step 9: Study Hard and have a Plan.
10. Step 10: Take the Exam.
11. Step 11 (Bonus Step): Earn 60 PDUs in 3 Years.

STEP 1: Read the PMI Credentials

Handbook.
The PMI has published a Credentials Handbook (the Handbook), which you can
find here. The Credentials Handbook explains everything that you want to know
about the process of taking the PMP Exam and becoming PMI certified project
manager . Reading this Handbook takes about 20 minutes and it should be the FIRST
20 minutes on your journey to becoming a certified PMP. It will answer most of your
questions about the procedures for applying and taking the exam.

Step 2: Make sure that you are eligible to

become a PMI certified project manager.
It is really quite simple to find out if you are eligible or not to take the PMP Exam.
Do you have a high school diploma, an associate degree, or the global equivalent of
these? Then you must have a minimum of five years (60 months) of unique, nonoverlapping professional project management experience of which at least 7,500
hours must have been spent leading and directing project tasks. (Non-overlapping
means that if you managed two projects in the year 2006, then that only counts as
12 months and not as 24.) Do you have a bachelor degree or its equivalent in your
country? Then you must have a minimum of three years (36 months) of unique, nonoverlapping professional project management experience of which at least 4,500
hours must have been spent leading and directing project tasks. In both cases, you
must also show that you have had 35 contact hours of project management training.
The good news is that all project management related training from your entire life
counts. So, if you are 30 years old and you took a 2-day PM class when you were 21
years old then you already have 16 contact hours. (One contact hour is equivalent to
one actual hour (60 minutes) of training or instruction received.)

Step 3: Become a PMI Member & Member of

your local PMI Chapter.
Becoming a member of the PMI makes financial sense because as a PMI member you
will not only receive a free PMBOK Guide but you will also receive a substantial
discount on the PMP Exam. In fact, the discount is bigger than the membership fee
so even if you don't want to stay a PMI member for life becoming a member in your
first year makes sense. Becoming a member of your local PMI Chapter can also make
sense because most chapters offer PMP Prep Workshops. Again, as a member you
usually receive a discount that is greater than the membership fee. Your local chapter
is also a great resource for PMP information. You can attend your chapter's dinner
meeting and speak in-person with new and seasoned PMPs about the exam. They will
be very happy to answer your questions and help you. You will also have a chance to
meet PMP aspirants like yourself and you can form a study group. Studying together
is more fun and increases your chance of passing.

Step 4: Sign up for the PMP Exam.

"I want to become a PMP" is a good plan. But "I want to become a PMP and my exam
date is in 3 months" is a much better plan because we all work a lot better when we
have a deadline. To sign up, you first have to fill in the PMP Credential Application
and submit it to the PMI. You can find the paper application in the Credential
Handbook (see step 1 above) but you definitely want to apply online
at http://www.pmi.org. Once your application has been approved you will receive a
letter from the PMI. Now you can apply to take the exam on the Prometric Website
athttp://www.prometric.com/PMI. The PMI doesn't perform the test themselves
instead they use Thomson Prometric, a testing company with testing centers around
the world. Depending on where you live you may have to travel quite far to take the
exam. As a result, you definitely want to schedule this well in advance.

Step 5: Read the PMBOK Guide. Twice.

Roughly 75 percent of the questions on the PMP Exam come from the PMBOK
Guide. You must know it inside and out, and the only way to know it is to read it at
least twice.

Step 6: Listen to a PMP Audio Workshop or

Read a PMP Preparation Book.
There are many very good PMP Audio Workshops and PMP Preparation Books
available. You can find them on eBay, Amazon, or in your local bookstore. These
resources will teach you the 25 percent of additional material that you cannot find in
the PMBOK Guide. And because the PMBOK Guide is so "dry", these third-party

products will help you understand what the PMBOK Guide is trying to say. They will
"translate" the concepts, tools, and techniques from the guide and give you
examples from everyday PM life to show you what is meant. Many of the audio
courses also come with contact hours the books cannot offer that benefit.
For more tips about the essential PMP exam study materialsyou'll need, watch this
short video:

Step 7: Take an In-Person PMP Workshop.

PMI Chapters, universities, colleges, and training companies offer a number of inperson PMP workshops around the world. They usually last from 2-6 days. Some of
them require that you study for yourself in addition to the course and others don't.
Some companies even offer a passing guarantee. But don't be fooled. This guarantee
is just marketing and their risk is very low. After all, would you intentionally fail the
exam just so that you can take their course again? In any case, taking an in-person
course combined with your own studies is probably the best way to go. If you are
lucky then your employer may offer to pay for such a course. If you have to pay for it
yourself then look into the course that is offered by your local PMI Chapter because
they are usually very affordable. Just like the audio courses and books, the classroom
training will help you understand the PMBOK Guide. The benefit here is that you will
have an instructor and other students to help you understand particularly difficult
sections like earned value or risk from the PMBOK Guide. Don't be afraid to ask
questions.

Step 8: Answer as many Sample PMP Exam

Questions as you can.
When it comes to free sample questions, you get what you pay for. Free is good to
get an idea, but you will have to pay for "real" questions in a book, as a CD, or online.
The benefit of buying a book is that you can go down to your local bookshop and take
some time to look through the questions in the books before you decide which one to
buy. The benefit of buying your sample tests as a CD or online is that they usually
come in some form of an exam simulation. That way you can get used to answering
your questions on the computer. We offer links to more than 30 free and commercial
sample tests in the PMP Resources section of our website at http://www.projectmanagement-prepcast.com. As you make your way through all the free samples that
you find online two things will happen; first, you will get used to answering exam
questions, which is good; and second, you will begin to disagree with some of the
suggested answers, which is even better. By disagreeing and then opening up your
study materials to review you will learn even more. Therefore, even the worst exam
sample question that you can find can help you in its unique way to pass the exam.
It's all a matter of your personal attitude and knowing that even a bad question can
take you further. Also important: keep track of your score. As time goes by you will
notice that you are more and more able to answer questions correctly. If you keep

your score then you can see where you are. Here is rule of thumb for you: if you
consistently answer 85 percent of the questions correctly, then you are ready to take
the exam.

Step 9: Study Hard and have a Plan.

Studying for the PMP Exam is a serious endeavor and requires personal dedication.
Manage your road to becoming a PMP like a project and create a plan a study plan.
In this plan, define how many hours you will study every day, how many chapters you
will read, and how many sample questions you will answer. Having a good plan is the
start. Then you will also have to tell your family and friends about it. That way they
know that you will be "gone" at times for the next 2-3 months to prepare. But don't
overdo it. You should plan on having breaks and leisure time as well. You need variety
in your life so don't forget to go and see a movie every now and then or have a drink
with your friends. Be prepared for ups and downs during your studies. Some sections
of the PMBOK Guide will be easy for you and youll feel great. Then there are those
sections that are more difficult because you don't have any experience. Don't
despair. Don't think that you are never going to understand this. Thousands of people
have passed the exam before you and you can pass it too! Stay positive at all times.
You will achieve your goal of becoming a PMP.

Step 10: Take the Exam.

After all that hard work, taking the exam almost sounds like the easy part. But there
are a few things to consider that will help you to make this a positive and successful
experience for you. Try and get a good night's sleep the night before the exam. Being
refreshed and having slept enough is important. There is no need for you to study the
night before the exam and stay up until 3 a.m. You have studied long and hard and
you are now ready for this so get some sleep. A lot of people choose to take the
day of the actual exam off from work. You can sleep in, eat a good breakfast, go for a
walk, and relax. That way you wont be too nervous when you get to the testing
center. It is a good idea to take a test drive to the testing center a week beforehand
so that you know where it is. You may also want to try and arrive one hour early just
in case you miss the bus or have car problems. Here is what you should bring with
you to the testing center: two forms of official identification with a photo; water and
some snacks; a sweater or light jacket; a simple calculator; and earplugs because it
could be noisy. Before the exam starts there is a short tutorial that explains how to
use the computer and software. Don't skip it. There is important information in the
tutorial. If you take the tutorial, then you can be sure that you understand everything
and don't make any mistakes because you made assumptions. Now click the "Start
Exam" button. Good luck!

Step 11 (Bonus Step): Earn 60 PDUs in 3

Years.

Congratulations! You have achieved your goal to becoming a certified project

manager! You've got that PMP behind your name as soon as you pass the exam.
There is no waiting period. As soon as you see "Passed" on the screen you hold the
PMP certification. Go home and send an email to all your friends and colleagues and
tell them that you are now a PMP. Celebrate! However, you are not a PMP for life.
Every three years you will need to collect and claim Professional Development Units
(PDUs) to keep the certification active. You will need 60 PDUs every three years to
keep your certification active. You can gain PDUs by attending local PMI Chapter
dinner meetings, by volunteering for the PMI, or by attending seminars offered by
PMI's Registered Education Providers. The good news is that starting November 2006
the PMI has given the 'OK' for you to listen to podcasts and claim a maximum of 15
PDUs in three years. There are about a half-dozen project management podcasts
available to you for free on the internet.