PMP Certification Cost in

Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) is a giant step in the project management career. While the program certifies that you have the professional skills necessary to lead project teams and achieve results, you’ll need to first pass the certification exam.

You’ll find out in this post how much the PMP certification exam cost, along with its eligibility, online application, and training.

Meanwhile, PMP certification is one of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) certification programs that have global recognition. The global acceptance of this certification, coupled with the rise in the demand for skilled project manager, makes PMP a well-sought certification.

As a professional with the PMP certification, you will rank above your colleagues who do not have certification. The resulting benefit of which could be a higher salary.

There are other certain benefits of PMP certification you need to know asides from its cost. We will thus proceed to answer the relevant questions surrounding PMP as well as other valuable information regarding getting certified.

About PMP Certification

The PMP certification is one of the certifications Project Management Institute (PMI) offers. The PMI has a mission to initiate, establish, evaluate, maintain, and administer a professional certification program. This program will then promote and support project management practitioners and the profession.

PMI is achieving this mission by providing certification and certifications with global development and application. Its certifications are transferable across industries and geographic borders.

Also, the strength of PMI’s certifications is its portability. PMI’s certification does not depend on any single method, standard, or organization.

The institute’s certification program ensures that all certification holders have demonstrated their competence through fair and valid measures. The institute takes steps to ensure that they use only the most reliable testing measures 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.

Additionally, Certification Governance Council (CGC), a committee of PMI certification holders who have a Board mandate to oversee PMI’s certifications, supervises PMI’s certificate programs.

The PMP certification scheme has accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coupled with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17024.

The 17024 standard stipulates vigorous requirements for examination development and maintenance. It also includes requirements for quality management systems for continuous quality assurance.

In addition, the PMP certification has registration with the ISO 9001:2008 standard for quality management systems. This accreditation provides a third-party affirmation of quality in the development, management, and governance of the PMP certification.

It also gives certification holders and organizations who employ them additional confidence in the PMP certification.

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Job Opportunities for PMP Certified Professionals

You may be asking, how does the PMP certification affect the professional’s job outlook? What does the PMP certification professional do differently from other project management professionals? Do they earn higher than other project managers?

PMI conducts Role Delineation Studies for each certification every five to seven years. A third party independent of PMI conducts this study using volunteer project management professionals from around the world.

These individuals discuss the specific roles associated with each certification and the tasks and responsibilities that are expected to be performed within that role.

The PMI team’s study shows that PMP certification candidates:

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

Meanwhile, Project managers work in diverse industries, including construction, fishing, and telecommunications. Even though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not collect data on project coordinators, the PMI’s Project Management Salary Survey report of an increase in salary over the past twelve (12) months is evidence of higher demands of project managers.

Also, PMI’s Earning Power Salary Survey shows that project managers with a PMP certification garner a higher salary (20% higher on average) than those without a PMP certification. Meanwhile, Glassdoor projects the annual average salary of project managers in the USA at $75,474.

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PMP Eligibility Requirements

Like almost all academic and certificate programs, PMP certification has some eligibility requirements. PMI requires you to meet come educational and professional experience before you can take the online PMP certification exam.

You can be eligible for the PMP certification exam if you have a secondary/high school degree or a bachelor’s degree.

Secondary Degree Eligibility

To be eligible for the PMP certification exam, you must have a minimum academic qualification of Secondary degree. This could be a high school diploma, associate’s degree or a global equivalent.

Meanwhile, you must also have a minimum of five years or sixty (60) months’ unique professional project management experience. You must have spent at least a total of 7,500 hours leading and directing projects.

In addition to this, you must also undergo some Project Management Education before taking the PMP certification exam. You should spend up to 35 contact hours acquiring a formal PMP certification education.

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Bachelor’s Degree Eligibility

Also, you are eligible for the PMP certification exam if you have a four-year degree. This could be a bachelor’s degree or a global equivalent.

Meanwhile, you should also have a minimum of three years or thirty-six (36) months’ unique professional project management experience. You must have also spent 4,500 hours of this period of time leading and directing a project that meets the PMP requirement.

Additionally, you must undertake at least 35 contact hours of formal PMP certification education.

For the Project Management Education eligibility of acquiring a PMP certificate, there is specialized training you can take advantage of. We will discuss this as we progress.

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PMP Certification Cost 2023

The cost of gaining PMP certification in 2024 is quite affordable as it has been for past years. PMI projects only the exam cost as the cost of acquiring PMP certification. However, you may have to factor in the cost of receiving a PMP certification training to get the actual PMP certification cost.

PMP Exam Fees

The cost of sitting for the PMP certification exam depends on your status and exam delivery type. By status, you can pay for your PMP certification as a member or as a  nonmember. Also, by exam delivery type, you may choose to write your PMP certification exam online (Center-Based Test) or physically, at a geographic location (Paper Based Test).

Meanwhile, you’ll have to check the “Examination Administration” section of the PMP handbook to see if you qualify for paper-based exam delivery. Otherwise, plan to take as well as pay for a center-based exam.

Download PMP Handbook

Having said that, the PMP certification exam cost for members – whether center-based or paper-based – is $405 or €340. On the other hand, the PMP certification exam cost for nonmembers – whether center-based or paper-based – is $555 or €465.

Meanwhile, if you choose to rewrite the exam, the PMP certification reexamination cost for members is $275 or €230. The price is the same for CBT and PBT. On the other hand, for nonmembers, the PMP certification reexamination cost is $375 or €315.

Furthermore, if you are for renewal of certification, the CCR certification renewal costs $60 for members. You can pay for the CCR certification renewal in dollars alone. Meanwhile, for nonmembers, the cost of the CCR certification renewal is $150.

You should note, however, that the PMI membership rate will apply only if you are a member of PMI and in good standing at the time of submitting your payment. 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.

However, if your membership has not been completely processed before you pay for the certification, PMI will charge you using the rate for nonmembers.

Additionally, if you obtain your PMI membership after you have submitted payment for the certification, PMI will not refund the difference.

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PMI Membership Cost

We recommend that you become a PMI member so that you can pay a lower PMP exam cost. Asides lower fees, you also get several other benefits by becoming a PMI member.

As a PMI member, you can also get free access to PMI standards and publications such as the latest edition of the PMBOK guide. The PMBOK guide is an essential book for individuals who wish to gain PMP certification.

You can also gain access to various research papers as well as project management related books from the PMI Marketplace.

Additionally, you will get networking opportunities as a member through attending the PMI Chapter Meetings, which your membership also gives you access to.

Having said that, you can be a PMI member as a member, a student, or a retiree. The PMI cost of membership varies by these categories of membership.

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The PMI membership cost for Individual members is $129 with an additional $10 registration fee. However, once you become a member, you only pay $129 as annual membership renewal cost to continue to enjoy the benefits of PMI membership.

Student members, on the other hand, pay $32 as a membership fee in addition to the $10 registration fee. Also, like the Individual member, student members have to renew their membership annually. The renewal fee for student members, however, is $32.

Finally, individuals who retire from active employment and have been a PMI member for at least five consecutive years can gain membership as a retiree. Here, you’ll only have to be paying an annual membership renewal fee of $65.

PMP Training Cost

Part of the PMP eligibility requirement is that you have at least 35 contact hours of formal PMP certification education. It is then left for you to go and get the said PMP certification education, which is mostly in the form of training.

The question now is, how much would it cost to acquire this training?

The truth is, the PMP certification training cost depends on factors such as your training location and your mode of education. Would you like to get your PMP certification training in a classroom or would you rather get it online? Also, which country will you be attending the training from if you’ll be getting your PMP education from the classroom?

Because of the interplay of these factors, there is no standard global PMP certification training cost.

PMP Certification Classroom Training Cost

Master of Project Academy offers both online and classroom PMP certification training. According to them, it costs between $1,500 to 3,500 to get PMP certification classroom training in the USA, Canada, and Australia.

For the same classroom training, it cost approximately $600 in Brazil, Chile, and other South American countries. It cost approximately $500 in China and India. However, it costs between $1,200 to 2900 in European Countries. Meanwhile for Arabian Countries like UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait the PMP certification classroom training costs approximately$2,500.

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PMP Certification Online Training Cost

There are a good number of online platforms where you can take the PMP certification training. The online training option is attractive to the majority of people because it does not require their physical presence. Most project managers who work full time prefer this option.

Also, these online courses cost a lot less than regular classroom teaching. You can find online PMP certification training between the price range of USD 200 to USD 500.

Master of Project Academy’s online PMP Certification Training costs $370 for annual access and $67 for a monthly subscription. Their 35 hours online PMP certification training course is also self-paced. Thus, rather than attending online live classes, which are pre-scheduled, you pace the course and determine when to study and when to complete.

If you are more into interactive training rather than following a self-paced PMP training, however, you can consider enrolling in an instructor-led PMP online class session as well. Prices of instructor-led PMP training ranges from $800 to $3,500 depending on the country, training provider as well as training materials.

PMP Online Application 

To make your application for the PMP certification exam easy, here’s a step by step guide on how to complete the PMP certification online application.

Of course, it’s an online application, so, here’s the application link to begin the PMP certification process:

https://certification.pmi.org/default.aspx

PMI encourages you to use the online certification system to apply for all certifications. However, you can get a printable version of the application on a case-by-case basis. You’ll have to contact Customer Care to submit a request if you’ll need the printable version.

Here’s PMI’s Customer Care email:

customercare@pmi.org

Step One:

Before you start your application, ensure that you meet the PMP certification eligibility requirements.

Step Two:

Proceed to record the necessary information on the application if you meet the PMP certification eligibility requirements.

Note, however, that once you start the online application, you cannot cancel it. You can save your progress to come back to it later. You may have to edit the information you had previously entered, however.

Also, the PMP certification online application stays open for 90 days. If you have an unfinished application on the PMP application portal, PMI will consistently send you an email reminder to complete the application.

Additionally, as a tip, ensure that you enter your valid, unique email address during the application. The email address you enter into the portal will be the primary way PMI would communicate with you throughout the certification process.

Step Three:

After entering the relevant information PMI requires of you for the PMP certification, go ahead and submit your application.

However, before you submit the application, PMI requires you to read through and agree to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

You will do the same for the Certification Application/Renewal Agreement, which you will find in the handbook above which you may have downloaded. You will also be able to view this at PMI’s website:

https://www.pmi.org/

Meanwhile, with PMI’s online certification system, you can also view your submitted certification application as well as your examination eligibility status. You can also download PMI audit forms and your exam report with your pass/fail status from the online system.

The online certification system also allows you to apply and submit payment to take or retake any PMI examination and/or evaluation. You can as well submit payment for certification renewal, download receipts, access your certification record, and update your contact information.

PMP Audit Process

PMI Audit process is simply the selection process. The questions we are answering here is what next after submitting my PMP certificate application? What should I do if I’m selected?

By submitting your application you are agreeing to comply with the terms of the PMP certification audit process. Even though all applications are subject to an audit, PMI selects only a fraction of the applications for audit. Also, PMI selects these applications randomly

PMI will notify you by email prior to payment of the certification fee if they select your application.

For the audit process, PMI will request you to submit the following documents:

• Copies of your diploma/global equivalent
• Signatures from your supervisor(s) or manager(s) from the project(s) recorded in the experience verification section of the application, and
• Copies of certificates and/or letters from the training institute(s) for each course you recorded on the application to meet the required contact hours of project management education.

You have up to 90 days to submit these documents. If you successfully provide these documents, however, the audit should be complete in about five (5) to seven (7) business days.

Furthermore, you can send your completed audit forms by regular postal mail or express courier service, to the address below:

PMI
Attn: Certification Audit
14 Campus Blvd.
Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA

You should ensure to send all the documents at one time and in one envelope so as not to delay the audit process.

Note that you can only continue with the PMP certification process after you have complied with the audit requirements. Once you successfully complete the audit, your one-year examination eligibility period starts.

PMP Examination Information

So, you meet the PMP eligibility, you have applied online, you know the PMP exam cost, and you have complied with the PMI audit. What’s next?

Definitely, the exam is next and you should know what to expect.

In this section, we share with you the things you should know about the PMP exam, to aid your preparation.

Know that the PMP examination comprises of 200 multiple-choice questions. Of the 200 questions, 25 are pretest questions. Pretest questions do not affect your score. This leaves you with 175 questions that affect your scores.

Note also that PMI places all questions randomly throughout the examination. Also, the Center-based testing (CBT) is the standard method PMI uses to administer their examinations. However, Paper-based testing (PBT) is available under limited circumstances. You can learn more about it in the Examination Administration section of the PMP handbook.

Also, you have four (4) hours to complete the center-based examination. There are no scheduled breaks during the exam, although you are allowed to take a break if you need one. However, if you take a break during the exam, your exam clock continues to count down.

Furthermore, a tutorial, followed by a survey – both of which are optional – precedes the examination. Both of them can take up to 15 minutes to complete. However, the time you use to complete them is not included in the four-hour examination time.

In Conclusion:

Taking the PMP certification confirms that you are a professional in the Project Management field. It also places you some steps above your colleagues who don’t have a certification yet.

Also, it boosts your earning and lay set the path for career development. With the cost of taking the PMP certification exam at $405 for PMI members and $555 for nonmembers, it is a certification you have to get.

Meanwhile, you must the PMP eligibility requirements to be able to take the PMP exam. One of these requirements is some form of formal Project Management Education.

The cost of acquiring a PMP training when added to the exam cost may be high, but certainly not high enough to make you decide to forgo acquiring PMP certification.

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