PMP Certification Requirements

The cost to take the PMP certification exam is $554 total ($159 to join PMI and $425 for the exam fees). You can pay for the exam without joining PMI, at a cost of $675. Since joining PMI saves you $21 on exam fees and you also receive PMI member benefits, we recommend becoming a PMI member before applying to take the exam.

PMI requires 35 contact hours to sit for the PMP exam. Project Management Academy's PMP exam prep course has been approved by PMI to issue the 35 contact hours. Upon completing the required PMI Post-Class Survey (instructions are provided in-class and in your PMA Learning Portal), your 35 hours will also populate in your PMI profile to streamline your application process for the PMP Certification. For extra assurance, we will provide you with a certificate of completion at the end of the course that you can submit to PMI if you get audited.

You can apply for the PMP exam before attending the course, provided you have already completed the required 35 hours of PM training needed to sit for the exam. Most students wait until the live course is completed, at which time they will have earned the necessary 35 hours to apply for the exam, and that's what we generally advise students to do. However, circumstances sometimes require students to get certified within a short timeframe.

As a word of caution, we generally do not recommend taking the PMP certification exam immediately after completing the course. While it certainly can be done, it requires extra preparation prior to the live course. We recommend allowing yourself at least 1 week of study after the live course to ensure that you are fully prepared.

PMP certification holders are required to earn a minimum of 60 PDUs over the course of 3 years to meet the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) to maintain your credential.

For Non-PMI Members, the cost to renew your PMP Certification is $150 per 3 year cycle. For PMI members, the cost is discounted to $60.

From an annual project manager survey report, PMI collected self-reported data from 32,000 Project Managers across 42 countries. Data showed that those with a PMP® certification earn 22% more than those without it. The PMI states that in the USA., the median salary for Project Managers is $ 116,000.

Once you have earned the Project Management Professional certification, you must maintain a specific number of PDUs in PMI-determined categories and pay the renewal cycle fee to remain certified. PMI PDU requirements are in the PMI CCR Handbook. Submit your PDU claims via the PMI CCR online portal with the best practice of submitting as soon as possible after completing an activity.

The entire PMP certification process includes the time to complete the application, the 5 business days the PMI uses to review your application, the exam prep work, and taking the exam. Generally speaking, starting the application process to receiving your certification can take about 6 months.

In a survey of 100 PMP certification holders asked how long they studied for their exams, the answers ranged from a week to 6 months! The conclusion was that for most project managers, it takes about 2 months of 2 - 3 hours of daily study to prepare for the PMP certification exam. To plan your PMP certification prep, keep in mind that you will need time to complete your application and you need time to study, before you actually take the exam.