Project management professional (PMP) is the world’s most recognized certification for the project management profession. PMP Certificate is considered well received by both employers and workers. So what is the secret behind this wide recognition? What makes PMP certificate so popular? Which points are important to know about PMP education? Are there specific Requirements for PMP Education? Why should I enroll in a PMP Education and how can I choose the right PMP Education program for me? We will answer these questions in this article and cover the key points related to PMP education.
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What Makes Project Management Professional (PMP) Popular?
To understand what makes PMP the most recognized project management certificate, you need to understand how you can obtain it. Many may think of it as just a standard examination process where you would just study, apply for the exam, pass the exam scenario. However, the truth is, it’s not that simple.
If you are a working Project Management Professional and if you are interested in earning the PMP Certification, you might find it challenging since Project Management Institute (PMI) requires a set of PMP prerequisites from the exam takers.
You can learn more about PMP certification in our Free PMP Training.
This set of PMP prerequisites includes the following:
- A secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or the global equivalent)
- 7,500 hours leading and directing projects
- 35 contact hours of PMP education
OR
- A four-year degree
- 4,500 hours leading and directing projects
- 35 contact hours of PMP education
This way PMI confirms that the certificate seeker has the right level of experience, education, and knowledge of PMP training. This proves that the individual fits a high standard professional degree.
In case you need more detailed information about PMP Certificate Requirements, you can check our video below:
Can I Prepare for PMP Exam without a PMP Education?
In order for your PMP application to be approved, PMI will expect you to attend a 35 contact hours PMP course. Any applicant who does not satisfy the prerequisites won’t be allowed to take the exam and PMI will reject his or her application. This means, all applicants must satisfy experience, attained education, and PMP Education requirements in order to approve their application. If you don’t satisfy the experience requirements or education requirements, that is a show stopper. Luckily you can satisfy the 35 contact hour requirement for PMP education through any acceptable course by PMI.
What are the PMP Education Requirements?
PMP Education requirements consist of obtaining at least 35 contact hours of Project Management Education with specific instructions and learning objectives addressed to the project management areas. You need to record the PMP education contact hours regardless of when they are obtained. But at the same time, you need to complete the coursework by the time you submit the PMP exam application. Accordingly, PMI will not approve any future ending PMP education course and it will reject your application based on the missing PMP education requirement.
Also, you must satisfy the following conditions for PMI to accept your PMP education:
- The PMP education training course must be consistent with topics included within the PMP Exam Content Outline.
- The PMP training course must be successfully completed in advance of submitting your application. But it could have been accrued at any point in the past. The PMP Course can be conducted through the following methods:
- Live courses, workshops, and/or training sessions that include some form of assessment or certificate of completion.
- Online courses, workshops, and/or training sessions that include some form of assessment or certificate of completion
Can Self-learning, Events, and Seminars Satisfy the PMP Education Requirements?
As we’ve mentioned, there are specific conditions and requirements to satisfy PMP Training Requirement properly, so that PMI approves your application. It excludes unorganized efforts that do not address learning objectives, which are not instructed specifically for project management. This is effective, even if the learning content is specified in the PMP exam content outline in some way. It means that PMI will not accept those as contact hours if you attend a self-directed learning, meetings or presentations.
On the other hand, you can attend a self-based PMP online course which includes specific instructions and addresses learning objectives in the project management. This course might be in the form of training sessions and must have some form of assessment or certificate of completion in order to be accepted by PMI as PMP Education contact hours. Thus, it will satisfy the 35 contact hours PMP Education Requirements.
Why Should I Enroll in a PMP Training?
The Project Management Institute which provides the PMP certification sets high standards for its certification holders as a part of its criteria to differentiate its certifications from other providers and make it more credible than other certifications which are based only on exams or training. This way, the PMP Certification stands out as the most credible project management certification globally.
Global companies widely recognize PMP certificate as an enabler for working professional to:
- Demonstrate to employers their level of professionalism in Project Management principles, practices, tools, and techniques
- Increase their professional versatility in project management tools and techniques.
Thus, failing to achieve any of the three perquisites means the disqualification of an individual from applying for the exam. This way PMI ensures its certification holder has the proper set of skills, experience, and the right level of education.
What Are the Important Points When Choosing PMP Education?
To answer this question properly, first, we need to highlight some of the facts and factors that will help us to explore the important points when you are choosing the PMP training for yourself.
The first fact that PMI sets some specific set of criteria for PMP Education, we described and answered them in the previous sections.
The second the fact is that PMI sets the majority of exam questions based on situational practical questions. To answer these questions, you need to possess a combination of project management best practices knowledge provided through the PMP Education and a sense of real life practical experience. In some case, questions might have multiple correct answers where knowledge alone is not enough, in those cases you need to eliminate the other answers and select the best-fit answer based on practical experience.
Finally, if you are a working professional, it is not wrong to think that it would be very difficult for you to go through an extensive and exhausting focused formal classroom training.
These important factors trigger a number of important points that you should consider when selecting the right provider for PMP Education. These important points include:
- The course should satisfy the minimum 35 contact hours
- Structured content and material
- It should provide a Certificate of Completion
- Project Management Institute (PMI) must accept the course
- Training should provide real-life examples to add the flavor of experience to the content
- The provider should have a good track record of successfully helping its students reach the proper level of Project Management knowledge
- Being convenient in terms of time and place for students is a very important factor in the decision process
What Are The Best PMP Training Programs?
So, now, we know which criteria to look after and we came to the point of where we can use these criteria to decide on what PMP Education Programs are available, acceptable from PMI’s side and stand out from the rest. Now the question comes to what is the best option you can choose for your PMP Education.
Well, the answer to this question is very difficult due to the numerous number of providers. There are many options available for the PMP Education Programs, however, only a few of them can stand out as effective programs.
You can use the identified criteria to assess any available PMP Education Programs to decide which of these options are the best PMP Education Programs for you. Also, in the following sections of this article, we are going to reveal and highlight some of the best available options for PMP Education Programs.
What is a PMP Boot Camp?
PMP Boot Camp is a strong option for getting the PMP Education. PMP Boot Camp is a very rigorous focused PMP Education training that will prepare you for PMP certification exam.
Did you know how this Boot camp concept started and what it means? Boot Camp is a slang expression which came from the US Navy/Marine Corps. It refers to the basic training for the new recruits which the US Navy/Marine Corps provide in a very rigorous, intensive and disciplined way to help them understand the Corps basics. PMP Boot Camp is intensive training to give you the 35 hours PMP education for three, four or five days. PMP Boot Camp can be a live classroom training or online training.
Taking a PMP Education in form of classroom training is very convenient for those individuals who have the time to visit or host a focused PMP Education Program.
Can I take this PMP Boot Camp online?
Another more convenient PMP Education option you can go for is PMP Boot Camp Online. PMP Boot Camp Online is a choice that can help professionals like you solve both time and location convenience issues. An online PMP boot camp gives you access to the PMP preparation course sessions, using your laptop or mobile platform, tablet or e-reader from anywhere: your home, your office or even outdoors.
This option is usually in form of online training live classes. Some training providers organize online PMP Education live classes and announce the schedules of these classes months before. PMP candidates lock their schedules and they enroll in an online PMP Education training live class which fits their availability. This option has many benefits however still it doesn’t solve some key challenges for working project management professionals.
I’m a working project management professional with a very busy schedule, how can I take PMP education at my convenience?
If you are a busy project management professional, an online self-paced PMP education training can be the best fit option and the solution for your schedule convenience issue. The reason behind this is that the provider has already recorded all lectures of the whole PMP education training sessions. Once you enroll in a self-paced online PMP training, you can watch the videos of these sessions whenever you are convenient. You can watch them on your laptop or smartphone at your own pace in a way you fits your schedule. And the duration of completing the course only depends on your own schedule, not on forced timelines. This way you are free to choose when to study, in a way that fits your personal schedule.
- You have the option to postpone studying when you have urgent matters you need to attend to.
- Learn at any time or place, whether you are at the office, home, outdoors or even on a train.
- You can simply access the online PMP course through your laptop, mobile or from a public device and attend the sessions.
At the same time, through this option, you don’t have to compress your work schedule nor have a daylong training. You don’t have to complete the course in specific time frame since when you are following an online self-paced PMP training. You will always have the option to attend whenever you are available. And the only limitation you have, would be that of your choice.