How Important Is PMP Certification?

Project Management Certification, also known as PMP Certification, is a globally recognized accreditation approved by Project Management Institute or PMI to a professional who clears the certification exam.

PMP Certification is most popular among Project Managers across the world, and it is said that presently there are around one million PMP Certification holders. Although being a project manager is not mandatory to be PMP certified, a survey states a certified professional is offered more salary than a non-certified Project Manager.

PMP Certification is one of the most sought certifications among Managerial level and aspiring Project Managers. The certification highlights an individual's technical skill, implants trust in stakeholders and employers, and plays a significant role in career growth.

 

What are a few benefits of a PMP Certification in India?

The business justification for PMP certification:

The PMP signifies that you are in line with the global league of project managers and connects you to several professionals, organizations, and experts around the world.

• As a PMP, you can work on any project irrespective of its industry or domain
• You will learn traditional project management and gain the proficiency required to get involved in Agile projects
• With a PMP badge on your profile, you will be reckoned under the cream of the project manager's community
• PMP Certification shows that you possess all the skills needed to drive a project to success
• Project management experience with certification can be valuable in any industry sector.

Related: Benefits and Approach to a PMP Certification

PMP certification salary 

Professionals with PMP certification can expect a leap in 20-25% salary compared to non-certified Project Managers.

What are the Eligibility criteria to attempt the PMP exam?

PMP Certification is one of the toughest exams to crack, and aspirants must be well-prepared to meet the below criteria

You must meet both Education and Work experience norms.

PMPEligibility Requirement	Secondary Degree	Four-year Degree	Post Graduate Degree
Hours or months Leading and Directing Projects	7,500 hours or 60 months	4,500 hours or 36 months	24 months
Hours of Project Management Education	35 hours	35 hours	35 hours

A project manager designation or title is not mandatory, but your project management experience is important. Apart from educational qualifications, you must also have project management experience.

After the eligibility is confirmed, it is recommended that you enroll in a PMI-approved project management training course.

PMP Training Institutes

You can find several PMI-approved PMP training institutes in India. It is always advisable to do research on success rate, quality of coaching, the flexibility of time, and mode before enrolling in these institutes, as most of you will be working professionals.

Few notable points about PMP training

• You can either opt for online or live sessions for PMP training
• Both learning options are valuable and offer the same knowledge
• The study materials need to be learned thoroughly to pass the exam on the first attempt

PMP Training Costs

The PMP training cost varies, and so does the training mode, like online classes or Instructor-led training. In India, PMP training costs around INR 14,000 to INR 18,000.

PMP Certification Exam Pattern

The PMP certification exam comprises 200 Multiple choice questions that need to be finished in four hours. Subject areas include:

1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closing

The PMP exam is available in online and offline formats, and the three domains are given the following importance:

Aspects	Domain	Percentage allocation
Leadership	People	42%
Technical Project Management	Process	50%
Strategic and Business Management	Business Environment	8%

There is no negative marking for wrong answers. The test focuses on both traditional project management as well as Agile Project Management.

Mode of PMP Exam

• The new format of PMP has 180-questions which have a mix of multiple-choice, hot-spot, and Drag-and-drop type questions.  

• During the Covid-19 period, PMI made this Project Management Certification Online, which is Proctored.

• It is also a paper-based test but still there are prerequisites to be completed before attending the test.

Project Management Certification Renewal

To keep your PMP certification, you must earn at least 60 professional development units with a combination of Technical, Leadership, and Strategic topics every three years. To earn these PDUs, you may attend various pieces of training offered by PMI-approved training institutes and project management courses online, read books, and perform voluntary activities at some firms.

Additionally, you can involve in

• Multitasking involves Project Management routine tasks.
• Volunteer experience similar to Project Management, including community development.

With all the above benefits and advantages, PMP also comes with a few disadvantages.

1. Expensive Training and exam cost
2. Preparation for the exam is time-consuming.
3. Professional Development Units (PDUs) have to be kept valid every three years.
4. After spending so much time and money, you may feel that PMP imparts just one out of many ways of handling projects.
5. Theoretical knowledge is completely different from practical implementation. Even though you pass the exam with flying colors, you don't need to excel in actual work. 

Conclusion

You now know both advantages and disadvantages of PMP Certification, its applicability, and the certification process. Gauging all the viable options, it is upon you to decide to pursue PMP training and certification.