Before you study for the PMP, make sure you can sit the exam. PMI sets clear eligibility rules based on your education, your project experience and your project management training.
The three routes
| Your education | Project experience needed | Training |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary diploma (high school or equivalent) | 60 months leading projects | 35 contact hours |
| Four-year degree | 36 months leading projects | 35 contact hours |
| Bachelor's or postgraduate degree from a GAC-accredited program | 24 months leading projects | 35 contact hours |
The experience must be within the last eight years. The 35 contact hours can be replaced by an active CAPM certification.
What counts as "leading projects"
You do not need the job title "project manager". PMI looks at what you did. Experience counts if you were leading or directing project work, for example:
- planning the work, schedule or budget,
- coordinating a team or vendors,
- managing risks, issues or stakeholders,
- tracking progress and reporting to sponsors.
Agile experience counts too, for example as a scrum master or product owner.
Months do not double up. If you ran two projects during the same six months, that is six months, not twelve.
Getting your 35 contact hours
The hours must come from structured project management education with a record of completion. Common options:
- online courses that issue a certificate of completion for 35 hours,
- university or college project management courses,
- courses from PMI Authorized Training Partners.
Keep your certificate. You will need it if you are audited.
How to apply
- Create an account on pmi.org and consider joining PMI to reduce your exam fee.
- Fill in the online application: education, training and a short description of each project.
- For each project, describe your role and the work you led in plain language, grouped by what you did, such as initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and closing, or the agile equivalents.
- Submit. PMI usually reviews applications within about five business days.
- Once approved, pay the exam fee and schedule your exam, at a test center or online.
The audit
A percentage of applications is selected at random for audit. If you are chosen, you will be asked for:
- copies of your diploma or degree,
- your training certificate,
- signatures from supervisors or managers confirming your project experience.
You cannot schedule the exam until the audit is complete. Write your application as if it will be audited: accurate dates, honest descriptions, and supervisors who know about the application.
Common mistakes
- Counting overlapping months twice.
- Describing projects in company jargon that a reviewer cannot understand.
- Listing operational work, such as routine support, as project work.
- Waiting until the last minute to get your training certificate.
Once you are approved, you have one year to pass. A good plan is to apply when you are about halfway through your preparation, so approval arrives just as you start full-length practice exams.