The Project Management Professional (PMP®) is a certification administrated by the Project Management Institute (PMI). It is one of the most important industry-recognized certifications for the career of project managers in the United States, part of Asia (including China and India), the Middle East and Australia.

Who Should Apply?

Since the PMP® Credential is a recognition for experienced project manager, it requires the applicants to have at least 3 years of project management experience for a total of not less than 4500 hours directing and managing projects if they have a bachelor’s degree (5 years / 7500 hours for a sub-degree applicant). The PMP® applicant also needs to have at least 35 hours of formal project management education (called “Contact Hours”) obtained through classroom education or online education.

The Exam Syllabus

The PMP® exam syllabus is based on the 600+ page publication A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) which outlines 5 performance domains:

• Initiating the project
• Planning the project
• Executing the project
• Monitoring and controlling the project
• Closing the project

There are altogether 10 knowledge areas in the PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition:

• Project Integration Management
• Project Scope Management
• Project Time Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Human Resource Management
• Project Communications Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement Management
• Project Stakeholders Management