I hope this review of Invensis PMP training will help aspirants to have a 360-degree view of their PMP Training and it will help them to determine whether to go for this training provider or not.

About Invensis Learning

Invensis Learning was founded in the year 2000 by Arvind Rongala. And Headquarters of Invensis PMP Training Provider is in Wilmington, US.

About Arvind Rongala

Arvind Rongala is the director of the company and he is leading global training delivery. He has studied engineering in PES School of Engineering. Besides, he has experience of serving the IT-BPO industry for more than 8 years. Additionally, he has a keen interest in the learning and development sector.

Thereby, Arvind initiated the launch of Invensis Learning as the training and certification branch of Invensis Technologies. With their offices in the US, India, and Australia, he ensured that the company becomes a trusted training partner for many Fortune 1000 clients and gain global recognition in a short span of time.

With his expertise in Project Management, IT Service Management, Quality Management, and IT Security Governance, he has been a guest author for various popular digital publications such as Business Insider, Business today, and Project Times, Customer Think, Tech Sling, and Business world.

What does Invensis Learning offer?

Invensis Learning is a pioneer in providing globally recognized certification training courses for individuals and enterprises worldwide.

Invensis PMP Training methodology is coupled with high-quality courseware. This has enabled organizations to achieve high impact learning with increased knowledge, performance, and competence.

Further, they offer courses in various categories such as

• Project Management, IT Service Management, IT security and Governance, Quality Management, Agile Project Management, DevOps, and Cloud Courses.

Invensis PMP Training has trained 10,000+ professionals worldwide and they are a trusted partner for Fortune 500 companies, small and medium businesses and government organizations to deliver globally recognized training and certification programs.

Their certification training programs adhere to global standards such as PMI, AXELOS, ISACA, DevOps Institute, and PEOPLECERT.

Invensis Learning is a

• PMI certified REP,
• PEOPLECERT accredited for PRINCE2, ITIL, COBIT5 on behalf of AXELOS and
• DevOps institute REP and EXIN accredited.

Apart from training, Invensis PMP Training is also a professional development solutions provider.

Furthermore, it is a training partner for some of the leading international brands such as Johnson & Johnson, UN, Verizon, Allianz, Aramco, Qatar Airways, Sabic,  Ecobank, American Savings bank, Total Gas, Govt of Australia, etc.

They offer training and certification in 44 courses in 6 categories such as:

• IT Service Management, Project Management, Quality Management, Agile Project Management, IT security and governance, and DevOps.

Instructor-led courses of Invensis include:

• PMP, ITIL, PRINCE2, Agile and Scrum, Six Sigma, COBIT5, Cloud computing, Ethical Hacking and DevOps.

What are the values of Invensis PMP training?

• Value-added Consultation
  • Invensis PMP Training has considerable experience of delivering services globally and industry-specific expertise. Owing to this, Invensis value-added consultations help you find the right answer to your business challenge
• End to End Customized Services
  • Invensis PMP Training provides end to end customized business process optimization services across major business functions and industry verticals.
• Scalable and On-Time Delivery
  • Invensis PMP Training possess deep seated capabilities to scale up services in accordance with changing requirements, ensuring the continuity and on-time completion of your project
• Business Continuity Planning
  • Invensis PMP Training has systems and processes in place that ensure business continuity in case of an emergency situation
• Trained Personnel And Latest Technology
  • With skilled manpower, comprehensive industry knowledge and use of the latest technologies and processes, Invensis PMP Training claims to be one of the best places to help you achieve your goals.
• Quality and Compliance
  • Invensis PMP Training has achieved compliance with ISO 27001. They adhere to quality standards as per ISO 9001:2008, in all processes leading to high-quality output.

Invensis PMP Training Mission

Their mission is to create affordable training and development solutions for enterprises and individuals across the globe and help them to stay relevant with up-to-date skill sets and industry best practices which are constantly evolving.

Invensis PMP Training Vision

Their vision is to be a globally acclaimed training solution provider for enterprises and individuals worldwide. By 2020, Invensis aims to train 100,000+ professionals across industries and fulfill their learning needs.

Before diving into the details of Invensis PMP training offerings, let’s learn some more facts about PMP Certification:

What is the PMP Certification?

Reaching the career destination entails a lot of effort and patience. People look for various ways to succeed in their career and enhance their experience and earning potential. However, for project managers, understanding why PMP certification is essential is a wise move as they get many benefits.

Project Management Institute (PMI) awards project management professional (PMP) certification. This is a globally recognized credential and renowned by most of the companies all over the world for over 30 years.

Need for PMP certified project managers arose because of fast-paced work environments and competitive market. Because it has created a critical and huge demand for project managers who can successfully deliver a project from start to finish.

PMP credential is ideal for project managers across industries that are looking for steady growth in their careers. This certification will impart valuable knowledge and skills in project management that will set you apart from your colleagues and improve your earning prospects.

PMP Certification can be taken up by any job roles like IT Project Managers, Project coordinators, Project Analysts, Product Managers, Program Managers, Project Sponsors, Project Team Members

Prerequisites for PMP certification

One option is

1. Regarding educational background, you should have a secondary degree or high school diploma or associate degree or global equivalent
2. In Project Management Experience, you should have 7500 hours leading and directing projects
3. As far as Project Management Education is concerned,  you should attend 35 Hours of Project Management Education

Or

Another option is

1. Regarding educational background, you should have attended a 4-year degree course
2. In Project Management Experience, you should have 4500 hours leading and directing projects
3. As far as Project Management Education is concerned, you should attend 35 Hours of Project Management Education

Advantages of PMP certification

Many PMP aspirants hesitate to take this step of PMP certification as they are uncertain about spending time and money without having a clue on “is PMP Certification worth it”. In addition to the experience required to qualify for the exam, some specific education and exam preparation steps need to be taken up before attempting the exam. This is the reason many project managers want to know if their efforts will pay off. And only then take subsequent steps on their journey to PMP certification.

There are different benefits of becoming PMP certified, not merely from your career point of view. But also for personality development; it boosts both your ability and confidence as well.

1. Career Growth

Many well-established organizations look for PMP certified professionals. Hence clearing the PMP Certification exam will surely offer better career prospects. Becoming PMP certified improves your professional network. The more extensive your network in the PM field, the better for your career growth

2. Boost your salary

PMP Certification provides an excellent advantage when it comes to earning potential. So being a PMP certified professional gives you an immediate edge over your counterparts when it comes to salary levels.

3. Industry Independent

PMP certified managers are not limited to one industry. Industries across various sectors seek competent professionals to ensure that projects are implemented productively.

4. Greater Responsibilities

PMP Credentials increase your knowledge, competency, and skills. As a certified PMP, you will have to manage large projects and satisfy multiple stakeholders. Handling such responsibilities will benefit you vastly. Because the experience you gain will help you identify early on any problems of a project from initiation to completion

5. Improved Career Opportunities

Being a certified PMP paves the way for better career opportunities as there is a massive demand for skilled project managers in various sectors. Thus certified PMPs get preference over non-certified project managers in the job market

6. Upgrades your leadership skills

It is the core responsibility of the project manager to bring all members of a team together as a single entity. They are accountable for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the team to accomplish the project. Furthermore, you will be provided an opportunity to acquire various leadership skills which vary based on project requirements.

7. Enhances Risk Management Skills

PMP Certification gives you knowledge of advanced risk management skills to identify and assess the probable risks and ways to mitigate the same. Having this skill is an added advantage as it safeguards organizational interests. This, in turn, increases product quality to a top-notch level which is beneficial for you as a PM, the team and organization too.

8. Enhances Problem Solving skills

Attaining PMP certification is proof of your proficiency in the domain. People will approach you for expert advice. You will be trusted with your problem-solving skills, imaginative solutions and innovative approaches that ensure project success

9. Enhances People Orientation and Team Work

The primary responsibility of the project manager is to manage the team competently and lead it to attain all business objectives. Teamwork is a significant factor that determines the success or failure of the project. Hence, being a PMP certified project manager, you will be considered the main force behind successful project completion

10. Challenging projects

PMP Certification comes not only with more responsibilities but challenges too. When you are a certified PMP, projects that require greater effort and commitment to achieve business goals will fall into your lap.

The cost of PMP Exam is 405 USD for PMI Members and USD 555 for non-members.

The cost of becoming a PMI member is USD 139.

 PMP Exam Format

• It is a multiple-choice exam
• Here you attempt 200 questions per paper. Out of which 175 are scored and 25 are unscored
• Exam duration is 4 hours
• This exam is a closed book exam
• Passing score is determined through psychometric analysis

Current PMP Exam Breakdown

Because Project Management Professional is one of the most industry-recognized project management certifications for project managers and project practitioners all across the world, the PMP Exam is designed to objectively assess and measure project management knowledge.

PMBOK Guide is the main reference book and it is an internationally recognized standard for project management fundamentals hence it is applicable to a wide range of industries.

Exam content includes 10 PMBOK Knowledge areas which include 49 processes applied to 5 basic process groups.

The exam can be attempted in both computer-based testing (CBT) and proctored paper-based exam formats.

Invensis PMP Training: Project Management Certification Courses

Their Project Management Certification Courses are broadly categorized into Foundation Level and Advanced Level certification courses.

1. Foundation Level Project Management Certification Courses:

It covers the following courses

• PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environment) Foundation course –  2 Days Training
• CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) exam preparation course – 4 Days Training
• Change management foundation course – 2 Days Training and
• Project Management Fundamentals course – 1 Day Training

2. Advanced Level Project Management Certification Courses:

It covers the following course

• PMP Certification Course – 4 Days Training
• PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner Course -4 Days Training

Invensis PMP Training: PMP Certification Training Key Features

1. It is a 4-day interactive instructor-led PMP classroom training
2. Highly qualified and certified PMP trainers conduct this training
3. PMP course adheres to global standards
4. PMP study guide is prepared by subject matter experts.
5. Aspirants can interact with co-participants from diverse backgrounds.
6. You can get to know industry best practices and case studies
7. Aspirants can prepare better with sample mock tests
8. You can achieve 35 contact hours (PDUS) certificate

This is ideal for individuals and enterprises that are looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of project management knowledge with experience and skills to bring projects to successful completion.

Main Takeaways from this Invensis PMP Training are

• One will gain an in-depth understanding of the PMBOK Guide
• Gain knowledge of 5 Process Groups, 10 Knowledge Areas and give you the confidence to successfully clear the PMP exam on your first try.
• Participants will receive a copy of PMBOK Guide –Sixth Edition and 35 PDUS.

Invensis PMP Training Key Features

• Expert trainer to ensure in-depth understanding of concepts from PMBOK Guide
• Over 95% of Invensis learning participants obtain their PMP within 6 weeks
• Global opportunities and 20% salary increase for PMP certified  professionals
• Across the globe, they are close to 725,000 Project Management Professionals (PMP)

Invensis PMP Training Delivery Modes

PMP Training can be conducted in different modes:

1. Instructor-led Classroom Training
2. Instructor-led Online Training
3. Live Online Training and
4. Corporate Group Training
5. Focused 1-to-1 Training

Areas of Study:

• Initiating a project
• Planning project work
• Developing project schedules, cost estimates, and budgets
• Planning project staffing and communication
• Analyze project risks
• Plan and manage project procurement
• Monitoring and controlling of project work etc

Who should attend Invensis PMP Training?

Job Roles that can benefit from this PMP course includes:

• Associate Project Managers, Project Managers, and IT Project Managers, Project Coordinators, Project Analysts, Project Leaders, Product Managers, Program Managers, Project Sponsors, and Project Team members.

Formats of Invensis PMP Training in Detail:

Classroom Training: It is an interactive public classroom session delivered by highly qualified trainers with extensive project management experience.

Live Online Training:

• It is an instructor-led live online session. You can attend from anywhere.
• This training is conducted on weekends from 10 am to 6 pm
• Cost of this training is USD 1395.

Invensis PMP training provider offers discount coupons like

• Avail 5% off on PMP Live online or virtual training by registering 2 or more participants
• By registering 5 or more participants, avail 12% off on PMP Live online or Virtual training
• Avail 15% off on PMP Live online or Virtual training by registering 10 or more participants

Besides, Invensis PMP training provider offer combos as follows :

• Avail 20% off on PMP course with ITIL foundation course
• On PMP course with Cobit 5 foundation course, avail 20% off
• Avail 20% off on PMP course with SSGB course
• And Avail 20% off on PMP course with DevOps Foundation course
• Avail 20% off on PMP course with SSYB Course

Corporate Group Training: It is a customized instructor-led on-site group training for enterprises. Moreover, it is a cost-effective training.

The Structure of Invensis PMP Training

The syllabus is based on the latest PMBOK edition i.e. 6^th Edition

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Introduction to PMP
• What is a Project?
• What is Project Management?
• Relationships among Portfolio Management, Project Management, Program Management, and Organizational Project Management
• Relationship between Project Management, Operations Management, and Organizational Strategy
• Business Value
• Role of the Project Manager
• Project Management Body of Knowledge

Chapter 2: Organizational Influences and Project Life Cycle

• Organizational Influences on Project Management
• Project Stakeholders and Governance
• Team Members
• Project Life Cycle

Chapter 3: Project Management Processes

• Common Project Management Process Interactions
• Project Management Process Groups
• Initiating Process Group
• Planning Process Group
• Executing Process Group
• Monitoring and Controlling Process Group
• Closing Process Group
• Project Information
• Role of the Knowledge Areas

Chapter 4: Project Integration Management

• Develop Project Charter
• Develop Project Management Plan
• Direct and Manage Project Work
• Monitor and Control Project Work
• Perform Integrated Change Control
• Project or Phase

Chapter 5: Project Scope Management

• Plan Scope Management
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope
• Create WBS
• Validate Scope
• Control Scope

Chapter 6: Project Schedule Management

• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Estimate Activity Durations
• Develop Schedule
• Control Schedule

Chapter 7: Project Cost Management

• Plan Cost Management
• Estimate Costs
• Determine Budget
• Control Costs

Chapter 8: Project Quality Management

• Plan Quality Management
• Perform Quality Assurance
• Control Quality

Chapter 9: Project Resource Management

• Plan Resource Management
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Acquire Resources
• Develop Team
• Manage Team
• Control Team

 Chapter 10: Project Communications Management

•  Plan Communications Management
•  Manage Communications

• Control Communications

 Chapter 11: Project Risk Management

•  Plan Risk Management
• Identify Risks
• Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
• Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
• Plan Risk Responses
• Implement Risk Responses
• Monitor Risks

 Chapter 12: Project Procurement Management

• Plan Procurement Management
• Conduct Procurements
• Control Procurements

Chapter 13: Project Stakeholder Management

• Identify Stakeholders
• Plan Stakeholder Management
• Manage Stakeholder Engagement
• Control Stakeholder Engagement

Advantages of Invensis PMP Training:

1. Highly qualified and accredited trainers

• They have employed subject matter experts from different areas such as E-learning experts, university professors, and corporate trainers.

2. The superior quality of courseware

• Course developed at Invensis Training PMP training goes through a quality assurance process. Further, it gets reviewed multiple times for accuracy. Additionally, continuous checks are being done regularly.

3. High Rating of Training satisfaction

• Rated with 95% training satisfaction

4. A large number of customer base

• 50,000+ professionals trained globally

5. 50+ certification training courses across 10+categories

• Professional certification trainings workshops conducted through ILT and Live virtual classes
• Problem-solving exercises within the session

     6. Worldwide presence

• Instructor-led training classes conducted across 108+ locations

      7. Expert trainer

• Trainers are expert in their respective fields with international training and consulting experience
• Interactive sessions with case studies

      8. Weekend workshops for working professionals

• Customized training available for individuals and enterprises
• Class strength is limited

      9. Free Practice tests and 2 full-length PMP mock tests

• Real Life exam prep questions and free guidance on progressing in your career as a certified professional

      10. Assistance with the exam application

• Support/assistance is provided to fill the application form for PMP

The Disadvantages of Invensis PMP Training Programs:

1. Exam fees included in most of the training courses

• Exam fees are included in most training courses except Project Management Training courses

2. Refund Policy

• Invensis PMP Training is not offering any guarantee on the training or the content. And thereby they don’t have any refund policy.

3. No online forums for technical assistance or support

• They have no online forums for aspirants to support or raising the queries

Invensis PMP Training: You can be PMP Certified in 4 to 6 weeks

Invensis PMP Training Provider has launched this program for participants to become PMP certified professional in just 4 to 6 weeks. Their unique training methodology coupled with high-quality PMP courseware enables the participants to achieve their PMP certification goal. First, a careful assessment of each participant is made, then a trainer is assigned who creates a structured approach to the training that helps in achieving desired PMP results.

Study Smart (S2) Approach

The trainer will devise a smart study approach by understanding each participant carefully and devise measures during the training to understand the areas that you are struggling with and create a teaching plan accordingly. At the end of the training, the trainer will share a detailed report and help in creating a customized plan that supports you in clearing your PMP certification exam.

No short cuts at Invensis PMP Training

Invensis PMP Training believes in holistic learning that encompasses a clear understanding of the concepts rather than memorizing and using flashcards to clear the exam These short-cuts only help you to a certain extent, but a proper understanding of the concepts helps participants to answer questions of various difficulty levels and ensure it stays with them which help in real-world application as well. Moreover, the entire training focuses on showcasing minute details of project scenarios and mapping it to PMI’s project management way of thinking.

Invensis PMP Training Practice Test

Training session at Invensis PMP Training gives utmost importance to mock questions at end of each module and problem-solving exercises within the session. Thus, this helps to prepared aspirant fully with the knowledge and skills for the PMP examination. And PMP certified faculty prepares these tests.  Nevertheless, practice tests are a true simulation of the PMP examination.

Benefits of Invensis PMP Training Practice Test

• Makes the aspirant clearly understand PMP concepts and methods with the help of detailed answers at the end of the practice test
• Helps to evaluate topics which require further study
• Makes the aspirant thoroughly prepared for the PMP examination. It includes how to answer within the specified time duration
• It helps an individual to take forward the knowledge and skills. So this will solve real-world work challenges in project management

Online Reviews for Invensis PMP Training

There are not any online reviews of Invensis PMP Training program. But they have some testimonials on their website.

Invensis PMP Training Testimonials

“ I had a very deep understanding of the content. The training was excellent with relaxed schedule and atmosphere. The training material was comprehensive, and the trainer was an expert trainer with in-depth knowledge about the subject”

“ The trainer’s expertise was immense and she was flown in to Hawaii to conduct this training. The study guide was comprehensive with quality practice tests and case studies”

“ The best thing about the training was the structure and presentation of information. From the courseware to the study guide and practice tests- everything was perfect. I thank Invensis for conducting the training here in Hawaii”

“The PMP training was good, even better was the instructor who helped in creating an easy learning environment. The trainer was knowledgeable and his ability to adapt and teach the PMBOK was excellent”

“Very nice session Actually, we managed to extract lot of information out of this training and it is really fine. I am surprised actually how beneficial it was for us. Thank you very much and thank you for giving us this chance. Thank you.

Invensis Learning Young Blogger Scholarship Award

Invensis Learning believes in articulating thoughts from students from a diverse background on a particular topic. This plays key role in bringing new perspectives, ideas, creativity, and even innovation.

Invensis Learning Young Blogger Scholarship Award is a platform to encourage students to express and explore ways to foster creativity. This scholarship award is a unique opportunity for students to showcase their writing skills to the global audience

The scholarship prize for writing a really good article on your university blog page is USD 2000. The award winner and the best article will be showcased on the Invensis Learning website, blog, and social media.

Eligibility:

• The “Invensis Learning Young blogger Scholarship award” is open to all undergraduate/postgraduate students who are currently enrolled in universities/colleges worldwide.
• Applicants should write an article from the list of topics given below
• The article should be written and uploaded on your university blog section which is publicly visible
• Age limit is 18-35 years
• Candidates must have a minimum cumulative GPA score of 3.0

List of Topics to write on:

1. Competency-based learning vs. Traditional Learning
2. Role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in Learning and Development
3. How technology is impacting in-class learning
4. Future of Online Learning
5. How colleges and universities can promote entrepreneurship
6. How students need to be Job Ready for complex future requirements
7. Importance of Soft Skills Development in Education
8. How STEM education is shaping the future
9. Promoting Creativity in Education
10. Addressing the Rising Cost of Education

Selection method

• On the basis of originality, research, innovative, a keen eye for detail in terms of information architecture, content hierarchy and scoring of the article, they will choose the award winner
• A panel of qualified judges instituted by Invensis Learning will select the award winner
• Scoring of article shall be done by allotting points to different attributes such as Title and Introduction- 10 points,  Conclusion -5 points, Grammar and Punctuation – 5 Points, Citation and References -5 Points,  Author Section -5 points,  Research (Data and Statistics)-10 Points, Unique and Original -10 Points.

Scholarship Award Prize Declaration and Dispatch

• They will contact the award winner on the contact information provided
• Invensis will offer the amount of the award either through check/ wire transfer as per college/university guidelines.
• And their blog will showcase the award winner and the winning article

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

#1 Invensis PMP Alternative

Founded in 2012, Master of Project Academy helped more than 100,000 professionals in more than 180 countries. The biggest advantage of Master of Project Academy is providing as many flexible plans as possible for the PMP certification candidates. Self-paced PMP training, in-person PMP Training, instructor-led PMP live sessions. Starting from $67/month, you can find comprehensive PMP training materials to get ready for the PMP exam. All you have to do is opting for the best option you would like to enroll.

You can see our complete review and details about Master of Project Academy PMP programs.

#2 Invensi PMP Alternative

Another Invensi PMP alternative can be Project Management Prepcast PMP programs. Cornelius Fichtner, who is an experienced project management expert, is the founder of Project Management Prepcast platform. They have self-paced PMP options however they do not offer in-person or instructor-led PMP classes which is a big negative for this alternative.

#3 Invensi PMP Training Alternative

Simplilearn PMP programs can be considered as a Invensis PMP alternative as well. Simplilearn offers self-paced and instructor-led PMP training programs. However, they have a very unfair pricing strategy. If you are visiting their page from india, you can enroll in a training costs as low as $100 (they show pricing in INR, which is local currency for India) while visitors from Europe or United States can see more than $600 for the same self-paced content material. You can read all pros and cons of Simplilearn PMP Programs.

#4 Invensis PMP Alternative

You might have heard of Udemy, which is a learning platform where several instructors place their content and students can purchase and enroll in their curriculum. You can consider Udemy PMP programs as a Invensis PMP training alternative. However, keep in mind that the instructors you see on Udemy may not be there after your purchase next day. Moreover, their content may not be 35 contact hours.  This is a very big problem and con for Udemy PMP programs. Even though many programs advertise that they suffice 35 contact hours requirement of PMP exam, their content is far below of 35 contact hours if you a little bit look on the training page. You can see our comprehensive review about Udemy PMP programs.

#5 Invensis PMP Course Alternative

If you have lots of money that you do not consider how much you will pay for the PMP training, you can consider Velociteach PMP option. While there are no significant difference of their virtual or in-person PMP training programs, they ask for around $2,500 to attend in their program. This option is well-known by the founder of the organization who is Andy Crowe. He has a PMP book as well and may be that is why Andy Crowe PMP platform is significantly more expensive than the other options in the market.

Invensis PMP Training Review: Conclusion

In this post, I have reviewed all the details of Invensis PMP training and also their the pros and cons.

Invensis Learning is a leader in global certifications like PMP. They have wide customer base and global presence. Quality, of course, is good but the cost of the Invensis PMP training is on the higher side as compared to competitors in the market.

Moreover, it doesn’t include exam fees but it offers discount coupons. Despite Invensis PMP’s high quality of content and market presence, they do not offer any guarantee on the PMP exam. Also, they do not have any refund policy in place.

However, they offer a scholarship for college students every year such as “Invensis Learning Young blogger Scholarship award” and award them with prizes to encourage innovation from the young generation.

Hence, in consideration of factors such as quality, content, features, Invensis PMP Training Courses can be considered as one of the good options for preparation of PMP certification. 

The post Invensis PMP Training – 100% Review – All Pros & Cons appeared first on Project Hipo.

The name depicts that their main focus is to provide “Knowledge”. They have training experience of more than 8 years. They aim to up-skill the next generation workforce. During this tenure, they have provided several trainings to various industries and corporate. They offer a vast range of portfolio that includes management as well as technical training programs. Agile is one of their popular training program which is offered in 68 countries across the globe. In eight years, Knowledgehut has over 200 courses and 120,000 learners across 70 plus countries.

Knowledgehut Instructors Pool

Knowledgehut has a large pool of around 500 instructors who are qualified in their relevant fields. Their instructors are from India, Singapore, United States, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Australia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Hungary, Ireland and many more. Knowledgehut has more than 100 instructors for Agile Management course category and more than 30 instructors for Knowledgehut PMP Training course category.

Below are some of the samples to get you a high-level idea of their trainers’ profiles:

1. Anu Smalley, United States

Smalley is a Certified Scrum Trainer providing education and coaching, consulting services to clients across the United States. Anu’s passion lies in Product Management. She has been a Product Owner for a number of years, she focuses on coaching Product Owners, Product Managers, and Business Leaders.

2. Soumik Sen, India

17 year of industry experience and established core competency in the areas of ITSM Advisory, he is responsible for consulting clients in achieving business objectives through improved processes by facilitating the implementation of industry-proven best practices and IT models reference frameworks. He has consulted more than 100 organizations in different geographies on ITIL Practice Framework, COBIT, ISO 20000 & ISO 27001 standard implementation. Soumik has trained more than 10000 professionals on ITIL, COBIT & ISO.

Knowledgehut Program Offerings

As I mentioned above, Knowledgehut has more than 200 courses in its portfolio. These courses are available across several countries. Also a long list of trainers from different countries with a variety of skill set and expertise to best fit for the trainer positions within this portfolio.

These courses are categorized in different areas. Some of these areas include:

• Project management
• Agile Management
• Data Science
• Cloud Computing
• Quality Management
• Business Management
• Mobile App Development
• Programming
• Big Data
• IT Service Management
• BI and Visualization
• Soft Skills
• IT Security

Knowledgehut PMP Training Program Offerings

Agile Management is their mainstream offering with 68 courses within this category. It is followed by web development with 29 courses, then Project Management is the next mainstream course category. In the project management category, Knowledgehut offers 22 courses, some of these courses include:

• PMP Certification
• CAPM Certification
• PMI-RMP Certification
• Change Management
• Program Management Professional
• Prince 2 Foundation and Practitioner Test
• Oracle Primavera P6 V8
• Contract Management and Negotiations Strategy Masterclass
• Microsoft Project 2016
• Financial Management for Project Managers
• Leadership And Communications in Projects
• Project Management Techniques
• Project Planning and Monitoring
• Fundamentals of Earned Value Management

Knowledgehut PMP Training Program

Knowledgehut PMP training program is one of their mainstream offerings as I mentioned above. The reason behind this is the fact that the value of PMP Certified project managers being well accepted across the globe. Furthermore, properly trained project managers are recognized as fundamental to business success.

Therefore, Knowledgehut PMP training program makes sure that the aspirants are prepared to pass the project management certification exam on their first attempt.

Knowledgehut PMP Training fulfills the pre-requisites set by PMI to write the PMP exam. Knowledgehut is a Global REP for PMI®, Inc. The Knowledgehut PMP training course gets you 35 contact hours which satisfies the PMI contact hour requirement. Knowledgehut PMP Training courses are offered in flexible delivery modes. These delivery modes include classroom and e-learning as well as virtual. Knowledgehut PMP training course also offers 6 Full-Length Mock Exams featuring 1200 practice questions.

What Is The Eligibility Criteria of PMP Certification?

The eligibility requirements for the PMP certificate are as follows:

When you complete the Knowledgehut PMP training, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. This Certificate of Completion acknowledges that you have acquired the necessary 35 hours of professional development training. When applying for the PMP exam, you will need to provide PMI a copy of this certificate in case your application is selected for the Audit.

Remember, this Knowledgehut PMP training completion certificate is just a step towards preparing for the PMP Exam. It is important to note that the PMP Certificate will be delivered only if you pass the exam. The average success rate for the PMP exam is just over 60%. In the past, the passing grade was declared as 61% by PMI. However, the PMI does not disclose the exact score or success percentage anymore. After updating the PMP certification exam, they made the grade different for each candidate and now it depends on the difficulty level of the questions.

What Are The Available Knowledgehut PMP Training Formats?

Knowledgehut is a Global REP for PMI®, Inc that offers a plethora of advantages to cater to the needs of every PMP® aspirant. Once you enroll with Knowledgehut PMP training, you get access to 35 hours of classroom training along with free access to 90 days of E-learning as well as online instructor-led training. The main formats of Knowledgehut PMP Training can be classified as:

1. Live, instructor-led online training

The first format of Knowledgehut PMP training is offered in a live, instructor-led format. This format provides flexibility to the candidates in terms of location. Even though the candidates have to make themselves available for the course duration to attend the class, this is the best option for the learners as it has no constraint of location dependency. Also, students do not need to travel to go to the premises for training. This Knowledgehut PMP Training format supports Anyplace training for busy learners. Also, it assures the full preparation and application support to mark exam success.

You can view the schedule of the trainings on their website and choose the option that suits you for the registration. The price of this Knowledgehut PMP Training is discounted from original price USD 899 to USD 699. This discount is offered until a certain time so the early birds can take advantage of this discount. This course format is offered on the weekdays as well as over the weekends.  For the weekdays, the duration is around 10 calendar days with half-day sessions. Whereas for the weekends, the duration is around three weeks with half-day sessions.

2.  Instructor-led, classroom training

Knowledgehut PMP training courses are also offered in the instructor-led classroom training format.

You can view the schedule of the trainings on their website and choose the option that suits you for the registration. The price of these Knowledgehut PMP Training courses is discounted from original price USD 1099 to USD 899. This discount is offered to a certain time so the early birds can take advantage of this discount. This course format is offered on the weekdays as well as over the weekends.  The duration of this instructor-led classroom training format is 2 full training days.

Along with this Knowledgehut PMP Training course, you get:

• 90 Days of Free LVC Access
• Face-to-Face class for maximum benefit
• Thorough exam prep

You can choose your desired locations and view the schedule according to yours. However, in this Knowledgehut PMP Training format, you may have a problem with the lack of availability of scheduled sessions. Even for the limited availability of the sessions, the locations are not declared for some of them. Hence the candidates may have to reach the contact person for the relevant inquiries and details. 

Furthermore, the two training days does not cover the contact hour requirement. Hence we can say that this Knowledgehut PMP Training format covers the expedited course in classrooms and the rest of the contact hours are earned through the 90 days of free LVC access.

3.  E-Learning

Knowledgehut PMP training courses is also offered in an e-learning format. This format brings the flexibility of time and location. So the candidate can prepare for the PMP exam at this own pace from anywhere at any place. All they need is a computer, valid credentials and an internet connection to login to the e-learning application.

The price of this Knowledgehut PMP Training course is USD 399. On registration to this course, you get 180 days access to the e-learning course contents. The main features provided with this e-learning Knowledgehut PMP Training format include:

• 15 audio-visual modules covering all course topics from PMBOK® Guide
• 35 PDUs on completion of 35 hours of e-learning
• 13 hours of online content
• PMP® eBook in downloadable format and PMP® exam blueprint
• A question bank with 300 questions on all knowledge areas
• Tips and tricks to pass PMP® in the first attempt

4. Corporate Training

In addition to the aforementioned training formats, another option of Knowledgehut PMP Training is the corporate training format. The corporate training addresses the group and employees’ training needs. These trainings’ curriculum and schedule are based on the need for corporate clients.

One can reach out to Knowledgehut to inquire about any topics not listed to acquire information on the courses of your choice. You can request a quote for Knowledgehut PMP training program. To do that, you are required to fill a request form with your contact details, the number of participants and the detailed query you need to get quotes on. Once you submit the form, a contact person from Knowledgehut will follow up with you.

Knowledgehut PMP Training Experience

It is important to mention here a couple of significant aspects of Knowledgehut PMP training experience. This experience depicts Knowledgehut’s partnership with the candidates to lead them to success. The significant points are:

• PMP® EXAM APPLICATION FRAMEWORK AND ASSISTANCE

You can get expert assistance with PMI® Registration, PMI® Membership, PMI® Application Form Filling and Review of your PMI® Application.

• PMP® EXAM SUCCESS FORMULA

Knowledgehut Exam Success Formula is planned for your maximum learning benefit, including six full-length mock exams, practice questionnaire, Math formulae, PM templates, and also exam tips.

• CERTIFICATION JOURNEY SUPPORT

You can take advantage of their email support from instructors in all aspects of the certification. Right from enrolling for exams to solving your doubts post-workshop.

Knowledgehut PMP Training Contents

PMP® exam is considered as one of the most complicated exams across the globe. It consists of 200 questions which you need to answer within 4 hours, and you need to get a minimum score (determined based on the difficulty level of the questions). You can overcome all the hassle of continuing your PMP® certification journey by taking up a training course with a PMP training provider like KnowledgeHut.

Knowledgehut PMP training is inline with PMBoK. The sessions follow the knowledge areas to complete the overall Project Management process framework. Following are the contents of Knowledgehut PMP Training course:

1- An introduction to PMP® Certification Course

• What is PMI® & PMBOK® Guide?
• Evolution of the Project Management Institute
• Certifications offered by the PMI®
• PMI® contact resources
• What is PMP®?
• Prerequisites for the PMP® Exam
• PMP® Exam Syllabus
• How is the PMP® Exam Structured?

2- Project Management Framework

• What is a Project?
• Project Management and Operations Management
• Program and Portfolio Management
• Project Management Office (PMO)
• Portfolio, Program, Project – A High-Level View
• Mission, Vision, Goal, Strategy, Objective and Tactic
• Organizational Strategy
• Project’s Link with Organizational Strategy
• Strategic Alignment of Projects
• Business Benefits
• Benefits Realization
• Business Value
• Constraints
• Organizational Systems
• Enterprise Environmental Factors
• Organizational Process Assets
• Project Life Cycle vs. Product Life Cycle
• Role of a Project Manager

3- Project Integration Management

• What is Project Integration Management?
• Role of the project team
• Role of the project sponsor
• Project selection methods
• Project charter and role of the project manager in charter development
• Lessons learned for continuous improvement
• Project Integration Management Knowledge Area Processes

4- Project Scope Management

• What is Project Scope Management?
• Product Scope vs. Project Scope
• Project Scope Management Knowledge Area Processes

5- Project Schedule Management

• What is Project Schedule Management?
• What is Project Schedule?
• Gantt Charts
• Network Diagram
• Estimation
• Schedule Network Analysis Techniques
• PERT, PERT Analysis, Critical Path Method and Schedule Compression
• Project Schedule Management Knowledge Area Processes

6- Project Cost Management

• What is Project Cost Management?
• Differentiate between Cost Estimating and Cost Budgeting
• Key Terminology in Project Cost Management
• Earned Value Technique
• Project Cost Management Knowledge Area Processes

7- Project Quality Management

• What is Quality?
• What is Quality Management?
• Cost of Quality
• Seven Basic Tools of Quality
• Project Quality Management Knowledge Area Processes

8- Project Resource Management

• What is Resource Management?
• Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Sponsor
• Functional Manager vs. Project Manager
• Conflict Management
• Motivation Theory
• Project Resource Management Knowledge Area Processes

9- Project Communications Management

• What is Communication?
• Communication Methods, Technology, and Channels
• Basic Communication Model
• Key Terminology in Project Communication Management
• Project Communication Management Knowledge Area Processes

10- Project Risk Management

• What is Risk?
• Project Management Risks
• How is Risk & EMV calculated?
• Risk Classification
• Decision Tree Analysis
• Risk Reserve & Contingency Reserve
• Key Terminology in Project Risk Management
• Project Risk Management Knowledge Area processes

11- Project Procurement Management

• What is a Contract?
• Different Types of Contracts
• Advantages and Disadvantages of contract types
• Key Terminology in Project Procurement Management
• Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area Processes

12- Project Stakeholder Management

• Who is a Stakeholder?
• Stakeholder Register
• Various Analytical Techniques for Stakeholder Analysis
• Managing stakeholder engagement and relationship
• Key Terminology in Project Stakeholder Management
• Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area Processes

13- Ethics & Professional Conduct

• PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
• Vision and purpose of the Code
• To whom does the Code apply?
• Structure of the Code
• Aspirational and Mandatory Conduct
• Responsibility and Ethics Complaints
• Description of Respect, Fairness, and Honesty

Does Knowledgehut Offer Any Continuing Education Programs?

The long list in the Knowledgehut courses is helpful to get trainings and claim them as the PDUs within the continuing education programs for the PMP renewals.

Guarantees and Policies

Money-Back Guarantee

Knowledgehut commitment to you is that they will be available for guidance along the way and their goal is to have you pass the exam the first time.

Knowledgehut claims that the candidates will pass the PMP certification exam based on the guidelines they provide to them along with their own efforts to prepare for the PMP examination. However, they provide the money-back guarantee in which they will reimburse you the class cost.

Their money-back guarantee mechanism is as follows:

• The 1st Exam must be taken within 45 days of the PMP® 35 PDUs training class.
• If unsuccessful on the 1st exam, you may retake Knowledgehut PMP Training (for free) as many times as you like.
• If unsuccessful on the 2nd exam, you MUST retake Knowledgehut PMP Training (for free) before taking the exam for the 3rd time.
• The 3rd exam must be taken within 30 days of the retaken class.
• If you fail the 3rd exam, please share the payment proof of Exam Registration (third attempt) and Knowledgehut shall reimburse you the class cost in full.

Refund Policy

Knowledgehut caters for the registration cancellation through the refund policy. According to this policy:

• Any registration canceled within 48 hours of the initial registration will be refunded in full after deduction of 5% transnational cost of the refunded amount.
• Refunds will be processed within 30 days of receipt of the written request for a refund.

PUBLIC – CLASSROOM & VIRTUAL TRAINING (PAID PARTICIPANT):

This will include registrant application to any of scheduled public Knowledgehut PMP Training classes, and where the registrant has already paid for the class. The terms and conditions below, would not apply to registrants signing up by way of a Purchase Order. All cancellations and reschedules must be notified over email.

E-LEARNING (PAID PARTICIPANT):

This will include registrant application to any of their listed e-learning programs. All cancellations must be notified over email.

What Are The Reviews of Knowledgehut PMP Training?

Knowledgehut PMP training has bagged very good reviews which are good indicators of their effectiveness. There are many reviews available on their website that are pertinent to their success exam stories.

For reference, below are some of the snapshots:

Knowledgehut PMP Training Reviews

Pros & Cons of Knowledgehut PMP Training

Everything has its pros and cons. So below are my findings for Knowledgehut PMP training, please read it until the end.

Pros of Knowledgehut PMP Training:

• Highly qualified team with project management experience and in-depth knowledge 

Knowledgehut training has a large pool of around 500 instructors who are qualified in their relevant fields. Their instructors are from various countries across the globe. These countries include but not limited to India, Singapore, United States, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Knowledgehut has more than 100 instructors for Agile Management course category. They have more than 30 instructors for Knowledgehut PMP Training course category.

• Money-Back Guarantee

Even though Knowledgehut claims that the candidates will pass the PMP certification exam based on the guidelines they provide to the candidates, they also provide the money-back guarantee in which they will reimburse you the class cost if you fall in the policy crier.

• Extensive course material

The course outline of Knowledgehut PMP training is in line with the PMBoK. The Knowledge Areas addressed in PMBok are the driving factor of the Knowledgehut PMP Training course outline. They provide the following material to the course participants:

• • 15 audio-visual modules covering all course topics from PMBOK® Guide
  • 35 PDUs on completion of 35 hours of e-learning
  • 13 hours of online content
  • PMP® eBook in downloadable format and PMP® exam blueprint
  • A question bank with 300 questions on all knowledge areas
  • Tips and tricks to pass PMP® in the first attempt

• Content includes sample exams to check your knowledge

Knowledgehut PMP training course also offers six Full-Length Mock Exams featuring 1200 practice questions. These exam prep sample questions that help the candidates to assess their readiness and identify the gaps.  Furthermore, with these tests, you can fully rehearsal and practice the PMP Certification Exam.

This helps you to assess how you would answer the questions you can see in real exams. Hence you can identify the areas of strength and weakness.

Cons of Knowledgehut PMP Training:

• No Guarantee of Classes 

Knowledgehut does not guarantee that every scheduled class will be held. There could be any reason for which Knowledgehut may cancel their scheduled classes. Though in this case, Knowledghut will either give a full refund or offer a full credit to a future workshop.

Considering the fact that PMP aspirants are pretty much busy in their professional activities, it is quite difficult to reschedule such deviations. As many times it takes a couple of months or weeks to plan ahead for the trainings. This is one of the major setbacks for the aspirants as it may halt or deviate from their plans.

You may refer to the policy excerpt for the cancellation by the Knowledgehut.

• Limited classroom training sessions

The duration of this instructor-led Knowledgehut PMP Training classroom format is 2 full training days. Along with this course, you get 90 Days of Free LVC Access.

You can choose your desired locations and view the schedule according to your location. However, in this Knowledgehut PMP Training format, you may have a problem with the lack of availability of scheduled sessions. Some of the upcoming sessions have location whereas, for some of the courses, the locations are to be declared. So for the ones who want to plan ahead of ample time may need to reach Knowledgehut’s contact person to get more details.

• Classroom trainings are 2 days of duration.

 The duration of this instructor-led classroom training format is 2 full training days. Along with this Knowledgehut PMP Training, you get 90 Days of Free LVC Access. The two training days does not cover the contact hour requirement. Hence we can say that this Knowledgehut PMP Training covers the expedite course in classrooms and as a supplement, you get 90 days of free LVC access which compensates for the rest of the contact hours.

• No Show Policy

Any rescheduling of classes must be done prior to 15 days, to get the full credit for a future training. If that candidate does not show up for their scheduled Knowledgehut PMP Training class and they did not reschedule with Knowledgehut earlier, there will be no refund even if notified within 3 days of the registered course schedule.

There may be some situation where you can not anticipate upfront for what is going to happen and intimate 30 days prior to class. This policy seems a bit stringent and non-realistic.

• Cost – Performance Ratio

Cost – Performance refers to a product’s ability to deliver performance, for its price. Certainly, the products offered by Knowledgehut are higher in price, so the performance ratio with the higher price makes it average. Obviously, the products with a lower price/performance are more pleasing but only if you exclude other factors.

For me, one of the providers with the best cost-performance ratio is Master of Project Academy. Master of Project Academy PMP Training is reasonably priced, additionally, they have several enrollment options which start from $67/month. Also, Master of Project Academy PMP Training has a 99.6% first-attempt pass rate and they had more than 100,000 past students.

Alternatives for Knowledgehut PMP Training

After considering all the pros and cons of Knowledgehut PMP training programs, you may think that it is not a good fit for you. In other words, you may like to explore other PMP training programs. We have explored the other PMP training programs which can be a Knowledgehut PMP training alternative for you.

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

#1 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Master of Project Academy

Founded in 2012, Master of Project Academy helped more than 100,000 professionals in more than 180 countries. The biggest advantage of Master of Project Academy is providing you as many flexible plans as possible. Self-paced PMP training, in-person PMP Training, instructor-led PMP live sessions. Starting from $67/month, you can find comprehensive PMP training materials to get ready for the PMP exam. All you have to do is opting for the best option you would like to enroll.

You can see our complete review and details about Master of Project Academy PMP programs.

#2 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Brainsensei

Another Knowledgehut PMP training alternative can be Brainsensei PMP programs. Brainsensei offers e-learning PMP course. This course is in line with the PMBOK. Furthermore, the course covers the 35 PDU requirement of PMI to write the PMP Examination. The cost of Brainsensi PMP course is relatively lower due to the e-learning format. However, there are other good options available which are more cost-effective.

#3 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Velociteach

If you have lots of money that you do not consider how much you will pay for the PMP training, you can go for the Velociteach PMP option. While there is no significant difference in their virtual or in-person PMP training programs, they ask for around $2,500 to attend their program. This option is well-known by the founder of the organization who is Andy Crowe. He has a PMP book as well and maybe that is why Andy Crowe PMP platform is significantly more expensive than the other options in the market.

#4 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Project Management Prepcast

Another Knowledgehut PMP training alternative can be Project Management Prepcast PMP programs. Cornelius Fichtner, who is an experienced project management expert, is the founder of Project Management Prepcast platform. They have self-paced PMP options. However, they do not offer in-person or instructor-led PMP classes which is a big negative for this alternative.

#5 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Simplilearn

Simplilearn PMP programs can be considered as a Knowledgehut PMP training alternative as well. Simplilearn offers self-paced and instructor-led PMP training programs. However, they have a very unfair pricing strategy. If you are visiting their page from India, you can enroll in training costs as low as $100 (they show pricing in INR, which is a local currency for India) while visitors from Europe or the United States can see more than $600 for the same self-paced content material. You can read all the pros and cons of Simplilearn PMP Programs.

#6 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Project Management Academy

You can consider Project Management Academy PMP Programs as a Knowledgehut PMP training alternative as well.

Project Management Academy PMP course indeed provides a good course structure with good success rates. However, the cost is pretty high. The course formats include Instructor-led classroom and virtual classroom. You can read all the pros and cons of Project Management Academy PMP Programs.

#7 Knowledgehut PMP Training Alternative: Udemy

You might have heard of Udemy, which is a learning platform where several instructors place their content and students can purchase and enroll in their curriculum. You can consider Udemy PMP programs as a PMP training alternative. However, keep in mind that the instructors you see on Udemy may not be there after your purchase the next day. Moreover, their content may not be 35 contact hours. This is a very big problem for Udemy PMP programs. Even though many programs advertise that they suffice 35 contact hours requirement of PMP exam, their content is far below of 35 contact hours if you a little bit look on the training page. You can see our comprehensive review of Udemy PMP programs.

End of Review

In summary, PMP certification is a crucial business requirement for senior-level project leader roles in all globally. Thus, this certification is the best for Project Leaders, Assistant Project Managers, Team leaders, Project Engineers, Software Developers or any professional wishing to become a project manager.

PMP credential gives you the knowledge of project management hence, it is an approval of your global professional experience. In short, the advantages of PMP include high market value, increased reliability, and in many cases higher wages.

Knowledgehut PMP training indeed provides a good course structure with good success rates. The cost comes in the medium range. However, there are certain factors you can consider in their different training formats. Their course formats include Instructor-led classroom, online virtual classroom, e-learning, and corporate training formats. If you want to check the latest Knowledgehut PMP training offerings, you can check on their website.

There are other good options available which are more cost-effective than Knowledgehut. So Knowledgehut PMP training is just one option so I strongly suggest you look at other options!

The post Knowledgehut PMP Training – 100% Review – All Pros & Cons appeared first on Project Hipo.

We have explored the major PMP training providers based on several factors including but not limited to: course content, delivery methods, customer service, pricing plans, practice materials, and refund/pass guarantee. The following is the summary of the Top 10 PMP training providers and their rating over a 1-5 scale:

• #1 Master of Project Academy (4.8/5)
• #2 Simplilearn (4.6/5)
• #3 Brainsensei (4.5/5)
• #4 Project Management Academy (4.4/5)
• #5 Velociteach (4.3/5)
• #6 Invensis (4.2/5)
• #7 Knowledgehut (4.1/5)
• #8 Grey Campus (4.0/5)
• #9 PM Training (3.7/5)
• #10 Udemy (3.1/5)

You can see the detailed review, rating categories, and further information throughout the post.

Tip: Do not skip – There is a summary and detailed review of the top 10 PMP training providers ahead.

PMI has more than 470,000 members in 207 countries, which make them the world’s largest project management association, and it has globally certified more than 740,000 PMPs. This is the mere reality to grasp the importance of PMP and it is also an indicator of PMP certified professional induction trends in the market.

Why Should I Get PMP Certification?

Project Management Professional (PMP) is a certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMP is a globally known professional certification as it is an endorsement of project management knowledge and experience. With the repute PMP carries, it is the best option for the project management aspirants.

If you are interested to advance your career in the field of project management, there is no best way other than earning the PMP Credential. PMP certification requires the aspirants to have relevant experience and knowledge of the project management processes. Without any doubt, it also requires a serious effort to obtain the credentials. A PMP certification acknowledges your passion for achieving your targets. Your PMP credentials showcase your abilities, efforts, knowledge, experience, and consistency. It also helps you earn respect among peers and team members. All the effort is worth it when you compare the advantages it brings to the PMP certification holders.

Benefits of PMP Certification

PMP brings various benefits to the certification holders. These include high market value, increased credibility and in many cases, a higher salary.

• Global Recognition and Recruitment

Organizations are looking to recruit the best project managers who have their skills globally recognized. PMP certification is one of the must-have requirements. Even if PMP is not mentioned as a must-have requirement, it is a big advantage in the recruiting criteria. The PMP credential not only brings value to the individuals but also the organization profiles get richer when they have PMP certified project managers. These companies are given the edge in the evaluation by their client organizations.

• Value in Current Organization

The PMP certification earns individuals with recognition and gives value to their current organization as well. The PMP certified project managers are given more challenges because of their recognized skills. They are consulted because of their knowledge and skills with respect to project management’s best practices. Also, PMP qualified senior resources are highly considered for the promotion to fill in the project manager vacancies. The PMP certification can take you to the next level in your organization.

• Salary Advancement

One of the lucrative benefits PMP brings to the project managers is an advancement in the salary. According to an independent survey, PMP holders are drawing 20 percent more salary as compared to their non-certified counterparts. This is a great return on investment you spend on the certification activities. In other words, the investment you made on the PMP certification takes you to the next level with tangible benefits throughout your career span.

• Diversity and Growth

The beauty of the PMP certification is that it does not bound you to a specific industry, even though the degrees lay the foundation within a specific industry. The PMP certification lays a foundation of the project management knowledge and skill-set on top of that technical skills. It paves the path towards the management ladder with a strong foundation and recognition. PMP builds the knowledge of fundamental project management processes along with tools and techniques.

Why Should I attend PMP Training?

PMI lays out quite an extensive requirement criteria to appear in the PMP exam. These requirements are very well thought to ensure that the project management aspirants with the education level, relevant work experience, and relevant training get the opportunity to appear in the exam. These three dimensions play an important role to select the right candidates.

What should I consider when choosing PMP Training?

It is quite obvious that once you understand the importance of contact hour criteria, you will look for the best possible options while choosing the best among them. But what makes any institute a good candidate for being your trainer. You must be curious about how to choose PMP training and based on which criteria. The aforementioned benefits can also serve as the criteria for choosing a PMP training.

You can identify your requirements, and see how those requirements are being fulfilled by the PMP Training providers. So you can evaluate their training capabilities to best fit your needs. So, first of all, you must differentiate the PMP training providers based on their eligibility. Some of these criteria will be based on the PMP requirements and some of them will be based on your personal priorities.

Main Points of Consideration;

This may include the following list:

• Do I get 35 contact hours after attending this PMP training programs?
• Is the training provider well known for its PMP training? What are the success rates?
• What are the available training formats for PMP training?
• Does the training program offer the flexibility of location and time?
• Are the trainers well experienced?
• Does the curriculum cover the PMP Exam topics?
• Do I get training material to prepare for the PMP Exam after the training?
• If I opt for the e-learning PMP training format, what will be the duration of online access?
• Will I get a completion certificate to fulfill the PMP exam requirement?
• Whether the PMP training will help me assess my readiness through exercises, quizzes, practice tests, mock sessions, etc.?
• Will the institute back me up for my PMP application submission?
• What is the fee being charged by the PMP training provider? Is it the best cost-effective PMP training?
• What if I fail in the exam in my first attempt? Will the institute support me in re-appearing?
• Are there any refund policies?
• What if I find that I cannot attend my scheduled class? Can I transfer to the upcoming PMP training?

There are main questions that generally come to the mind of candidates. So when you are looking for PMP training providers, you can use these criteria points to choose the best PMP training provider.

What is the Best PMP Training?

Considering the aforementioned list of questions, I have shortlisted the questions within categories as in the below table:

Based on these categories, we have reviewed top 10 PMP training providers, rated them on a 0-5 scale and provided insights about each option. review the options and opt for the best PMP training for you.

Top 10 PMP Training – Comparison & Review

In this article, we will give you a detailed overview of each of the top 10 PMP training programs. Before that, you will see summary table and overview of our review.

The reviews also provide various aspects that you can consider to assess the suitability of the PMP training option as per your preferences. Also, with each option, we’ve covered the main aspects which are segregated in three categories: Course Standing, Training Method & Materials, and Pricing & Refunds.

Summary Table

The below table depicts a summary of the PMP training options. For details of each of the training programs, you can visit the detailed review of these training providers on the specified links with each of the option we have provided after the table in specific paragraph of each PMP training option.

(Click on image to enlarge).

Note that the values depicted in the table above are subject to change. However, the information is helpful to give you an overview of the options. You can visit the training provider website for more information.

#1 PMP Training Option – Master of Project Academy

Master of Project Academy is founded in 2012 and helped more than 100,000 professionals in more than 180 countries. The main benefit of the Master of Project Academy is that they offer as many flexible plans as possible for the PMP certification candidates: Self-paced PMP training, in-person PMP Training, instructor-led PMP live sessions. Starting from $67/month, you can find comprehensive PMP training materials to get ready for the PMP exam. All you have to do is opting for the best option you would like to enroll.

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? –  Yes Master of Project Academy is recognized by PMI and it has a leading 99.6% first attempt pass rate in project management certification exams
• Does it provide the certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? –  Once you complete training in Master of Project Academy, the certificate of completion is automatically emailed to you.
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? Master of Project Academy course is based on the latest edition of PMBOK published by PMI.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – Online, Self-paced, Virtual or In-Person – Master of Project Academy offers all forms of PMP training: in-person, self-paced and virtual.
• Practice Questions – Master of Project Academy courses provide more than 2,100 PMP practice questions

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – Starting from $67/month, Master of Project Academy provides one of the most flexible and affordable pricing options for PMP training
• Refund/Pass Guarantee – Master of Project Academy offers a 30-day refund guarantee in the first 30 days of the first transaction if you did not exceed 10% of the course materials.
• Free Demo Materials Available? – Master of Project Academy provides several free PMP materials. You can check their Free PMP Training.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.8 out of 5

You can read our complete review and details of the Master of Project Academy PMP training.

#2 PMP Training Option – Simplilearn

Simplilearn was founded in India in the year 2009. Simplilearn started as a project management blog, to share information and advice to candidates. Subsequently, the Simplilearn PMP training became popular which turned the organization into one of the leading online trainer providers. They have over 400+ courses and over 1 million trained professionals which is an indicator of Simpleton’s success story.

Simplilearn offers online training in areas such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, project management, digital marketing, and data science, where technologies and best practices are rapidly evolving and demand for qualified candidates is far above the supply.

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? Simplilearn is a PMI R.E.P (Registered Education Provider) like many other companies. Hence the PMP training offered by Simplilearn is recognized by PMI.
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? The course is fully aligned with the latest version of PMBOK which is offered by PMI.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours?  On completion of the PMP training course offered by Simplilearn, you get a certificate which proves that you have made 35 contact hours. Hence you are therefore eligible to have the PMP Exam. The evaluation criteria include attendance, qualification in simulation test and successful evaluation of the project.
• Free Demo Materials Available? –  You get a preview session which is available on Simplilearn.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – Simplilearn offers a blended learning approach that combines online courses, virtual live instructor-led classes, and 24/7 training support.
• Training Material – PMP Simplilearn training includes 17 lessons, tips, and tricks, 8 sector case studies, lecture readings, section-level quizzes, 20 sector scenarios, 6 practical projects, 7 simulation tests (200 questions each).
  • You can go to the course page and download the 12-page PMBOK Guide—Sixth Edition PMP Course Agenda in the “Course Preview” section. The total video duration is 8 hours 38 minutes and 5 seconds.
  • Practice Questions –  Simplilearn provides 7 simulation test papers and 200 questions each. A single simulation test will take around 4 hours. So, 7 simulation tests will take around 28 hours.
  • Quizzes and Scenarios – Additionally, there are chapter quizzes, 8 industry case studies, 20 industry-based scenarios, 6 hands-on projects. As all this content will take a long time, consider a preparation time up to 2-3 months if you can daily work 2 hours a day.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – The PMP training is available all around the world, but with different prices. For example in India, the same PMP training is 8,999 Indian Rupee which is equivalent to 129 USD. Whereas, self-paced PMP training is 499 USD in the United States. So the price of PMP training for students from the US is almost 4 times higher than for students from India. Similarly, for European countries, the cost of the training is 699 Euro which is equivalent to 779 USD. So the price of PMP training for students from Europe is almost 6 times higher than for students from India.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee:
  • If you cancel 7 days (or more) prior to the event, 10% of the total paid fee will be deducted and the remaining amount will be refunded to you.
  • If you cancel within 7 days (or less) of the event, no refunds will be made.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.6 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about Simplilearn PMP programs.

#3 PMP Training Option – Brainsensei

Brainsensei was founded by Dr. John Estrella and Chris Stafford. Dr.John is a successful entrepreneur, he is the author of six books and several courses. He was awarded a scholarship by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Educational Foundation for his doctoral studies. In addition to this, in 2012 he received Queen Elizabeth II, Diamond Jubilee Medal. Whereas Chris Stafford, PMP, MBA, a co-founder of Brain Sensei, has 20 years of project management experience,

The breaking point of the theme offered by Brainsensei is: “Getting your online certification shouldn’t be painful”. So they set out to create an online learning system that not only works but makes learning interesting. They claim that it should be fun and easy as possible to achieve everything you want from your career. Getting the right certification is the first step.

Brainsensei Complete PMP® Exam Prep Course is an online self-paced course – you can take as long as you like or as quickly as you like to go through all their material.

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? – Yes – Brainsensei is a Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) of the Project Management Course.
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? The names of these modules clearly depict the breakup of Brainsensei PMP training with respect to Process Areas including Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. Their training course is in line with  PMI PMBok
• Does it provide the certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – When you complete the Brainsensei PMP training, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. This Certificate of Completion acknowledges that you have acquired 35 hours of professional development training.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – It is important to note that Brainsensei only offers an online self-paced course. Which means that other formats like instructor-led live classrooms as well as instructor-led virtual class formats are not available.
• Training Material – Brainsensei PMP exam prep course is packed with a huge amount of material as well as 4 full practice exams. That’s over 900 practice questions. One can take and re-take any part of the course as many times as they like within 180 days (6 months) access period.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options -The course is offered in different modules. Each module earns you PDUs:
  • Brainsensei PMP Program Module 101: Initiating Projects. The cost of this module is $99.99. And the access is given for 6 months. This module earns you 4 PDUs/Contact Hours.
  • Brainsensei PMP Program Module 102: Planning Projects. The cost of this module is $174.9. You have 6-month access. This module earns you 7 PDUs/Contact Hours.
  • Brainsensei PMP Program Module 103: Executing Projects. The cost of this module is $89.99 and the access is for 6 months. This module earns you 3 PDUs/Contact Hours.
  • Brainsensei PMP Program Module 104: Monitoring & Controlling Projects  The cost of this module is $174.99 and the access is given for 6 months. This module earns you 7 PDUs/Contact Hours.
  • Brainsensei PMP Program Module 105: Closing Projects.  The cost of this module is $64.99. You will have 6-month access. This module earns you 1 PDUs/Contact Hours.

• Refund/Pass Guarantee:
  • If you complete the 35-hour Complete PMP Exam Prep course but you can not pass the PMP exam within one calendar year from the date of course purchase, Brainsensei will provide another 90 days access to the 35-hour Complete PMP Exam Prep course for free. In case you fail a second time, Brainsensei will also provide another 90 days free access to the 35-hour Complete PMP Exam Prep course. If you fail a third time, Brainsensei will refund your initial purchase.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.5 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about the Brainsensei PMP programs.

#4 PMP Training Option – Project Management Academy

Project Management Academy offers training programs in the areas of Project Management, Agile Management, Business Analysis, Quality Management, and IT Management.

Project Management Academy PMP program guarantees that the aspirants are ready to pass the project management certification exam on their first attempt. They offer their PMP training program as a 4-day PMP boot camp. The courses scheduled by Project Management Academy are guaranteed to run on listed dates. You can find the training course at your convenient location or online.

• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? – Yes, the course is fully aligned with latest version of PMBOK which is offered by PMI. Their course outline includes Project Management Framework, Integration Management, Scope Management, Schedule Management, Cost Management, Quality Management, Resource Management, Communication Management, Risk Management, Procurement Management, and Stakeholder Management.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – Yes, When you complete Project Management Academy PMP Program, you will receive a Certificate of Completion which is evidence that you have earned 35 hours of professional development training. When applying for the PMP exam, you will need to provide PMI a copy of this certificate in case your application is selected for the Audit.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – They offer the instructor-led programs at the training facilities of Project Management Academy. They also offer Virtual classroom format is 4 days of web-based e-learning with a live instructor. With these programs, you receive 6-months access to the online training portal. They also deliver the in-house PMP training course on client facility or any location of client preference.
• Training Material – With the registration of this course you get the following extensive material:
  • Post-class tutoring and application assistance tool
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) 6th Edition
  • Print copy of all course materials (binder)
  • A PMP Strategy Guide (booklet)
  • PMP exercises and games
  • PMP training aids (laminates and booklet)
  • Over 2,000 PMP exam prep sample questions
  • Realistic 200 questions mock PMP exam
  • Access to additional web-based video lectures
• Practice Questions – Their course material includes more than 2,000 PMP questions. They also offer 200 questions PMP mock exam.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – The original cost of instructor-led training is $2,895 USD. And the original cost of virtual classroom training is also $2,895 USD. These rates are subject to discounts and the discounted rates are also displayed on the website.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee -They have a money-back guarantee but to fulfill the criteria you have to appear three times for PMP Examination within 120 days. Usually, a PMP candidate would take time to prepare longer for their 2nd attempt, so this time-bound activity is tricky to achieve.
• Success Rate? – According to the statistics they claim to have more than 99% success rate. They have also specified their success rate statistics for the last 9 years on their website.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.4 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about Project Management Academy PMP programs.

#5 PMP Training Option – Velociteach

Velociteach is a leading training provider with more than fifteen years of contribution to the advancement of the Project Management field. The company inception was in the year 2002 when Andy Crowe, a leader in the IT project management industry, left his high-profile career to pursue his passion. His aim was to empower others to learn project management in a simple, dynamic way that also encouraged personal and professional growth.

Since its inception, Velociteach has worked closely with organizations from a wide range of industries. Velociteach PMP programs’ main purpose is to provide the companies with the best project management training available on the market.

• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? – Yes, Velociteach PMP training is based on the PMBOK® Guide—Sixth Edition.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – Yes, when you complete the Velociteach PMP Program, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. This Certificate of Completion acknowledges that you have acquired the necessary 35 hours of professional development training.
• Delivery Method – Velociteach offers programs in in-person as well as virtual formats. The in-person courses are offered at limited locations within a couple of states of the USA. However, candidates from across the globe can opt for the virtual classes which are also conducted by the instructors but provides the flexibility of location. The virtual format of Velociteach PMP training is offered through the GoToMeeting website.

Training Method and Material

• Training Material – With the registration of this course you get the following extensive material:
  • e-learning Online Course
  • Workbook with Mind maps
  • Flashcards
  • Audios
  • PMBok Textbook
  • Practice Questions
  • Quick Reference Guide
• Practice Questions – The content of the Velociteach PMP course includes more than 2,000 PMP exam prep sample questions that help the candidates to assess their readiness and identify the gaps. There are practice tests in the PMP course package. Each of these tests includes 200 questions. With these tests, you can fully rehearsal and practice the PMP Certification Exam.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – Velociteach offers a live 4-day PMP Exam Prep Course. They offer this course in in-person or virtual formats. The price of both these course formats is $2,447 which makes it quite an expensive course. Not only for the virtual classroom but also for the in-person formats.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee -Velociteach PMP offers a 100 % refund of tuition fee if the candidate takes one of their Instructor-led, Live/Virtual Certification Prep courses and doesn’t pass the exam after 3 tries within 1 year of the original class date. This is a quite reasonable time to re-appear in case of failure. So this brings a reasonable aspect of the money-back guarantee. Furthermore, if a candidate takes a Velociteach PMP or CAPM class and does not pass the exam in one year of their class date, they may attend a virtual class free of charge.
• Success Rate? – Velociteach PMP has bagged very good reviews which are good indicators of their effectiveness.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.3 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about Velociteach PMP programs.

#6 PMP Training Option – Invensis

Invensis Learning was founded in the year 2000 by Arvind Rongala. The headquarters of Invensis PMP Training Provider is in Wilmington, US.

Thereby, Arvind initiated the launch of Invensis Learning as the training and certification branch of Invensis Technologies. They have offices in the US, India, and Australia, thus he ensured that the company becomes a trusted training partner for many Fortune 1000 clients and gain global recognition within a short time.

They offer courses in various categories such as Project Management, IT Service Management, IT security and Governance, Quality Management, Agile Project Management, DevOps, and Cloud Courses.

Invensis PMP Training has globally trained 10,000+ students and they are a trusted partner for Fortune 500 companies, small and medium businesses and government organizations to deliver globally recognized training and certification programs.

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? – Yes, Invensis is a registered education provider of PMI.
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? – Yes, their PMP training is based on the PMBOK® Guide—Sixth Edition.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – Yes, You will achieve 35 contact hours (PDUs) certificate when you complete the Invensis PMP Program. Which fulfills the PMP requirement set by PMI.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – Invensis offers training in the following formats:
  • Classroom Training: It is an interactive public classroom session delivered by highly qualified trainers with extensive project management experience.
  • Live Online Training:
    • It is an instructor-led live online session. You can attend from anywhere.
    • This training is conducted on weekends from 10 am to 6 pm
  • Corporate Group Training: It is a customized instructor-led on-site group training for enterprises. Moreover, it is a cost-effective training
• Training Material – Invensis PMP Training methodology is coupled with high-quality courseware. This has enabled organizations to achieve high impact learning with increased knowledge, performance, and competence.
• Practice Questions – They offer real Life exam prep questions and free guidance on progressing in your career as a certified professional

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options
  • Cost of this training is USD 1395. They offer a discount on registration with multiple courses as well as for multiple participants. For instance:
    • On PMP course with Cobit 5 foundation course, avail 20% off
    • By registering 5 or more participants, avail 12% off on PMP Live online or Virtual training
• Refund/Pass Guarantee -Invensis PMP Training is not offering any guarantee on the training or the content. And thereby they don’t have any refund policy.
• Success Rate? – Over 95% of Invensis learning participants obtain their PMP within 6 weeks
• Support? No, they have no online forums for aspirants to support or raising the queries

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.2 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about Invensis PMP programs.

#7 PMP Training Option – Knowledgehut

Knowledgehut has training experience of more than 8 years. They aim to up-skill the next generation workforce. During this tenure, they have provided several trainings to various industries and corporate. They offer a vast range of portfolio that includes management as well as technical training programs. Agile is one of their popular training program which is offered in 68 countries across the globe. In eight years, Knowledgehut has over 200 courses and 120,000 learners across 70 plus countries.

Knowledgehut has a large pool of around 500 instructors who are qualified in their relevant fields. Their instructors are from India, Singapore, United States, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Australia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Hungary, Ireland and many more. Knowledgehut has more than 100 instructors for the Agile Management course category and more than 30 instructors for the Knowledgehut PMP Training course category.

In the project management category, Knowledgehut offers 22 courses. PMP Training is one of them.

Knowledgehut PMP Training courses are offered in flexible delivery modes. These delivery modes include classroom and e-learning as well as virtual. Knowledgehut PMP training course also offers 6 Full-Length Mock Exams. 

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? –  Knowledgehut is a Global REP for PMI
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? –  The course outline of Knowledgehut PMP training is in line with the PMBoK. The Knowledge Areas addressed in PMBok are the driving factor of the Knowledgehut PMP Training course outline
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – Yes, the Knowledgehut PMP training course gets you 35 contact hours which satisfies the PMI contact hour requirement to sit in the PMP exam.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – Knowledgehut PMP training is offered in a live, instructor-led format. This course format is offered on weekdays as well as over the weekends. For the weekdays, the duration is around 10 calendar days with half-day sessions. Whereas for the weekends, the duration is around three weeks with half-day sessions. Knowledgehut also offers PMP training courses in the instructor-led classroom training format. With these course, you get 90 Days of Free Access. They also offer e-learning courses. On registration to this course, you get 180 days’ access to the e-learning course contents.
• Training Material –With the registration of this course you get the following extensive material:
  • 15 audio-visual modules covering all course topics from PMBOK® Guide
  • 13 hours of online content
  • PMP® eBook in downloadable format and PMP® exam blueprint
  • Tips and tricks to pass PMP® in the first attempt
• Practice Questions – They provide a question bank with 300 questions on all knowledge areas. They also provide six full-length mock exams featuring 1200 practice questions.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – The price of this Knowledgehut PMP online Training is USD 899. And the price of PMP classroom training is USD 1099. These prices are subject to discount. And the price of this Knowledgehut PMP Training course is USD 399.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee -Even though Knowledgehut claims that the candidates will pass the PMP certification exam based on the guidelines they provide to the candidates, they also provide the money-back guarantee in which they will reimburse you the class cost if you fall in the policy criteria.
• Success Rate? – Knowledgehut PMP training has bagged very good reviews which are good indicators of their effectiveness.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.1 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about Knowledgehut PMP programs.

#8 PMP Training Option – GreyCampus PMP Training Program

GreyCampus established as a leading education platform. It provides services in the areas of certification training for working professionals and test preparation for competitive examinations.

GreyCampus provides a range of courses on project management certifications like PMP and PRINCE2, Big Data, Data Science, Service Management, Quality Management, Six Sigma, IT Service Management, DevOps and Cloud and others. Grey Campus has trained more than 150,000 students across 50+ countries leveraging a pool of 500+ expert instructors.

In addition, they specialize in instructor-led blended certification training programs in project management, Six Sigma and IT service management and other areas.

They believe that instructor-led training augmented with online resources is the most optimal training learning environment which leads to the best results.

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI?– Yes, GreyCampus is s a Global PMI Registered Education Provider
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? – Being a REP, they ensure that this course is in alignment with the most updated version of the PMP exam content outline.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – Yes, All of their formats come with a 35-Contact Hours’ education certificate which fulfills the prerequisite of your PMP certification eligibility.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method  – They provide three different learning formats. These formats include in-person classes, online classes, and a self-paced online course.
• Training Material – With the PMP training from Greycampus, you get an official copy of PMBOK Guide, Free access to a dedicated one day live exam solving session. In addition to this, you get 30 days access to an instructor via email for clarifications and guidance.

• Practice Questions – GreyCampus conduct additional hands-on examination review- once every month- for participants of instructor-led training variants. This review session involves a live simulated test, which demonstrates the reason and rationale behind answering each of the 200 questions. You will require to contact the assigned training coordinator after you register to book your seat for one of the sessions.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – Greycampus offers an online self-learning program at the cost of $300. They also offer live online training program which comprises of live over-the-web lectures. This program is available at a cost of $699. In addition to this, Greycampus also offers a Classroom training program. The cost of this program varies as per batch and location. The cost range is $899 to $1.599.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee – GreyCampus PMP Training offers 100% Money back guarantee
• Success Rate? – Greycampus have an audited PMP Exam pass rate of 99.4%
• Support? GreyCampus provides 30 days post-program instructor support PMP Training for their live online and classroom courses,

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 4.0 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about GreyCampus PMP Training Programs

#9 PMP Training Option – PM Training Program

PM Training was founded in the year 2004 by Christopher Scordo PMP, ITIL. So, Christopher Scordo is the founder and managing director of PM Training. In addition to this, he is also the author of many bestselling exam preparation books.

Since its inception in 2004, PM training is into professional certification test products on certifications such as PMP, CAPM, ACP, Scrum Master, and ITIL. PM Training is a provider of course offerings such as PMP, PgMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP, and RMP.

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? – Yes, PM Training is a PMI registered education provider (REP) for PMI Products
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? –  PM Training’s PMP Training courses and products adhere to all PMI guidelines.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – After attending the PM training course, you will attain 35 contact hours. This is a prerequisite to appear for the exam.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method – PM Training PMP Training institute offers training in 2 modes i.e. instructor-led live classes and self-learning format. They offer both of these formats in online mode. In addition to this, PM Training’s PMP training institute also offers private classes to organizations worldwide in both live onsite and live online training formats.
• Training Material –  Once you enroll in the class, you get:
  • Instant mail confirmation and instructor follow-up starts
  • Extensive study tool with each class which includes offline exam preparation tools, a comprehensive class manual, and access to realistic exam simulation tools
  • You get free membership to PM Training’s online exam practice system
  • And you will get access to over 1000 PMP Practice exam questions, answers, and detailed explanations.
  • You get 90 days access to course material

• Practice Questions – Once you register to this course you get access to over 1000 PMP Practice exam questions, answers, and detailed explanation.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – PM Training conducts the PMP Boot camp training course is an on-demand course available full time through the website. The course of this cost is 348 USD. The live class online format is available on weekends and evenings. The price of this course is USD 1148.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee – Students will receive a full refund up to 7 days prior to the original class start. Otherwise, there will be a $150 cancellation fee for multi-week classes and a $ 250 cancellation fee for Boot camp classes.
• Success Rate? – The first-time pass rate is 97%.
• Support? A one-on-one session with the instructor to answer questions and clarify concepts. Another feature is email access to PMP instructor in case you have additional questions or feedback on PMP Related topics

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 3.7 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about PM Training PMP programs.

#10 PMP Training Option – Udemy Training Program

The Udemy founder, Eren Bali, along with the co-founders, Oktay Çağlar and Gagan Biyani, have a common goal: to make quality education more accessible and to improve lives through education. Udemy is a platform where instructors, business, and students register. They provide course development tools for the instructors. Instructors can upload videos, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, audio files, and live classes and students register to these published online courses.

Udemy also provides mechanisms where teachers can interact with users through online discussion forums. They offer courses for different walks of life which includes entrepreneurship, health, fitness, language, academics, art, music, and technology. So is the case with Project Management training. So if you decide to spend your time & money on a PMP course material, Udemy has PMP options that might satisfy your need but only to some extent.

Most courses are free and most are less than $100. However, it is more important to note here that Udemy does not authenticate the professional value of the course. As there is no independent validation of the course. Mainly instructors are responsible for their courses. So we can say that they are more like online publishers of the courses.

Standing of the course

• PMP Training Recognized by PMI? –  The majority of Udemy courses do not include a qualification certificate recognized by an employer or other educational institution.
• Is the course aligned with PMBOK? – There is a variety of courses available for PMP preparation. There is a risk that all of these courses may not be aligned with PMBOK. So you have to search for the right course among the huge list of courses.
• Does it provide a certificate of completion for 35 contact hours? – After completing a training program, you will receive a certificate of completion showing your knowledge of the subject. However, PMI may not accept the training content as a valid 35 contact hour training. So you have the risk of getting PMP training that is not compatible with the content of the PMP.

Training Method and Material

• Delivery Method –  Udemy offers courses in a self-paced online format. You can register for a course and learn the course at your own pace.
• Training Material – Since there is a huge list of courses in the category of project management and the course contents of each course are subject to their creators. In other words, we can say that there is no standardizing of the course content across all the project management courses. However, it is a must for a Udemy course to include videos, quizzes, documents, and exercises. This is useful for learning the subject thoroughly.
• Practice Questions – Quizzes and exercises are usually part of the course. You can see the course material on the landing page of the course to evaluate prior to buying the course.

Pricing and Refunds

• Pricing Options – Most of the Udemy courses come under the price of $100. But you need to ensure that you choose the best course based on the enrollments and ratings.
• Refund/Pass Guarantee -Udemy courses offer 100% Money back guarantee
• Success Rate? -There is no specific rate of success I could find for Udemy PMP.
• Support? – You can communicate directly with the authors for learning purposes and interact with the authors. You can ask questions and share your concerns without interfering with them.

Overall Rating of Project Hipo: 3.1 out of 5

You can see our complete review and details about Udemy PMP Training Programs.

PMP Training Conclusion

In summary, PMP certification is a crucial business requirement for senior-level project leader roles and PMP credential gives you the knowledge of project management. Hence, it is the approval of your global professional experience. In short, the advantages of PMP include high market value, recognition, increased reliability, and in many cases higher wages.

In this article, we provided you with PMP Top 10 training programs which are offered to the PMP aspirants across the globe. The purpose of the article is not to compare these training programs. However, we aim to provide helpful information to the PMP aspirants so they can get the high-level idea of these PMP Top 10 training programs.

These PMP training providers offer training in different formats. The course formats include Instructor-led classroom and virtual classroom. In addition to this, you can opt for a group and online training. The cost of their course ranges and varies based on the training format. These training providers also offer practice exams and questions; so the candidates can assess their readiness and work on the gaps. Many of these training providers have their money-back policies.

I think the provider with the ideal cost-performance ratio is Master of Project Academy. Master of Project Academy PMP Training is reasonably priced, additionally, they have several enrollment options which start from $67/month. Finally, Master of Project Academy PMP Training has a 99.6% first-attempt pass rate with a very good refund policy.

If you want to check the latest PMP course offerings, you can check on their website to get the latest information regarding these training providers.

The post PMP Training – Top 10 PMP Training Program Review appeared first on Project Hipo.

Briansensei started with the mission to provide simple and innovative courses to help people achieve their learning goals anytime anywhere. The terms anytime and anywhere focus on the full-time availability of the courses and flexibility to run the courses from anywhere.

Brainsensei PMP Training Programs

Brainsensei’s main forte is their PMP training program. The Brainsensei PMP Training comprises of several modules.

Brainsensei PMP Program is one of their mainstream offerings. There are various reasons for this primary focus. As the PMP certification brings certain advantages to the PMP certification holders. According to independent researches, certified project managers in the United States make an average of $111,000 per year and PMPs make 22% more than non-PMPs. The annual salary ranges from $85,000 to $135,000 depending on the years of experience. In addition to this, many employees already engage in project management without even realizing it. Becoming certified is a way of showing your boss the value of what you do and achieve the career recognition and salary that you deserve.

Furthermore, many companies look to hire project leads who understand the latest process improvements systems and technology. As a certified project manager, you elevate yourself above the competition in the job market. Moreover, having a certification is about protecting you and your family from economic uncertainty. Certified project professionals make an attractive hire and are more likely to keep their jobs when there’s a downturn.

The modules of Brainsensei PMP Program include:

• Project Management Overview
• Initiating Projects
• Planning Projects
• Executing Projects
• Monitoring & Controlling Projects
• Closing Projects
• PMP Exam Prep

The names of these modules clearly depict the breakup of Brainsensei PMP with respect to Process Areas including Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. Their training course is in line with  PMI PMBok.

Brainsensei Founders

John Estrella

Dr. John A. Estrella, CMC, PMP, is a co-founder of Brain Sensei.

A successful entrepreneur, John has worked with some of the world’s most respected organizations in Asia, North America, and Europe. He authored six books and several courses for audiences in Canada, the U.S., U.K., France, Sweden, Japan, India, and other countries.

John founded Agilitek Corporation and was awarded a scholarship by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Educational Foundation for his doctoral studies. In 2012 he received Queen Elizabeth II, Diamond Jubilee Medal, so that kind of proved it.

Chris Stafford

Chris Stafford, PMP, MBA, is a co-founder of Brain Sensei. With 20 years of project management experience, Chris has worked with Canada’s most profitable companies and has managed projects worth over $5M. He successfully combines solid project management know-how with a sense of entrepreneurial adventure that his clients appreciate.

Brainsensei Story

Before moving further into the details of Brainsensei PMP program, let me share with you the story of Brainsensei – short and sweet.

The founders of Brain Sensei are certified project managers who do not claim to be 100 years old. The journey started with their PMP certification when they noticed that all of the online PMP^® certification courses or PMP exam prep courses were targeted to the “Serious Corporate Professional”.

Furthermore, they noticed that the material was presented in a streaming video that looked like a PowerPoint deck with an audio track of the instructor explaining things. This felt like deriving a rule that online learning should be boring? That is the breaking point of the theme offered by Brainsensei: Getting your online certification shouldn’t be painful, so they set out to create an online learning system that not only works but makes learning interesting.

They believe that professionals should love being project managers and they should have interesting opportunities to apply project management skills to excel in their careers. And it should be fun and easy as possible to achieve everything you want from your career. Getting the right certification is the first step.

What Are The Available Brainsensei PMP Training Formats?

Brainsensei PMP Program – Complete Course

Project Management Professional (PMP) certification prep course will help you pass the PMP Certification exam. Let me also mention that Brainsensei is a Project Management Institute (PMI)® Registered Education Provider (REP).

Brainsensei PMP program comprises of 8 modules plus 4 full practice exams at a single price. This course fulfils 35 contact hours/PDUs required to write the PMP exam. Brainsesei PMP program is based on PMBOK^® Guide 6th Edition. This online and self-paced course provides comprehensive prep for the certification exam and access to:

The eligibility requirements for the PMP certificate are as follows:

Does Brainsensei Offer Any Continuing Education Programs?

Brainsensei mainly focuses on PMP Exam certification. They offer different e-learning modules as part of the overall course. However, one can acquire these independent modules if required at a later stage. But there is no extensive list of the courses that aim to cover the continuing education requirements.

Professional project managers do need to qualify for the renewal of PMP certification every three years. After each cycle, 60 hours are mandatory for the PMP accreditation holders to renew their PMP accreditation after every 3 years.

Is There Any Money Back Guarantee?

Since Brainsensei offers this course as an e-learning program. Therefore no money-back guarantee policy is applicable. You can review their free course for glimpses before you purchase.

What Are The Reviews of Brainsensei PMP Training Program?

The Brainsensei PMP program comprises of modules. Though reviews can be posted by the registered candidates however there are no reviews available as such. So it is hard to share their ratification.

Pros & Cons of Brainsensei PMP Program

Everything has its pros and cons. So below, you can see my findings for Brainsensei, read it till the end.

Pros:

• Competitive Cost due to an e-learning format

The courses listed in the schedule are marked with the status “guaranteed to run” which saves the candidates from hassle and frustration of course cancellation and reschedules.

• Extensive Project Management Course Material

• Content includes sample exams to check your knowledge.

The content of the course includes four practice exams with over 900 practice questions. These help the candidates to assess their readiness and identify the gaps.

You can practice full rehearsal for the PMP Examination. This helps you to assess how you answer the questions you can see in real exams. So it helps you to assess your level of thinking, and predict your performance in the real exam situation.

• All PMP exam topics exist in the content

Since the course is fully aligned with PMBoK, therefore it addresses the completeness of the course in regards to the PMP exam topics.

Cons:

• Confined Course Listing 

Brainsensei offers a confined set of courses with their main focus on PMP Exam preparation which on one hand indicates their focused approach. However, this also has a disadvantage. Due to limited course offering, the project management professionals may not find courses for a continuing education program.

Don’t forget that these continuing education programs help the professionals to earn PDUs and comply with the continuing requirements as specified by PMI.

• Only one e-learning course format is available

Brainsensei only offers an online self-paced course which means that other formats like instructor-led live classrooms as well as instructor-led virtual class formats are not available.

• Money-Back Guarantee 

Since Brainsensei offers this course as an e-learning program. Therefore no money-back guarantee policy is applicable. You can review the free course before you purchase the actual course.

• No Reviews are enlisted

There are no reviews available for Brainsensei PMP modules. Generally, reviews are helpful for the visitors to get a feeler of customer satisfaction and success rate. This could have been more value-adding to the interested candidates.

• Cost – Performance Ratio with respect to e-learning offerings

Cost – Performance refers to a product’s ability to deliver performance, for its price. Certainly, the products offered by Brainsensei are higher in price, so the performance ratio with the higher price makes it average. Obviously, the products with a lower price/performance are more pleasing but only if you exclude other factors.

Yes, the overall cost of Brainsensei PMP Program is relatively lower and it comes under the medium-cost range. However, the cost is still higher with respect to e-learning format offerings available in the market

In my opinion, the provider with the best cost-performance ratio is Master of Project Academy. Master of Project Academy PMP Training is reasonably priced, additionally, they have enrollment options which start from $67/month. Finally, Master of Project Academy PMP Training has a 99.6% first-attempt pass rate and they had more than 100,000 past students.

Alternatives for Brainsensei PMP Training

After considering all the pros and cons of Brainsensei PMP training programs, you might think that it is not a good fit for you. We have explored the other PMP training programs which can be a Brainsensei PMP alternative for you.

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

#1 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: Master of Project Academy

Master of Project Academy is founded in 2012 and helped more than 100,000 professionals in more than 180 countries. The biggest advantage of Master of Project Academy is providing as many flexible plans as possible for the PMP certification candidates. Self-paced PMP training, in-person PMP Training, instructor-led PMP live sessions. Starting from $67/month, you can find comprehensive PMP training materials to get ready for the PMP exam. All you have to do is opting for the best option you would like to enroll.

You can see our complete review and details about Master of Project Academy PMP programs.

#2 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: Simplilearn

Simplilearn PMP programs can be considered as a Brainsensei PMP alternative as well. Simplilearn offers self-paced and instructor-led PMP training programs. However, they have a very unfair pricing strategy. If you are visiting their page from India, you can enroll in their training which costs as low as $100 (they show pricing in INR, which is the local currency for India). Whereas visitors from Europe or the United States can see more than $600 for the same self-paced content material. You can read all the pros and cons of Simplilearn PMP Programs.

#3 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: Udemy

You might have heard of Udemy, which is a learning platform where several instructors place their content and students can purchase and enroll in their curriculum. You can consider Udemy PMP programs as a Brainsensei PMP training alternative. However, keep in mind that the instructors you see on Udemy may not be there after your purchase the next day. Moreover, their content may not be 35 contact hours. This is a very big problem and a con for Udemy PMP programs. Even though many programs advertise that they suffice 35 contact hours requirement of PMP exam, their content is far below of 35 contact hours if you a little bit look on the training page. You can see our comprehensive review of Udemy PMP programs.

#4 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: Velociteach

If you have lots of money that you do not consider how much you will pay for the PMP training, you can consider the Velociteach PMP option. While there is no significant difference in their virtual or in-person PMP training programs, they ask for around $2,500 to attend their program. This option is well-known by the founder of the organization who is Andy Crowe. He has a PMP book as well and maybe that is why Andy Crowe PMP platform is significantly more expensive than the other options in the market.

#5 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: Project Management Academy

Project Management Academy PMP Programs can be considered as a Brainsensei PMP alternative as well. Project Management Academy PMP course indeed provides a good course structure with good success rates. However, the cost is pretty high. The course formats include instructor-led classroom and virtual classroom. You can read all the pros and cons of Project Management Academy PMP Programs.

#6 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: PM Prep Cast

Another PM Training alternative can be Project Management Prepcast PMP programs. Cornelius Fichtner, who is an experienced project management expert, is the founder of Project Management Prepcast platform. They have self-paced PMP options however they do not offer in-person or instructor-led PMP classes which is a big negative for this PM Training alternative.

#7 Brainsensei PMP Alternative: PM Training

You can consider looking at PM Training PMP programs as well. They offer live and self-paced PMP training options. Live sessions are around $1,600 while the self-paced PMP training is around $600. Although they look a good PMP training provider, there are better PMP training provider options for sure. You can read our full review about PM Training PMP programs.

End of Review

In summary, PMP certification is a crucial business requirement for senior-level project leader roles in all globally. Thus, this course is the best for Project Leaders, Assistant Project Managers, Team leaders, Project Engineers, Software Developers or any professional wishing to become a project manager.

PMP credential gives you the knowledge of project management hence, it is an approval of your global professional experience. In short, the advantages of PMP include high market value, increased reliability, and in many cases higher wages.

Brainsensei offers e-learning PMP course. This course is in line with the PMBOK. Furthermore, the course covers the 35 PDU requirement of PMI to write the PMP Examination. The cost of Brainsensi PMP course is relatively lower due to the e-learning format. However, there are other good options available which are more cost-effective.

Brainsensei is just one option so I strongly suggest you look at other options!

The post BrainSensei PMP Training – 100% Review – All Pros & Cons appeared first on Project Hipo.

There is a method to avoid this, that will prepare you for the exam, help you gain your self-confidence, shorten your study time, double the chance to pass the PMP exam, and manage your exam time effectively: PMP Exam Simulators. Yes, I’ve mentioned before, I will review PM FASTrack (or Rita PMP Exam Simulator) in detail in this post. You can see our PMP exam simulator reviews in our Best PMP Exam Simulator post.

Rita PMP Exam Simulator Review

PM FASTrack is a PMP exam simulator where you can focus tests on process groups, knowledge areas or concepts, or experience the PMP exam in a real-like fashion. Didn’t you understand an answer from the sample exams and want to learn more about it? PM FASTrack will direct you to the corresponding page number in the PMBOK guide in its detailed explanations for each question. When you finish your PMP practice exam, PM FastTrack will show you detailed statistics and customized reports based on your answers. Thus, you can organize your work by knowing your strengths and weaknesses. This simulator is available completely online. With the online system of Rita PMP Exam Simulator, you can take PMP practice exams wherever you are, at home, at work, or on the go.

About Rita Mulcahy

I will brief you on these features that I mentioned, but first of all, “Who is Rita Mulcahy?”, “How did Rita PMP Exam Simulator PM FASTrack develop?”. I would like to answer these questions. Rita Mulcahy has worked for many years as a trainer and consultant in the field of project management. When she got her PMP certification, she was disappointed with the lack of PMP exam preparation materials. She then created her own study guide to fill this gap.

Rita has built an international reputation for her project management theory, techniques, and certifications. In 1991 she founded a project management training company RMC. This company that Rita founded continues to create innovative education solutions that will help people learn new skills and advance in their careers. PM FASTrack (Rita PMP Exam simulator) was developed by Rita’s company, RMC. The first version was developed 15 years ago, the PM FASTrack Cloud version 9 is a simulator prepared for the 2020 PMP Exams, compatible with the PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition.

Pros & Cons of Rita PMP Exam Simulator

Language Aid

PMI provides optional language assistance (Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Polish, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, Korean, Russian) in PMP exams to candidates whose first language is not English. PMI does not charge any additional fees for language assistance or aid. This language aid is available for questions and answer options. Although some people argue that using language aid in the real exam is a disadvantage or not, this is out of the topic at the moment. What I want to mention here, PM FASTrack (Rita PMP Exam Simulator) also provides language assistance for 3 languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic). Those who speak other languages must use the Rita PMP Exam Simulator in English.

Exam Report

Once you finish the practice exam on the PM FASTrack simulator, you will see the exam results and more on one single screen. There are many topics I would like to convey about this screen. Because it carries a lot of data. In the upper left corner, it shows your exam success with the number of correct and incorrect answers and percentages. Although PMI does not reveal any clear information about passing percentage, we can assume the exam passing percentage is 65%. The 72% value in this sample screenshot will probably be enough to pass the exam. However, the indication also says that there is a need to practice more on exams. Because 72% rating is not in a safe zone.

There are 2 fields that I present to you, marked in the upper right corner. The total time in the real PMP exam will be 4 hours and you will be asked to answer 200 questions. However, there is no time limit in the PM FASTrack demo test. It’s not like the real test. During the Rita PMP Exam Simulator test, you can deal with several different things and then go back to the test exam. This may seem like an advantage for test exams. However, Rita PMP Exam Simulator is not a good example of simulation in this respect, since it does not create time stress like solving the real exam. Another piece of information is, based on your average speed per question, it presents the projection of how many questions you can solve in the 4-hour time limit.

In the lower parts of the screen, success percentages are shared for each process group. Similar information is shared in real PMP exam results, not with a percentage but with some tags like “Needs improvement”, “Above Target”, etc.

Exam Dashboard

On the Exam Dashboard screen of Rita PMP Exam Simulator, you can see the status of your past exams and throughout this page, you can access a screen just like on the exam report. Thus, you can review the status of your old exams and review the mistakes you made. The historical track also makes it possible to see your progress or regression. To the left of this screenshot is “Study Tips”. They give answers to frequently asked questions such as: “How do I analyze my results?”, “How many exam simulations should I take?”, “How are simulation exam questions created?”, etc.

Focus Tests

This part is not available in the demo version of Rita PMP Exam Simulator, you can only access it in the full version. You can start smaller tests based on Process Groups, Knowledge Areas, or Keywords here. You can use this feature to improve your knowledge after you identify your weaknesses in your test exams. Of course, it would be good to increase your knowledge with the PMBOK Guide or other study books before. Focus Tests are a useful tool to improve your deficiencies and weaknesses in any Process Groups or Knowledge Areas.

You can set the number of questions for your focus test but the upper limit depends on the maximum number of related questions in the question database of the PM FASTrack simulator. You can select any process groups (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring&Controlling, Closing) or knowledge areas (Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Risk, Procurement, Stakeholder Management) or any keyword you choose like WBS, Project Charter, Network Diagram, etc.

Question Review and Explanations

On the Exam Report screen of Rita PMP Exam Simulator, there stands a button titled “REVIEW TEST”. This button enables you to see your answers against the correct ones. You can see your correct answers and wrong answers by passing through each question one by one.

Your incorrect answers will be marked in red. Correct answers are marked in green. Unfortunately, the wrong or correct answers are not displayed on a single page.  I’d rather be able to see it on a single screen and focus on the wrong questions. I didn’t like that, this feature is missing.

If you need more explanation for your wrong answers, you can access the explanations and references in the related resource with the “Explanation” button. I believe that you will be satisfied with the explanations. At the bottom of each explanation, you will see related Knowledge Area, Process Group, Reference guide, and its page number.  It is very good for your reading and make better of yourself on the road to the PMP Exam.

PM FASTrack Simulator Questions

PM FASTrack PMP Exam Simulator v9 has a database of more than 1600 questions. All of the questions are compatible with the 2020 PMP Exam (version 10 includes 2,000 questions and it is aligned with 2021 PMP Exams). So it has references to PMBOK Guide version 6 and Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic language aids for each question.

Rita PMP Exam Simulator, which is 15 years old now, was previously distributed on CD, is now available online under the name of “PM FASTrack Cloud” at the RMC Learning Solutions website. I cannot say that I am experiencing the real test atmosphere due to some visual differences. Also, the cloud-based simulator allows you to practice from your computer or a tablet (A 6-inch screen minimum).

RMC Learning Solutions states that they frequently update 1600 questions. Also, all 1600 questions are cross-referenced with Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Preparation textbook. This makes it easier and faster to reach and examine the subject you are curious about. Also, there are unlimited test retakes available during your subscription period.

In my opinion, the real exam is a bit harder than the Rita PMP Exam Simulator questions. I am not implying that all questions are simple. There are plenty of very difficult questions like real exam quality, but not all. This is my review and it is aligned with several other people’s opinions. But, please note that there are other experiences stating that their exam results and simulator test results are very close. All in all, if you are scoring 75-80% or better in Rita Exam Simulator, most probably you will be able to pass the actual PMP exam.

Rita PM FASTrack PMP Exam Simulator Pricing

Rita PMP Exam Simulator has 2 offers depending on the subscription period:

• PM FASTrack® Cloud – PMP® Exam Simulator – Version 9 – 6 Month
• PM FASTrack® Cloud – PMP® Exam Simulator – Version 9 – 12 Month

A 6-month period subscription for Rita PM FASTrack Cloud Exam Simulator costs 259 USD, and a 12-month period subscription costs 299 USD.

Existing Version 9 users will be able to make a free upgrade to version 10 (for the new 2021 exam) for the remaining time of their subscription period.

PM FASTrack® Cloud – PMP® Exam Simulator – Version 10 is also available at the same price. This version of the Rita PMP Exam Simulator is aligned with 2021 PMP Exams and moreover, this membership contains more than 2,000 questions.

RMC Learning also provides bulk discounts for groups with a minimum of 5 students and a 10% discount. Depending on the size of the group, the discounts may go up to 30% at most.

RMCLS states that only digital products that have not been accessed can be returned. Accessed digital products are not returned. A refund or exchange request must be made within 30 days of purchase and the refund policy applies only to products purchased through the RMCLS website. Rita PMP Exam Simulator has also stated that bulk orders containing more than 10 products cannot be refunded.

Rita PMP Simulator Free Demo

The good news is on the way. Here is the web address for FREE Rita PMP Simulator demo: https://exams.rmcls.com/demo

If you visit this web address, you will see this screen above. Select the product “PM FASTrack v9 PMP” and fill the very short form with your name and mail address. Make sure you take the time to test this demo before clicking the “Launch Demo” button. Because on the next page, you are directed to a quiz simulation consisting of 25 questions.

You can examine the question types that the database contains in this demo exam consisting of 25 questions. I just explained the features, but if you want more details, you can find extra information there. You can score your exam at any time while answering the exam questions. After you score your demo, you can review your answers, explanations for the correct answers, and references to other study materials. Your demo exam data and score will be lost at the end of your web session. Therefore, if you experience an interruption (e.g. run out of battery, internet connection problem) while using the demo, you will have to start over with the demo exam.

The Rita FASTrack PMP Exam demo 25-questions set is the same every time, but the order of the questions may change. Full-length exam simulations, knowledge-focused tests, process groups, or keywords are the content that you can find in paid subscriptions. You will not see these modes in the demo version.

Rita PM FASTrack PMP Exam Simulator Summary

To sum up, the Rita PM FASTrack simulator contains balanced 200-question quizzes. Rita PMP Exam Simulator offers an interface of exam results that helps you to focus on weak areas and improve them. It has a quiz review mode that includes short explanations of the correct answers. There are study modes that allow you to take quizzes focused by Domain, Process Group, Knowledge Area, or any keyword. All existing questions are cross-referenced with PMBOK Guide or PMP textbooks.

But most of these features exist in almost all PMP Exam simulators. Also, 259 USD or 299 USD cost is pricy for Rita PM FASTrack Exam Simulator. Rita PMP Exam Simulator is definitely expensive for many PMP candidates. Additionally, as I mentioned earlier in this post, in my opinion, the question quality is a bit lower than the real exam questions.

All in all, I suggest you check other PMP exam simulator options, see their reviews, ratings and make your own decision.

The post Rita PMP Exam Simulator – PM FASTrack Review appeared first on Project Hipo.

Project Management Institute (PMI) offers PMP certification which is a globally recognized accreditation. The certification is an endorsement of project management experience and knowledge of its holder. Those who want to pursue their careers in the field of project management consider PMP certification as the best option for career advancement.

PMP demands a highly focused effort put in by the aspirants to obtain the credentials. Passing the PMP exam is not an easy task especially if the candidate is not fully prepared. Therefore, it is important to get the idea of the PMP exam and PMP formulas are a part of it. So one must know the pattern and how many different types of questions contribute towards the overall exam.

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training comparison post.

PMP Exam Pattern

PMP exam has a duration of 4 hours. In this duration, the aspirants have to attempt 200 questions. These questions are multiple-choice questions. And these questions have different types that PMI uses to smartly assess your understanding, knowledge, and experience along with your ability to focus, interpret, and attempt the questions. One of these types is PMP formula-based questions.

However, it is important to note that there is no breakup of question types like the one you see for project management domains of process groups. Hence you should try your best to practice the different domains and different types of questions. You should also practice how to pick the right choice among several others.

Every exam is unique because all candidates get a different set of questions. The PMI never acknowledges the number of questions types you will receive in the exam. There are many exam takers who got 15-20 math-based questions, and others who got around five math-based questions. One can generally aspect that approximately 20 questions (10%) will be about PMP formulas. It means that to qualify in the PMP exam, you must focus on the PMP formulas as well. So that you can score well in the PMP formulas based question types to score well in the whole PMP exam.

Question Type Based on PMP Formulas

The good part with the PMP formulas is that you must have studied courses like math, STAT, etc. in your school and graduation degrees so you must have a basic idea to solve these types of questions based on PMP formulas. However, the most important aspect you need to keep in mind is to understand these PMP formulas well. Then practice them by reading the questions carefully, then interpreting the provided values and how they can fit in the PMP formulas. You should not assume any values that are not provided in the questions, everything should be interpreted carefully based on the provided information.

We will walk you through the 15 PMP formulas that you need to prepare for your PMP exam.

Critical Path Method PMP Formulas

In this section we will discuss PERT and Float.

PMP Formulas #1 – PERT Distribution

PERT stands for Program Evaluation and Review Technique and was developed as an advanced project schedule planning and management system by the US navy in the 1950s. In regards to PMP, PERT is primarily used as an added technique to the Critical Path Method for scheduling activities. PERT can also be applied to stand-alone estimates of work items and activities.

The PERT method transforms the three-point-estimate into a bell-shaped curve and allows to determine probabilities of ranges of expected values. The three-point estimate refers to Optimistic estimate (O), Most likely estimate (M), and Pessimistic estimate(P).

Triangular Distribution

The simple yet commonly used calculation contains the average of the 3 estimated values. The PMP formula of this triangular distribution is:

E = (O + M + P) / 3

This formula gives the expected amount of time or cost. If you are using the value of time in the parameters, you will get the expected time. Whereas, if you are using the value of cost in the parameters, you will get the expected cost. The weight of each estimate in this equation is identical. Thus, the ‘most likely’ case does not affect the final estimate more than the 2 less likely estimates. This is different from the beta distribution method.

The Beta Distribution

The PERT beta distribution varies in the weighting of the ‘most likely’ case. In beta distribution the more likely is given more weightage. The advantage of this weightage is that the impact of the outliers is reduced, hence the possible impact of the risk is also reduced in the calculation. The PMI methodology suggests this calculation as an alternative to the triangular distribution for cost estimates (however it can also be used for time estimates).

E = (O + 4*M + P) / 6

As you can see that in this PMP formula, there are two differences from the triangular distribution. The first difference is the most likely (M) estimate value is multiplied by 4. And the overall divisor is then increased to 6.

The Standard Deviation

Standard deviation is a statistical concept that gives a measure of the ‘spread’ of the values of a random variable around the mean of a distribution. If the value of the standard deviation is low, it means that the data points are close to average. Whereas if the value of standard deviation is high, it means the data points have a large range of spread.

The following PMP formula is used to calculate Standard Deviation of the PERT distribution

Standard Deviation = (P – O) / 6

For estimating an entire path (analogous critical path method), a similar concept is applied yet using a combined standard deviation of all activities.

The variance of an activity

The activity variance calculation is calculated by taking a square of standard deviation.

Variance=((𝑃−𝑂)/6)^2

Example:

A team of subject matter experts is estimating the time it takes to complete an activity. They use the three-point estimation technique. And come up with the following values.

Optimistic Estimate O = 15 days

Most Like Estimate M = 22 days

Pessimistic Estimate P = 26 days

According to the triangular distribution, the value of E = (15 + 22 + 26) /3 which gives the value of E = 21 days. Whereas according to the Beta distribution, the value of E = (15+ 4 x 22 + 26)/6 which gives the value of E = 21.5 days.

Standard Deviation

The standard deviation in this case is:

Standard Deviation = (26 – 15) / 6 = 1.83

Probabilities and Range of Expected Duration

We can calculate the range of an activity duration by using the PMP formula

Activity Duration=EAD±𝑆𝐷

And for standard deviation n, we can use the PMP formula as

Activity Duration=EAD±(n x 𝑆𝐷)

In our example, we have calculated the expected duration value which is 21.5. And the standard deviation which is 1.83. So we can also calculate the range of the probability based on the ranges of deviations.

*The Empirical Rule declares that about all data lies within 3 standard deviations of the mean for a normal distribution. Under this rule, 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation. Ninety-five percent of the data lies within two standard deviations. Within three standard deviations is 99.7% of the data. So our probability column is not calculated from this example. This is extracted from 3 sigma levels.

So according to the values we have derived, we can say that with 68.3% probability, the duration of the activity will be between 19.6 and 23.3 days. And with the probability of 95.5 %, we get a value of 17.8 days to 25.2 days. And for the probability of 99.7 % we get a value between 16 to 27.

Important Tip:

In the above example we just showed how you may need to calculate the values which are required in the PMP exam. The above example is just to show how calculations can be performed if required. First of all, it is not important that all PMP formulas will be tested in the PMP exam. The number of PMP formula-based questions may vary. In addition to this, in certain types of PMP formulas, you need to be careful in your interpretations and application as the question may just ask you the value that requires simple calculation.

PMP Formulas #2 – Float

Float (Slack) of activity detects how long an activity can be delayed without affecting the project end date. If an activity has a zero float, it means that the activity is on the critical path. And any delay in the activity will result in the delay of the overall project. Therefore project team must be aware of the fact that which activity is on the critical path. And even if an activity is not on the critical path, how much it can be delayed.

We can calculate the Float of any activity in two ways. One way is to calculate the float by using PMP formula

Total Float = Late Start (LS) – Early Start (ES)

For this sake, we determine the values of Late Start (LS) and Early Start (ES) for each node

Likewise, there is an alternative to the above PMP formula

Total Float = Late Finish (LF) – Early Finish (EF)

According to which we may use Late Finish (LF) and Early Finish (EF) values rather than Late Start (LS) and Early Start (ES). Technically speaking, the difference between both these Start and Finish values should be the same.

Earned Value PMP Formulas

Earned Value PMP Formulas calculate planned, actual, and future forecasts about the project. These PMP formulas help us to see whether the project is progressing as planned; if it is on time, on budget. For the application of these PMP formulas, you must know the terms:

• Earned Value = EV
• Planned Value = PV
• Actual Cost = AC
• Cost Variance = CV
• Schedule Variance = SV
• Cost Performance Index = CPI
• Schedule Performance Index = SPI
• Budget at Completion = BAC
• Estimate to Complete = ETC
• Estimate at Completion = EAC
• Variance at Completion = VAC
• To-Complete Performance Index = TCPI

PMP Formulas #3 – Cost Variance (CV)

Usually, a cost variance is a difference between the real amount of a cost and its budgeted or planned amount. This can be calculated by

CV = EV – AC

The value of the cost variance reflects whether the project is performing well or not. If > 0, it means project budget is performing well, more outcome has been produced with less budget. If < 0, it means you produced less output and spent more budget. Whereas  CV = 0 means that the project cost is consumed as planned.

For example, if a company had actual repairs expense of $1000 for a specific month but the budgeted amount was $750, the company had a cost variance of $750 – $1000 = -$250.

You must remember the equations and note that it is not always necessary that you are given the value of EV and AC and then asked to calculate CV. It could be any value you may need to calculate provided the other values.

PMP Formulas #4: Schedule Variance (SV)

Schedule Variance’s aim is to measure schedule performance through the difference between the earned value and the planned value. Accordingly, its formula is as follows:

SV=EV−PV

The value of the schedule variance reflects whether the project is performing well or not. If > 0, it means the project is performing well, earlier completion has been achieved than the expected time. If < 0, it means you produced less output and spent more time. Whereas  CV = 0  means that the project schedule is followed as planned.

For example, if a construction of a house was expected to take 50 days, but actually only 80 percent of the house was completed in 50 days. So what is the Schedule Variance? In this case, PV = 50 days, however within 40 days we just completed 90% of what was expected. We need to identify the EV on day 40. In this case, we were supposed to complete 80% of the overall work completed on day 40. Whereas we completed the work which was supposed to be done by (90% of 40) i.e. 36 days. So in this case PV is 40 days and EV is 36 days. So the SV = 36 – 40 with respect to the day 40 which is Schedule variance of -5. Since the SV is < 0, so we can say that the project is lagging behind.

PMP Formulas #5: Cost Performance Index (CPI)

One of the most commonly used PMP formulas for control cost is CPI. It measures the cost efficiency of budgeted resources, expressed as a ratio of earned value to actual cost. Accordingly, its formula is as follows:

CPI=𝐸𝑉/𝐴𝐶

You can recall what we did in the Cost Variance PMP formula. Which finds the difference between EV and AC. Here we get the ration of the two. If our Earned Value is greater than the actual cost it means CPI > 1, so this means the project is performing well. And CI < 1 means, the project is utilizing more than the budgeted cost.

Referring to the same example we discussed in the Cost Variance PMP formula. In which EV=$750 and AC= $1000. So we get CPI =750/1000 = 0.75. Which is less than 1 so we will interpret that the project is consuming more than budgeted cost value.

PMP Formulas #6: Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

The schedule performance index (SPI) is a measure of schedule efficiency, it represents the ratio of earned value to planned value. It is one of the most used PMP formulas for the control schedule. Its aim is to measure how efficiently the project team is accomplishing the work. Accordingly, its PMP formula is as follows:
SPI=𝐸𝑉/𝑃𝑉

You can recall what we did in the Schedule Variance PMP formula which finds the difference between EV and PV. Here we get the ration of the two. If our Earned Value is greater than the planned value it means CPI > 1, so the project is performing well. And CI < 1 means, the project is utilizing more time than the estimated time.

Referring to the same example we discussed in Schedule Variance in which PV is 40 days and EV is 36 days. SPI = 36/40 =.9. Which is less than 1 so we will interpret that the project is lagging behind.

PMP Formulas #7: Budget at Completion (BAC)

We detect BAC during the cost management activities, more specifically in the “Determine Budget Process” of a project. BAC includes contingency reserves for activities and defines how much money will be spent during the project in total. Accordingly, its PMP formula is as follows:

Total Budget = Total activity cost estimates + Total contingency cost reserves

Cost Contingency reserves are the budget within the cost baseline that is allocated for identified risks, which are accepted and for which mitigation responses are developed. In other words, contingency reserve is an estimated amount added to a project base estimate to cover the inherent project risks.

For instance, if the project team feels that there is a 10% risk in the project. And they need a 10% contingency reserve for a $2,000,000 project, they will add 10% of the base estimate of $200,000. Which calculates the contingency cost reserve as $20,000 in the total budget. Hence the total budget will be $200,000 plus $20,000. So the total budget at completion will be $220,000.

PMP Formulas #8: Estimate at Completion (EAC)

The expected total cost of completing all work expressed as the sum of the actual cost to date and the estimated sum to complete the project. We can use different PMP formulas to find EAC depending on which parameters we have available.

Approach #1:

It assumes that all future ETC work will be accomplished at the budgeted rate. Accordingly, its PMP formula is as follows:

EAC = AC +  (BAC− EV)

This PMP formula brings the impact of Earned value within the budget at completion. If our project is already over budget, it means we have EV less than zero. So subtracting EV from BAC will eventually result in a larger value than budgeted earlier. And if our project EV is positive and our project is doing well. Then the EAC will result in smaller value than the Budget at completion.

Approach #2: 

It assumes that we expect the achieved cost performance until now, will continue in the future. Accordingly, its PMP formula is as follows:

EAC=BAC/CPI

This is the same perspective of the Cost Index. If it is less than 1, the EAC will be greater value. Otherwise it will be smaller than the Budget at Completion.

Approach #3:

It assumes that we will perform ETC work at an efficiency rate that considers both the cost and schedule performance indices. Accordingly, its PMP formula is as follows:

EAC=AC+[(BAC−EV)/(CPI x SPI)]

This is another approach to calculate the next impact of the Cost Performance Index and Schedule Performance Indicator on the Budget at completion.

You need to practice on which of those PMP formulas you are going to apply.

PMP Formulas #9: Estimate to Complete (ETC)

Estimate to Complete (ETC) represents the expected cost to finish all the remaining project work. So, you can calculate your budget ETC at any point in time depending upon the progress of the project at that specific time. This can be determined by the re-estimation of the remaining works in a project. The PMP formula for the ETC is as follows:

ETC=Re-estimation of Remaining Works

We can calculate it by subtracting the Actual Cost (AC) of the accomplished activities from EAC. Assuming the work is proceeding as planned, we can calculate it using this PMP formula

ETC=EAC−AC

A very simple aspect is the cost required to complete the remaining work. If your project is performing well and you have achieved more than the anticipated with the actual cost. Then your Estimated to Completion will be less than the remaining budget. However, if your project has consumed more cost than the expected cost, it means your project is already over budget. And now your ETC will be more than the remaining budget. Therefore, to reassess the budget estimate to complete the project, you should know the actual cost

PMP Formulas #10: Variance at Completion (VAC)

Variance at Completion is the difference between the budget at completion and the estimate at completion. To identify VAC, the following PMP formula is used:

VAC = BAC− EAC

Variance at Completion is the difference between the Budget at Completion which was calculated earlier. And then Estimate at Completion which was calculated during the execution of the project. The variance will be interpreted the same way as Cost Variance or Schedule Variance.

Positive VAC implies that the project is under budget. Whereas negative VAC means that the project will be over budget.

PMP Formulas #11: To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI)

TCPI represents the ratio of the cost to finish the outstanding work to the budget available.

There are two approaches to calculate TCPI.

Approach 1:

If there isn’t a new EAC value, we use the following formula:

TCPI=(𝐵𝐴𝐶−EV)/(BAC−AC)

Approach 2:

If there is an EAC value, then we use the following formula.

TCPI=(𝐵𝐴𝐶−EV)/(EAC−AC)

PMP Formulas #12: Present Value Formula

One of the PMP formulas which focuses on the time value of money and the value of future cash flow is less today than its amount in the future. The PV can help in the project selection process. We calculate this through the Present Value (PV) formula. The formula is as follows:

PV=FV/(1+r)^n

Where,

• PV = Present Value
• FV = Future Value
• r = Interest rate
• n = Number of periods

You are a project manager and you have to recommend one project to choose for implementation. For the decision-making purpose you have calculated the NPV for each of the projects. Project A has NPV $50,000, Project B has NPV of $55,000, Project C has NPV of $30,000. And Project D has an NPV of $45,000. Which project you will recommend opting for?

A) Project B

B) Project D

C) Project A

D) Project C

The answer is Project B (Choice A) as it has the highest NPV.

Another example could be that project will complete in three years, In 1^st year the rate of return is 5%, the second year the rate of return is 5.5% and for the third year, the rate of return is 6%. What will be the NPV for the project? In this case you will need to calculate the PV for each year and then add all the values to calculate the Net Present Value of the project.

Tip

Once you know the PMP formulas, you can easily calculate specific value when you know the rest of the values. For instance, you may need to calculate the PV if you know the values of FV, r, and n. Likewise, you can calculate the value of r, or n if you have the values of other variables. In other words, once you know the PMP formulas, you can play with the formula to calculate the undefined value within the formula.

PMP Formulas #13: Number of Communication Channels Formula

Another PMP formula you need to understand is that the number of communication channels can be calculated if we have the number of stakeholders. The formula for calculating the number of channels is as follows:

Number of Communication Channels=N*(N−1)/2

Where N = number of stakeholders

For example, if we have 10 stakeholders, the number of communication channels can be calculated as 10*(10−1)/2, which gives the value of 45. It is easy to understand that the number of channels is like connecting each stakeholder with another one. So it is N-1, furthermore, there will be only one communication channel between the two stakeholders. So rather than have two communication channels for Stakeholder A and Stakeholder B, we just need half of it. That is why the number is then divided by 2.

PMP Formulas #14: Expected Monetary Value

We usually use it in risk quantitative analysis to measure the EMV of an opportunity or threat. We calculate it by the following PMP formula:

EMV=Probability x Impact

You can think of EMV as an average of the best- and worst-case scenarios. It accounts not only for the dollar figure assigned to each outcome but also for the likelihood of that outcome occurring.

To determine EMV, multiply the dollar value of each possible outcome by each outcome’s chance of occurring (percentage), and total the results.

For example, if you bet $150 on number 6 which will come up in a single try when you roll on the dice. There is a chance of occurring of number 6 is 1 out of 6. Whereas, the chance of losing $150 is 5 out of 6. So, the EMV for this scenario will b calculated as

($150 X 1/6) + *(-$150 X 5/6) = $25 – $125 = -$100

Generally, for EMV, decision trees are used to cater for complex scenarios like different cases have sub-cases. And each case has its probability and likelihood. So as a project manager, you need to look for the EMV. You should consider the largest value choice from the available choices. 

PMP Formulas #15: Point of Total Assumption (PTA)

PTA is applicable only in the Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF) Contracts. Costs above the PTA level are considered to be due to mismanagement. You can calculate PTA by using the following PMP formula:

PTA= [(Ceiling Price − Target Price)/ Buyer′s Sharing Ratio)] + Target cost

For instance, if target cost is $100,000, target fee is #25,000, Target Price is $135,000, ceiling price is $160,000. And sharing ratio is 60:40.(i.e. buyers sharing ratio is 60 percent)

You can calculate PTA as:

PTA = (160,000 – 135,000)/ (60/100) + 100,000 = 141,666.7

The post PMP Formulas – 15 Formulas You Must Know to Pass PMP Exam appeared first on Project Hipo.

PMP Study Guide Can Help You Bring professional rewards

The dynamic global market always has demands for the project manager role to ensure the challenging projects turn into success and add value to the organization. This brings a lot of opportunities to project management professionals. So what could be better than acquiring the PMP credentials if you want to pursue your career in the project management field? PMP credential is an endorsement of recognized skills and knowledge of the professionals.

In addition to this, there are many benefits PMP brings to qualified professionals. The PMP exam is not an easy task. It requires the candidates to fully prepare for the PMP Exam. Likewise, project management aspirants look for the possible ways that can help them to get them well prepared for the PMP Exam. The PMP certification requirements are quite demanding for the aspirants and it is not easy to clear the exam unless you are fully equipped with a PMP study guide to qualify for the exam.

Rewards of PMP Credential

There are many advantages you can reap after you got your PMP certification. When you have your PMP certification you will have a big advantage over your peers who are non-certified. Some of the major benefits of PMP certification include:

Global Recognition of Skills:

• The PMP validates your understanding of the overall context of the methods. Therefore, PMP offers best practices, the latest developments in project management and the ability to learn tricks and techniques. This is what gives you an advantage over others.
• Your colleagues and communities will see you as a coach and mentor based on both your credentials and your practical experience.
• You feel more assured that you are at the forefront of your distinguished accomplishment, which provides a strong base for your career development.

You Are Recruiters’ Favorite:

• Recruiters look for the best-fit candidates who can add the values which make them more appropriate for the projects. Because the value that you would add to their organizations will make their profiles more prominent.
• PMP credentials help organizations to get better scores while procuring project management services.
• The PMP certification stands out as an endorsement of the candidate’s expertise, skills, and experience. It makes it much easier for hiring managers to test applicants with such endorsements.
• Most organizations make it compulsory for candidates to have PMP certification.

Improvement of Salary:

• You may expect a hike of at least 20% in your salary after obtaining your PMP Certification.
• The project managers within various industries earn higher salaries as compared to their non-PMP peers within the same industries. You may review the average PMP salary you would earn by industry, experience, and location.
• PMP certification also increases job stability, because even with fewer positions on the market, 
  businesses will be more interested in recruiting and retaining PMP accredited project managers.

In this section, we will talk about the different steps of the PMP Study Guide.

PMP Study Guide – Step #1

This is the very first step of the PMP study guide. Because first, you need to know what you need to do in order to attain your objective.  So for PMP certification, you need to know the PMP Certification requirements that are set out by PMI. Knowing these requirements will help you set out your PMP study plan for the PMP Exam. The main aspects that set by PMI as PMP exam criteria include education, experience, and training. These very well defined criteria are good enough to assess the knowledge, experience, and approach of the PMP candidates. The following table depicts the PMP exam criteria:

Let’s discuss these PMP certification requirements a little bit more in detail.

Education

Education is the foundation requirement of the PMP Exam. According to the criteria you should have at least have a high school diploma or associate’s degree or global equivalent. If you have a graduation degree it is a plus as it will reduce the work experience requirement from 5 years to 3 years.

Experience

The experience requirement is subject to your education level. In case you have a bachelor’s degree, the required experience is 3 years (36 months) which you can interpret as work experience of 4,500 hours. You must have experience of at least 4,500 hours if you are planning to sit in the PMP Exam provided you have a bachelor’s degree. Likewise, if you have a high school diploma or associate’s degree or global equivalent the required experience is 5 years (60 months). In this case, you require work experience of 7,000 hours to fulfill the criteria.

Training

PMP training requirement is a must to sit in the PMP Exam. According to PMI criteria, you must have 35 contact hours of PMP training. So you must include a formal PMP training to your PMP study guide. For this requirement, you may explore many options available in the global market.

PMP Exam Application – Requirements

Though you have to fulfill the aforementioned PMP exam requirements before applying for the PMP Exam, however knowing how to fill your PMP application is also important at this stage. Please note that you should also keep in mind while filling in the application that PMI may randomly select your application for the audit. All you have to do is to arrange for the evidence for what you have claimed in your PMP Exam application.

Education: You need to fill in the details and level of your degree you have qualified while applying for the PMP Exam.

Experience: If you have worked on projects in any capacity, you should be able to claim these hours depending on the different phases of the project that you have been working on. Based on your education, you should specify your projects and your effort in terms of time. So you can cover the required time span based on your education. For each project, you should mention the start date and the end date. During each project time, you should mention your effort in terms of hours within each phase of the project.

Training: As you are applying for the PMP Exam when you already have your training certificate of 35 PDUs so filling in the details of the training is quite simple.

PMP Study Guide – Step #2

Now you know the different aspects of the PMP exam requirements, let’s move to the 2nd step of the PMP study guide. Obtaining professional training should be your second step in your PMP study guide. Training is a mandatory requirement to sit in the PMP Exam. This requirement seems very simple but it is quite tricky as you need to choose one training from many options provided by different vendors. Many of the vendors are available who provide the PMP trainings. Now what you choose should be based on a good assessment of the training provider.

Choose your training programs

The second step of the PMP study guide is important because the PMP exam is not a simple exam. It is more likely that the candidates have a higher tendency to fail the PMP exam if they are not well prepared. That’s why when assessing the training providers you should not keep any redo scenario in case. In other words, you should choose the one that can help you get your mission accomplished in a single try. So you do not have to repeat the trainings and preparations again. Generally, there are various aspects you should consider to filter the most feasible option:

• Whether the training is comprehensive and covers all the aspects of the PMBok?
• Will the training satisfy the PMP exam criteria of 35 PDUs?
• Whether I should opt for classroom training, virtual online or e-learning training format?
• What is the study material I will get with the training?
• What is the duration of the training?
• Will the training give me the flexibility to follow my own pace or do I have to follow any stringent schedule?
• Are there any mock-up tests and quizzes?
• Are there any testimonials of the training provider?
• What is the success rate of the training provider?
• What is the reputation of the training provider?
• Is the training cost feasible for me?
• Will I get a better return on investment?

These are the few consideration points that you need to keep in mind while assessing the training providers.

Training

When you are choosing the training, you need to select the training format. In other words, the choice of training format will be the first step to move forward with the training. Candidates choose the training format as per their feasibility. You can look for the following training formats and make a choice according to your priorities to fulfill PMP training requirements. These formats include:

• In-person Classroom Training

In this format, training providers offer instructor-led training within their premises. These trainings are generally of a duration of 4 days which fulfils 35 contact hours requirement of PMI to sit in the PMP Exam. Training providers publish their calendars on their website so the candidates can find and select the training with respect to dates and locations. If you opt for this training you will have to follow the schedule and be on the premises for the training sessions. This may be a hassle if you are working on tight deadlines as these sessions do not have the flexibility of repeat. Once you miss the class you will have to find ways to cover up the gap with your colleagues or through the provided material.

There are some cases when the candidates have the flexibility to adjust their schedules or they are willing to attend the classroom trainings. Such candidates find in-person classroom training the best option.

• In-person Virtual Classroom Training

Another option of PMP training format is the virtual classroom training format. In this format, you also get instructor-led training. But this training is carried out in a virtual environment so you do not have to travel to a specific venue to attend the class. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Or you can even connect using mobiles or portable devices. This format provides flexibility in terms of commute as you do not need to travel to attend the class and you can just join the class from anyplace. However, following the timing is important.

When candidates look for in-person trainings but they are not willing to travel to attend the class. Hence, Virtual Classroom training can be a good option for such candidates.

• E-learning Online

Another option that gives a lot of flexibility to the candidates and also provides a lot of expansion in the outreach of the training providers, is the e-learning format. In this format, you are not bound to follow any specific date and any specific location. So you get the flexibility to learn at your own pace. Generally, you get duration based access to the extensive material produced by the training providers. There are many cases where the candidates look for flexibility in terms of both location and time. Such candidates prefer the e-learning format.

These trainings are great events that prepare you for the certifications. Considering that the aspirants are professionals and must be busy in their jobs, finding time to attend the training could be a bit difficult for them.

PMP Study Guide – Step #3

Once you get the PMP training, you are on the next step of the PMP study guide and it is to prepare and assess yourself for the PMP Exam. At this stage of the PMP study guide, you must have already gone through the formal training for PMP exam preparation. But during this self-study period, you should start your practice through the materials you have been provided during the training. On top of that, you can prepare your own notes which can help you reinforce your learning while taking notes you should follow a PMP prep book.

As you know, PMI offers various benefits to the registered members. You will have free access to download standards, guides and other valuable material relevant to project management. This also includes the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The entire content is available on PMI’s website pmi.org.

You can even prepare your own flashcards. These are the best tools to revise the main points. As these are just short notes of the topics. So instead of going through long study material, you can review and remember with the help of these short notes. You may also acquire flashcard products from training providers as training providers also offer such products for the ones who are willing to buy these additional products and get an advantage during their preparation. However, when you opt to buy flashcards from the market, you certainly have to pay for such tools.

Many well-known education providers have prepared flashcards which are available in different qualities and numbers. For instance, you can look for RMC Hot Topics Flashcards, or you can find Flashcards (Test Prep) by Crowe, Andy as well as the reasonably priced flashcards from Master of Project Academy.

PMP Study Guide – Step #4

Once you have completed your PMP exam materials, it is time to move to the next level of the PMP study guide and it is to start practicing with PMP practice questions. For this step of your PMP study guide, you can find a variety of quizzes, practice exam mock-ups being offered by training providers. In addition to this, the practice exams are also being offered as separate products by those training providers.

The training programs provide you with the study material that may include quizzes, games, practice tests, and simulations. In this way, you can assess your readiness for the exam, identify the preparation gaps and cover them with the revisions.

For this step of your PMP study guide, you should start first with the quizzes and PMP questions that are provided during the training. Then you can expand your practicing horizon. You can start finding questions on the internet and try solving them. This will help you get more and more practice as you will see a variety of questions and keep on looking for the answer in various scenario-based questions.

Another approach is to dive deep into the test environment and mock practice. You can look for exam simulators and with them, you can get the feeler of the actual exam. You can practice through these exam simulators to assess your time management and response accuracy. Thus it will enable you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Once you identify these areas you can prepare for your specific areas and cover any gaps you identify during these the simulations.

Exam Simulators

Many training providers also offer the exam simulators as an individual product, for instance, RMC and Master of Project Academy. RMC offers the PM Exam Simulator. You get 90-day access to practice 1600 plus sample PMP Exam questions. Also, Master of Project Academy provides a PMP Exam Simulator consisting of 7 simulation exams or a total of 1400 PMP online exam questions. They offer a lifetime access plan or a monthly plan which gives flexibility to the candidates to choose as per their feasibility.

PMP Study Guide – Step #5

Now comes the most crucial part of the PMP study guide that shapes up the improvisation. At this stage of the PMP study guide, you must already have gone through the study material and started practicing through tests, quizzes and simulations. You need to review your performance in these tests, practice sessions, and quizzes. So try to note your performance and identify your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you ratify your positioning.

Once you identify your weak areas, you definitely need to strengthen your knowledge in these areas. In this regard, you will have to go through your notes and ensure the base concept is learned and the mapping of the concept with the specific situations is also clear. So you are fully equipped to attempt such situation based questions in your PMP Exam.

Further, you also need to frequently go through the topics that are identified as your strength in the previous practice tests. First, you need to ensure that your understanding is reinforced in these areas and you can be an expert in these areas. In this way, you can secure better marks through your areas of strength.

I would suggest that after some practice and reinforcement, you should be able to start coaching. You do not need to be a professional coach to start this. Besides, you can start looking at the PMP questions that other candidates have asked for clarification and understanding. You can join different PMP forums for this purpose.

PMP Study Guide – Step #6

If you can score over 70% from practice tests, you can schedule your PMP exam. This is the 6th step of your PMP study guide. Go through your PMI profile and schedule your PMP exam. In order to schedule the PMP exam, you must have registered for your PMP exam with PMI and you should have received your authorization to test prior to scheduling your test appointment at Pearson VUE testing locations. After authorization from PMI,  you will have one year to schedule the PMP exam date and take the exam. If you do not sit for the PMP exam in one year, you will have to restart your PMP application.

Scheduling through Pearson VUE

Provided you meet these pre-requisites you can set your appointment by logging in to PMI.org and navigate to Schedule Exam. This will direct you to schedule your exam through Pearson VUE from where you can select your exam for which you are authorized. Once you select your exam, the screen will display the booking method options available. You will be scheduling your exam for a future date at a test center.

PMP exams are conducted by Pearson VUE test centers. However, Pearson VUE test centers do not offer only the PMP exam. There are several other certifications, language and skill tests offered by these test centers. You will have to schedule your test as per the availability of the slot in the test center of your choice. Based on the available slots, you can book one for your PMI Exam. So you can set the date and time of the PMP online exam you want to sit in. Depending on the location and business of the test center, you might not find an early available slot for your PMP exam date. Therefore, it is recommended that you schedule your PMP exam at least one month before the date you plan to sit for the exam

In the meantime you still can get ready for the exam date, go over your notes and continue practicing.

PMP Study Guide – Step #7

Now is the final step of the PMP study guide. This is the time to sit for the PMP exam and get your PMP certification! Before the exam day, you should get good sleep and get rest so you can feel fresh at the time of the exam. Another key factor is that you should be cool and calm. Also, there should be no sign of stress. In the previous steps of the PMP study guide, you have practiced frequently so that it must become your norm now.

On the day of your examination, please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. You must sign in, present the required identification and provide your PMI ID number. In addition to this, you may also be asked to provide the confirmation number you received when scheduling the appointment. Furthermore, you should have your identification documents with you. These may include government-issued identification. The identification must be current and must match your name exactly as it appears on the scheduling notification, for example, a valid driver’s license, valid passport or valid national identification card.

What is the PMP Exam?

PMP exam is a computer-based online exam of 4 hours of duration in which you have to attempt 200 Multiple Choice Questions. PMP online exam has questions with four options, of which you need to pick one correct answer. There is no negative marking but the positive responses count towards the passing score. You can take breaks but the timer will not stop so if you plan to have short breaks during the examination you must keep in mind that it will reduce the time to attempt the questions.

Read the questions carefully and eliminate the incorrect answers from the provided choices. Choose the most appropriate according to the context of the question. You can mark the questions that you feel you need to answer later or you need to review later during the exam. If you complete your PMP exam and you still have time left, you can spend this time to review your answers.

Once you complete the test by pressing the submit button or the duration of the test is lapsed. The online test allows you to receive your score immediately. Provided you have passed the PMP online exam you get the “Congratulations” message on the screen. So your mission is accomplished!

Upon passing, you are approved to use the PMP credential for 3 years. Once you got the PMP, you must earn 60 PDUs every three years to retain your certificate, so do not forget to earn and report PMP PDUs.

PMP Study Guide – Summary

In this article, we shared with you a PMP Study Guide with 7 steps to help your PMP success. The PMP study guide takes your step by step from knowing the PMP requirements to appearing in the PMP Exam. Once you know the PMP requirements, you will need to obtain professional training. In this step of the PMP study guide, we discussed various formats that are available for the training. Also, we reviewed what you need to consider to choose the training program that is ideal for you.

Once you obtain the training, you need to prepare and then assess your readiness for the PMP exam. In this step of the PMP study guide, you will have to review your performance in these tests, practice sessions, and quizzes. So try to note your performance and identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you can score over 70% from practice tests, you can schedule your PMP exam. This is the 6th step of the PMP study guide, Go through your PMI profile and schedule your PMP exam. Finally, we arrive at the last step of the PMP study guide: the time to sit for the PMP Exam and get your PMP certification!

We hope the PMP study guide will help you in your PMP exam preparation and you find this article helpful to achieve the PMP certification.

The post PMP Study Guide – 7 Steps to Your PMP® Success appeared first on Project Hipo.

What is the PMP exam?

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification is the most renowned, significant and industry-recognized certification for project managers. PMP certification is really global i.e. once you obtain your PMP certification that means you are able to work virtually in any industry, any location, using any methodology irrespective of any geography or domain.

PMP certification benefits both the employees and employers. In regard to employee salary, PMP certified individuals garner a higher PMP salary (23% higher on average) than non-certified individuals. When it comes to employers, we can say that the organizations that have more than 1/3 of PMP certified project managers, more of their projects get completed on time, on budget and meeting original goals.

Having the PMP certification means that you speak and understand the worldwide language of project management. Additionally, being PMP certified means that you will have a connection with a community of professionals, organizations, and experts globally.

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world’s largest not for profit membership association for the project management profession. PMI introduced the PMP examination to get the PMP credentials. So to obtain PMP certification, you need to appear for the PMP exam.

The Evolution of RITA PMP Book

In 1998, the first edition of Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep Book was published. At that point in time, this was the only resource that was comprehensive and dedicated to PMP exam preparation.

The need arose when Rita was preparing for PMP certification. She couldn’t find quality PMP material available at that time. She was working as a project manager in 1990. Besides, she was one of the worlds’ first certified PMPs. Hence, due to lack of quality PMP material available, she made use of her knowledge along with extensive project management experience, Rita wrote the first draft of PMP Exam Prep book.  

Since then, the popularity of the book has grown tremendously through 9 successful editions. Today, Rita Mulcahy PMP book by far is considered to be the best selling PMP exam preparation guide in the world.

About Rita Mulcahy

Rita Mulcahy was an author and public speaker in the Project Management Field. She founded RMC Project Management and she acted as its CEO. Also, she was an internationally recognized expert on project management techniques, advanced project management theory, risk management, and the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam.

In 1991, Rita founded RMC as a project management training company. During her tenure as a trainer and consultant, she met many people struggling to grasp project management concepts to pass the PMP exam. Always eager to help, Rita decided to create her own study guide for the PMP exam.

She finished the first draft of her famous book “Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep” in only one week! And then, in a short span of time, Rita PMP book became the best seller. This book is a worldwide industry standard for PMP Exam Preparation.

Over the course of her career, Rita Mulcahy worked in over $2.5 billion worth of projects. She also presented several encore presentations at PMI conferences.

Rita PMP Book

We know that Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification is the most demanding, valuable, world-recognized certification in the area of project management.

To prepare for PMP certification, Project Management Institute (PMI) recommends the main reference book as PMBOK Guide. Since PMBOK Guide is not an easy book to follow you need a supporting book to help you understand PMBOK Guide. Now there are numerous books available in the market. But by far, the most selling and popular book since the 1990s is Rita Mulcahy PMP book because it is easy to follow and helps you prepare for the PMP exam in a quick manner.

Rita PMP book explores various topics like Project Management Fundamentals, Risk Management, Planning, Contracting, Negotiation, Estimating and Determining Customer Requirements. Furthermore, she talks about real-life project roles and responsibilities. Also, she explains program managers, senior management roles in projects, factors for the project’s success and causes or conditions for project failure.

Moreover, the Rita PMP book will help you to improve project management skills. It will prepare you to work with team members, project leaders, and project managers. Last but not the least, it provides practice tests for last-minute brush up before the PMP exam.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Rita PMP book was the only resource for the preparation of the PMP exam. However, with the evolution of online education and ease of access to online resources, PMP aspirants started to prefer reputable online PMP study resources rather than the hard copy PMP preparation books.

It is a good book. But it is NOT a must-follow PMP book during PMP preparation.

Rita Mulcahy PMP Latest Edition

Rita Mulcahy published the first edition of Rita PMP in 1990. Even though she passed away in 2010 her company RMC Learning kept on working on Rita PMP Book. And the latest version i.e. Rita Mulcahy PMP 9^th Edition was published in 2018. This is in compliance with PMBOK Latest edition i.e. 6^th Edition.

Rita Mulcahy PMP Materials

After the launch of the PMP Exam Prep book, Rita became very famous. This book was one of the primary sources of PMP study materials until the 2000s. Further, they started to offer various PMP preparation materials as follows:

1. Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep Book 9^th Edition

First preparatory book for preparation for the PMP exam. This is called as Rita Mulcahy PMP book. The latest edition is Rita PMP 9^th Edition. The cost of this book is $99. RMC Site is offering a discounted price for $76.

2. PM Fastrack Cloud –PMP Exam Simulator-Version 9

This is exam simulation software with a question bank database of over 1600+ questions to practice for the PMP exam. This simulates the actual exam with great detail. It has different modes of study that allow you to take exams by knowledge area, process group, and keyword/concept. Additionally, cloud-based simulator format allows you to practice from your desktop computer, laptop or even tablet. Moreover, all questions are cross-referenced with the Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep textbook to find out weak areas and gaps to focus on. The cost of this simulator is $259.

3. Hot Topics PMP Exam Flashcards-9^th Edition

It offers flashcards for a quick review of difficult topics. This is a spiral-bound portable flipbook format that consists of over 350 most important and difficult to recall PMP exam related terms and concepts. This gives you the flexibility to study at the office or plane or car. The cost of this flashcard is $34.

Besides, it also provides Hot Topics Audio Flashcards. They are electronic flashcards for reviewing important and complex topics.

4. PM Fastrack Exam Prep Combo

This is a 3 in 1 combo. It includes Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep textbook, one year license of PM Fastrack Exam Simulator and one copy of Hot topics Flashcards to prepare for the PMP exam. The cost of this combo is $399 but if you purchase from the RMC store then it is discounted to $319.20.

Rita Mulcahy PMP Products are available in different languages such as English, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic.

Salient Features of Rita PMP

• It is the worldwide best selling PMP exam preparation guide
• Rita PMP offers more than 400 practice exam questions throughout the book
• This Rita Mulcahy PMP provides critical time-saving tips referred to as “Tricks of the Trade”, games and activities to pass the PMP exam
• It focuses on what you really need to pass the exam
• A peculiar feature of a straightforward approach to complex material
• Rita PMP helps you to learn the Proven Study techniques
• Another unique feature of practice questions in Rita Mulcahy PMP is that practice exams and questions are focused on essential concepts.
• This book is written in a conversational manner which is easy to follow
• Language of Rita PMP is easy to understand
• This book is completely focused on the PMP exam. It gives you the right content for the success in PMP exam

Shortcomings of Rita PMP

• Process Chart defined in Chapter 3 is quite confusing. Actually the Rita PMP book follows its own process chart which is somewhat different from the one defined in PMBOK Guide.
• In Rita Mulcahy PMP, there are very few diagrams and explanatory pictures which is not quite helpful for visual learners
• Pricewise, this book is quite expensive as compared to other competitors in the market.

What makes RMC different from others?

1. Availability on RMC Stores only

• Earlier Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep 9^th Edition was available on Amazon stores. But due to copyright infringement issues, it has been removed. Hence, you can purchase genuine copies directly from the RMC store

2. New Feature

• New Feature of “Online Subscription” is available. When you purchase a paperback version by adding a new online subscription version of Rita Mulcahy PMP, you get a 35% discount.

3. Customized Learning

• RMC offers a variety of learning modes such as traditional classes in many cities across the United States
• For working professions, they offer self-directed e-learning courses and virtual classrooms
• Students can find the books, software and RMC blogs to help advance their learning

4. Diverse Perspectives

• RMC offers training in 18 languages and more than 60 countries across the world
• RMC content caters to learners of any background

5. Experienced and Passionate Instructors

• Instructors are champions of respective disciplines and have a deep conceptual understanding of practice area they teach
• Due to diverse backgrounds, they incorporate real-world examples in their training

6. Focused Book

• This book is completely focused on the PMP exam. Rita PMP keeps your feet on the ground reminding you of the difficulty level of PMP exam

7. Complete details of project management

• Rita Mulcahy PMP provides complete details about PMI way of doing project management called “PMI-isms”. It is very useful to solve PMP exam questions.

8. Lots of Sample Questions

• Rita PMP provides mid-chapter questions, end of the chapter questions which are really helpful to prepare for PMP exam

Can we download Rita Mulcahy PMP for free?

Generally, PMP Aspirants look for resources such as Rita Mulcahy PMP book to download for free from the internet. But it is not legal!

And you might find some websites which offer to download Rita Mulcahy PMP for free. First of all, it is not legal to download from these websites. Even if you download from these websites, then it will be a non-licensed product. Further, it is unethical to access a copied book without the permission of the publisher or author.

Hence, you need to purchase the Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep book and it will be delivered to your address.

PMP Exam Preparation

For the preparation of the PMP exam, you need to attend PMP instructor-led training. This will give you in-depth knowledge of PMP topics. Besides, PMP experts recommend two popular preparation materials which are Rita Mulcahy PMP book and PMBOK Guide. Hence PMBOK Guide, Rita Mulcahy PMP book and attending the PMP training is sufficient to prepare for the PMP exam.

Here instructor-led PMP training is the most crucial factor to understand the concepts for the exam. Moreover, PMBOK Guide is a must and Rita Mulcahy PMP is really useful along with these.

PMP exam consists of both theoretical and practical questions on project management. The purpose is to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge and experience in leading the project. Hence aspirants planning to appear for the exam need to be aware of real-life work issues and project management practices.

Rita Mulcahy PMP prep book prepares aspirants for these types of problems.

How to study with Rita Mulcahy PMP book

The best way to study with this book for the preparation of the PMP exam is to spare 2-3 hours every day. Use the PMBOK guide together with the Rita Mulcahy PMP book. First, read a chapter from the PMBOK Guide. Then read the same chapter from Rita Mulcahy PMP book and practice the questions at the end of the chapter. Likewise, complete all the chapters. Give Rita PMP book 2-3 passes and practice all mid-chapter questions, numerical and end of chapter questions.

Once you have a thorough understanding of the concepts then you start practicing mock exams from different sources. This will help you give a flavor of different types of questions from different sources. Once you start scoring 80-85% consistently in mock exams, then you can consider yourself prepared for the PMP exam. Then you can schedule a date and you can attend the exam.

In a nutshell, Rita PMP prepares the candidate for the PMP exam as well as real-life project management.

Content Outline of Rita Mulcahy PMP

Chapter 1: Tricks of the Trade for Studying for this exam

• Why Take the PMP Exam?
• Qualifying to take the exam?
• Are you ready for the PMP exam?
• Applying to take the exam
• How to use this book
• Other Materials to Use to Study for the PMP exam
• What is the PMP Exam Like?
• How to Study for the PMP Exam?
• Recurring Themes- PMI-isms to know for the PMP exam

Chapter 2:  Project Management Framework

• Definition of a Project
• Why Projects Exist
• Operations and Projects
• Governance
• What is Portfolio Management?
• And what is Program Management?
• What is Project Management? Why is it important?
• What is Organizational Project Management (OPM)?
• Project Management Office (PMO)
• Organizational Structure
• Project Roles
• Organizational Process Assets (OPAs)
• Enterprise Environmental Factors
• Assumption Log
• Stakeholders and Stakeholder Management
• Work Performance Data, Information, and Reports
• Frequently Used Tools and Techniques
• Practice Exams

Chapter 3:  Project Management Processes

• Project Life Cycles and the Project Management Process
• Rita’s Process Chart
• Initiating Process Group
• Planning Process Group
• Executing Process Group
• Monitoring and Controlling Process Group
• Closing Process Group
• Practice Exam

Chapter 4: Integration Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Develop Project Charter
• Develop Project Management Plan
• Direct and Manage Project Work
• Manage Project Knowledge
• Monitor and Control Project Work
• Perform Integrated Change Control
• Close Project or Phase
• Practice Exam

Chapter 5: Scope Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Scope Management
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope
• Create WBS
• Validate Scope
• Control Scope
• Practice Exam

Chapter 6: Schedule Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Durations
• Develop Schedule
• Control Schedule
• Practice Exam

Chapter 7: Cost Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Cost Management
• Estimate Costs
• Determine Budget
• Control Costs
• Practice Exam

Chapter 8: Quality Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Quality Management
• Manage Quality
• Control Quality
• Practice Exam

Chapter 9: Resource Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Resource Management
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Acquire Resources
• Develop Team
• Manage Team
• Control Resources
• Practice Exam

Chapter 10: Communications Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Communications Management
• Manage Communications
• Monitor Communications
• Practice Exam

Chapter 11: Risk Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Risk Management
• Identify Risks
• Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
• Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
• Plan Risk Responses
• Implement Risk Responses
• Monitor Risks
• Practice Exam

Chapter 12: Procurement Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Plan Procurement Management
• Conduct Procurements
• Control Procurements
• Practice Exam

Chapter 13: Stakeholder Management

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Identify Stakeholders
• Plan Stakeholder Engagement
• Manage Stakeholder Engagement
• Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
• Practice Exam

Chapter 14: Professional and Social Responsibility

• Rita’s Process Chart
• Practice Exam

Chapter 15: The PMP Exam: Tips for Passing the Exam the First Time

• Putting it All Together
• Formulas to know for the exam
• Before you take the exam
• Tricks for Taking and Passing the PMP Exam
• Common Project Management Errors and Pitfalls
• A Day in the Life Exercise

Customer Reviews:

Scott D for Rita Mulcahy Hot Topics Flashcard

****

Very Useful to Supplement PMBOK and Rita’s Book

I have always learned best by using flashcards so I found this very useful. I ended up tearing the cards from the spiral binding and cutting the loose ends so I could use them as actual flashcards. That also enabled me to separate the cards I knew very easily from the more challenging ones. Some people complain that the paper is thinner compared to actual flashcards, which is why I gave it 4 stars.

Raul Chavez on Flashcards

*****

Great Flashcards

Do not expect to be a complete book quality with a lot of information. It is a flashcards book. It has the quality necessary for its purpose and it is only effective if you use it to memorize key aspects about the PMP exam, after reading the PMBOK and also the book for PMP by the same author. I used only these 3 books and passed on the first try.

D Bez on Rita Mulcahy PMP Prep Book

*****

I passed the PMP thanks to this book!

I just passed the PMP exam last week on my first attempt too. This was the primary book that I used for preparation. I am sure I passed thanks in much to this book. The tricks and exercises provided in the book are worth a great deal. The reading material is very wordy and long and tends to become disengaging to the reader.

AMW on Rita Mulcahy PMP Prep Book

*****

Must Read for PMP Exam

An author of a PMP book recommended this one in preparation for the PMP Exam. I am glad he did! Rita gives tips, tricks, and insights that aren’t offered in the PMBOK. She even says things like “this isn’t covered in PMBOK but you need to know it for the exam”. I like that there are practice exams at the end of every chapter. And explanations of the answers following. It has helped me learn and understand the concepts a lot more.

Michael K on Rita Mulcahy Exam Prep Book

*****

An excellent resource for PMP Prep

Doing your PMP Certification? Buy the Rita PMP and methodically go through it page by page. If you have vast project management experience you may find the material to be in a different dimension to typical project management procedures and reporting. Content in this book is very interactive and engaging. Don’t get hung up on this, just go through the book as set out, beginning to end and do the sample quizzes.

Summary of Rita Mulcahy PMP

Rita Mulcahy PMP was the most popular and best selling book until the 2000s. The first edition was published in 1998. Now, the most recent edition is Rita PMP Exam Prep 9^th Edition. This edition is in compliance with PMBOK’s latest edition i.e. 6^th Edition.

Rita was an author and public speaker in the project management field. She died in 2010 but still, her team is working regularly and the next editions in compliance with PMBOK editions are released at regular intervals.

Rita Mulcahy PMP cannot be downloaded for free. Earlier, it was available at Amazon site but now you need to purchase from the RMC site only and it will get delivered to your home address.

Rita PMP focuses completely on the PMP exam. Besides, it is very helpful to learn real-life project management.

Further, Rita launched various products such as PM Fastrack Exam Simulator, Hot Topics PMP Exam Flashcards, Hot Topics Audio Flashcards, Books, E-books, and Online Books. These products are of high quality and really very useful for the preparation of the PMP exam. But they are expensive in comparison to other competitors in the market.

It was the primary source of PMP preparation but now there are much better and affordable PMP preparation options available in the market.

The post Rita Mulcahy PMP Review – PMP Rita 100% Revealed appeared first on Project Hipo.

Content Outline of this Post:

What is the PMP Certification?
What are the PMP Certification Requirements?
How can I apply for the PMP Certification Exam?
What is the PMP Certification Cost?
What is the PMP Certification Exam Structure?
What Are the PMP Certification Knowledge Areas?
What Are the PMP Certification Exam Formulas?
How Should I Study for the PMP Exam?
How Can I Earn PMP PDUs?
When is the Next PMP Certification Exam Date?
What is the PMP Certification Exam Passing Score?
What Are the Benefits of PMP Certification?
How can I Renew PMP Certification?
What Changes in the PMP Certification Exam and When?
Conclusion

What is the PMP Certification?

Project Management Professional (PMP Certification) is the most significant and industry-recognized certification for project managers. PMP certification is truly global i.e. once you become PMP certified, you can work virtually in any industry, any location, using any methodology irrespective of any geography or domain.

PMP Certification benefits employees as well as employers. In regard to employee salary, PMP certified individuals garner a higher salary (20% higher on average) than non-certified individuals. And, in regard to employers, in the organizations having more than 1/3 of PMP certified project managers; more of the projects get completed on time, on budget and meeting original goals.

PMP Certification signifies that PMP certified individuals speak and understand the global language of project management. Further, PMP Certification connects you to a community of professionals, organizations and experts worldwide.

History of PMP Certification                     

It all started with ESA (Project Management Ethics, Standards and Accreditation) when a project team assignment was initiated at the suggestion of Matthew H. Parry. Matthew H. Parry served at different positions such as Chairman from 1977-1978, President 1976 and Vice President (Functional Operations) and he wanted to professionalize the project management. After 2 years, a special report on August 1983 was issued. This report mentioned that The ESA project has proposed a Code of Ethics for project management which is included in this special report.

A proposed set of topic areas that would constitute the framework for the unique body of project management knowledge and that are critical to the recognition of a project management profession was also presented. Also, the set of topic areas may serve as the basis for developing minimum standards for entry into the field, a task being worked on by PMI Certification Committee chaired by Dr. M Dean Martin. The set of topics may also serve to guide the development of the first nationally accredited Master of Science in Project Management Degree Program.

Six areas of knowledge were established: Human Resources Management, Cost Management, Time Management, Communication Management, Scope Management, and Quality Management. 26 people were listed as contributors to the ESA Report.

The PMBOK

Under the direction and guidance of R. Max Wideman, First Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) got developed. A detailed report on the development of PMBOK was mentioned in the August 1986 Special Issue of Project Management Journal.

Discussions were held at PMI ’86 and written suggestions were received till Dec 1986. Thereafter, revised drafts were approved by the PMI Board of Directors during a meeting on March 28, 1987, which became effective on 1^st September 1987. This product became the basis for the development of the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP Certification) Program. Later Procurement got added in the August 1986 report and Risk Management got added prior to approval by PMI Board.

Evolution of PMP Certification

A detailed report got published in March 1984 Project Management Journal about “PMP Program: Certifying Project Managers”. This report detailed the process for becoming certified and identified 3 areas in which points could be earned towards certification i.e. Education, Experience and Service

As a result, the First Certification Examination was held on October 6, 1984, in Philadelphia.

There are currently 850,000 active PMI members and more than 750,000 active PMP credential holders globally.

What are the PMP Certification Requirements?

A project manager who meets the following requirements should apply for PMP certification:

1. Lead and direct cross-functional teams to deliver projects within constraints of budget, schedule, and resources.
2. Responsible for all aspects of the project for the life of a project.
3. Indicate enough knowledge and experience to apply a methodology to projects that have well-defined project requirements and deliverables.

PMP Certification prerequisites are:

PMP Certification Education Requirement

An applicant should have a secondary degree i.e. high school diploma, associate degree or global equivalent

OR possess a four-year degree course

PMP Certification Experience Requirement

If an applicant has a secondary degree then he/she should have worked for 7500 hours of leading and directing projects

OR

In case an applicant has a four-year degree then he/she should have worked for 4500 hours of leading and directing projects.

35 Hours of Project Management Education or CAPM Certification

Either applicant should attend project management training for 35 hours so that he/she will get 35 contact hours (PDUs)

Or the applicant should be CAPM Certified i.e. Certified Associate in project management.

How can I apply for the PMP Certification Exam?

It takes only 3 steps to become certified. There are 3 steps to fill the application:-

Step 1. Confirm that you are eligible

First of all, make sure that you fulfil PMP Certification eligibility requirements mentioned in the above section. That means you should have an education qualification mentioned in the section ‘PMP Certification Requirement’. Then you should have attended PMP training. Further, you should possess project management experience. Once you meet all prerequisites, then you are ready to fill the form.

Step 2 Gather your info

1. Document your experience and training by gathering information about projects you have led

• Where you have worked
• Your roles and responsibilities
• Duration of projects

2. The training you have completed

• Institutions attended
• Courses Completed
• Qualifying hours

Step 3: You need a PMI.org account to start filling the application form. You can save the application and can collect the required information as you go forward.

PMP Certification Exam application is easy but it is quite tedious and time-consuming since it asks for lots of information which may take some time.

There are 2 ways to fill out the form i.e. Online and Paper application.

PMP Certification Online Application

The application form has 3 sections.

The first section asks for general information. The second section asks for project management experience. And the last section asks for 35 Contact hours earned by attending project management education.

1. You need to fill the following information in the online application form which will guide you through the process

• Contact Information: Email, Address, Phone Number
• Education attained: School Attended, Level of Education Attained, Degree Date
• Domain Experience: Details of the projects, programs, and portfolios you have worked on. You should include qualifying hours, dates of employment, role, organization details, reference and experience summary
• Domain Education: Names of courses completed, institutions attended, dates and qualifying hours

Once you start filling the application, it remains active for 90 days.

PMP Certification Paper Application

Another way to fill the application form of PMP Certification is paper application. Hence this is an offline mode here, you have to send your application through courier. The application form is similar to the one discussed above.

PMP Certification Application Review Process

1. When PMI receives the application, they confirm that you meet the eligibility criteria, your experience and education is valid and consistent with the guidelines stated in certification handbook
2. Typically application review period will take 5-10 days.
3. A number of applications are randomly chosen for audit. PMI conducts application audits to confirm the experience and education documented on certification applications.

Payment

1. Once PMI notifies that the application is approved. Now it is time to make payment via an online system.
2. After that PMI receives the payment, PMI emails you the eligibility number that you can use to schedule your test appointment. This is valid for one year and you may take the exam up to 3 times during the year.

Schedule Test Appointment

You can schedule your exam appointment online or by telephone using eligibility code and scheduling instructions provided by PMI via email.

What is the PMP Certification Cost?

Of course, the cost is a vital component of PMP certification. Generally, we tend to include PMP Certification training and PMP certification exam fees and we forget the cost of time to be spent on studying for the preparation of the PMP exam.

Hence PMP Certification cost includes 3 costs i.e. Cost of PMP Certification Training + Cost of PMP Certification Exam + Cost of time spent in preparation for PMP exam.

1. PMP Certification Training Cost

 One of the prerequisites to appear for the PMP Certification exam is to attend at least 35 hours of project management training. You can attend this training in a training institute which can provide you 35 PDUs or 35 Contact hours.

Now that we are talking about PMP certification training cost, it depends upon whether you wish to take an online PMP certification course or a PMP certification course with a classroom format.

PMP Certification Classroom training cost may vary depending upon the country and place where you wish to attend. Generally, it ranges from 450 USD to 2100 USD. There is no fixed cost for the training.

Whereas the PMP Certification online course price will be less as compared to the PMP certification classroom training price. Online PMP certification training price ranges from 200 USD to 600 USD.

In PMP certification online mode, there are 2 modes:

• Online learning
• Instructor-led PMP training

PMP certification Online learning mode is a self-paced mode. Here you have the flexibility to attend the training program at your pace, location and convenient timings

Whereas in PMP certification Instructor-led training mode, you have the flexibility to attend from any location. However, you have to be present as per time slots of availability of instructor for the PMP course.

If we talk about PMP Certification instructor-led training cost, then it ranges from 750 USD to 3600 USD

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

 2-  PMP Certification Exam Fee

Second cost is the PMP certification exam fee. After you have fulfilled the criteria of 35 Contact Hours, now you have to fill the application form. Once your application is accepted, you need to make the payment of the PMP Certification Exam.

If you are a PMI member then the PMP certification exam fee is 405 USD else you need to pay 555 USD.

And to become a PMI member, membership fees are as follows:

The duration of PMI membership is 1 year. Moreover, you get access to unlimited resources and webinars and materials at the PMI website.

As you can see above, it is advantageous to go for PMI membership and then to appear for the exam. Because you get the double benefit of saving money and access to unlimited PMP certification resources at the PMI website.

Likewise, you save money in the re-examination fee in case you fail the exam in the first attempt. Because the cost of the PMP certification re-examination fee is less for PMI members than non-PMI members.

3- PMP Certification Exam Preparation Time

Last but not least, the PMP Certification cost includes the cost of preparation time. This entirely depends on an individual’s project management background, experience and dedicated time to prepare for the PMP certification exam.

If you are a working professional then you can take 3-4 months’ target time and you need to spend studying 3-4 hours each day to prepare for the exam. In other words, if you cannot spare these many hours in a day then you can extend the months accordingly.

You must be coming across many training institutes with courses as “Pass PMP exam in 30 days” or “Crash PMP course in 30 days”. This is not an impossible target but even not an easy one. Because it will entirely depend upon the 3 factors i.e. background, experience in project management and time that can be devoted to the preparation of the PMP certification exam. However, this is possible in a reverse manner. This means that you have already prepared for the PMP examination in 2-3 months. Now as a final step for revision or clarification of queries, you are attending a PMP certification training as the last step before appearing for the PMP certification exam.

What is the PMP Certification Exam Structure?

PMP Certification exam has 200 multiple-choice questions and out of these 200 questions, 25 are pretest questions. This means that they will place these questions randomly in exam but they won’t score them. But the irony is that you need to attend all 200 questions with the same sincerity. Because you might not get to know which these questions are and where they are placed in the exam. The purpose of these pretest questions is to test the validity of future examinations.

As we know that there are 5 phases in a project i.e. Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling and Closing. Hereby, the distribution of PMP certification exam questions is throughout these phases along with domain professional conduct and code of ethics.

Earlier there was a separate domain of Professional conduct and code of ethics in the exam. But now PMI has distributed questions pertaining to this domain uniformly among the five domains.

The Duration

Now coming to the duration of the exam, it is 4 hours. There is no break scheduled in between. This doesn’t mean that you cannot take any break. But this break time will be counted in your 4 hours exam time only. In other words, just keep in mind that the clock is ticking and will continue to count down even if you are on break.

Besides, before starting the exam, you will be shown an awareness session. This session will explain the navigation through the exam like how to select the answer, how to mark the question for later review, how to navigate later to the marked questions etc. Duration of this session is 15 minutes. Point to note is that you are not allowed to make any notes during this duration.

These 15 minutes duration is not part of 4 hours PMP Exam duration.

Here you will find a table referring the PMP certification exam questions distribution phase-wise

This is with reference to the latest PMP exam content outline updated on June 2015 and the PMP handbook updated on 1^st Apr 2019.

Sample PMP question

Question: The project manager meets with the project team to review the lesson learned from previous projects. In what activity is the team involved?

1. Manage Performance
2. Identify Scope
3. Identify Risk
4. Project team status meeting

The correct answer is C i.e. Identify Risk

Should I Use Any PMP Book in My Study?

PMP certification is not an easy nut to crack. In fact, it requires a thorough understanding of the subject and concept. There are many books available in the market to understand the content in detail. But there is no single book that covers the entire subject. Hence you need to choose a combination of books to prepare for PMP certification.

Should I use PMBOK in my PMP Study?

PMBOK is considered the main reference guide for the preparation of PMP certification. However, it is not easy to follow. But it is the foundation of PMP certification training material used across the globe.

PMBOK Guide is an exhaustive book. But it is written in such a way that it can be used with the intention of using it during implementation. However, if we focus only on PMP certification then it is not mandatory to use it. But you can use this book in combination with other PMP Study books to prepare for the PMP certification exam.

Salient Features of PMBOK Guide are:

• PMBOK Guide is the basis for the certification exam to qualify Project Management Professional i.e. PMP Certification
• It is a collection of best practices, standards, and procedure for project management
• Experts consider this book as a bible for project managers.
• PMI originally published PMBOK in 1996.
• Currently, the latest version is PMBOK 6^th edition. PMI released on September 2017
• Every 3 to 5 years, PMI releases a new version.
• PMBOK guide offers extensive coverage of project management knowledge areas, process groups, inputs, and outputs.
• This book has been prepared by many experts across the globe

Cons of PMBOK Guide:

• This book lacks clarity and readability
• PMBOK guide is just like a reference book
• It doesn’t have any tips and tricks to prepare for PMP exam
• PMBOK guide doesn’t have sample questions to practice at the end of each chapter

Should I use any PMP Prep Book in my PMP Study?

There are different ways to prepare for PMP Certification like reading online material, using flashcards, learning online via self-paced, studying books, etc.

If you are a person who is into studying through books, you can certainly try any of the following books along with PMBOK

1- PMP Exam Prep Book by Master of Project Academy

We will list a sponsored PMP prep book as the first PMP book in this list from Master of Project Academy PMP Training provider. However, we do not review our book to provide an unbiased review of all available PMP books. We have just listed the features and strengths of our PMP book.

After helping 125,000+ professionals to pass their PMP certification exam with a 99.6% first attempt pass rate, Master of Project Academy has published this PMP prep book. Majority of the PMP books in the market cover theoretical project management knowledge with outdated teaching style. The unique aspect of this PMP book compared to other PMP books in the market is PMP® Prep Book by Master of Project Academy content has been organized like a real project.

While learning PMP exam content, you will be able to see the practical implications of theoretical knowledge and this will help you to grasp the details of PMP exam content easily. PMP Prep Book by Master of Project Academy will help you to pass PMP exam in your first attempt.  

Unique features of the PMP® Prep Book by Master of Project Academy are:

– Real-life project examples
– 100+ Must-to-Remember Master Points for the PMP® Exam
– 100+ Flash Cards – Mapping Practice for important concepts
– 500+ PMP®  Practice Questions – Answers & Detailed Rationales
– 550+ Pages PMP eBook PDF downloadable right after your purchase!

Besides, unlike the other PMP book providers, Master of Project Academy provides a sample free PMP book for you to review the PMP Prep Book before your purchase.

2- Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Certification Preparation 

• This is the best seller book for PMP Certification
• The first edition of Rita Mulcahy was published in 1990.
• Latest edition i.e. 9^th edition got published in 2018
• It conveys all relevant Exam content in a focused and simplified manner
• Every chapter has numerous questions to practice
• There are lots of tips and tricks from PMP test takers which help new aspirants to prepare for PMP certification
• It is a real PMP guide which is easy to access
• A straightforward approach to complex material
• More than 400 practice exam questions throughout the book
• It helps an individual to practically implement the knowledge areas of project management
• Rita Mulcahy prepares PMP aspirants to handle questions related to real-life work issues
• It offers PMP practice tests for last-minute brush up before PMP exam

This book used to be most popular more than 10 years ago. But with the evolution of online learning and several PMP certification resources, it is not a monopoly anymore in PMP books.

3- Head First PMP

• Head First PMP is a brain-friendly book to study for PMP Certification
• It has a unique way of representing a concept in pictorial form
• It makes use of an innovative multi-sensory approach to learn the PMP content
• This book uses simple language which is easy to understand
• It offers a visual format to help you grasp the big picture of project management
• This book is based on a variety of graphics and visual learning instead of heavy text approach
• You will find a lot of visual aids to understand the content
• Also, they have used concepts, pictures, exercises, games, and fun examples with emotional content to make brain remember more appropriately
• High quality of instructional design that provides easy learning
• A unique feature of multiple learning styles
• Besides, they provide memory joggers, hints, tips and tricks for attempting PMP Certification questions.
• The author has written making use of illustrations, case studies which makes it fun to read.

4- PMP Study Guide by Kim Heldman

• This book is one of the best selling books for project managers but not for PMP certification preparation
• It is different from others in a way that most books follow the PMBOK Guide structure and are organized knowledge area but Kim Heldman has written Process Group-wise.
• This book gives complete coverage of topics written in the PMBOK Guide but also the arranging of the chapters is different.
• Each chapter of the book starts with a brief introduction of the topics and processes covered in the chapter
• Even though the book focuses on exam preparation, it also provides holistic learning of project management
• You will find “Real World Scenarios” at many places which provides a complete understanding of the topic
• The book is written in a conversational manner
• It is very easy to read even for a novice project manager
• The language of the book is easy to understand
• However, there are very few figures, tables, and diagrams which makes sometimes difficult to interpret the written word.
• Another advantage of buying this book is to get access to Sybex interactive online learning environment
• On the downside, there are very few questions at the end of each chapter

5- Andy Crowe

• This book is named as “Complete Study Guide for PMP Certification Exam”.
• It provides all the information project managers need to thoroughly prepare for and pass the test
• This book is clearly organized and presents the material in an easily understandable format
• It gives a clear explanation of all the concepts, processes, input, tools and techniques, output.
• It gives a link to 60 videos of Andy explaining the concepts
• You will find over 400 practice exam questions which include end of chapter quizzes and a simulated exam
• Andy Crowe book offers insider secrets, tips and tricks to prepare for PMP certification
• Meaningful exercises to strengthen mastery of key concepts
• Inside the book, they have given provision to write study notes
• One week subscription to Insite, Velociteach PMP’s e-learning portal with additional content like an extra 100 simulated practice exam questions

Can I Prepare for PMP Certification Online?

Yes, of course, you can prepare for PMP certification online. In fact, the classroom training was the traditional approach. These days, due to busy schedule and workload, candidates want to learn at their own pace. They want to balance work and personal life. Likewise, to prepare for the PMP exam, they need the flexibility to spare their time to prepare for PMP certification.

There are many benefits listed below:

1. Online trainings are more flexible as compared to classroom training. You can learn at your own pace and can choose your timing and location to attend the training.
2. They are cheaper in regards to price. Hence they are cost-effective.
3. Online courses ensure high-quality content
4. Moreover, it gives you the benefit to go through the content as many times as you wish to.
5. Also, you can spend more time or less time to attend a specific lesson on the training course. This means you have flexibility in time to spend on training and get ample time to understand the content and grasp the information.

How Much Can I Earn After I Get PMP Certification?

PMP certified professionals earn 20% more than their noncertified peers. Not only, this is a high paying job but also, PMP certification gives more opportunities for growth, more flexibility, and better job security. If you look at the 2017 survey in the US market, PMP certified professional salary is $119.3K if you compare it with a non certified professional who earns $99.1 K.

Even if you look for salaries of PMP certified professionals at glassdoor.com, it ranges from $118K -$174K in the United States.

How Should I Choose PMP Certification Training?

Generally, PMP certification training is conducted in 3 modes:

1. Classroom training: This is a traditional physical classroom training where you need to be available as per the timings of class and instructor. It gives the benefit of face to face interaction with the trainer. But it doesn’t give the flexibility to learn at your own pace. The disadvantage is that you have to give up your office work or put extra hours after the office to attend the training which might not be a preferred option for working professionals.
2. Self-paced online learning where you can attend training at your own pace, location, and timings. Hence this has the utmost flexibility to manage your time and attend the training.
3. Instructor-led virtual PMP certification training: This is similar to classroom training but it gives the flexibility to attend training from any location be it your office, home, etc. The disadvantage is that you have to be available as per the instructor’s time slot availability which is not convenient for working professionals. They have to juggle in office work and training.

Hence when making a choice for the best training provider, look for a few points like reliability, whether contact hours are recognized by PMI. Besides, go through the student’s testimonials to determine the pros and cons of the training providers. Further, check for refund guarantee, quality of the content in feedbacks and online reviews. Last but not least, the course should be cost-effective.

You can read our Top 10 PMP Training post to see all PMP training options and ratings.

What Are the PMP Certification Knowledge Areas?

Processes are grouped by Process Groups or Knowledge Areas. PMBOK is the main reference book for PMP Certification preparation. It is organized by knowledge areas to make you understand the specific area in depth. Hence in order to prepare for PMP certification, one needs to understand knowledge areas in detail.

Knowledge areas are the identified areas of project management and they are defined by their knowledge requirements. They are described in terms of their component processes, practices, inputs, outputs, tools, and techniques.

Knowledge areas are interrelated but they are defined separately from the project management perspective.

PMBOK Guide has identified 10 knowledge areas. These 10 knowledge areas are used in most projects most of the time.

10 Knowledge areas in the PMBOK Guide are:

1. Project Integration Management

This knowledge area concerns with coordinating all aspects of the project plan. It is highly interactive. This involves identifying and defining the work of the project and combining, unifying, and integrating the appropriate processes. Besides, it also takes into account satisfactorily meeting the requirements of the customer and stakeholders and also managing their expectations.

Project planning, project execution, project work monitoring, and change control occur throughout the project and are repeated continuously while you are working on the project. Monitoring the work of the project involves anticipating potential problems and issues and dealing with them before they reach a critical point. Change control affects the project plan which in turn affects the work of the project, which in turn can affect the project management plan so you can see that these processes are tightly linked. The processes in this area also interact with other processes in the remaining knowledge areas.

It includes 7 processes:

1. Develop Project Charter
2. Develop Project Management Plan
3. Direct and Manage Project work
4. Manage Project Knowledge
5. Monitor and Control Project work
6. Perform Integrated Change control
7. Close Project or Phase

2. Project Scope Management

This knowledge area concerns with defining all the work of the project and only the work needed to successfully produce the project goals. These processes are highly interactive. They clarify and control what is part of the project and what is not. Each process happens at least once and generally many times throughout the project’s life.

Project Scope Management covers both product scope and project scope. Product scope is related to the characteristics of the product, service or result of the project. It is measured against the product requirements to determine successful completion or fulfilment. The application area usually dictates the process tools and techniques you will use to define and manage the product scope. The project scope involves managing the work of the project and only the work of the project. Project scope is measured against the project management plan, the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure (WBS) and WBS dictionary.

It includes 6 processes which are:

• Plan Scope Management
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope
• Create WBS
• Validate Scope
• Control Scope

3. Project Schedule Management

The third knowledge area is about estimating the duration of the project plan activities, devising a project schedule, monitoring and controlling deviations from the schedule. Collectively this knowledge area deals with completing the project in a timely manner. Time management is an important aspect of project management because it is about keeping the project activities on track and monitoring those activities against the project plan in order to ensure that the project is completed on time. Each process in this knowledge area happens at least once in every project and sometimes more. In many cases, particularly on small projects, Sequence Activities, Estimate activity duration and Develop Schedule are completed as one activity. In a small project, only one person is needed to complete these processes and they are all worked on at the same time.

It involves 6 Processes which are:

• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Durations
• Develop Schedule
• Control Schedule

4. Project Cost Management

This knowledge area concerns with cost and budgets. The activities in this knowledge area set up cost estimates for resources, establish budgets and keep watch over those costs to ensure that the project stays within the approved budget. Project Cost Management knowledge area primarily concerns with the costs of resources. It also includes ongoing maintenance and support cost for software considered for the project. Depending upon the complexity of the project, these processes might need the involvement of more than one person. On small projects especially of smaller scope, cost estimating and cost budgeting are tightly linked. You can view it as a single process that a single person can perform over a relatively short period of time.

It involves 4 processes which are:

• Plan Cost Management
• Estimate Costs
• Determine Budget
• Control Costs

5. Project Quality Management

This knowledge area concerns with assuring that the project meets the requirements that it was undertaken to produce. It focuses on product quality as well on the quality of the project management processes used during the project. The processes of the Project Quality Management measure overall performance and monitor project results and compare them to the quality standards set out in the project planning process to ensure that the customers will receive the product, service or result they commissioned. It also supports continuous process improvement activities as undertaken on behalf of the performing organization.

It involves 3 processes which are:

• Plan Quality Management
• Manage Quality
• Control Quality

6. Project Resource Management

This knowledge area concerns all aspects of project management and personal interaction including leading, coaching, dealing with conflict, conducting performance appraisals and more. The processes of Project Resource Management ensure that the human resources allocated to the project are used in the most effective way possible. Each stakeholder requires the use of different communication styles, leadership skills, and team-building skills. A good project manager knows when to enact certain skills and communication styles based on the situation. The processes in this knowledge area ensure that the right resources will be available to the project manager and project team at the right time and place.

There is a distinction between the skills and competencies needed for the project manager to manage team resources versus physical resources. Here physical resources include equipment, materials, facilities, and infrastructure. And Team resources or personnel refer to human resources. Personnel may have varied skillsets and may be assigned full or part-time and may be added or removed from the project team as the project progresses.

It involves 6 processes which are:

• Plan Resource Management
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Acquire Resources
• Develop Team
• Manage Team
• Control Resources

7. Project Communications Management

The Project Communications Management knowledge area concerns with general communication skills, but they encompass much more than an exchange of information. Communication skills are considered general management skills that the project manager uses every day. The purpose of the processes in this knowledge area is to guarantee that all project information including project plans, risk assessments, meeting notes etc is collected, documented, archived and disposed of at the proper time. These processes also ensure that information is distributed and shared with stakeholders, management and project members at appropriate times.

When the project is closed, the information is archived and used as a reference for future projects. This is referred to as historical information in several project processes. Everyone on the project has some involvement with this knowledge area because all project members will send and receive project communication throughout the life of the project. It is important that all team members and stakeholders understand how communication affects the project.

Project Communications Management consists of 2 parts. The first part is developing a strategy to ensure that communication is effective for stakeholders. The second part is implementing the activities necessary to fulfil the communication strategy

It involves 3 processes which are:

• Plan Communications Management
• Manage Communications
• Monitor Communications

8. Project Risk Management

This knowledge area concerns identifying, analyzing and planning for potential risks, both positive and negative that might impact the project. This means minimizing the probability and impact of negative risks while maximizing the probability and impact of positive risks. These processes are also used to identify the positive consequences of risks and exploit them to improve project objectives or discover efficiencies that might improve project performance. Always remember that risk includes both threats to and opportunities within the project. At times, organizations combine several of these processes into one step. The important aspect of the Project Risk Management Knowledge area is to strive to identify all the risks and develop responses for those with the greatest consequences to the project objectives.

Risk exists at 2 levels within every project. It is important to consider the riskiness of the overall project which arises from the combination of individual project risks and other sources of uncertainty. Processes in these knowledge areas address both levels of risks in projects. Individual project risk can have a positive or negative effect on project objectives if they occur. Unmanaged threats may have results such as delay, cost overruns, performance shortfall, or loss of reputation. Opportunities that are captured can lead to benefits such as reduced cost and time, improved performance or reputation. Management of overall project risk intends to keep project risk exposure within an acceptable range by reducing drivers of negative variation, promoting drivers of positive variation and maximizing the probability of achieving all project objectives.

It involves 7 processes which are:

• Plan Risk Management
• Identify Risks
• Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
• Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
• Plan Risk Responses
• Implement Risk Responses
• Monitor Risks

9.  Project Procurement Management

This knowledge area concerns with processes involved with purchasing goods or services from vendors, contractors, suppliers, and others outside the project team. Also, it contains the management and control processes required to develop and administer agreements such as contracts, purchase orders, memoranda of agreements (MOA) or internal service level agreements (SLA). This process involves agreements that describe the relationship between 2 parties – a buyer and a seller.

For smaller organizations or start-up companies and those without a purchasing, contracting or procurement department, the project managers may assume the purchasing authority role to negotiate and sign contracts directly. For mature organizations, the actual procurement and contracting functions will be carried out by a separate department with the specific role to purchase, negotiate and sign contracts.

The project managers not only need to be involved along the way but also they should assist the procurement department with project input, they must also plan the amount of time that the procurements will take. The procurement process follows from start to finish. Processes define how procurement management works on a properly managed project and how it relates to the project life cycle and the project management process.

It involves 3 processes which are:

• Plan Procurement Management
• Conduct Procurements
• Control Procurements

10. Project Stakeholder Management

This knowledge area concerns identifying all stakeholders, analyzing their power, interest, and level of engagement, elicit their requirements and expectations and then evaluate and incorporate all of that information into product and project scope. Every project has stakeholders who are affected by or can affect the project in a positive or negative way. Some stakeholders may have a limited ability to influence the project work or outcomes. Others may have a significant influence on the project and its expected outcomes.

Always remember that engaging stakeholders should take place throughout the life of the project. In other words, you need to build and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders. Also, make sure that they continue to be involved in the project at a level necessary to make a success. Processes in this knowledge area support the work of the project team to analyze stakeholder expectations, assess the degree to which they impact or are impacted by the project. They develop strategies to effectively engage stakeholders in support of project decisions and the planning and execution of the work of the project. The skills of the project manager and team to correctly identify and engage all the stakeholders in a suitable way can mean the difference between project success and failure.

It involves 4 processes which are:

• Identify Stakeholders
• Plan Stakeholder Engagement
• Manage Stakeholder Engagement
• Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

What Are the PMP Certification Exam Formulas?

One of the areas to focus while preparing for PMP certification is PMP formulas. They are really significant to pass the PMP certification exam. You may find a number of simple and direct questions based on PMP formulas in the exam. Hence it is necessary to understand these formulas to have a good hold on scoring in the PMP certification exam.

I am going to list below most important PMP formulas categorized by knowledge area:

Integration Management

Economic Measures for Project Selection

Economic measures use a comparative approach. Organizations consider these factors when selecting a project.

• Internal Rate of Return (IRR):

This is the amount of money project that will return to the company that is funding it. It is how much money a project is making for the company? Generally, it is expressed as a percentage of funding that has been allocated to it.

For instance, if a company has 2 projects i.e. Project A with 12% IRR and Project B with 10% IRR, in which it can invest. The company will select project with the highest IRR. Hence answer is Project A.

• Present Value (PV):

This means the value today of future cash flows. It can be calculated by this formula:

PV = FV/ (1+r) raised to n

• Net Present Value (NPV):

This is the actual value at a given time of the project minus all of the costs associated with it. In other words, NPV is the present value of total benefits (income) minus the costs over many time periods.

Always remember, if NPV is positive, the investment is a good choice. Hence, choose a project with greatest NPV.

For instance, the organization has 2 projects i.e. Project A with 3 years to complete and has NPV of $40,000. Project B will take 5 years to complete and has an NPV of $75,000. Which out of the above is a better investment, the company should make in?

The answer is Project B. Note that the number of years is not relevant as it has been considered while calculating NPV

• Payback Period:

This refers to the length of time it takes for the organization to recover its investment in a project before it starts accumulating profit.

For instance, there are 2 projects i.e. Project A with a payback period of 5 months. And, Project B with a payback period of 15 months. Which out of the above will the organization select?

The answer is Project A. Point here to remember is the one should choose the project with a shorter payback period.

• Cost-Benefit Analysis:

This refers to a comparison of the expected costs of a project to the potential benefit it could bring to the organization.

Here if the benefit-cost ratio i.e. BCR is greater than 1, it means the benefit is greater than costs

And if the benefit-cost ratio is less than 1, it means costs are greater than benefits.

If the benefit-cost ratio is equal to 1, it means costs and benefits are equal.

Note that if the benefit is higher than the cost, the project is a good investment.

For instance, to choose a project out of 2 projects with different BCR values. Always choose project with higher BCR.

• Opportunity Cost:

This refers to the money you don’t get because you chose not to do a project. It is like when an organization has to make choice between 2 projects, it is always giving up the money it would not work on. In other words, it refers to the opportunity given up by selecting one project over another.

For instance, an organization has 2 projects i.e. Project A with NPV of $50,000, Project B with NPV of $90,000. What is the opportunity cost of selecting project B?

The answer is $50,000 because the opportunity cost is the value of the project not selected.

• Sunk Cost:

This refers to expended costs. Accounting standards say that don’t consider sunk cost when deciding whether to continue with a troubled project.

For instance, an organization has a project with an initial budget of $2,000,000. The project is half complete. And it has spent $3,000,000. Now at this stage, they are already $1,000,000 over budget. Should the organization consider the fact that it is already over budget when determining whether to continue with the project?

The answer is no; they shouldn’t consider this money as money spent is gone.

Schedule Management

• Three-Point Estimating:

This calculates a risk-based expected duration estimate for an activity by taking a simple average or weighted average of 3 estimates. Time and cost estimates use this formula

Standard Deviation =(P-O)/6 where P is a pessimistic estimate and O is an optimistic estimate of activity

Simple average: Another name is triangular distribution. Formula to calculate is  (P+M+0)/3

Weighted average: Another name is beta distribution. Formula to calculate is (P+4M+0)/6 where P is a pessimistic estimate, O is an optimistic estimate and M is a most likely estimate of each activity

• Float:

Generally, they use Float for schedule flexibility. It is the amount of time an activity or project can be delayed without delaying the project end date or early start date of the successor activity

Formula to calculate float is LS-ES or LF-EF Where LS is the late start of an activity, ES is early start of an activity

And LF is late finish of an activity and EF is early finish of an activity.

Cost Management

• Earned Value Measurement:

This is used in performance reviews to measure project performance against the scope, schedule and cost baselines. The earned value uses a combination of these three baselines known as performance measurement baseline.

Here are a few terms used in the following formulas:

• Planned Value is PV. It refers to as of today, what is the estimated value of the work planned to be done?

PV= BAC* Planned% complete  where Planned% complete =Given Amount/Total amount

• Earned Value is EV. It refers to as of today, what is the estimated value of the work actually accomplished?

EV= BAC*Actual% complete where Actual% complete=Actual Amount/Total Amount

• Actual Cost is AC. It refers to as of today, what is the actual cost incurred for the work accomplished?
• Budget at completion is BAC. It refers to, how much did we budget for the total project effort?
• Estimate at Completion is EAC. It refers to, what do we currently expect the total project to cost?
• Estimate to Complete is ETC. It refers to, from this point on, how much more do we expect it to cost to finish the project?
• Variance at Completion is VAC. It refers to, as of today, how much over or under budget do we expect to be at the end of the project?

If you are in a small project, it is easy to figure out whether you are on track. But, in a large project, when many people are doing lots of different activities. Some of the activities are on track, some are ahead of schedule and some of them are behind schedule. Hence if you want to track whether you are meeting the goal or not, the following formulas will help you to determine the same.

If you want to know whether you are ahead of or behind schedule then

Schedule Performance Index (SPI) =EV/PV. This means if SPI is greater than 1 that means EV is bigger than PV so you are ahead of schedule. If SPI is less than 1 then you are behind schedule because the amount you have actually worked (EV) is less than what you had planned (PV)

Now if you want to know how much ahead or behind schedule you are, subtract PV from EV.

Schedule Variance (SV) = EV-PV. This means if the variance is positive that means it is ahead of schedule. Besides, it tells you exactly how many dollars you are ahead. If variance is negative that means it is behind schedule. Also, it tells you how many dollars you are behind.

If you want to know whether you are over or under budget then

Cost Performance Index (CPI) =EV/AC. This means we are getting $ worth of work out of every $1 spent. Here ratio greater than 1 is good and less than 1 is bad.

If you want to know how much under or over the budget you are then

Cost Variance (CV) =EV-AC. This means the difference between what you planned on spending and what you actually spent. Here if the variance is negative, that means that it is over budget. If the variance is positive, that means it is under budget.

Remember that you are within your budget if CPI is greater than or equal to 1 and CV is positive. This means that your actual costs are less than the earned value which means the project is delivering more value than it costs.

And you have blown your budget if CPI is less than 1 and CV is negative. This means that your actual costs are more than the earned value.

In other words, your sponsor is not getting his money worth of value from the project.

Forecasting

The idea behind forecasting is that you can use earned value to come up with a pretty accurate prediction of what your project will look at completion.

Here you need your CPI to predict what your project will actually cost when it is complete.

• Estimate at completion (EAC)

It means as of now, how much do we expect the total project to cost

There are different formulas based on various situations:

Case 1: They use this formula when the original estimate was fundamentally flawed

EAC= AC+bottom up ETC where AC is actual cost and ETC is revised estimate for all the remaining work.

Case 2: They use this formula if no variances from BAC have occurred or you will continue at the same rate of spending

EAC= BAC/CPI where CPI refers to cumulative CPI

Case 3: They use this formula when current variances are thought to be atypical of the future

EAC= AC+ (BAC-EV)

Case 4: They use this formula when current variances are thought to be typical of the future and when project schedule constraints will influence the completion of the remaining effort.

EAC= AC+ (BAC-EV)/ (CPI *SPI)

• Estimate to Complete (ETC)

It refers to, how much more will the project cost? Or how much money the rest of the project will end up costing.

ETC = EAC-AC

• Variance at Completion (VAC)

It refers to, how much over or under budget will be at the end of the project?

VAC= BAC-EAC. Here, VAC will be negative if you end up spending more than your budget. And it will be positive if you spend less than your budget.

Points to remember for Earned value PMP questions

• EV comes first in each of the formulas
• If it is a variance then formula is EV minus AC or PV
• And, if it is an index then formula is EV divided by AC or PV
• If formula relates to cost, use AC
• If formula relates to schedule, use PV
• For interpretation of variances, a negative value is bad and a positive value is good.
• For interpretation of indexes of CPI and SPI, greater than 1 is good and less than 1 is bad
• And for TCPI, greater than 1 is bad and less than 1 is good.

Communications Management

To Calculate no of communication channels, we use the formula n*(n-1)/2 where n is the number of stakeholders

Procurement Management

Point of Total assumption (PTA): This only relates to fixed-price incentive fee contracts. And this refers to the amount above which the seller bears all the loss of a cost overrun.

The formula for PTA = (Ceiling price –Target price)/Buyer’s share ratio + Target cost

Where the ceiling price is the highest price the buyer will pay. Buyer setting the ceiling price is a way to encourage the seller to control costs. The ceiling price is a condition of the contract that both parties must agree to before signing.

How Should I Study for the PMP Exam?

There is not a single way to prepare for the PMP certification exam. Generally PMP certification training providers, internet blogs give assurance that you will pass the exam in the first try if you follow their study plan. But the success depends on many factors such as background, domain knowledge, experience in project management and institute from where you have attended training, etc. The first and foremost step in PMP Preparation is to have a robust PMP Certification Study Plan. It will guide you to prepare for the PMP exam.

Based on my experience, I am listing a study plan which can be helpful to aspirants preparing for the PMP certification exam

7-Step PMP Certification Study Plan:

1. Check the PMP certification requirement whether you are eligible to appear for the PMP certification exam. Check your project management experience and you must have attended 35 hours of project management education to get 35 contact hours from a training institute.
2. Set the target date to appear for the PMP certification exam. If you are a working professional, then you can plan for 3-4 months. If you can put 3-4 hours each day for studying else you can increase duration based on the time you can devote to study or prepare for the exam.
3. Read the PMBOK Guide along with one reference book i.e. Rita Mulcahy or Headfirst or any other good book.
4. The next step is while going through the material, start noting down the notes which will help you in the last weeks of preparation when you will have less time to go through the entire material again.
5. Further, once you have understood the subject and content, then practice is the key to pass the exam. Practice as much as you can. Try to choose questions bank from different sources or practice multiple PMP certification simulators to get the feel of the real exam.
6. After you have practiced questions, don’t forget to go over the incorrect answers. Figure out where you went wrong and go through the knowledge areas pertaining to those answers to understand the concept. And then practice again those questions to see whether this time they turn out to be correct or not. This way it will strengthen your weak areas and reduce the risk of selecting the wrong answer in the actual PMP certification exam.
7. Once you start scoring 80% and above in 4-5 PMP simulation exams that mean you are ready to appear for the PMP certification exam.

Should I Use PMP Question Bank?

PMP aspirants or professionals have different ways to prepare for the PMP certification exam depending upon the time, budget, and other work responsibilities. Generally, training providers and test-takers recommend practicing a lot of questions. Now either you can make use of question banks or PMP exam simulator. PMP question banks are books or PDFs which contain a large number of question database but in a plain simple format. Whereas a PMP exam simulator is a test engine program that allows an individual to practice tests that are similar in content, style as the actual exam.

Benefits of studying with a PMP exam simulator are:

1. They familiarize you with an environment similar to the actual PMP certification exam.
2. A simulator will accustom you to how exam features and functions will let you focus more on questions. Thus it will make you more comfortable with the user interface of the PMP certification exam.
3. It helps you to keep track of your time management for the PMP certification exam
4. It gives the aspirant the complete feel of the PMP certification exam
5. Besides, users get instant feedback of answers they attempt correctly or not
6. Moreover, it highlights the areas of weakness you need to put additional efforts on and areas of strength in which you excel.
7. Major aspect is that you will get to know how to pace yourself to answer 200 questions in 4 hours. Hence, it will increase the probability of passing the exam.
8. Last but not least, it will improve your confidence level with each sample exam you practice.

How Can I Earn PMP PDUs?

PDUS is a term for the Professional Development Unit. Generally, people confuse PDUS and contact hours.

If you are an individual who is preparing for PMP certification then you need to attend 35 hours of training from a recognized training institute. Afterward, they give you the certificate of 35 hours of training as 35 Contact hours. This is one of prerequisite to apply for PMP certification

Now suppose you are already a PMP certified professional then as part of the PMP renewal process, you need to earn 60 PDUS every 3 years to retain your PMP certification. After December 2015 CCR changes, it has become easy and flexible to earn PDUS.

You can choose them as per your interests and professional needs. PMI CCR process says that you need to earn at least 35 PDUS under Education Category. Here PDUS earned under the education category is mapped with three dimensions of the Talent Triangle.

Actually they are referring to the skills important to be successful in project management. For instance:

• If learning activities for the PDUS belong to process, tools and techniques in aligning the project with strategic goals then you to map them in the “Strategic” category
• If learning activities for the PDUS belong to Team Development which will help in achieving the project goal then you need to map them in the “Leadership” category
• And if learning activities for PDUS belong to PMP content outline tasks, and then you need to map them in the “Technical” category.

Point to remember here is that you can earn 1 PDU for each hour you spend in learnings related to PDUS earning.

There are several easy and popular ways to earn PDUS in 2 categories (Education and Giving Back) as mentioned below.

Sources for earning PDUS for Education Category are:

1. Courses or Training: This is one of the traditional methods of attending any training related to project management from a recognized training institute.

• Registered education providers (REPs) regularly organizes different programs or trainings to earn PDUS.
• Face-to-face instructor-led courses from the PMI seminars world.
• PMI local chapter conducts 2-3 days of Seminars and Conferences. They are chargeable.

2. Reading Books: Another way is to read books. If you have a passion for reading, you need to make a reading list in the area of project management, leadership, and strategic business management. In fact, you can earn a large number of PDUS in the ‘Read’ Category. This is the favorite category for book lovers who love to enhance the skills by reading books.

3. Organization Meetings: This is another source to attend meetings, activities and local events related to the profession which gives the opportunity to network and earn PDUS. Here, you can earn 1-2 PDUs in sessions related to the talent triangle component.

4. Informal Learning: Engage yourself in structured professional discussions with a team or different projects. For example Mentoring sessions, Brainstorming sessions or lunch and learn sessions.

Sources for earning PDUS for Giving Back Category are:

1. Working as a practitioner: If you are working as a professional in project management, and actively working on a project. Then you are contributing to this profession by applying your knowledge and skills. As a result, you can earn a maximum of 8 PDUs.

2. Creating Content: Do you have a passion for writing and have an interest in writing blogs and articles? If yes then you can write on project management or create content on project management and can earn PDUS.

3. Giving Presentation: Are you a good speaker and present some topics at seminars or conferences? If yes, then you can give a presentation on project management topics or best practices or emerging trends and can earn PDUs.

4. Sharing Knowledge: You can earn PDUS by attending knowledge sharing sessions with your team or peers.

5. Volunteering: Do you like contributing to social good as a volunteer? If yes, then the PMI chapter presents such opportunities from time to time. And based on your experience and number of hours you can devote, they screen your profile. Once they shortlist you then you can contribute and earn PDUS

6. Watching videos: There are many videos online or different forms of digital media for self-learning

7. Listening to Podcasts: Moreover, you can listen to podcasts where each PDU represents 60 minutes of learning. Hence for podcasts that are under an hour, just listen to a couple on the same topic and consolidate them.

8. Attending Webinars: PMI also conducts webinars that you can avail of if you are a PMI member. Trainers and training providers also conduct free webinars where you can earn 1-2 PDUS

When should I start earning PDUS?

You can start as soon as you attain your PMP certificate.

Can we transfer PDUS to the next cycle?

Yes, of course. If you have earned more than 60 PDUS then you can claim them in your next 3-year cycle. But PDUS, earned during the first 2 years of the 3-year cycle cannot be applied to the next cycle.

When is the Next PMP Certification Exam Date?

As such, there is no fixed schedule for the PMP certification exam. For the current version of the PMP certification exam, the last day for candidates to take is 30 June 2020. Hence the key is whenever you are ready for the exam, you can schedule your exam and sit for the exam.

What is the PMP Certification Exam Passing Score?

In the past, PMI published 61% as the passing score for the PMP certification exam (which means PMP aspirants need to correctly answer 106 or more out of 175 real questions). But now, PMI does not state any official score. They have adopted a more scientific approach by giving proficiency level (Proficient, Moderately Proficient and Below Proficient) or Target level (Above Target, Target, Below Target). PMI doesn’t state any information about the PMP certification exam passing score. They determine the score through sound psychometric analysis.

What Are the Benefits of PMP Certification?

There are different benefits of becoming PMP certified, not merely from your career point of view. But also for personality development; it boosts both your ability and confidence as well.

1. Career Growth

Many well-established organizations look for PMP certified professionals. Hence, clearing the PMP Certification exam will surely offer better career prospects. Becoming PMP certified improves your professional network. The more extensive your network in the PM field, the better for your career growth.

2. Boost your salary

PMP Certification provides an excellent advantage when it comes to earning potential. So being a PMP certified professional gives you an immediate edge over your counterparts when it comes to salary levels.

3. Industry Independent

PMP certified managers are not limited to one industry. Industries across various sectors seek competent professionals to ensure that projects are implemented productively.

4. Greater Responsibilities

PMP Credentials increase your knowledge, competency, and skills. As a certified PMP, you will have to manage large projects and satisfy multiple stakeholders. Handling such responsibilities will benefit you vastly. Because the experience you gain will help you identify early on any problems of a project from initiation to completion

5. Improved Career Opportunities

Being a certified PMP paves the way for better career opportunities as there is a massive demand for skilled project managers in various sectors. Thus certified PMPs get preference over non-certified project managers in the job market

6. Upgrades your leadership skills

It is the core responsibility of the project manager to bring all members of a team together as a single entity. They are accountable for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the team to accomplish the project. Furthermore, they provide you an opportunity to acquire various leadership skills that vary based on project requirements.

7. Enhances Risk Management Skills

PMP Certification gives you knowledge of advanced risk management skills to identify and assess the probable risks and ways to mitigate the same. Having this skill is an added advantage as it safeguards organizational interests. This, in turn, increases product quality to a top-notch level which is beneficial for you as a PM, the team and organization too.

8.Enhances Problem Solving skills

Attaining PMP certification is proof of your proficiency in the domain. People will approach you for expert advice. They will trust you with your problem-solving skills, imaginative solutions and innovative approaches that ensure project success

9. Enhances People Orientation and Team Work

The primary responsibility of the project manager is to manage the team competently and lead it to attain all business objectives. Teamwork is a significant factor that determines the success or failure of the project. Hence, being a PMP certified project manager, you will be considered the main force behind successful project completion

10. Challenging projects

PMP Certification comes not only with more responsibilities but challenges too. When you are a certified PMP, projects that require greater effort and commitment to achieve business goals will fall into your lap.

11. Common Language

PMP certification makes everyone speak a common language within the project management field which makes communication more effective among peers

How can I Renew PMP Certification?

PMP certified individual needs to earn 60 PDUS in a 3-year cycle to renew the PMP certification.

Steps to renew the PMP certification are:

1. The first step is to earn 60 PDUs to meet the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) for your certification.
2. Afterward, you should enter PDUS in the online CCR system by entering the Provider name, Activity name, Activity Dates and number of PDUS claimed under 3 components of the Talent triangle. And click on the ‘Submit’ button. Thereafter you will receive an update on the number of PDUS accepted or rejected.
3. Then you have to fill the online renewal application by mentioning contact information along with payment details before submission
4. Next step is to agree to the code of ethics by PMI
5. Then the next step is to pay the renewal fee. Here if you are a PMI member, then you need to pay a discounted fee of 60USD. But if you are not a PMI member then you need to pay 150 USD for PMP certification renewal.

The Final Step

Once you have earned 60 PDUS then there is no need to wait for 3 years to complete. You can pay the fees and renew your certification. Nonetheless, PMI will renew the PMP certification date from the date of expiry only not from the date of payment of fees.

The final step is to receive the confirmation from PMI. And you will receive a certificate indicating a new CCR cycle. Next to your profile, your status is “Active” and “PMP in good standing”. In other words, once you have completed a single cycle, then a new 3-year cycle begins.

Let’s suppose that you are not able to complete your renewal within the completion of the CCR Cycle because you do not earn the specified amount of PDUs by the end of the third year of PMP certification. Then, you will be under the “Suspended” status up to 1 year after the CCR cycle. And further, it will no longer be valid.

What Changes in the PMP Certification Exam and When?

Every 3-5 years, PMI is conducting research on changing trends, the progress of profession, implications, etc. Hence it results in a new PMP exam content online.

Further, SME’s across the globe work with PMI to come up with a new PMP examination content outline on June 19. Thereafter 1 year later, this new outline will lead to an updated PMP exam.

Hence the last date to take the current version of the PMP exam is 30 June 2020.

A new PMP examination content outline was published on 30th June 19. This document defines the content of the PMP certification exam.

Changes in new content are:

The current PMP certification exam is based on 5 performance domains. But exams starting from 1st July 2020 will be based on 3 domains. PMP Exam Content Outline defines these domains in detail.

New PMP exam will require candidates to have experience in and answer questions from 3 domains:

• People (42%)
• Process (50%)
• Business Environment (8%)

PMI also clearly declares that about half of the exam will contain predictive project management approaches whereas the other half will contain agile or hybrid approaches.

Now the questions arise whether PMBOK Guide is going to change?

The answer is No. Currently, the PMP certification exam uses the PMBOK Guide 6^th edition as a reference book. We do not expect a new version i.e. 7th edition until 2023. Hence, the PMBOK Guide is not changing. And, we will use the PMBOK 6^th edition as an exam reference till 2023. As a result, no matter if you are planning to appear for the PMP certification exam before or after 1^st July 2020, you have to use PMBOK Guide 6^th edition as your reference.

Conclusion

PMP Certification is the most renowned and recognized certification across the globe in project management. PMBOK along with one supporting book is sufficient to prepare for the exam. The exam content keeps on changing every 3-5 years. PMP Certification exam is going to change after 1^st July 2020.

As for the benefits, a PMP certified individual garner a 20% higher salary than a non-certified individual. One can attend different modes of training depending upon the suitability. But the most preferred one is online training due to numerous benefits of cost-effectiveness, the flexibility of learning at own pace and location. Moreover, it is beneficial to become a PMI member and then appear for the PMP certification exam as it saves money and gives the additional benefit of networking, access to numerous resources, etc. To earn PDUS, choose an effective, reliable, high-quality content training provider who gives a 100% refund guarantee and high pass percentage rate.

The post PMP Certification – Must Know Things About PMP® Certification appeared first on Project Hipo.

What is the PMP Certification?

PMP stands for Project Management Professional certification. It is a globally recognized professional certification for project managers. Project Management Institute (PMI), a US non-profit organization offers PMP certification. A well recognized and respected credential, PMP certification is considered essential for the project managers. Mainly for those who wish to take the next step or advance their career.

Besides, PMP certification is truly global. In other words, once you become PMP certified, you can work virtually in any industry, any location, using any methodology irrespective of any geography or domain. It is acknowledged worldwide.

Nevertheless, this certification is the most acclaimed across the globe. Moreover, it is considered as the gold standard of project management.

Remember that attaining a PMP credential is valuable in your career because you can reach out to potential employers across the globe.

Further, you can be in contact with PMP certified professionals and aspiring PMPs through project management discussion boards and forums. Therefore, PMP certification increases your expertise with knowledge sharing. PMP certification helps in improved project performance.

Moreover, PMP certification attests to your expertise in project management. Regardless of the title of the project manager you are holding or not, you are considered someone who can bring the project to completion.

Additionally, PMP certification benefits employees as well as employers. Regarding employers, in the organizations having more than 1/3 of PMP certified project managers; more of the projects get completed on time, on budget, and meeting original goals.

And, about employee salary, PMP certified individuals earn higher salaries (on average 25% more) than non-certified individuals.

On top of the above, PMP certification signifies that PMP certified individuals speak and understand the global language of project management.

To summarize, to move forward in your project management career, you need a resume that makes an impression on recruiters with the right skills and knowledge. These days’ companies look for professionals who can perform the work required to successfully manage the projects. Hence, many employers typically prefer candidates with PMP certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI). Most importantly, in industries like manufacturing, financial services, and construction, PMP certification is a must-have to even be considered for a position.

Last but not the least, Technology and IT magazine named CIO magazine ranked PMP as the top project management certification.

What is the PMP Exam?

Before giving the details about the PMP exam schedule, let’s look more closely at the PMP exam itself. Project Management Institute (PMI) conducts the PMP certification exam. The PMP exam consists of 180 questions. There are 230 minutes to complete the exam.

The PMP Exam Questions will be a combination of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching, hotspot, and limited fill-in-the-blank types of questions. The duration of the PMP Exam is ~4 hours (230 minutes).

The main points to remember for PMP Exam are:

1. This exam is not a test of the information in the main reference book i.e. PMBOK Guide
2. You cannot pass the exam by just focusing on real-world experience.
3. PMP Training in project management which is aligned to the PMBOK Guide plays a vital role in passing the PMP Exam.

PMP Exam plays a vital role as it reflects the practices of the project management practitioner accurately. Moreover, this exam has been designed to objectively assess and measure project management knowledge.

Qualified PMP experts write and review all the questions on the exam. Further, these questions are mapped with the PMP Exam Content Outline to ensure that an appropriate number of questions are placed in the PMP Exam.

What is the PMP Exam Passing Score?

In earlier times, PMI published 61% as the passing score for the PMP exam. To achieve it, the PMP aspirant needed to correctly answer 106 or more out of 175 exam questions. Besides, PMI did not declare about PMP Exam official score. Recently, PMI has adopted a more scientific approach by giving proficiency level (Proficient, Moderately Proficient, and Below Proficient) or Target level (Above Target, Target, Below Target). Furthermore, they determine the score through sound psychometric analysis.

PMP Exam Schedule

Generally, exams have scheduled dates to appear for. Regarding the PMP exam schedule, there is no defined schedule or PMP exam date. You can schedule the exam based on your schedule and testing center’s availability. PMP exam is conducted by Pearson VUE test centers. Due to pandemic Covid-19, PMI started to offer PMP online proctor testing since mid-April 2020.

Likewise, many people think that there is a fixed PMP exam schedule and you must sit for the exam on the scheduled dates. However, it is not like that in the case of the PMP exam schedule, there are certain steps you need to follow:

1. You need to check about the eligibility of PMP exam

As per the above table, you need to meet the education and experience requirements. Further, you must have attended project management training (PMP Training) for approx 4 days and earned 35 Contact hours or PDU’s.

2. Fill the application form at www.pmi.org. There are 2 modes to fill the application form i.e. Online and Paper-based. PMI recommends filling the application form in online mode.  The reason is that it is a faster way to process the PMP application.

3. Once you have completed the application form and submit to PMI then it takes approx 5 days to process the application.

4. Then you need to pay the PMP exam fee.

5. Now PMI will either approve your application or it will go under the audit process to verify your eligibility details with evidence supported by your senior manager or reporting manager.

6. Once the application clears the audit process, then you fix your PMP exam schedule from the Pearson VUE website as per your schedule and availability. You just need to make a note that once the application is approved then you have 1 year as eligibility period to choose your PMP exam schedule and appear on the PMP exam date.

When is the next PMP exam date?

This is one of the popular questions asked by aspirants who are planning to go for PMP Certification.

Individuals who are preparing for PMP certification often wonder that we are studying for the PMP exam but when is the next PMP exam date?

Hence, the answer is that the PMP exam schedule is whenever you want to schedule it. The only prerequisite is that your PMP application must be approved. Then, you will be able to make your PMP exam schedule with an available slot from Pearson VUE test centers.

Pearson VUE test centers conduct a lot of different examinations. So, there might be busy dates or often slots are not available as per your convenience for the PMP exam schedule. Therefore, we recommend you to fix your PMP schedule at least one month before the PMP exam date you are planning to take the exam.

Changes in PMP Exam Schedule

In the past, the last PMP exam date to take the current version of the PMP exam was 30^th June 2020. Now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, PMI has decided to extend the current PMP exam date from 30^th June 2020 to 31^st Dec 2020.

PMI conducts research on regular intervals for change in industry trends, professional progress, and implications across the industry. It results in the evolution of the new PMP exam content outline to keep up with the current changes. Therefore, the new content outline for the PMP exam got published on 30^th June 2019. Now, a new exam with a new content outline will be starting from 2^nd Jan 2021.

What are the changes in the PMP exam new content outline?

PMP exam content outline determines what will be the content in the PMP exam.

The current PMP exam is based on 5 performance domains as per current PMP content outline i.e. Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.

And the new PMP exam content outline will be based on 3 performance domains i.e. People, Process, and Business Environment. It was published on 30^th June 2019.

Hence, if you choose a PMP exam date from 2^nd Jan 2021 it will be based on a new PMP exam content outline i.e. 3 domains.

Thus, if you choose a PMP exam date after the change and with the new content outline, it will require you to have experience in and answer questions from 3 domains along with percentages mentioned below:

• People (42%)
• Process (50%)
• Business Environment (8%)

To date, PMP exams were based on predictive project management approaches. Now, the new PMP exam will be a combination of the predictive project management approach and agile or hybrid approach.

Important dates to remember for the PMP Exam Schedule:

30^th June 2019: PMI published new PMP Exam Content Outline

31^st Dec 2020: Last PMP exam date to take the current version of the exam

2^nd Jan 2021: First PMP exam date to take the new version of the exam

What is the way to reschedule or cancel your examination?

For rescheduling the PMP exam date or canceling the PMP examination, you need to login to PMI’s site. And, click the links onscreen to cancel or change the time of your PMP exam schedule.

You need to make a note that PMI doesn’t accept email as an acceptable form of communication to cancel or change the time of your PMP exam schedule.

Another way to cancel or change the time of your PMP exam schedule is to call the test vendor directly to cancel or reschedule your PMP exam date. But you can adopt this way to cancel the PMP exam schedule you fixed if you are facing any issue due to some issues such as internet connectivity etc.

Cancellation & Refund of PMP Exam

At any point in time, you can cancel or change the time of your PMP exam schedule. Owing to limited seat capacity at test centers, if you change or cancel the PMP exam schedule at a late-stage then fees will be charged.

Therefore, to avoid a rescheduling fee, you must cancel or reschedule the exam more than 48 hours before the fixed PMP exam schedule. Or before 30 days period starts off the fixed PMP exam schedule.

Scenario 1: If you cancel or change the PMP exam schedule within 48 hours or 2 calendar days of the scheduled PMP exam date, all fees and the ability to reschedule are forfeits.

In other words, if you plan to wait until you are within 2 days of your fixed PMP exam schedule, you will be able to cancel the exam but PMI will forfeit the exam fee. Therefore, you will not be able to change the PMP exam schedule at this point. Hence, you need to pay re-examination fees to fix a new PMP exam schedule.

For Instance:

In a nutshell, please make sure that cancellation or changing the PMP exam schedule must happen before you are within 2 calendar days of your PMP exam date.

Scenario 2: If you cancel or change the PMP exam schedule within 30 days of your scheduled PMP exam date then PMI will charge a fee of USD 70.

Points to remember

That 30 day period doesn’t include the day of the exam appointment. Therefore to save the fee, you must cancel or change the PMP exam schedule before a 30 day period starts. For instance, if your scheduled PMP exam date is 6^th July then you must cancel or change the PMP exam schedule on or before 5^th June to avoid the fee.

For Instance:

If you want to get a refund of the PMP exam fee, then you need to make sure that you have not scheduled or have taken the PMP exam within the time frame. Hence in this scenario, you can request a refund within 30 days from the date of purchase.

But you have to pay the rescheduling fee if you have canceled the PMP exam or changed the PMP exam schedule outside 30 days from the date of purchase and up to 48 hours before the scheduled PMP exam date.

Once PMI has processed the refund, then the PMP application will get closed. Therefore, the eligibility period will no longer be valid. Besides, another way to request to refund the PMP exam fee is to send the email to customercare@pmi.org.

PMI will not give you any refund under the following circumstances:

Case 1: Let’s suppose that your eligibility period of 1 year expires and you haven’t fixed a PMP exam schedule yet. In such a scenario, you will not receive a refund. Therefore, the entire amount of PMP exam fee will be forfeited. Besides, if you still wish to obtain the certification then you have to reapply and submit the fees of certification again.

Case 2: Let’s suppose that you have fixed the PMP exam schedule but couldn’t appear for it. Or you have neither canceled the exam nor provided rescheduling notification to PMI’s testing partner then you will not receive the refund. Therefore, the entire amount of PMP Exam fee will be forfeited.

Scenario 3: If you are unable to change the PMP Exam schedule before 30 days within the fixed PMP exam date then extenuating circumstances policy may apply. 

Here, extenuating circumstances refer to a medical emergency, illness, or death in the immediate family, natural disaster, a pandemic like COVID-19, or military deployment. 

Hence, in such scenarios, it will be under the discretion of PMI to evaluate these situations on case to case basis and to determine whether a refund of the rescheduling fee is appropriate or not. If PMI doesn’t approve the extenuating circumstances then you will be required to pay the full re-examination fee to sit for the exam.

You can contact PMI customer care within 72 hours following the missed PMP exam schedule. Depending upon the circumstances, you will be asked to explain along with supporting documents such as medical documents, accident reports, etc. If PMI approves it, then you can change the PMP exam Schedule or cancel your exam without penalty.

Summary: PMP Exam Schedule

PMP certification is the most acclaimed project management certification across the globe.

PMP exam is conducted by Pearson VUE test centers. PMI has no fixed PMP exam schedule. Once the aspirant is ready to appear for the PMP exam, he or she needs to fix the PMP exam schedule and slot at Pearson VUE test centers as per the availability.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, PMI has postponed the new exam with a new PMP content outline from 30^th June 2020 to 31^st Dec 2020. The new PMP content outline was published on 30^th June 2019.

To save the rescheduling fee of USD 70, you must cancel or change the PMP exam schedule more than 48 hours before the fixed PMP exam schedule or before 30 days period starts off the scheduled PMP exam date.

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