The biggest hurdle for those of you who have decided to take the PMP exam is that you must fill out the application form about your “project management work experience” and “project management education you have attended.”
I think there are many people who think this is a burden or a hassle and are putting off taking the exam.
In order to resolve such concerns, in this article I will discuss the 35 hours of “Project Management Training” required to take the PMP exam. Also I explain how to earn 35 contact hours efficiently while keeping costs down.
In addition, I will explain how to apply, including examples of when I applied.
Contents of this article
- I will explain the application contents for project management education along with the application form (examples included).
- I will also explain the requirements for project management education needed to take the PMP exam, as well as points on how to earn 35 contact hours efficiently while keeping costs down.
Please refer to the article below about how to write project management experience and examples.
PMP Certification Requirements
To be eligible for the PMP certification, you must meet certain educational requirements.
In addition to the project management education described above, you must meet professional experience requirements.
Please refer to the article below for project management experience.
What is Project Management Education
So, what does “Project Management Education” mean?
There are detailed requirements as follows.
Training Hours
The unfamiliar term “contact hour” came up, but in short, it refers to training hour.
One hour of a project management course or class is equivalent to one hour of “contact hour”.
Please note that in order to be included in “contact hours”, you must have completed the course.
Education Period
There are no regulations regarding the period of education.
In other words, as long as you have completed the course, you can count training hours as contact hours no matter how long ago you took the course.
Rather, you are required to record all hours of education regardless of when you were educated.
However, if you are selected for an audit (more on audits later), you will need to prove that you have taken the course, so it is better to choose one that can be proven.
Educational Contents
Educational content that can be included in contact hours is about:
If only a portion of a course dealt with project management, only the hours spent on project management can be applied toward the total.
Training Organization
You must complete a course, workshop, or training session offered by one (or more) of the following Training Organization:
Self-directed learning (e.g., reading books, watching instructional videos that do not include an end-of-course assessment) does not satisfy the education requirements
Audit
PMI conducts an audit of some applications for the PMP exam.
PMI says a specified percentage of applications are randomly selected for audit.
The criteria used to select audit targets has not been in public.
If you are selected for an audit, you will be required to submit appropriate evidence (supporting documents).
Supporting Documentation
- Copies of your diploma/degree or global equivalent;
- Signatures from your supervisor(s) or manager(s) from the professional experience(s) recorded in the experience verification section of the application; and
- Copies of certificates and/or letters from the training institute(s) for each course recorded on the application to meet the required contact hours of professional education.
I was fortunately not to be selected for the audit, but it seems like collecting evidence will take a lot of effort.
Take Inventory of Project Management Education
Before considering taking a project management course, first take inventory of whether you have taken any training related to project management in the past.
It’s expensive and requires a lot of time, so if you can earn some contact hours from your past self, it’s worth it.
Based on the above requirements, take an inventory of your own project management education.
I have uploaded the Excel file that I used to organize my project management education, so please feel free to use it if you like (it is free).
Although it is a very simple sheet, it can be organized efficiently and I think it will be useful (examples included).
Excel sheet for inventory of project management education
Take Project Management Training Course
After earning contact hours from your past self by taking inventory, you need to fill in the gaps by taking a project management course.
First of all, training programs sponsored by your company are often free or reasonably priced, so you can save money by attending them.
If the company you work for does not have the course you want, or if there is still a shortage, consider paying courses such as schools or online seminars.
Recommended online courses are listed below.
Application for Project Management Education
To apply for the exam, please register on “My PMI” from the PMI official website.
Application Items
The application items are as follows.
The application items are simple such as title (course name) and training organization. There is no need to describe the training content, so it is not difficult.
Describe all project management education one by one.
Application Form
The PMI application form is as follows.
Example of Project Management Education
My application is shown below as an example. Please refer to it.
Title :
Project Management Training Course
Introduction to Quality Assurance
Requirements management (practice course)
PMP mock exam course
Institution :
__Information Service Industry Association
__Corporation
__Seminar
Date Started : (multiple-choice)
Date Ended : (multiple-choice)
Hours : (multiple-choice)
Excel Sheet for Inventory of Project Management Education
(Reposted)
I have uploaded the Excel file that I used to organize my project management education, so please feel free to use it if you like (it is free).
Although it is a very simple sheet, it can be organized efficiently and I think it will be useful (examples included).
Excel sheet for inventory of project management education
Conclusion
Thank you for reading to the end.
Finally, I will summarize the points on how to earn 35 contact hours efficiently while keeping costs down as below.
In my experience, PMP is one of the most useful qualifications for work.
I would be really happy if I could be of any help to you.
- To meet the requirements for project management education
-35 or more contact hours required
-If only a portion of a course dealt with project management, only the hours spent on project management can be applied toward the total.
–Self-directed learning (e.g., reading books, watching instructional videos that do not include an end-of-course assessment) does not satisfy the education requirements - Take inventory of whether you have taken any training related to project management in the past.
- Utilize training course provided by your company.
