Step 1: Read the PMI credential manual. The PMP Credential Manual, available at http://www.pmi.org, explains in detail the process for obtaining PMP certification. Reading it should be the first 20 minutes on your PMP certification journey.
Step 2: Make sure you are eligible. The Credentials Manual also details the eligibility criteria. Depending on your educational background, you must show 4,500-7,500 hours of PM experience and 35 hours of PM-related training.
Step 3: Become a member of PMI and your local PMI chapter. Becoming a member makes financial sense. Members receive substantial discounts on the PMP exam and local events, particularly the PMP Workshop offered by many local chapters throughout each year. In fact, the discounts are greater than the membership fees.
Step 4: Register for the exam. “I want to become a PMP” is a good plan. “I want to become a PMP and my exam is in 3 months” is a much better plan because we all work much better when we have a deadline. Register online through the PMI website.
Step 5: Read the PMBOK Guide. Twice. 75% of the PMP exam questions come from the PMBOK guide. You must know. And the only way to know is to read it twice.
Step 6: Read a PMP prep book. To know the 25% not covered in the Guide, you need third-party products like PMP Prep Books or online self-study courses. You can easily find these books at local bookstores or online. These products will also “translate” awkwardly described PMBOK Guide concepts and give examples from PM’s everyday life.
Step 7: Wait for the PMP workshop from your local chapter. Your local chapter workshops are usually much less expensive but of a similar or higher quality than those offered by commercial training companies. Volunteers involved as your instructors will guide you in your studies and make sure you know everything there is to know.
Step 8: Answer sample questions. Successfully passing any test means knowing what will be required of you. The PMP exam is no different. Answer as many free and commercial PMP sample questions as possible and score. The general rule of thumb is that if you always answer new questions 80% correctly, then you are ready to take the exam.
Step 9: Study hard and have a plan. Studying for the PMP exam is a serious endeavor and requires personal dedication. Manage your path to becoming a PMP as a project and create a plan, a study plan. Define how many hours he studies, how many chapters he reads, and how many sample questions he takes every day.
Step 10: Take the exam. After all that hard work, taking the exam almost seems like the easy part. Consider the following to make your exam day a successful experience: Get a good night’s sleep the night before. No need to study until 3 a.m. M. You have studied a lot and a lot and you are ready for it. Bring two forms of official identification with a photo, water, snacks, a sweater, a simple calculator, and earplugs to the exam site. Before the exam, take the short tutorial that explains how to use the computer. Now click on the “Start Exam” button. Good luck!
Finally, prepare for the ups and downs in your studies. Some concepts will be easy for you to understand and others will be difficult for you. Do not despair or think that you will never understand them. Thousands of people have passed the exam before you and you can pass it too.