A compelling look at PMP® certification: the why, where, when, what and how of it! By Joel Goldfarb, PMP, Project Management Training Company LLC.

1. WHY PMP®?
A s k Y o u r s e l f . . .
A Look at Certification
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2. Consider...Your time commitment to apply, prepare and take the exam. This can range from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on how you prepare.
Think instead about your return on investment. Most PMs make more money with PMP
certification. ROI exists in other ways too: better projects, resources, and career options!
Upfront cost: Exam and a training program may run between $2000 to $3000.
Some trainings focus on getting you through the exam; others focus on you learning
project management as well as test­taking techniques.
No one can guarantee you will pass the first time around so be careful about such
claims. While policies vary, most require you to take the exam three times before you get
a refund.
Have you thought about other certifications such as CSM, PSM, ITIL, Prince2 and IPMA.
Things To
Think About.
6
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

3. Requirements
35 Contact Hours
Approved Explanation
Education & Experience:
4­year college degree &
4500 project management
hours OR high school
diploma & 7500 project
management hours
File online at pmi.org
Payment ranges from $405
(for PMI member) to $555
Includes documentation of
requirements
Subject to audit
Process takes about 5 days
ExaminationApplication
PMPification Process Overview
Registration requires application
approval
Administered at Prometric Testing
Centers worldwide
4 hours
200 Multiple Choice Questions
Pass/Fail Score notification at end
of exam
May retake exam two more times
during 1 year period
Retake exam fee applies
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

4. PMP
EXAM
SUCCESS
RATES
Scoring is a Closely Guarded Secret
PMI does not publish statistics regarding how many candidates pass on
their first, second or third try.
Many PMP training companies claim rates of 95% or higher.
Some bloggers claim the first time pass rate is around 60%.
Some unofficial surveys show self­study pass rates are much lower than
those who attend a training course.
Exam questions come from an enormous bank of questions so no two tests
are the same.
Psychometric scoring is used (each question is weighted based on
difficulty) and since no two exams are the same, passing score is not a
specific percentage. You will not find out which questions you answered
correctly or incorrectly.
Your performance in five areas is rated as: below proficient, moderately
proficient, or proficient.
PASSING requires COMMITMENT, PLANNING and PREPARATION.
- Winston
Churchill
Let our advance
worrying become
advance thinking and
planning.
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

5. LET'S GET OUR PMP ON!
Project Management Institute founded 1969.
First PMP® credential awarded in 1984.
ISO certification in 2007.
Approximately 725,000 PMPs worldwide.
Approximately 5,000 new PMPs each month.
PMPs work in all industries & every size companies.
PMPs typically have another area of expertise such as
finance, engineering, construction, chemisty or IT.
What is the
history of PMP®?
*Various PMI publications©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

6. PMP WORLDWIDE
Some reasons to become a PMP:
Demonstrates a solid commitment & expertise.
Certification is respected and prestigious.
Indicates you stay current in your field.
PMP­led projects result in superior project performance.
Provides a common vocabulary & measurement in PM.
Many positions require PMP certification.
Certification commands better positions & salaries.
Opens a world of networking opportunities.
PMP is a global certification which can open doors abroad.
You are not limited by industry or company­size.
May 2016
393,413
723,068
712,948
March 2016 Sept 2010
*Vertical bars not to scale. Oh well. ©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

7. OVER 1 MILLION
C O M P A N Y . C O M
Search LinkedIN for "PMP"
Is this true?
This does not mean there are over a million PMPs because PMI has told us there
are about 725,000. And not everyone is on LinkedIn. But what it does mean is
aspiring PMPs are including their intention in their profile because recruiters have
many positions to fill requiring the PMP credential!
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

8. RIGHT FIT FOR ME
Project management has
unlimited potential. I can
work in most industries and
in just about any
department. There seems to
be opportunities in big and
small organizations
worldwide. There are
countless PMP job postings!
COMPENSATIONOPPORTUNITIES
M E & P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T
Companies pay well for
project managers, not to
mention bonuses. I've
looked at various surveys
like dice.com, salary.com
and glassdoor and see
certification pays well. I
could be making well into
the six­figures!
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
I love the variety of work. I
am highly organized. I see
the big picture but also can
work with the details. I am a
great problem solver. I adapt
to different environments
well. I can hit the ground
running and the work I do
has a beginning and an end!

9. A project manager must have both project management and product or
technical skills to be competent. But equally important are organizational skills,
being a quick­study, problem solver and adapting to the environment of your
stakeholders.
RIGHT FIT
M Y I N T E R E S T S , M Y T A L E N T S , M Y G O A L S
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

10. A PM can work just about anywhere, in almost every industry, and for any size
company. While most project management skills are not industry specific ­ your
technical background might be. PMs can be employed full­time, work as
consultants, or on contract. Many virtual opportunities are available too.
OPPORTUNITIES
T H E W O R L D I S M Y O Y S T E R
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

11. Numerous sources report higher compensation for PMPs versus project
managers without certification. These sources include PMI, Dice.com,
Robert Half International, Glassdoor.com, Salary.com and others.
COMPENSATION
S H O W M E T H E M O N E Y
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

12. YES
BUT
HOW?
Getting a PMP is a
project in itself, isn't it?
Sure ­ there's lots to consider,
but if you have a plan or you
will be prepared.
Application Approved !
PREPARE!!
PASS EXAM!!!
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

13. OPTIONS
Which path is right for you?
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
- Benjamin Franklin
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Self
Study
Employer
Provided
Training
Economy
Training
Study Group
Boot Camp

14. SELF-STUDY
Why do you want to go it
alone? The cost of superior
training is a small investment
with a large ROI. Consider
this if your exam is more than
a couple of months away,
you are a self­starter, highly
organized and resourceful.
There are endless study
guides and online resources.
Oh, and you need to be a
great test taker!
Study Groups are great for
college students but maybe not
so great for adults with jobs
and other responsibilities. Your
study group can only function
as fast as the slowest member.
It can be challenging dealing
with other people's commitment
and priorities. And you thought
managing people at work was
challenging!
ECONOMYSTUDY GROUPS
P L A N A C C O R D I N G L Y . . .
There are many training courses
out there as a simple search will
reveal. While the going rate for
premium training companies
may run around $2000, other
options may seem like bargains.
With the exception of some local
PMI chapters holding classes
(usually with high numbers of
attendees), most lower priced
programs aren't always bargain.
Sometimes more is more!
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

15. EMPLOYER-PROVIDED
This is a great option if it's available.
Companies with large numbers of
employees may have preferred
vendors or even conduct training in­
house.
You may have heard:
Nice if you can get it,
And if you get it, won't you tell me
how?
That said, some employers have
training reimbursement. Smaller
companies can often being
persuaded based on your business
case or value proposition or your
history with the company!
Also known as remote or distance­
learning, these courses come in two
flavors: real­time and pre­recorded.
Either one can be a great opportunity if
you live in a remote location. Or if you
are in a larger city but there are no live
courses coming up, then it may be
something to consider. Real­time
trumps pre­recorded of course. Most of
the training companies charge the
same price whether you attend in
person or remotely. Instructor contact
is limited as these classes tend to have
many students. Communication is not
as good as when you can talk to the
instructor in a real setting.
IN-PERSON CLASSVIRTUAL COURSES
PMP TRAINING BOOT CAMPS
There was a time that this was the
only way you could take a class.*
Let's be clear, you already know
what this means. You and your
instructor are physically in the same
room. While some people may think
that a virtual class is sort of like
telecommuting, your relationship is
only several days long. Good
instructors sense when students are
hesitant to ask questions from body
language and being distracted. You
build trust and rapport in person and
you meet other students. When
selecting this format always find out
class size and whether there is a
virtual platform for after class
review.
*Ok, there were also correspondence courses, a
precursor to distance learning ©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

16. FULL DISCLOSURE
F I R S T T H I N G S F I R S T . . .
Project Management Training Company LLC is just that. We offer real­time,
classroom PMP® Exam Preparation in our 3­day or 4­day Boot Camps.
So why do we offer this presentation? We don't see so­called competitors the way others do. We see there are 5000
new PMPs each month which means all of the methods we discussed earlier work for different people. PMTC is part of
a 20­year old project management consulting firm so this in our blood. Our classes are small, our instructor knows the
content and how to take tests. And we offer classes in many smaller markets where live classes are not generally an
option. So if you would like to learn more about our boot camps, visit www.projectmanagementtrainingcompany.com.
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

17. PRICE
Price and quality don't necessarily correlate.
Most companies charge somewhere around
$2000 for a four­day boot camp running
Monday­Thursday. Be careful about so­called
guarantees that you will pass. No one can
honestly make that guarantee. They are
actually saying, in the off­chance you don't
pass, you can come back again. But you have
to not pass three times before you can get your
money back. And you have to pay retake fees
to Prometric each time. We think the term
GUARANTEE is misleading, but we have the
same policy about retaking our course if you
don't pass.
Our strategy is to offer boot camps
in cities where others don't. You'll
find us in places like Greenville,
South Carolina, Richland,
Washington, and Flaggstaff,
Arizona. We also will be in the far
out suburbs of major metro areas
like Petaluma, California,
Allentown, Pennsylvania and
Danbury, Connecticut.
EXPERIENCE
TIME &
PLACE
H O W T O C H O O S E A R E A L -
T I M E L I V E I N - P E R S O N
C L A S S R O O M B O O T C A M P
Just because a company has been
around a while doesn't mean all its
instructors are created equally. Most
training companies don't know in
advance who will be teaching. And most
use independent contractors who work for
multiple companies. Why not learn from a
30­year project manager who has
multiple certifications and has worked on
every type of project imaginable?
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

18. Do you have questions or comments? Or just maybe
you're ready to enroll in PMP Boot Camp
T H A N K Y O U
Either way is cool!
Call: 844­PMP­EXAM or
Email: info@projectmanagementtrainingcompany.com
If you are ready to register, please visit projectmanagementtrainingcompany.com and then click on the REGISTER link
to choose an upcoming boot camp. I want to thank you for spending this time with me and best of luck!
­Joel Goldfarb, PMP
©2016 Project Management Training Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.