PMP FAQ

General

• What is PMI and PMP?

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a not-for-profit professional association which aims to advance the practice, science and profession of project management throughout the world in a conscientious and proactive manner. Founded in 1969 by working project managers, PMI has grown to be a global organization with presence of 250 local chapters in over 70 countries. See more facts about PMI at its website.

Project Management Profession (PMP) is one of the popular certifications PMI offers for project managers and project participants

• Is PMP the right certification for me?

Project Management Professional (PMP) is a valuable credential for personnel who leads and directs cross-functional teams to deliver projects within the constraints of schedule, budget and scope. The knowledge presented in PMP education is useful for project managers and project participants.

Besides PMP, PMI does offer a family of credentials for practitioners with different levels of experience. These includes the entry level Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and the expert level Program Management Professional (PgMP).

• Is PMP an IT certification?

While PMP is a popular certification pursued by IT professional, the project management knowledge presented does not confine itself to IT industry. PMP certification is not linked with any IT vendor nor product. In fact PMP is an industry-neutral credential. PMP holders do come from various industries including finance, manufacturing, marketing, etc.

• I am a skilled project manager. Why PMP credential is important to me?

PMP credential is a reorganization of your knowledge, skills and abilities. It is a globally recognized credential and can lead to career opportunities and advancement.

PMI lists top 10 reasons for earning a PMI credential.

• Is PMP a recognized credential?

Yes. PMP is a globally recognized credential and one of the de-facto certifications in the field of project management. In recent years more and more enterprises are considering PMP certification as a basic requirement in their recruitments of project manager.

PMP Exam Application

• What do I obtain PMP credential?

To obtain PMP credential, one must meet the eligibility requirements (see question 2) and complete the online application process (see question 3). After that you will be directed to schedule your examination. You should sit and pass the multiple-choice examination within 1 year after the application submission to obtain your PMP credential.

• What are the eligibility requirements of PMP?

You must meet one of the followings:

• High school diploma / global equivalent
• 5 years project management experience
• 35 hours project management education

OR

• Bachelor’s degree / global equivalent
• 3 years project management experience
• 35 hours project management education

Notice that the project management / project management education requirements must be fulfilled at the time an applicant submits the application, rather at the time an applicant takes / schedules the examination.

• What is the online application process and do I start it?

Before actually taking the examination, applicant has to complete an online process in which one needs to fill in his background information, prior project management experience and also the information about project management education he received. Applicants are responsible for providing accurate information and the submission may undergo an audit.

To start the application process, go to PMI website and register as a user. Registration is free of charge. You can decide to become a PMI member after registration, which will impose a charge.

• What is the application audit all about?

All applications are subject to an audit, although only a small percentage of applications are selected for audit and the selection is random. If your application is selected for the purpose you will be notified after the credential fee payment and you must complete the audit before you can schedule your examination.

During an audit, you will be asked to submit supporting documentation such as:

• Copies of your diploma/global equivalent
• Signatures from your supervisor(s) or manager(s) from the project(s) and/or program(s) documented in the experience verification section of the application
• Copies of certificates and/or letters from the training institute(s) for each course documented on the application to meet the required contact hours of project management education

• When should I take the examination after application?

There is an eligibility period of 1 year after the acceptance of online application. During which you must schedule, sit and pass the examination. Failing to do so would require a new application and paid credential fee forfeited.

• How do I schedule my examination?

After the acceptance of your online application, you will be re-directed to the examination operator Prometric website where you can search availability and schedule examination at your convenience.

Note that neither PMI nor PMI-HK chapter manages the actual examination. Contact Prometric hotline for queries over examination arrangement.

• What should I watch out when scheduling my examination?

You will schedule your examination at Prometric website. Identification can be a major issue. Hong Kong ID card is not a valid identification document at Prometric online registration, which is designed for global use. We recommend using your passport instead and by doing so, you must present the passport on examination day. HKSAR and BNO passport are both accepted.

On the other hand, make sure you fill in your given name and family name at Prometric website EXACTLY as they show on your passport. If you have your Christian name on your passport, make sure you put it down at Prometic website when scheduling examination. If you don’t have your Christian name on your passport, do not put it down online. Use same caution with initials. Test center is very strict over name and you might be denied from taking examination if the document your present reads differently from the information you entered online.

• How much does the examination cost?

In Hong Kong you must take the computer-based testing operated by Prometric. The cost will be:

• US$ 405 for PMI member
• US$ 555 for non-PMI member

You will settle this payment, namely the credential fee, as part of the online application process. You will have to pay before scheduling your examination. Payment will be made online with credit cards.

• Must I be a PMI member to obtain PMP credential?

No you don’t have to be a PMI member.
However an individual membership costs US$ 129 annually. So you can actually save US$ 29 by becoming a member and enjoy the discounted examination fee, not to mention other membership benefits.

• How can I fulfill the requirement of official Project Management Education?

To fulfill the requirement the applicant must receive at least 35 hours of specific instruction that addressed learning objectives in project management. The course work must be completed at the time an applicant submits the application.

An applicant should be able to demonstrate a successful completion of courses, workshops and training sessions offered by one or more of the following types of education providers:

• PMI Registered Education Providers
• PMI Component organizations
• Employer/company-sponsored programs
• Training companies or consultants
• Distance-learning companies, including an end-of-course assessment
• University/college academic and continuing education programs

The following education does not satisfy the requirements:

• PMI chapter meetings
• Self-directed leaning (e.g., reading books, watching instructional videos or sessions with coaches or mentors)

• I had my PM training long ago. Would the experience be counted?

There is no expiry on training experience. Yes the experience is valid.

• I had my PM training based on PMBOK3. Would the experience be counted?

The project management education required does not specify a particular material. Yes the experience is valid.

PMP Exam Taking

• Who is organizing the examination?

PMP examination in Hong Kong is organized and operated by Prometric. You will take the examination at San Po Kong Office of Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority.

• What is the examination format?

You will complete 200 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours.
Each question consists of 4 options.
You will be assigned a workstation in the test center where you answer questions on screen with mouse.

• What is the requirement for a pass?

There are 200 multiple-choice questions in the examination. 25 out of the 200 will be pretest questions from PMI to test the validity of future examination questions and they will not be scored.
For the remaining 175 questions, an application must answer 106 of them correctly in order to pass the examination.

• When will the examination be held?

The examination is being held throughout the year. There is no regular annual / quarterly intake schedule.

• When will I be informed about the exam result?

Examination result is available right after the examination. The result includes an overall pass/fail result score and a breakdown by domain area.

• What to watch-out on examination day?

Besides being on time the most important issue on examination day is about your identification. You must present the identification document you used during online registration with Prometric at the premises. Since Hong Kong ID card is not accepted at online registration, you probably had chosen passport as your identifying document. In this case, you MUST have your passport with you. Test center will not accept Hong Kong ID card as alternative.

• What if I fail? How I take the exam again?

You are granted a 1-year eligibility period to pass the examination after the acceptance of online application. During the eligibility period, you may take the examination up to three times.
If you cannot pass within the year, you must wait one year from the date of the last examination you took to reapply for the credential.

Maintaining the PMP credential

• Will my PMP credential expire?

Yes it will.
Once you have attained the PMP credential, you must participate in the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program to maintain an active certification status. The PMP certification cycle lasts three years from the date you pass the examination, during which you must attain no less than 60 professional development units (PDUs) toward credential maintenance.

• How can I earn PDU?

PDUs are used to quantify approved professional development activities. Typically you earn one PDU for one hour (60 minutes) spent in a planned, structured professional development activity.

You can earn PDU by participating activities of the following categories:

There is a ceiling on the PDU to be earned in each category. You can have more detailed definition and ceiling breakdown after login to CCR System.

• How do I report my PDU obtained?

You can report PDUs earned with the online CCR System (CCRS). Login with your PMI account and you can manage your PDU within your certification cycle to maintain the credential.

• How do I keep track of my CCR status?

You can use the online CCR System (CCRS) to do so.

• What happen if I don’t have enough PDU?

If you cannot earn enough PDU at the end of your certification cycle, your credential will be revoked and you will have to take the PMP examination again.