Are you a working professional? Do you want to have a certification that will enhance your resume? Getting a Project Management Certificate is one of the options you must indeed look at. PMP certification can benefit your personal as well as your career growth.

To get a PMP certificate, you need to have all the details regarding the same. From ‘what is a PMP certification to getting PMP certified,’ every bit of detail is made available to you here.

What is PMP Certification?

A Project Management Professional Certification provided by Project Management Institute is the action or process of providing a professional with an official document stating that the certified professionals can meet certain experience criteria required by organizations.

Having a PMP certificate means you have a documented experience and all-round knowledge of the common project management process.

PMP Certification – Why?

As you have understood what PMP means, let us know why it is crucial. Whether you should proceed towards getting certified or not? You can check here the benefits of getting certified for project management.

1. Adds value to your résumé – Candidates can move towards many certifications; however, PMP is one of the best certifications. Candidates may land at a job profile that of a project manager. Thus, the recruiters will lean towards the profiles with a project management certificate.
2. Helps in providing industry recognition – PMP certificate provided by PMI is recognised universally. It is applicable for every industry; thus, this increases the profitability of certification
3. Improvement of skills – There are many project managers; thus, candidates having a project management certificate will probably have the edge over the other project managers. PMP certified candidates will have an extra set of skills. Candidates can get the skill-set without the certification with experience. However, if you get certified, you will get the skills in a lesser period.
4. Boost in income – Got the PMP certificate? Surely you can now get a better take home salary. You will see this growth in a lesser period. The average salary of a certified project manager is $ 1,08,000. If you hold a project management certificate, you can expect around 20% more salary than the project managers not having it.

PMP Certification – Why Not?

As you already know that the PMP certification for working professionals has several benefits. However, you must know the disadvantages of proceeding towards it. Here are some of the demerits of the project management certificate offered by PMI.

1. Big budget certification

For non-PMI certified professionals, the cost of having a PMP certificate is somewhere around USD 555. However, for the members of PMI, an amount of USD 405 is applicable to take the exam. If you wish to get a PMI membership, it will cost you around USD 139, which has a high cost too. You may fail in the first attempt of the exam for PMP certification; further, to retake the test, you will have to pay an immoderate amount of 275 USD if you are a PMI member. If you are a non-member, an amount of 375 USD will be applicable. Other than the exam cost, you will have to pay an amount for the preparation, including books, sample papers, and more.

2. It is difficult

PMI offers the PMP certification and makes the value of a candidate that of an experienced project manager. Thus, the exam for PMP is difficult as it provides the value of level that an experienced asset holds in terms of knowledge. The exam is set with great difficulty as the PMP exam tests the memory of the concepts and their practical application. You will have to answer 200 questions within 240 minutes.

3. It is time-consuming

More than the budget included in appearing for the exam, the cost of time is a problem when looking at the bigger picture. Preparation for the exam consumes the most time. You must have access to the best books required to crack the exam for a project management certificate. Preparation of the exam will include accessing the preparatory sessions. All the activities will take up a significant amount of time.

The problems mentioned above seem intimidating. However, as compared to the advantages of such a certification, the disadvantages hold no relevance. Thus, in my opinion, you must indeed proceed with the PMP certification offered by PMI.

How to get PMP certified?

There are several requirements that professionals must meet before they can apply for certification. Once an application has been accepted and approved by the official conducting body, the individual must pass a comprehensive exam to become a certified associate in project management.

Aspiring professionals will be required to appear for an exam conducted by PMI to gain certification in project management. The PMP certification exam will test the candidates on the following parameters as mentioned below.

1. Initiating the project (13%)
2. Planning the project (24%)
3. Executing the project (31%)
4. Monitoring and controlling the project (25%)
5. Closing the project (7%)

Reading the above details, some people might view PMP certification as expensive or time-consuming or difficult or all three. But, you must know that most HR experts treat this certification as an essential certification that can enhance the reliability of your resume. Moreover, having a PMP certificate will lead to gaining the skills of an experienced project manager before having much experience in the field.

Giving my opinions on whether the working professionals must go for PMP certification or not, I suggest you must surely go for it as a working professional.