The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a highly respected and top credential in the field of project management. Once you pass the PMP exam, your certification is valid for three years from the date of passing. It is important to maintain your PMP certification. In this article, we will briefly discuss how long PMP certification is valid and what the requirements are to maintain the PMP certification.
How Long is PMP certification valid?
As we’ve talked about above the PMP certificate is only valid for three years or thirty-six months. After this period, you’ll have to renew it. The good news is If you stay on top of your PMP renewal, you won’t have to retake the exam. Just review the requirements so you can enjoy the benefits of being a certified Project Management Professional.
PMP Certification Renewal Requirements
To keep your PMP certification active, you need to complete continuing education requirements every 3 years. This involves earning 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) to renew your certification.
PDUs are hours spent learning or helping others. Split them into two categories i.e. learning and giving back. This keeps your certification active and your skills sharp.
Once you’ve completed the requirements, a new 3-year cycle starts, and you’ll need to earn another 60 PDUs to maintain your certification.
Step 1: Earn Education PDUs
The Education PDUs are important for you when renewing your PMP certification. It shows you’re updating your project management knowledge. You must earn at least thirty-five education PDUs to the requirements. You can get these credits from PMI books, PMI-approved courses (in-person or online), PMI events and meetings, informal events, and formal education programs.
For PMP renewal, your Education PDUs must cover specific topics. PMI’s Talent Triangle guides this learning with three sides including technical, leadership, and strategic.
The technical side is known as ways of working. It involves how you do your job, including strategies like flexibility, predictivity, and creative problem-solving. Leadership is basically the power skills like effective communication, teamwork, and leading teams. While strategic is called business acumen. It involves understanding your industry, and organization, and how your work contributes to it.
PMI trusts your judgment when choosing relevant materials that fit these categories. To renew, you need at least 8 PDUs from each of these three categories which equals 24, and 11 additional PDUs from any of these categories total of 35.
Another Option to Earn PDUs
You can also earn PMP renewal credits by giving back to the project management community. You can do this by mentoring or teaching others. This will give you up to 17 credits.
You can also work in your field and earn up to 8 credits, become a volunteer at PMI, and earn up to 17 credits. Moreover, you can write blog posts or articles and give a big presentation too. But remember you can only earn a maximum of 25 credits by following this option.
Step 2: Enter Your PDUs in The CCR System
The next step is to enter your earned PDUs in the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) system. Simply log in to your PMI account on their website and access the Continuing Certification Requirements System.
You can enter your credits From there as you earn them, or all at once. To make it even simpler, keep track of your project management activities, such as projects you’ve worked on, volunteer work, and certificates of completion for training or courses. Keep an eye on your activities from the past three years to ensure you don’t miss any eligible credits.
Step 3: Pay Your PMP Renewal Certification Fee
The last step is to pay your PMP certification renewal fee. After the confirmation of your PDUs PMI, you’ll get an email to renew your certification. Then, you’ll need to pay a fee.
If you’re a PMI member, just pay $60 and if you’re not, you’ll have to pay $150. Remember, pay the fee before the expiry date and time other you may lose your certification. In that case, you’ll have to retake the PMP exam.
Choose The Best Training For PMP Exam
The PMP exam is not as tough as many people consider. All you need is the right training platform. There are many training institutes for PMP exam preparation, but you’ll have to choose wisely. Monroyal is among the top training platforms that offer quality course content under the guidance of professional instructors. You can trust us to prepare for the PMP exam.
Although there are many options to prepare for the PMP exam. Successful exam takers typically dedicate 2-6 months to practice, with an average of 35 hours of preparation. You can also use resources like the PMBOK Guide, which provides a foundation in project management, or test prep books to familiarize yourself with the exam format and questions.
Practice exams are also a good idea. Additionally, introductory courses can help you get started with project management. Choose the method that works best for you to ensure you’re fully prepared for the test.
What is The Worth of PMP Certification?
Getting a PMP certification is very beneficial. But remember, it depends on your individual situation. If you are PMP certified, you’ll gain industry recognition. This will show other employers that you have project management expertise and experience.
You’ll also learn new skills, such as project management fundamentals. These fundamentals include conflict resolution and budgeting which will make you a better project manager. Additionally, PMP-certified professionals earn higher salaries compared to the other certificate holders. Plus, the demand for project managers is growing day by day, especially in healthcare, construction, and finance. With a PMP certificate, you will be able to generate a handsome earning in these fields.
Summary
In short, PMP certification is only valid for three years or thirty-six months. In this period, you’ll have to earn 60 PDUs for certification renewal and after that pay the fee for the next three years of certification validity. If you still have any queries regarding how long PMP certification is, write down to us and we’ll be happy to assist you.