Over the past few years, I have worked with hundreds of professionals who are interested in obtaining the PMP certification. A common question they have asked is: Where do I start this journey?
To address this, I have created a detailed 10-step PMP study plan based on my own experience preparing for and passing the PMP exam, as well as the lessons learned from guiding my students. This plan is designed for busy professionals who can dedicate no more than 10 hours per week, and it is expected to take 8-12 weeks to complete.
I recommend that you take less than an hour to carefully read through this PMP preparation plan. Following this structured approach can save you a significant amount of time and effort in your PMP certification preparation.
Step 1: Do You Have the Serious Intent to Become PMP Certified?
The first step in your PMP learning plan is to ensure you have a genuine desire and commitment to obtain the PMP certification. This intent may stem from your career aspirations in the project management field or your passion to enhance your knowledge in this domain. Regardless of the motivation, the PMP certification is an excellent career advancement opportunity for project managers, project management team members, or those looking to build a career in project management.
Once you have this intent and are willing to invest the necessary time and money, you can become a PMP certificate holder within 2-3 months from this moment.
Are You Eligible for the PMP Exam?
According to the PMI standards, you must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the PMP exam:
- Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate degree, or the global equivalent)
- 7,500 hours of leading and directing projects
- 35 hours of project management education
Alternatively, you can be eligible with:
- Four-year degree.
- 4,500 hours of leading and directing projects.
- 35 hours of project management education.
The PMP exam fee is $405 for PMI members and $555 for non-members. It is recommended to register on the PMI website, which costs $129 for membership and $10 for the application fee. This is especially beneficial if you plan to take advantage of additional benefits beyond just the PMP certification.
You can find more details about the PMI requirements and exam fees on the PMI.org website.
Total Cost of the PMP Preparation Journey
The total cost of your PMP preparation journey will include the exam fees, reference books, the 35 contact hours course, and miscellaneous expenses. If you have self-learning abilities, I can guide you on how to get fully prepared for the PMP exam with only $250, covering the 35 contact hours, a reference book, and high-quality exam simulators.
The total cost of the PMP exam preparation plan can be around $900 (including the exam fees). If you prefer attending a live classroom in your city to get the 35 contact hours, the total cost may reach $1,200.
Most project management practitioners can afford the $1,000 investment to prepare and apply for the exam. The real challenge is the time commitment. Given that most of us have full-time jobs and family responsibilities, finding the most effective way to prepare is crucial.
The step-by-step study plan I have prepared based on my experience can help you save time. By dedicating 10 hours per week for 8-12 weeks and following this plan, you can increase your chances of success on the first attempt.
Step Two: Obtain Your Reference Books
Before attending the 35 contact hours of PMP education, it's recommended to read through your selected reference books. Many PMP aspirants advise completing the 35 contact hours first, but in my experience, reading the reference material at least once beforehand can be more effective.
By reading the reference book(s) initially, you'll gain a general understanding of the PMP exam content, identify your weaker areas, and have a better sense of which topics to focus on during the training. This allows you to maximize the value of the 35 contact hours.
The primary reference books I recommend are:
- PMP Exam Prep: Accelerated Learning to Pass the PMP Exam by Rita Mulcahy. This study guide reorganizes the PMP exam content in a structured way to aid self-study. It covers the PMBOK Guide's knowledge areas and project management framework. Allocate 6 weeks to thoroughly read through this book and take notes.
- The PMBOK® Guide - Sixth Edition. This is the foundational text that organizes the PMP exam syllabus by process groups. It's a must-read for PMP preparation. You can obtain a digital copy for free if you're a PMI member.
- The PMBOK® Guide - Seventh Edition. This latest edition incorporates expanded coverage of development approaches, tailoring, tools/techniques, and a focus on project outcomes. It's another essential reference book.
Before attending the 35-contact hours training, make sure to complete at least one full read-through of the PMP Exam Prep book by Rita Mulcahy. This initial exposure will help you identify knowledge gaps and prepare you to maximize the training experience.
Reading the reference book represents the second step in your PMP study schedule.
Step Three: Complete the 35 Educational Contact Hours
There are several options available to fulfill the 35-contact hour requirement for the PMP exam study plan:
- Live Classroom Training: Attend an in-person PMP prep course in your local area. These typically range from $500 to $1,200 depending on your location and the instructor's experience. The benefit of live classes is the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with the instructor. However, the schedule is fixed, and the material is often covered intensively over just a few days.
- Interactive Online Training: Look for live online webinar courses that provide the 35 contact hours. These are more flexible than in-person classes, with prices typically ranging from $500 to $700. The online format allows you to attend from anywhere, with the interactive component of having 10-15 other students participating.
- Self-Paced Online Training: If you have strong self-learning abilities, you can consider an on-demand, self-paced online course. I have created such a course that provides the 35 contact hours of PMP education for only $199, including 8 high-quality practice exams. You can have a look at the PMP course curriculum.
With a self-paced option, you have maximum scheduling flexibility in your PMP learning plan and can reach out to the instructors if you have any questions. Regardless of which approach you choose, the key is to fully immerse yourself in the course material, understand the exam content and structure, and walk away with the 35-contact hour certificate required for the PMP application. The choice should come down to your learning preferences and budget.
Step Four: Read with Focus, the PMP Exam Prep Reference Books
After completing the 35 contact hours of PMP exam preparation plan, it's time to revisit Rita Mulcahy's PMP exam preparation book. By focusing more closely on the important topics this time, you will gain a clearer understanding of the PMP exam framework, the key project management processes, and how projects flow from initiation to closure.
Reading through the book again, with a more focused and deliberate approach, will leave you approximately 60% ready to pass the PMP exam. This second read-through will solidify your knowledge and prepare you more thoroughly for the certification test.
Also, you need to read the PMBOK 7th Edition. Including both The Standard for Project Management and the PMBOK® Guide, this modern edition presents 12 principles of project management and eight project performance domains critical for the effective delivery of project outcomes. This book is mandatory for passing the PMP exam in the first trial, specially that 50% of the new exam questions will be around the Agile and Hybrid project management approaches, which are covered in the PMBOK 7th edition.
Step Five: Be aware of the PMP exam structure and each domain share in the exam
Knowing the exam structure will help you highlight the important domains and processes. You will know where to focus, and from which domain the biggest share of question will come. PMP Exam contains 180 questions. There are 230 minutes to complete the exam.
The PMP Exam questions will be a combination of multiple-choice, multiple responses, matching, hotspot, and limited fill-in-the-blank types of questions. Now to get my point out of this step, below is the list which shows the domains percentage as per the PMI latest exam content outline: People, emphasizing the soft skills you need to effectively lead a project team in today's changing environment, (42%), Process, reinforcing the technical aspects of successfully managing projects, (50%), and Business Environment, highlighting the connection between projects and organizational strategy, (8%).
About half of the examination will represent predictive project management approaches and the other half will represent agile or hybrid approaches. Predictive, agile, and hybrid approaches will be found throughout the three domain areas listed above and are not isolated to any particular domain or task.
Understanding the Exam content outline in detail, and the tasks within it, is critical for your PMP preparation plan.
Step Six: Highlight your weaknesses and PMP Exam hot Topics
Now that you have a solid understanding of the PMP exam structure and content, it's important to critically evaluate your own knowledge gaps and areas of weakness. Even after completing the reference books and 35-hour training course, there may still be certain topics or domains where you feel less confident.
It's crucial to identify these weak points and give them extra focus and attention during your continued exam preparation. Pinpointing your specific areas of weakness will allow you to tailor your studying to shore up those knowledge gaps.
In addition to addressing your own personal weaknesses, it's also important to be aware of the overall "hot topics" on the PMP exam. These are the subject areas that tend to produce most exam questions. Focusing your preparation on these high-value topics can help maximize your chances of success.
Some of the key PMP exam hot topics include Dealing with changes, risk response strategies, Agile principles, release and iteration planning, risks in contracts, schedule and cost estimation methods, Scrum framework, information radiators, Agile tools and techniques, risk register updates after each process, earned value, contingency reserves, user stories and story points, velocity in agile, and burn down charts.
For more details about the PMP exam preparation hot topics.
Step Seven: It’s the time to test yourself
At this stage, you are nearing the completion of your PMP preparation plan. However, there is one more crucial step to test your preparedness before scheduling the real exam.
You have now completed the 35 contact hours of training, read the key reference books, identified the exam's hot topic areas, and familiarized yourself with the overall exam structure.
To further assess your readiness, we have created a comprehensive PMP exam simulator that includes eight full-length simulated practice tests, each with 180 questions that must be completed within 3 hours and 50 minutes.
This simulator provides a total of 1,440 practice questions that closely mirror the format and content of the real PMP exam.
Most of these practice questions are situational in nature, requiring you to determine the best course of action based on the scenario presented. Additionally, you will encounter lengthy, wordy questions that test your understanding of key project management concepts.
The purpose of this final step is to thoroughly evaluate whether you are ready to schedule your actual PMP exam. You should set aside a distraction-free environment, open your laptop, have a blank sheet of paper and simple calculator available, and turn off your mobile device.
For the first practice test, you must complete the full 180 questions within the 3 hour and 50-minute time limit and achieve a minimum passing score of 80%. If you do not meet this target on the first attempt, do not worry. Simply review the areas you struggled with, then retake one of the other practice exams in the course until you can consistently score 80% or higher.
Once you have achieved this benchmark, you can confidently move forward and schedule your PMP certification exam. This final practice test step is crucial to ensuring you are truly prepared to succeed on the real PMP exam.
Step Eight: Schedule your exam 2 weeks ahead
Now that you have thoroughly prepared and tested your readiness, it's time to officially schedule your PMP exam date. Here are the steps to follow:
- Visit the PMI.org website and select "Membership" from the top menu.
- Choose the individual membership type, which will cost $129 + $10.
- Press "Join Now" and fill out the required information to create your PMI account.
- Once your membership is set up, go back to the PMI.org homepage and select "Certifications" from the top menu.
- Choose the "Project Management Professional (PMP)®" certification and click "Apply Now".
- Fill in your address, work address, and contact information.
- Provide details about your educational background (bachelor's degree or diploma).
- In the "Requirements Overview" section, save and continue.
- Click the "Project Experience" link and enter information about your relevant projects, including start/end dates, your role, the industry, your organization, reporting manager details, etc. Make sure to cover the required number of project experience hours.
- Fill in your 35 contact hours of project management education, including course titles, institute names, dates, and hours.
- Specify how you want your name to appear on the PMP certificate.
- Review the agreement, check the "I agree" box, and submit your application.
- Pay the exam fees.
After submitting, you will receive a notice either authorizing you to schedule the exam or informing you that your application will undergo an audit.
If audited, you will need to provide signed experience verification forms, a copy of your bachelor's degree, and proof of your 35 contact hours training. Sending these documents promptly will help ensure a smooth audit process.
Once your application is approved, you can schedule your PMP exam at an authorized testing center, booking your exam date at least two weeks in advance. Remember, you must pass the exam within one year of receiving your authorization.
Step Nine: Practice, practice, practice
Based on my experience helping students, one of the core reasons people fail the PMP exam on their first try is the time pressure. Completing 180 situational and detailed questions within 230-minute time frame is extremely challenging.
The best way to overcome this timing challenge is through extensive practice. Practicing sample exam questions will help you get accustomed to the real exam environment. You can find many free PMP practice question resources to start with.
The next critical step is taking full-length, timed practice exams that simulate the actual PMP exam conditions. This means practicing with a simple calculator, no mobile devices, and in a distraction-free environment. The goal is to be able to consistently complete all 180 questions within the 230-minute time limit while scoring at least 80% or higher.
Step Ten: Go and Pass!
We reached the final step of your PMP study plan. The night before the exam, make sure to get a good night's sleep and relax. In the morning, have a healthy breakfast and arrive at the testing center at least 1 hour before your scheduled exam time.
When you enter the exam room, you'll have your own workstation with a simple calculator, blank paper, and a pencil. Before starting the exam, carefully read through the tutorial that will appear on the computer screen. This will explain that the exam consists of 180 questions and lasts for 3 hours and 50 minutes.
During the exam, don't constantly watch the timer. Instead, take a quick glance at the time every 50 questions or so. You'll be able to mark questions you're unsure about to review later. Many of the questions will be case studies or scenarios followed by a question asking what the best course of action is. Even if you can't be 100% certain of the perfect answer, trust the knowledge you gained through your preparation and make your best judgment.
If you get stuck on a question, don't get flustered. Just highlight it to come back to later and move on to the next one. Maintain your focus and composure throughout the entire 3 hour and 50-minute exam. Once you've completed all 180 questions, click "Finish". You'll then be asked to fill out a brief survey about the testing center experience. After that, you'll receive your exam results along with a breakdown of your performance in each domain.
Feel free to reach out in case you have any question about the PMP exam preparation journey. Also, we really recommend having a look at our comprehensive PMP exam preparation bootcamp.
