How to Meet PMP Certification Requirements? All your questions answered
- Rohit Gupta
- Jul 4, 2023
- 11 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Can the PMP certification be the catalyst that gets you out of the rut of a monotonous job?Can it elevate your career from an ad-hoc people manager to a formal leadership role?
More importantly, with your current experience, do you stand a chance of meeting the PMP certification requirements?
If these are questions playing on your mind, read on.
In fact, I once had the same questions when I applied for the PMP certification a few years ago.
But after coaching and mentoring many professionals to break into project management roles over the past decade, I can guide you through the PMP application process with confidence built on experience.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the PMP certification requirements step by step, highlight common mistakes to avoid, help you assess your PMP application eligibility and the what you need to do to move forward in your PMP journey.
Why does PMI have PMP certification requirements in the first place?
PMP is a Highly Respected Credential
Ask anyone in the project management community, and they'll tell you about the respect and elitism associated with the PMP certification. Earning the PMP is no small feat, which is exactly why it's considered one of the most valued credentials in the field.
Moreover, with only a small percentage of professionals worldwide holding it, skilled PMP-certified project managers are highly sought after across industries.
The Strategic Edge of Being PMP-Certified
For many professionals, obtaining the PMP certification has brought long-term growth and new opportunities to otherwise stagnating careers. The value of the PMP lies in:
Higher Salary Earnings: PMP certification holders worldwide earn a 33% higher median salary than non-certified project managers, according to PMI's latest salary survey report.
Selective Recognition: This significant salary advantage, coupled with the global recognition of the PMP certification, emphasizes why PMI ensures only the most deserving people qualify.
Global Community: With over 1.5 million certified PMP alumni, a strong network exists that speaks the same project management language and values fellow certified professionals.
Career Advantage/More Interviews: A PMP certification helps you stand out in a hyper competitive job market and often gets you priority for interviews over non-certified candidates.
PMI’s Guardrails for Maintaining PMP Certification Integrity
If anyone could earn the PMP without proving real project experience:
The certification’s reputation would suffer
Its value in the job market would drop
To protect the credibility and status of the PMP, PMI enforces strict eligibility criteria.
If you’re looking for a complete, no-stress walkthrough of every section you need to fill out in the PMP application, check out our step-by-step guide on How to Fill the PMP Application.
PMI’s requirements for the PMP certification
Before you deep dive into the world of PMP and gear up for the exam, make sure to check and understand the PMP certification eligibility requirements to ensure you can prove your project management experience.
PMI’s experience expectations are that you show leading and directing project experience rather than just serving as a project participant.
Check the options for PMP Experience and Education Requirements that may apply to you below:
Option 1: Highest education is High School Diploma or an Associate’s Degree, then:
You MUST demonstrate 60 months or 5 years of project management experience
Show evidence of obtaining 35 hours of project management education/training
Option 2: Highest education is at least a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree or higher, then:
You MUST demonstrate 36 months or 3 years of project management experience
Show evidence of obtaining 35 hours of project management education/training
Option 3: Highest education is at least a Bachelor’s degree or higher from a GAC-accredited program, then:
You MUST demonstrate 24 months or 2 years of project management experience only
Show evidence of obtaining 35 hours of project management education
GAC core coursework automatically satisfies the project management education requirement.
Important Note:
PMI only considers project management experience gained in the last 8 years.
If you are reading this in 2025, then you can consider experience acquired from 2017 onwards, but not before that.
What Project Experience Do You Need to Qualify for the PMP?
For many, proving they have the right project management experience for the PMP is a real challenge.
PMI defines a project as ‘a project is a temporary endeavour to accomplish a goal or an objective that can be carried out individually or with a team’.
PMI wants to see experience in projects, not operational tasks
Although projects can be carried out in almost any sector or industry, they differ from regular operational activities. Business-as-usual (BAU) work tends to be repetitive and consistent, whereas project work is unique and drives change within the organization.
Listing BAU-type work will almost always lead to rejection.
We recommend using PMP application writing assistance to get your project experience right the first time and reduce the risk of rejection. We specialize in translating job experience from your resume into PMI-aligned project work.
Show that you led the Project
While evaluating your PMP application for meeting the eligibility criteria, PMI places strong emphasis on your leadership and team management capabilities. PMI wants to see that your experience reflects how you led and directed project work from start to finish.
Therefore, display your involvement across all PMBOK process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Control, and Closing a project.
In your descriptions, use terms and phrases that stress decision-making, team management, and outcome delivery.
A common reason applications get rejected is the inability to effectively communicate leadership responsibilities in past roles. We’ve earned the trust of over 500 PMP candidates by helping them overcome these challenges and present their experience in line with PMI’s expectations.
How to determine my PMP eligibility?
To determine if you fulfil PMP certification requirements, reflect on the experience you've accumulated over the years and identify which would qualify as projects.
While keeping in mind the project definition provided earlier, ask yourself the following questions:
Did I build a new product?
Did I improve processes within my organization?
Did I enhance an existing product?
Did I organize events, conferences, workshops, trainings, etc., which brought about positive change in my organization?
Did I introduce new practices within my team?
Did I undertake specific project management tasks to increase sales or improve business performance?
Did I undertake activities to fix/resolve problems within my organization?
Did I undertake activities so that my organization meets regulations or compliance?
Did I participate in projects to increase social good, such as providing potable water systems, education, sanitation or addressing community-related issues or challenges?
Did I apply new business processes and practices to improve my team's or the organization's work efficiency?
If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, you have been involved in project management and will most likely be able to meet the PMP eligibility. Please note that these questions only represent a partial list of work that qualifies as projects, and there could be other activities you have participated in throughout your project management career.
Note that we can help you identify and extract projects from your work experience that can be shown on the PMP application.
How do I show my experience in fulfilling the requirements for PMP certification?
To show your relevant experience in project management, you must draft it in the project description format recommended by PMI. To give you a deeper understanding, we have created a comprehensive article that showcases PMP experience examples and demonstrates how to fulfil the requirements for PMP certification.
As a general requirement, all project management professionals applying for PMP must write the project objective, outcomes, role, responsibilities and deliverables for every project included in their application. This is a required format that allows you to demonstrate your experience in order to fulfill the PMP experience requirement.
How should you show overlapping projects on the PMP application?
The PMI certification handbook states that 'For each month in which you worked on multiple, overlapping projects, you can only count the time spent on ONE of those projects toward fulfilling your eligibility requirements.'
This means that if you're working on several projects simultaneously and they overlap in any given month, you can only count the time spent on one of those projects towards meeting the project management hours eligibility requirements.
Below is an example of overlapping project hours or months on the PMP application. As you can see, March and April 2023 overlap between Project 1 and Project 2. Since a month can't be counted for both projects, you'll need to choose which project gets credit for those months. We've highlighted the overlapping months in red for clarity.
If you've worked on multiple smaller projects that overlap, we advise that you select a handful of those projects and consolidate them into a single larger project with an overarching goal. This will make it easier to present the information, reduce potential complications, and help you fulfill your exam eligibility.
What is the Application Process for PMP Certification?
Once you've confirmed that you satisfy the PMP certification requirements, your next action is to complete the PMP application process to become PMP certified.
Here is a breakdown of the steps involved:
1. Register on the PMI Website:
Create a free account on the PMI website and access the online application for PMP certification.
2. Complete the PMP Application:
Include the required information in the application, including your project management experience details, academic and project management education, contact hours, and professional background.
3. Review and Submit the PMP Application:
Thoroughly review your application to ensure accuracy and completeness, and submit it to PMI.
4. Once your PMP application is approved, you can pay the PMP exam fees and schedule your exam.
Can I show volunteer hours as a project manager? Does it meet PMP certification requirements?
PMI recommends that it is essential to have experience managing and directing projects within a professional environment. Therefore, accepting volunteer work depends on the nature of projects you've undertaken. For example, if your project was done in a business setting or had a positive societal impact, PMI is likely to accept it. The approval of other types of projects is at the discretion of your application reviewer.
Do projects involving a side hustle count towards fulfilling PMP experience requirements?
If a side gig or a hustle involved playing a project management role and utilizing project management skills, the hours worked can be counted towards meeting the PMP certification requirements for experience. A side hustle can encompass various activities, such as running a business with a team and coordinating with vendors, managing investment portfolios, or working as a consultant.
Additionally, while managing small projects or large ones, you can demonstrate your ability to perform various project management tasks, make project-related decisions, and apply project management expertise, allowing you to meet the PMP experience requirement.
Can I earn the PMP without any relevant experience?
Meeting the PMP certification requirements without project management experience is usually difficult. Additionally, it's important to note that falsifying one's professional employment or work history in order to meet the PMP experience requirements would be a violation of the PMI code of ethics.
However, if you have worked for a significant number of years, you must get a PMP eligibility check to determine if you qualify for the PMP. As part of our PMP application review and rewrite service, we help people determine if they have relevant experience for the PMP.
Do I need to get the PMI membership to apply for the PMP?
Some people have a misconception that a PMI membership is a prerequisite to applying for the PMP certification. You do not necessarily need to be a PMI member to apply for the PMP certification, although it would be helpful to get it.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) membership is beneficial to get a discount on the PMP exam. PMI members enjoy access to valuable resources, networking opportunities and reduced PMI member prices for exams.
What is the PMP Exam Cost?
Everyone who intends to appear for the PMP certification must pay the PMP exam fees. The cost of the PMP exam varies based on your PMI membership status and the country in which you live.
PMI charges USD 405 for members and USD 575 for non-members, which is a nearly 30% discount on the certification cost. The cost of the PMI membership is USD 149 all-inclusive, and sometimes, you may also find additional discounts on the membership and exam costs online.
Therefore, it's worth considering becoming a PMI member to take advantage of the discounted exam fee and other key membership benefits.
Can I satisfy the PMP experience requirement if I haven't managed all parts of a project?
As a project management professional, it's common to work in specific areas rather than cover all project aspects. PMI recognizes that PMP certification applicants may have experience in only some areas in a single project and allows you to consolidate your relevant project management experience from diverse projects to meet the PMP experience requirements.
What is the required number of contact hours for PMP eligibility?
To be able to fulfil the PMP certification requirements, it's required that you complete 35 hours of formal project management training, which you can obtain in a classroom environment, a self-paced course or a blended environment. It's important to note that you should enroll in PMP training courses that explicitly covers the PMP exam syllabus rather than a general project management course.
The PMP training provider which delivers the course to you must be able to provide a 35 contact hours certificate to help you fulfil PMP eligibility while submitting the PMP application to PMI.
Can I Apply for the Exam Prior to Attending a Course?
PMI mandates that you should have completed a project management training course and acquired the 35 contact certificate before applying for the PMP certification. You will need to enter your course start and end dates in the PMI portal while filling out the PMP application. PMP certification training providers will provide you with the contact hours certificate after you enrol and complete the course, which you must submit in case of a PMI audit.
Additionally, enrolling in a PMP exam prep course helps you not only meet PMP requirements but also enhances your chances of success in the PMP exam.
How long do I have to complete the PMP certification exam after application approval?
Once your PMP application is approved, PMI gives you a one-year window to take and complete the PMP examination. Within the 1 year period, you're allowed to sit for the exam a total of 3 times in case of failure.
What Should I Do if I cannot Meet PMP eligibility requirements?
It's better to get a PMP eligibility check before assuming that you do not meet the PMP certification requirements. Most people get their PMP application rejected due to a lack of relevant or enough work experience. If you realize that you do not meet the project management experience criteria, consider getting additional experience managing projects.
Alternatively, consider obtaining the CAPM certification exam, which is also a widely known certification, if you do not satisfy the PMP experience requirements.
Can I get a PMP certification without experience as a project management professional?
Ideally, if you do not have any experience leading projects, you may not be eligible for the PMP. However, if you possess at least 3 or 5 years of work experience as a team leader or functional manager, it may be worthwhile to consider applying to PMI with your work experience details and see if you meet their approval criteria.
As long as you can demonstrate that you led and managed teams, engaged with stakeholders, created project documentation, and made important project decisions that fall under project management activities, you can get approved for the PMP certification exam. You do not need to hold a project management job to qualify for the PMP; rather, you need to demonstrate project management skills.
If you're looking for an end-to-end PMP prep solution which helps you pass the PMP certification exam on the first try, we offer a comprehensive PMP Blended Programme that includes personalized coaching, support, exam guidance and mentorship from a PMP coach. Additionally, we provide more than 40 hours of detailed course videos, tailored study plans, assistance with PMP application approval, 35 contact hours, lots of practice exams and classroom training 2-3 times per month.
If you have any other questions about your PMP Application, please email us at info@careersprints.com.
About the Author
Rohit Gupta is a PMP and PRINCE2 certified project management trainer with 15+ years of experience training a global audience of more than 50,000 candidates.
He has helped over 500 professionals get their PMP applications approved and mentored 300+ candidates to earn their PMP certifications. As a lead coach at CareerSprints, Rohit continues to guide project managers with personalized, real-world preparation strategies.
Rohit is recommended by many PMP exam candidates for his ability to guide them through the PMP application process and for his personalized, structured coaching style that helps them achieve certification success.
He also holds other prestigious and in-demand certifications such as ITIL expert, Scrum Master Certification, FCAS certification and DevOps Foundation Certification.