Can You Get PMP Certification Without Experience?

The answer is NO.

Why?!

Simple, you are not fit for taking the PMP certification exam as you lack project management experience and education, which means the certification isn’t for the freshers.

You can pursue CAPM Certification, which can become a step ahead of passing the PMP credential test.

Now, if the question is ‘Whether you can get project management experience without PMP certification’? Then the answer is YES.

Find out why the first question is a big NO and the second one a YES in this blog. Make sure you read till the end!!! So, let’s get started.

Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification is a worldwide renowned and prestigious certification awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI®). If you've set your eye on obtaining PMP certification for a project management career, it may seem like a mind-boggling situation due to its prerequisites.

According to PMI's PMP handbook, the requirement for PMP highlights that you must have a minimum experience of 3 years in leading and directing projects. It is one of the reasons why PMP certification holds a significant weightage in the industry. Individuals with this badge are proficient project managers having all the needed education, including relevant credentials and ample training.

Eligibility Criteria to Apply for PMP Exam

The PMP certification being highly valued, its requirements get even more rigorous. 

PMI needs exam appearing candidates to have project management experience of at least 36 months (3 years), extending to 60 months (5 years) for those who don’t hold either a 4-year UG degree or a global equivalent.

Additionally, to be exam-fit, you are required to have 35 contact hours of project management education. This condition, however, is waived off for CAPM-certified professionals.

You may also like: 10 Tips to Crack CAPM Exam in First Try

The eligibility criteria for applying for PMP, according to PMI, are given below:

• Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or the global equivalent)
• 7,500 hours leading and directing projects
• 35 hours of project management education or CAPM certification

OR

• 4-year degree (bachelor’s degree or global equivalent)
• 4,500 hours leading and directing projects
• 35 hours of project management education or CAPM certification

According to pmi.org - examination content outline 2021:

PMP Experience Criteria

What is meant by project management experience?

An experience in project management means the time spent executing or performing numerous project management tasks during the complete project duration.

Until 2020, PMI demanded that professionals have a minimum of 7,500 and 4,500 hours of project management experience appear for the PMP certification exam. However, according to the exam content outline 2021 of PMI, the institute doesn't specify any minimum hours; instead shows professionals must have a minimum experience of 3 and 5 years.

©2019 Project Management Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – January 2021

Though PMI hasn't disclosed removing the minimum number of hours from its system, we as the audience shall wait for any further updates. We shall consider the older version of 4500 or 7500 hours until then.

Below given are a few cases where you can obtain the required hours:

1. You have done project management activities equal in value to 4500 or 7500-hours in a single project.
2. You worked in multiple sequential projects and gained project management activities worth 4500 or 7500-hours.
3. You worked in multiple simultaneous projects and done activities worth 4500 or 7500-hours.

What are the Leading and Directing Project?

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide®) 4th Edition coins a project as a "temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service."

Leading and directing projects refers to any experience that falls under five project management activities, that are:

1. Initiation

Initiating any project or sharing your ideas and defining project goals.

2. Planning

Here, we identify the project's scope and create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), the project plan (cost, quality, resources and duration) and communication strategy.

3. Execution

This stage includes executing project scope within real-time, solving issues and managing quality, cost, and risk.

4. Monitoring & Controlling

The project progress and performance are measured during the execution phase and at the phase end. It includes project tracking, reporting the project update and changes needed, troubleshooting issues, stakeholder management, resource management, and more.

5. Closing 

Lastly, the project closing. Here processes such as reviewing, documentation, finalizing and maintaining the final project report, handing over the deliverables, etc., are done.

According to PMI's PMP Handbook, the experience doesn't necessarily have to be paid one but must be in a professional setting. Moreover, it isn't necessary to have a Project Manager title in all the projects you worked on to qualify for program management activities experience hours.

How to Get Project Management Experience?

Take up small projects to lead and gain experience in any of the five project management activities said earlier, as PMI doesn't look for the candidate who carries the Project Manager designation. Hence step up the business ladder together with your organization to gain project management experience.

To qualify the criteria for appearing PMP exam, you must maintain a record of work with information like:

1. The industry you worked with
2. Project date (Start to finish)
3. Reporting manager and finally,
4. Experience overview or summary.

You must keep track of your work with specific deadlines and deliverables. Remember, project management experience is not about obtaining paid project work but working in a professional environment.

Pave ways to lead projects by taking any of the project management courses. Certified Associate Project Management (CAPM) is one of the best stepping stones towards PMP as it covers the fundamental of the PMBOK Guide.

Designations that Offer Project Management Experience

If you in search of a career change, consider roles that have project management roles and responsibilities, but without project manager designations, and they are:

Business Analyst (BA)

BAs get assigned with the accumulation of requirements that significantly become part of the project or provide tasks during project execution.

Training Organizer

As a training organizer or coordinator, you have the advantage of being both parts of a vast project and managing your own. On massive projects, training allows individuals to participate in a project. Creating a training plan for a team is visualized as a project requiring skills similar to a project manager.

Personal Assistant

Being a personal assistant will attain time management and organization skills. You will likely end up in multiple minor projects that need the right project managing responsibilities and works.

Office Admin or Manager

Now, both roles have different roles and responsibilities, mostly resembling the project manager. To be an office admin or manager requires proficiency in communication and organization skills, followed by the potential to plan and perform more significant activities. Here too, you will lead minor projects that will help you achieve project management skills.

Other leading or directing role includes supervisor, project coordinators, team luminary or leader, assistant project manager, etc.

Validation of Project Management Experience

It's not just about you gaining PM experiences. PMP credential is prestigious for project management skills and knowledge. Hence it is no surprise that PMI undergoes stringent policies to verify the applications.

They randomly review the applications before you appear for the credential test. If your application comes under audit, PMI can ask for validations regarding educational qualification or contact hours.

If you fail the audit process, there is a suspension period of 1-year to apply for that certification again.

Enrol Now for Project Management Experience

To meet the prerequisites of getting a PMP certification takes two to four years. As you move ahead with your plan on achieving the goal, ensure you maintain an accurate record of project experience hours and track them accordingly. This additional effort will help you complete the application seamlessly.

If you have the required project management experience and are looking for training, then you can check out iCert Global’s 35 contact hours of PMP training course.

In this course, you will have:

If you still have doubts about PMP prerequisites, you can Contact Us with your query, and we will answer it for you.

Recommended Post:

• Top 50 PMP Exam Questions for 2022
• Top 10 Roles of Project Managers
• Widely Adopted Steps in Creating Project Communication Plan
• A Step-by-step Beginner's Guide to Project Management

Do visit our Corporate Training to know more about core offerings for enterprises in empowering their workforce.

Download Free PMP® Exam Practice Test with 200 PMP® Questions.

Full-length PMP sample test with 200 PMP exam prep questions.  You may also be interested in Top 50 PMP Exam Questions for 2022 before you download the Free PMP® Practice Test.

Download our Free PMP Brochure for more information.

For more information about PMP® Certification Training courses worldwide, please visit us at https://www.icertglobal.com

 or

Call Now!

USA: +1-713-287-1213 / 1214 / 1053 / 1355

UK: +44-2038689013

AUS: +61 272019662

SG: +65 3158 8869

BHR: +973-16-196142

IND: +91 988-620-5050

OR

E-mail Us: info@icertglobal.com