How do I get my 35 contact hours?

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is one of the most important industry-recognized credentials a project manager can have.

It demonstrates your top-notch project management skills and attests to your presence of mind, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and teamwork.

According to the Project Management Institute, a prerequisite for taking the certification exam is 35 contact hours of education in project management.

35 hours may sound like a lot, but you can earn all 35 required hours with PMP Boot camp training in just four days.

Explore how this intensive training might help you to earn your PMP certification.

To know more about PMP, click on the link PMP certification by iCert Global.

Why PMP Certification?

In project-oriented industries, project managers are increasingly becoming important. This is because they possess the skills to manage a project efficiently and effectively. 

Compared to non-certified professionals, project managers who have earned the Project Management Professional certification exhibit more excellent skill sets and advanced techniques.

Therefore, there is a growing global demand for certified professional project managers.

PMP-certified professionals are better equipped to handle projects because they are skilled at scheduling and task delegation and know how to integrate ideas across the team, facilitate on-time delivery, satisfy stakeholders, and ensure the project stays within the budget. 

Besides their unparalleled project management skills, employers can trust PMP-certified professionals to help their teams meet targets and deadlines, ensuring client satisfaction and profitability.

When you earn your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, you will have the skills that organizations need to create and execute successful projects, which can mean a salary increase over non-certified project managers.

PMP certification translates across industries and projects, making you flexible to fit into many different organizations.

What Makes PMP Boot camps Ideal?

Boot camps are immersive training environments that allow candidates to get hands-on experience in project management and offer simulated tests and mock interviews. 

Unlike self-paced learning experiences requiring you to constantly motivate yourself not to stray away from your goals, boot camp training programs are led by industry veterans who will help guide you down the path to success.

35 contact hours Requirement

One contact hour is like one hour of PMP training. According to the Project Management Professional (PMP) handbook, 35 contact hours need not be from a single course or training program; they can be the sum of multiple events you enroll for.

So, whether you and your instructor meet face to face or learn via PM podcasts and other instructional content, the time you spend earning certification is well worth it: Project Management Institute recognizes it as an additional way to receive continuing education units.

Make sure your project management education covers the following topics:

• Project scope management
• Project Integration Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Time Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Communication Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Human Resource Management
• Project Stakeholder Management
• Project Procurement Management

Is self-study an efficient way to meet your contact hour requirement?

While self-paced learning is a productive experience, Project Management Institute does not acknowledge self-learning as a credible training experience. 

If you plan to apply for the PMP exam, you'll need credentials from a reputable project management training organization.

Prerequisite for PMP exam

Becoming a PMP® is undoubtedly no easy task. The PMP certification exam can seem intimidating. The curriculum is significant and knowledge-based, and the questions are difficult for even seasoned project managers. However, many people who have passed the exam agree that it is worth their hard work.

To be eligible to take this exam, one must first qualify.

Qualification: A four-year degree or a secondary degree in any discipline is necessary. Your secondary degree could be a high school diploma or an associate degree.

Bachelor Degree Holder must have

4,500 hours of experience directing and leading projects.

35 contact hours for project management.

High school graduates have

7,500 hours of experience directing and leading projects.

35 contact hours for project management.

Training: 35 contact hours are required for PMP certification, but you also need 60 PDUs, which can be earned by taking training courses.

Know what is contact hours and PDUs

Students must earn a certain number of contact hours before applying for the Project Management Professional certification exam. The student earns PDUs after taking the exam, and PMP requires 60 PDUs to maintain certification.

Contact hours

Contact hours are one of the requirements for taking the PMP certification exam. All candidates must meet specific requirements, including completing 35 hours of training (35 contact hours) from a certified training provider. The PMI defines them as: "1 contact hour = 1 hour of training received."

When you take training from an Approved Training Provider (ATP), the 35 hours get automatically approved. However, if a PMI auditor goes through your file, you must present the completion certificate to maintain compliance.

PDUs

To renew your PMP certification every three years, accumulate 60 PDUs (Professional Development Units) through training, studying, teaching, or volunteering. Your PMP credential will be renewed automatically when you have the required PDUs. There are two types of PDU.

Education PDUs

You can accumulate these types of PDUs by attending webinars, seminars, conferences, or even personal training. The project, program, and portfolio management field is ever-evolving and constantly changing—something that PMI thinks is important for all PMP Certified Professionals to be aware of and strive to stay current with market changes.

Giving Back PDUs

Becoming a volunteer, teacher, or project participant is a great way to acquire knowledge and skills while helping others. In addition, accumulating the related PDUs can help you advance your position inside your company. Although they are not required to maintain your PMP certification, Giving Back PDUs are a great way to broaden your job opportunities and advance your career.

PMI triangle and PDUs

The PMI Talent Triangle designates three main categories of skills required for project managers:

1. Leadership
2. Technical Project management
3. Strategic and Business Management

Here is the breakdown of how you need to earn 60 Professional Development Units to keep your PMP certification current:

How Long Are Contact Hours and PDUs Valid?

The most significant benefit of project management certification training is that project management hours have lifelong validity. This makes you eligible for the PMP exam application at any point in your career. Still, students must take 60 PDUs every three years to keep the certificate active, which is mandatory for continuing certification requirements.

Ways to earn 35 contact hours

Regardless of the type of training you do, it's essential to document your hours. Contact hours can be the sum of hours you spent learning in multiple events/classes or a single course/program, such as a Bootcamp. Again, having your skills assessed will help you during PMP verification.

Chapter Get together: PMI offers local chapter and Community of Practice (CoP) schedules and low-cost training programs. These communities are industry-specific and focus on the project management skills of their respective industries. One hour per meeting is dedicated to a training activity so that the community members can obtain PMP certificates.

Companies and training Consultants: The Project Management Institute (PMI) helps its members develop connections to training programs that can help them advance in their field. Aspiring project managers can take the PMP certification test online or in person and receive their certificate of completion once they pass.

University Program: Academic programs from colleges and universities are an excellent option to earn 35 contact hours for PMP certification. You can claim all the hours you spent learning project management-related topics. At the end of the programs, most academic institutions assess your skills by giving you a test to see how much you know about project management. PMI records the results of that test.

Distant learning: Distance learning is ideal for candidates who want to complete their project management certification conveniently worldwide, depending on their schedules.

Company-sponsored program: Project management is an essential element in the success or failure of any project. If you take part in your company's PMP training, you can claim your hours toward project management accreditation. These events need to have a final exam so you can verify your hours and submit a claim for PMI verification.

Registered Education Provider: If you head to the Project Management Institute's website, you can search for a Registered Education Provider (REP) and look for the training that fits your needs and schedule. Most importantly, you choose a REP because PMI has pre-approved the movement.

PMP training Bootcamp is a great way to earn contact hours.

While there are many ways to train for the PMP exam, boot camps remain one of the most popular options. They provide an easy way to earn your contact hours and let you practice project management hands-on to better prepare for the exam.

What makes it worth it?

Bootcamps offer a hands-on approach to learning to help candidates retain knowledge more effectively than traditional education methods. Industry experts lead the classes and ensure that the learning environment is immersive and engaging.

These programs complement the lecture-based curriculum with simulated exams, rigorous assessments, and applied learning methods to help candidates develop an in-depth knowledge of advanced project management.

Bootcamps make it easier to learn practical, realistic skills. The lesson plans are designed with students in mind and are filled with real-life examples and applications.

Many students solve problems they might encounter in business, helping them hone problem-solving skills.

The PMP (Project Management Professional) certification is one of today's most popular, in-demand project management certifications. But what makes the PMP stand out is that it guarantees 35 contact hours—the most of any other PM certification body. 

The first step in completing your 35 contact hours for the PMP credential is to sign up for a project management course covering the PMI body of knowledge. 

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Please visit our website for more information on how iCert Global can help you achieve your project management certification goals.

https://www.icertglobal.com/

We provide instructor-led classroom and online training across the globe, followed by Corporate Training for enterprise workforce development. Project management certification courses by us across the globe:

PMP Certification

CAPM Certification

PgMP Certification

PMI-RMP Certification