I need some help. Can I get a recommendation of how to purse a PMP Certification?

I would do the following

1. Look at PMBOK latest edition, see if you are able to understand/grasp without a need for formal training. If you are, well and good, read it plus Rita Mulcahy and do 2-3 simulated tests.
2. If not, go for a web based online training or in person training, there are a lot of those courses now. When the training is going, read PMBOK(first choice always) and make notes.
3. Prepare from PMBOK and Rita's book thoroughly on concepts and for sure, do 2-3 simulated tests, most of the good ones we need to pay.

Before all the 3 steps, you need to fill the application and send to PMI. I would recommend being a member of PMI, so you get member discount and also latest PMBOK version for yoru test.

Hi Sean, and welcome!

That's great to hear. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Read this and this to help get a sense of the requirements in applying and preparing for the exam.

Past satisfying the requirements and the application process, aside from reading the PMBOK a couple times, supplemental reading is generally recommended - and as stated above by Deepa, Rita's guide seems to be a favorite here.

There are many other study methods, really depends on your particular study preferences.

My recommendation is, if you decide to go for it, the plan accordingly. Give yourself 4-6 months for preparation. Get your application done before so you are able to 100% focus on studying. Plan to study a few hours a day, more on the weekends. If you have family, speak to them first so they are able to support you. You will need that, and they will need to understand the commitment required to be successful.

I studied on the commute, to and from, in the evening after dinner, and pretty much all day on weekends.

I'm sure you'll many recommendations here, but it all boils down to planning, preparing, commitment, perseverance, and dedication.

Good Luck. We're here to support your efforts.

Hi Sean,

i have conducted a 5 Step Guidance for all new PMP aspirants; please have a look on it below.

In addition you might consider participating in our completeley free "Project Manager's PMP Exam Prep Guidance" - program which works like your very own study plan and which gives you a "reed line" through the PMP preparation jungle; please have a look here:

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And i want to let you know that i have just started a very new blog/website regarding PMP and also all the other PMI certifications, you may check it out here:

http://pmcertification-online.de

and here comes the promised guidance:

======================================


19 Getting PMP® Certified in 5 Steps:
PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification
The Project Management Professional (PMP)® is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers.
You can find PMPs leading projects in nearly every country and, unlike other certifications that focus on a particular geography or domain, the PMP® is truly global. As a PMP, you can work in virtually any industry, with any methodology and in any location.
The PMP can also provide a significant advantage when it comes to salary and earning potential. Among survey respondents to PMI’s Earning Power Salary Survey, (https://goo.gl/1KDfHb ) those with a PMP certification garner a higher salary (20% higher on average) than those without a PMP certification.*
Employers benefit as well. When more than one-third of their project managers are PMP-certified, organizations complete more of their projects on time, on budget and meeting original goals. (Pulse of the Profession® study, PMI, 2015.) (https://goo.gl/bpPSLr )
The PMP signifies that you speak and understand the global language of project management and connects you to a community of professionals, organizations and experts worldwide. Become a PMP and become a project hero.
Here are the steps how to:
Step 1: Learn about PMP® Certification and apply
• PMP® Overview
? https://www.pmi.org/certifications/types/project-management-pmp

• PMP® FAQ
? http://www.pmi.org/certifications/faq

• PMP® Credential Handbook
? http://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/p...al-handbook.pdf

• PMP® Exam Content Outline
? https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/...xam-outline.pdf

• PMP® Sample Questions
? http://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/p...e-questions.pdf

• PMP® Application Worksheet
? https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/docs/pmp-application.xlsx

• PMP® Requirements - general (“The Complete Guide To “How To Get PMP Certification”)
? http://goo.gl/umrz68

• PMP® Requirements – 35 contact hours (The Complete Guide to PMP 35 Contact Hours of Project Management Education )
? http://goo.gl/dTL5i2

Step 2: Get started with your PMP® certification preparation. Make a plan! Read the PMBOK Guide, a good PMP prep book (in companion) and use other recommended resources:
STEP 2.1: Make a plan
• Create Your PMP Study Plan - The Complete Guide
? http://goo.gl/fqKm7B

This article shows you how to create your very own study plan based on lessons learned of thousands of students!
• Enroll in our “Project Manager’s PMP Exam prep guidance”-program!
As an alternative to create your own study plan, why not using ours! We have created a guidance program which will guide you through the complete preparation process in a structured and professional way! And the best – it is completely for REE! No cost and no risk for you. You can start and cancel at any time. You may have a look here:
Let me be your PMP guide program – totally FREE!:
? https://goo.gl/pPDzms
STEP 2.2: Get the PMBoK Guide PLUS a good prep book (at least one) and work through them thoroughly

• PMBoK Guide 5th Edition itself (? http://goo.gl/hgevNQ )
As a PMI member you will have access to a digital and personalized version of the actual PMBoK Guide version. Otherwise you need to buy a paper based version.
• PMBOK Knowledge Areas for Project Management Guide 5th Edition - Process Groups and Processes - The Complete Guide
? http://goo.gl/I2Eusc

Here are some additional article regarding this topic:

---------------------------

PMP Material NOT in the PMBOK® Guide
? http://goo.gl/cUNUZb

PMP Exam Tip - Don't use too many PMP Exam Prep Books
? http://goo.gl/e33HFQ

How to remember PMI-isms from the PMBoK Guide:
? http://goo.gl/TQ7UaX

PMP Exam Tips: Always use the PMBoK Guide’s approach, when answering PMP Exam (sample) questions:
? http://goo.gl/kmQ42m

PMP Exam Tip: Read and Understand Your Books
? http://goo.gl/geyota

STEP 2.3: Choose additional prep material and resources based on your personal learning preferences and behaviors
There are tons of resources available out there. Don’t get confused and mislead about it. Think about your personal learning preferences and choose the material that fits to them. Do not choose too many resources and get overwhelmed! Sometimes more is less.
For some guidance about this topic please refer to the following article:
The 12 Most Popular PMP Study Materials for your PMP Exam Preparation
http://goo.gl/x22lDd


Step 3: Took a PMP® preparation course (live or online) and get you’re required 35 contact hours of PM training.
You should already read about it here (refer to step 1 of this 5 step guide):
• PMP® Requirements – 35 contact hours (The Complete Guide to PMP 35 Contact Hours of Project Management Education )
? http://goo.gl/dTL5i2
Next question you have to answer yourself: “Should I go by a live class/bootcamp or is it better to use a online course for self-learning (or something in between …)?!
Once again, this depends on your very own learning preferences and behaviors. Some of us do need a teacher in front of us and others prefer to learn completely by their own.
Here are some articles with helpful information and guidance regarding this topic:

Five Reasons to Attend a PMP Exam Boot Camp to Pass the PMP Exam

? http://goo.gl/buomZr

Five Awesome Reasons NOT to take PMP Boot Camp Classes for your PMP Exam Preparation

? http://goo.gl/oZKjC6

7 Steps to Selecting your Online PMP Exam Preparation Course

? http://goo.gl/Y8Jq5d

If you consider going for a online course then we would highly recommend the “PM PrepCast” by the well-known Cornelius Fichtner:
Prep Cast:
? http://goo.gl/KUPFBG

You may try it for free:
Free Prep Cast:
? http://goo.gl/xyXTT5

But there are some good alternative options as well like those ones here:
PMP Online Course by KnowledgeHut
https://goo.gl/RRQS6m

PMP Online Course by SimpliLearn
https://goo.gl/Nd4GJe


Step 4: Finalize your preparation: Utilize a professional online Exam simulator. Analyze and enhance your results. Use flashcards and study tables, review your notes from class and take lots of practice exams.
• Practice, practice, practice – cause practice is the key!
We can’t underline that more! And we would recommend NOT ONLY doing as much sample questions as you can, cause practice is the key!
Furthermore you should go for really SIMULATING the exam.
It is not an easy job to do 200 (more or less difficult) Questions in a time frame of 4 Hours.
Those 4 Hours could get really long and/or you could run out of time in case you will hang on to long to one very difficult/complex question for instance.
So, you should train your time management for the exam also.
You can do so with those tons of free sample question available on the internet, but in our experience, a professional tool which provides you exactly the exam circumstances, is much better for this.
Yes, it may take a little invest, but from our point of view and our experience this is priceless.
We would like to recommend you the exam simulator by Cornelius Fichtner, which provides you ? 1.800 high quality PMP questions and which gives you ? high flexibility in how to train your questions up to max. ? 9 fully loaded and timed exam simulations, each with ? 200 individual questions.
You may have a look here: ? http://goo.gl/9jh79N
You may earn an exclusive 10% discount on this one by using the code MARKUSQ117 while checking out!
To get an idea of what you can expect, please use ?the free/trial version to try out: ? http://goo.gl/SorPfD
And again there are some other options available out there which are also good to use for this:
Pmaspire Exam Simulator:
?Package Name: PLATINUM
15% Discount Code: MK15PASS
Please go to the following link for registration for the PLATINUM Package!: ? http://goo.gl/FrCEp8
Other PMAspire Simulator packages:
http://projectmanagement.plus/en/ressource...-exam-simulator
The discount code MK15PASS applies to all packages!
You may try it for free:
FREE Pmaspire Exam Simulator:
? http://goo.gl/VFNixj

Refinem Exam Simulator:
https://examprep.refinem.com/home
claim a 10% Discount - use bonus code: Markus2017
Step 5: Take the exam and earn your PMP®!

If you have done all those steps you should really be well prepared for the exam! Here are some final tips and recommendations for you:
The Secret of Creating Your PMP Brain Dump
? https://goo.gl/7dxTKX
PMP Exam Tips: How to Handle Your Actual PMP Exam Day
? https://goo.gl/1jbYaS

All those tips and even more PLUS a structured study guide PLUS additional checklists (like an “Exam Day Count down” for instance …) PLUS Expert advice PLUS a great community of PMP aspirants … this all you can get by enrolling in our completely FREE “Project Manager’s Exam Prep Guidance” –Program:

Let me be your PMP guide program – totally FREE!:

https://goo.gl/pPDzms

Already more than 900 PMP aspirants trust in us.

==========================================

you can find the always updated and enhanced version of this guidance here:

http://pmcertification-online.de/5-steps-g...g-pmp-certified

Hi Sean,

First of all let me wish you all the best in your efforts to attain PMP. Depending on what stage of preparation you are and the level of expertise that you have on project management, the approach will vary. I dont know stage stage of preparation you are in, but assuming you have just started thinking about PMP, there are 4 broad stages

STAGE 1:
Attend the PMP classroom course(About 4 days) which is mandatory and the initial step. There many registered educational providers(REP) who provide this(QAI global, Simplilearn etc)

STAGE 2:
Register in PMI website and start updating you profile and Project experience. This would take some time and effort since you have to show some minimum hours of working in projects(400hrs or so). Please prepare them in an excel in and refine language before you update the experience in website. You might also need to give references of people who worked with you on these projects. There can be audit later on this.

STAGE 2 is very important. You might find it hard to believe that around 40-50% of people who complete STAGE 1 get stuck in STAGE 2, because they couldn't devote enough time or find this boring. PMP certification forever remains a dream for these folks. And you have constraint to take the exam within 1 year of attending the PMP course

STAGE 1 & 2 doesnt vary much with each person. Irrespective of the experience and expertise everyone has to devote more or less same amount of time for these stages. Except, for people with real PM experience, it is easy for them to prepare the project experience to be updated in PMI site

STAGE 3:
In this crucial stage, you prepare for the exam by going through books, materials and attend mock exams and test your ability to pass and test your confidence. You need lot of attention, perseverance and hard work to successfully complete this phase.

Based on my personal experience I can give you the following suggestions for this stage

1. Do not underestimate the exam as it tests your knowledge of PMI standards and how you apply those in practical situations. Which means a very junior person who has mugged up all PMI standards/theories will find the exam difficult as there will be practical questions on project mgmt. Equally, a very experienced and practicing Project Manager might also find the exam difficult it he/she has not understood the PMI standards/guideline and has not devoted time to study. We need a right balance of both

2. Do not study at the last minute. I find people scheduling the exam ahead and taking 2-3 weeks time off just before the exam to study. This will backfire as PMI concepts take time for you to digest(During my preparation times, I used to spend 1-2 hours daily after coming from office on weekdays and a little more on weekends to prepare for the exam for 4-6 months. Even on days when I had lot of work and came home very late, I read the materials for 30 mins to enforce the practice). The effort that need to spent will vary with each person based on the knowledge/experience

3. The study materials - Again this is a personal choice but my recommendation is that you dont read too many books/materials but stick to 1 or max 2 books. My personal favorite is 'Headfirst PMP' original. The beauty of the book is that it is not boring and explains the PMI principles using practical situations that we face in daily life(Marriage planning, grocery shopping etc, vacation planning etc). That way you will at least not feel sleepy while reading the book :-)
(I had only followed Headfirst PMP for my exam and didnt even look at any other books. I attened the mock exams in the book as well those 3-4 given by my REP and passed in my first attemt)

4. Stick to the mock exams given in the books and those given by REP. When you attend PMP course given by REP, they will enable 3-4 mock exams which you can take online and will give a real feel of the actual PMP exam. If you score 70-80 % in those you have a very good chance of passing the final exam. Dont attend those 1000s of mock exams which are available free of cost in internet. Those dont add any value and even can misguide you as they dont sufficient explanation for the correct answer

STAGE 4:

Pay the fees,schedule and attend the final exam. Dont schedule the exam well ahead. Schedule only when you feel you are 90% ready and schedule 30-45 days ahead.
Read the cancelation policies carefully before scheduling the exam


Again all the best for your PMP journey and dont hesitate to contact me in case of any doubt. Happy to help you any time

Regards
Ram

Markus,

Thanks for the reply and the links. I believe myself to be exactly that, a PMP aspirant. I appreciate the extensive list of links and resources and wish you well on your new website/blog. I hope to visit/engage.

Kind regards,
Sean

Andrew,

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice. Sounds like a good plan to accomplish my goal. About me: I'm in my third year of full-time employment as I was lucky enough to work part-time only while pursuing my Bachelor's in Business Administration. Since graduating, I've pursued opportunities: as a Project Engineer/Project Manager in Specialty Construction in a company's department focused on Federal Work, as a Project Engineer/Estimator in Specialty Construction/low-voltage/Security Systems, as a Project Manager/Chief Estimator in Specialty Construction/Commercial Flooring, and, currently, as a Business Analyst in SaaS/Technology.

Thanks for the links and advice. I appreciate the recommendation and setting of the expectation of what will be required of me to successfully accomplish my new goal.

Kind regards,
Sean