In a progressively competitive marketplace, the demand for competent project managers is searing, so is their number. In such scenario, Project Management Professional (PMP) certification can be a pivotal factor that sets a successful Project Manager apart from the rest.
In an exclusive tête-à-tête with us, PMP expert Saket Bansal shares an insight on the PMP certification, valuable tips and tricks to crack the exam and also dispels the myths surrounding the coveted certification.
Saket Bansal is one of the leading Agile trainers in India. He is the founder director of Delhi IT Professionals Meet Up group and iZenBridge Consultancy Private Limited, Delhi. He has successfully delivered lectures on Project Management, Scrum, and Agile to professionals from varied industries and supervised them in reshaping their careers. With 15 years of experience as a Software Product Development and Management professional, Bansal has imparted PMP® and Agile training to thousands of professionals and helped them clear the PMI-ACP® Certification test.
Q 1. What are PMI and PMP?
PMI stands for Project Management Institute. It’s a not-for-profit organization based in the USA and has branches all over world. It is a reputed organization which mainly works on enhancement of the Project Management field.
PMP stands for Project Management Professional. It is a globally accepted credential in Project Management, given by the PMI. In the current scenario, PMP certification has become one of the most desirable requirements for the role of a Project Manager be it the IT industry or Logistics, or any other industry. Wherever the work is managed in projects, PMP can add value to the knowledge and skills of the managers.
Q 2. What are the common myths about PMP certification?
One of the most common myths surrounding PMP certification is that people assume applying for the certification requires you to either be a Project Manager or at least be handling the role and responsibilities of a Project Manager. However, this is not true. The PMI states that in order to appear for the exam for PMP certification, the person should have the pre-requisite number of years of experience in a leading and directing role. Now, when we talk about leading and directing role, that doesn’t mean we are talking about the role of a Project Manager. The requirement is that the person should be involved in certain activities wherein he/she gains some directing and leading experience.
Second myth is that the PMP certification exam is very tough. For preparation of PMP certification, the person should be able to apply project management skills which he/she has learnt or using his/her experience. The PMP exam mainly focuses on the application of good practices recommended by the PMI in project scenarios. So the focus should be on understanding of the concepts well and then applying the same on the scenarios given.
Q 3. What is the eligibility criteria and examination process?
The eligibility criteria for PMP is:
a) If the person has 15 years of education, then 7500 hours (approx. 5 years) of experience in a leading and directing role.
b) If the person has 16 years of education, then 4500 hours (approx. 3 years) of experience in a leading and directing role.
Q 4. What are PDUs and benefits of earning CCR?
PDU stands for Professional Development Units. The PMI suggests that clearing PMP certification is not enough. You need to keep enhancing your project management skills by different means like trainings, project management related discussions or self-study. Project management is an evolving domain, so one needs to keep his/her project management skills updated.
CCR stands for Continuing Certification Requirement. This states that to maintain your PMP credentials, you need to spend at least 60 hours in project management related learning or PDU in 3 years of time. And these PDUs need to be logged in to the official website of the PMI under your login ID to maintain your PMP certification.
Q 5. What is the career scope after getting PMP Certified?
For every Project Manager kind of a role, PMP has become one of the key requirements so much so that even organizations encourage their Project Managers to get PMP certified. So if you are looking to learn about the good practices of project management to achieve a career strategy, you should go for PMP certification.
Q 6. How much time is sufficient to prepare for the exam?
If you devote 10-12 hours per week towards preparation for the PMP Certification, then 2-3 months are sufficient to be exam ready.
Q 7. Where can I prepare for PMP certification?
WizIQ provides the best online learning platform to PMP aspirants with its various specialized courses. The program is designed in a way that it facilitate the learner till he gets certified. We not only give training to earn 35 PDUs but also provide complete assistance during the certification journey.
Q 8. What do I need to prepare for PMP Certification?
We recommend a 3-step learning process for this, which are: knowing the content, mastering it and practicing the questions based of this content.
Q 9. Does PMP certification benefit software professionals?
Yes, PMP certification benefits software professionals. PMP certificate holds great value in the software industry.
Q 10. What should one aim for after attaining PMP Certification?
Post PMP certification, keep yourself updated about project management practices. Apply the knowledge that you have acquired through the study for the PMP certification.
If you, too, are aspiring for the PMP credential, take a look at this course available on WizIQ. Enroll now to get PMP ready!
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