It is essential to determine if the course counts as ‘formal’ education. You also need to find a training company that meets your needs and one that you would like to work with.
This article will tell you everything about the PMP® contact hours requirement. We’ll help you understand the myths and provide a clear definition of how to fulfil this qualification.
Let’s start by looking at what PMI® requires of you.
You must have 35 hours of formal project management education.
The Project Management Professional Handbook, which you can get online from PMI, specifies what you need. You will need at least three years of project management experience and pre-requisite training that includes:
At least 35 hours long
Measured in ‘hours of specific instruction’.
Formal
About project management
Let’s break that down a little more.
1. The time requirement
There’s a common misconception that you only need to take one course that counts for all the educational hours. That’s not true; you can take more than one course that equals the 35 hours necessary.
2. What are the contact hours?
A contact hour is the equivalent of one hour of training (60 minutes), and you can claim it to get certified. So, if you attend a course that is nine hours in one day, and there’s a lunch break for an hour, Which Means you’ve attended ten hours of training.
Online courses and project management podcasts can be an excellent way to study the course materials and understand the format of courses.
3. Formal
Formal project management education is a part of online, virtual, or face-to-face classes and training run by reputable organisations. There are many different organisations to choose from, including universities, local firms, national training providers and community colleges.
You can’t study a guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) independently or seven as a group, and it has to be structured in a specific way for it to validate with PMI
4. The subject matter
The project management education they offer must cover all the topics. Make sure to evaluate your course before you register for it.
The Project quality
Project scope
The Project schedule
Project budget
The Project communications
Project risk
The Project procurement
Project integration management.
You might find other courses to be exciting and relevant for your job. General leadership skills, for example, won’t count towards your PMP® training hours.
One of the most important things you can do with any project management course is to prove that you have studied the course. This includes certificates, tests (and your results), course syllabus, course descriptions and transcripts.
PMI requires you to show that you have done the prior training before they certify your experience for the PMP® exam you take the test, which means that you will likely not be able to research anything further before applying.
Also Read – PMP® Cheat Sheet to Use in 2022 and Beyond
Your contact hours never expire.
Project management education doesn’t have an expiration date, and you don’t need to complete your training within the last few years or anything like that. Even if you are nearing retirement right now, the studies you undertook at college still count (assuming you can prove what you did and are relevant to the PMP).
Keep in mind that you have to have documents detailing your 35 hours of contact before you can apply for a PMP exam. You can’t put anything on your application form about what training you intend to do at a later time, and this won’t be good enough for the certification boards.
What else does not count?
PMI led sessions can’t always count towards your instructional hours. The length of your day depends on what you’re doing during the meetings. Most people use this time to learn as much as possible.
Learning the PMBOK® Guide does not count towards your instructional hour requirement, and you can’t gain credit for self-study when trying to qualify for the PMP® exam.
A degree program such as an MBA is not considered to be completed. You cannot tell PMI that you have an MBA and expect to get admitted for the credential process. However, you can document each relevant and applicable class you took within the program and receive credit.
From the PMP Handbook
If you completed a course that was three hours per week for 15 weeks, the total hours would be 45. If only a portion of the course dealt with project management, the hours spent on project management can be applied toward the total.
Do PDUs count?
You may have seen the terms used interchangeably online, but that doesn’t mean they are the same thing. Let’s clear up this problem now.
Industry professionals take courses that qualify for PDUs right after they are certified. They can also earn PDUs through volunteering, self-study, and completing a recognized project management education course.
Contact Hours
It will take 35 hours of training to show the certification board that you have enough project management experience.
PDUs
PMP Certification requires that people prove they are keeping up-to-date in their field and continuing to learn. You would need 60 continuing education credits every three years of the life of your certification.
The GOOD News!
If you attended a project management professional training before passing your PMP exam, these hours would count towards your contact time.
Contact hours are hours that you must earn before becoming certified. You can only make them through traditional, formal education time (such as classroom training, online training and distance learning programs like my own product, the Project Management (Knowledgewoods) that focus on project management.
You will not have to meet the requirements for PDUs until you are certified. Once you know this, it is easy to determine how many PDUs you need.
Documentation Needed
The application process for PMI can seem lengthy and tedious. An easy way to guarantee that your documentation covers all the necessary hours is to keep a copy of your transcripts and supporting documents, like letters from professors or proof of a course syllabus.
It is easy to prove that you completed the course, and it was relevant. Your training provider will provide you with a certificate of attendance that requires a list of the necessary information.
That you attended a course (in other words, your name is on it)
How many hours of project management training the course covered
The training company’s details
Whether you passed or failed if there was an exam component.
If you are in doubt that the course you have signed up for will meet your needs, contact PMI. They are the final authority, and everything you need to know is documented in their official Project Management Professional handbook.
There are two likely outcomes when a project management learning experience is documented.
1. You can prove you have 35 hours
2. You can’t!
To apply for a job in project management, you need to prove that you have completed the necessary education requirements.
How to Get 35 Contact Hours?
You could complete university-level education courses if you majored in project management or if they are related to your previous knowledge areas.
Continuing education/higher education courses
Classroom courses
Online courses
Distance-learning courses, whether led by a ‘live’ instructor or online
Multimedia training
Formal training courses offered by your local PMI Chapter.
Attend training provided by an ATP, not just any training. ATPs are highly reputable and approved by PMI. They have been evaluated and reviewed to ensure the content is appropriate for your personal development goals.
There are multiple options for learning with ATPs, like face-to-face and distance/online modes, to find your PMP 35 hours conveniently and cost-effectively.
To Continue Read - The Complete Guide to PMP 35 Contact Hours!
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