Latest PMP Handbook

You can obtain the later PMP Handbook from the link below:

http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Certifications/handbooks/project-management-professional-handbook-pmp.ashx

Help to prepare and fill PMP exam form

I read a very good article on how to prepare and fill the PMP exam form.  You can find the article in the link below.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4825646_prepare-fill-pmp-application-form.html

PMBOK 3rd Edition or 4th Edition?

This is a very good article in PM-Best.com on which PMBOK you should refer to for the exam.  It is very informative and worth a read.  You can find the information in the link below:

PMBOK 3rd Edition or 4th Edition?

Should I become a PMI Member and What are the Benefits?

There were a lot of discussion during my lesson that people are asking whether they should pay to be a PMI member. To me, this is important if you plan to take your PMP exam during the coming year. They offer discount when taking the exam and unless you have all the confident that you will pass in the first attempt, I suggest to become a member just in case you have to take the exam for the second time. Other benefits of becoming a PMI members includes (taken from PMI Official website):

Becoming a member of PMI gives you unparalleled access to powerful tools, exclusive services, and information and networking opportunities to further your career, including:

• Exclusive members-only content on PMI.org
• Knowledge sharing and networking opportunities through PMI communities
• Job search capabilities using Career Headquarters
• Leadership and volunteer opportunities through PMI components and communities, certification program, research program, standards program and other areas
• Access to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)
• Access to PMI's career framework

Members also receive discounts on:

• PMI® credential exams and renewals
• SeminarsWorld® and eSeminarsWorldSM educational opportunities
• PMI global congresses and Research Conference attendance
• Soundview® Executive Book Summaries
• Research and reference services by PMI Virtual Library staff
• Project management publications, products and training tools through the PMI Marketplace

And access to exclusive publications and information to members, including:

• PM Network®, PMI’s monthly magazine with the latest news and trends
• PMI Today®, PMI’s informative monthly newsletter
• Project Management Journal®, a quarterly research journal
• Leadership in Project Management, an annual publication devoted to enriching leadership skills
• PMI Community POST, a bimonthly electronic newsletter
• PMI e-links, monthly electronic newsletters that focus on EMEA and Asia Pacific trends
• Online access to information resources with PMI Marketplace and Virtual Library
• Online access to business and project management books and articles with eReads & Reference

Latest PMI PMP Certification Fact File

For the statistics through 31Dec2007, I have extracted the following statistics for PMP Certification below:

Total Members - 253,692
% Increase Dec07/06 - 12.5%

New Members Dec07 - 5,866

Component Memberships
Chapters - 181,092
SIGs - 59,742
Colleges - 4,091

CAPM Candidates
Approved for Exam - 5,227
Total Active CAPMs - 3,799

New PMPs (Dec07) - 4,767
New PMPs (YTD) - 53,281
Total Active PMPs - 267,367

PMI.org
Dec07 Visitors - 758,245
YTD Total - 9,310,876

Publishing
PMBOK Guide - Third Edition copies placed in circulation Dec07 - 14,948
Total copies of PMBOK Guide in circulation - 952,225

Total copies of 1996, 2000 and Third Editions of PMBOK Guide in circulation - 2,387,877

Facelift for PMP® and CAPM® Score Reports

Please note that recent change to PMP score reports. To me, this seems to be a good idea where more details on your scores will be provided if you fail the test. More information, you may want to refer to PMI website.

With the launch of the PgMP^SM credential on 1 October 2007, PMI instituted a new look for its score reports. This new look will also appear on the PMP and CAPM score reports by the end of the year.

Q: What information is provided on the new score report?

A: Just as before, there are two levels of information provided. One is the overall examination results, which will tell you whether you passed or failed. The other is a diagnostic representation of your proficiency level per domain for PMP and PgMP and by chapter for CAPM. Each domain or chapter is accompanied by one of three possible proficiency levels—Proficient, Moderately Proficient, and Below Proficient.

Q: Why did PMI change the score report?

A: PMI improved how the diagnostic results are presented in the score reports. Instead of percentages by domain/chapter, PMI is instituting global best practices in examination administration by using proficiency levels.

Q: How can the proficiency levels guide my professional development?

A: The proficiency levels serve as an aid in measuring your knowledge in specific areas of study and practice. For example, if your result is Below Proficient in one of the domains/chapters, you then know what you need to study to improve.

Q: What else has changed in PMI’s examination practices?

A: Nothing. The credential examinations remain the same.

Q: Does the change in the score report indicate a different score or standard to pass the examination?

A: No. Results are based on the same scoring standards as before. This means that people who receive the new score report are evaluated the same way as those who received the old score report.

Q: Do I have to be proficient in every domain in order to pass the examination?

A: No. There are not a minimum or maximum number of domains in which you need to demonstrate proficiency in order to pass the exam. Your pass/fail rate is determined based on your overall performance, not on how many questions you answered right or wrong in a particular domain.

PMI Project Management 2007 Salary Survey

In the latest issue of PMI today (A Supplement to PM Network), there is an article on the recent PMI release of the PMI Project Management Salary Survey. I have summarized the main points below:

• Based on self-reported salary information from more than 5,500 project management practitioners.
• Based on compensation data in the 19 countries surveyed.
• 95% of the respondents total compensation increased over the past 12 months. Out of which 40% have at least 5% increase.
• 98% of the respondents expected the total compensation to increase in the next 12 months. Out of which 43% expecting an increase of at least 5%.

(For more information, please refer to the Oct issue of PMI today.)

New Version of PMP Credentials Handbook

The PMI has recently released a new version of the PMP Credentials Handbook. The new handbook simply contains more detailed information about the exam. You may want to find the latest version in the link below:

http://www.pmi.org/PDF/PDC_ PMPHandbook.pdf

Who recognizes the PMP certification?

Major companies and government agencies worldwide recognize the PMP certification. Several Fortune 1000 companies demand that all of their employees or subcontractors that are engaged in project management activities should be PMPs. In other words, the PMP certification has become a market differentiator; companies that do not have PMP certification programs are at a competitive disadvantage.

Some of the major companies that support project management certification include AT&T, Bell South, Bell Core, Bell Atlantic, US West, Motorola, GSK, Novartis, Citibank, HSBC, IBM, EDS, HP, ABB, Pacer International, Barclays, Microsoft, BBC, NCR, Eurotel, Shell, BP, and many others. Government agencies supporting PMP certification include the U.S. Defense Systems Management College, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Canada’s Department of National Defense.

PMP Exam Information

For PMP Examination, the following are the details:

• Exam Version : Sep 2004 ( PMBOK Third Edition )
  • No of Questions : 200 ( 25 Questions non-countable )
  • Exam Duration : 4 Hours
  • Required Passing Score : 53%
• Exam Fee : US$ 555.00 ( Non-PMI® Member ) / US$ 405.00 ( PMI® Member )
• PMI® Membership Fee : US$109.00 + US$10.00 ( Application Fee ) - So it is cheaper if you join PMI before taking the exam.
• Exam Period : Any avaliable time of Exam Center.
• Exam Procedure :
  • Candidate submit their PMP Exam Application online ( Instructor will advice how to do so on the first lesson )
  • Wait for PMI® approves your application and issue Eligibility ID, normally within 7 working days
  • Register PMP® exam via www.2test.com by using the your Eligibility ID
  • Check for Exam Center available time and Schedule the Exam
  • Take your exam

What is covered in PMP Certification

In PMP, the following topics are covered. To pass the exam, you do not need to know the details of each process. However, you should know what is the input and output of each process and how they integrate together.

• Initiate project
• Plan project work and work breakdown structure
• Develop project schedules, cost estimates, and budgets
• Plan project quality, staffing, and communications
• Analyze project risk
• Plan project procurement
• Execute project work
• Monitor and control project work
• Monitor and control project schedule and costs
• Monitor and control project quality, staffing, and communications
• Monitor and control project risks and contracts
• Close project

What is PMP

The Project Management Professional (PMP^®) Credential

Individuals who hold PMI’s PMP credential demonstrate a proficient level of project management leadership skills, and as a result are able to command salaries that exceed those of their non-credentialed counterparts.

To be eligible for a PMP credential, you must meet specific guidelines that objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge. You also must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and pass a rigorous multiple-choice examination that assesses your abilities in project management.

Eligibility

• • Applicants must have 35 hours of specific project management education.
• • With a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Applicants must have a minimum three years’ professional project management experience, during which 4,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application.
• • Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Applicants must have a minimum five years’ professional project management experience, during which at least 7,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application.

The PMP Credential Examination
This four-hour examination composed of 200 multiple-choice questions measures your ability to apply knowledge, skills and techniques used in project management. The examination is developed by groups of individuals from around the globe who hold the PMP credential and is routinely reviewed and revised to ensure the best and consistently objective assessment.

(obtained directly from PMI's website: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx)