It took Kevin Reilly nearly 3 times longer than he expected to study for his Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. “I estimated 120 hours and it took me 320,” he said, in an interview with Cornelius Fichtner, host of The Project Management Podcast at www.pm-podcast.com. “I’m a pretty detail-oriented guy so I don’t think it would take everyone 320 hours to study. But of course, everyone’s an individual so you have to determine that for yourself.”

Do you work in a position where you do a lot of project management work but do not hold the title of Project Manager? Do you have several years of experience performing project management activities as part of a team? If either of these scenarios apply to you then maybe you are also wondering how you can tell if you are eligible to take the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam.

By Amar Roy, PMP and Cornelius Fichtner, PMP

Are you considering studying for and obtaining your Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification? Are you wondering what study tools and methods others have used successfully? Are you interested in reading about the exam experiences of those who have recently passed the PMP® Exam? Then there is a forum you should check out on The PM PrepCast website. All of the posts are PMP exam lessons learned and PMP exam tips from those who have recently become Project Management Professionals and who probably started with the same questions and concerns that you have.

Let’s take a look at one example from this forum. It was written by Amar Roy, PMP shortly after he obtained his PMP® Certification and contains the following insights into how the exam went for him.

Studying for and earning your Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification can be a costly affair! Some training courses can cost several thousand US Dollars.

However, there are ways to cut your costs and still have access to valuable and useful study tools.

Below we will discuss several ways you can lower the cost of studying for and obtaining your PMP® Certification that does not include spending a lot of money. Read through our seven savings tips and you’ll see that lowering your cost of PMP Exam preparation is not that hard!
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The Project Management Institute’s (PMI)® Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential is the globally recognized certification of project management knowledge, skills and experience. So it’s not surprising that PMI® takes great care to ensure the quality of its certification process, from application through post certification.

You’ve decided that you want to take the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam, congratulations!

You’re taking one of the biggest steps of your career but there is a bit of planning to do and some details to take care of beforehand.

First, be sure that you have the qualifications, experience and contact hours required and have documentation for each should you need it.

Then you’re ready to apply for PMP exam. You may want to join the Project Management Institute (PMI)® before you apply, as it will save you substantially on the application fee. You’ll also get a free copy of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) in electronic format.

Everyone has different ways of studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification. You may carry A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) around with you, or use flashcards. You may join your local Project Management Institute (PMI)® Chapter and study in a group. Whatever your study path, someone has been there before you.

One of the best study tools for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® are PMP® exam sample tests. As you are preparing for the PMP exam you are in fact preparing to take a 200-question multiple choice exam. And just as if you were an Olympic athlete, taking this exam becomes your sport and you have to practice it. Again and again. However, instead of answering someone else’s questions, it is a good thing to create your own.