Throughout my already not-so-short project manager`s career, the topic of certifications, particularly PMP, has always been around. I saw colleagues spending a really huge effort preparing for the exam and then happily celebrating the achievement with the team. Not all of them passed the test on the first try, by the way.
What I didn`t see, though, was the benefit of spending time on test preparation. I was always too focused on gaining practical experience rather than accumulating theoretical knowledge. Moreover, I spent most of my career working in service companies that provided consulting and software development services to clients, and a lot of this academic stuff just didn`t work there. (Of course, I have read the PMBOK, and not even once.)
Despite all my resistance, somewhere deep inside, I understood that there should be benefits to getting certified. Otherwise, thousands of fellow PMs wouldn`t waste shit tons of their time on preparation. I interviewed a few dozen PMs (certified and not), and researched the relevant threads on Reddit and Quora to get deep into the topic and understand if PMP certification could be worth it. So, let me share the results of my investigation with you.
How Hard is the PMP Exam?
Since I`ve never taken the PMP exam, I can`t speak from personal experience, but based on the evidence I received from my colleagues, I can say that it is pretty hard. It is even difficult to tell which part is harder—preparation or the exam itself.
If you ever read or at least held at hands PMBOK, you know this is quite a big “body” of knowledge. I guess by the moment you have reached the middle of that book, you already forgot everything what it started with. That`s why these training software programs exist, which allow you to get a feeling of what is essential, extract key points, and even learn something almost by heart. Many of my colleagues also went “old school” when preparing for the exam and printed out little cheat sheets and used them during the learning process. I know that preparation for the PMP exam takes months.
Another factor that makes the PMP exam difficult is that it assumes an idealized project management environment, where, for example, a PM has full authority, stakeholders act rationally, and ethical and professional responsibilities are always adhered to. That`s why even a seasoned PM with 15 years of experience still needs thorough preparation; in fact, your real-life experience may prevent you from passing the exam.
The examination process is also not easy. I don`t know if anything has changed so far, but at least a few years before, you had to come to an assessment center at the appointed date and time. They would take all your possessions from you, like cell phones, bags, probably will just keep a bottle of water, though thoroughly examined for any cheating materials, and don`t allow you to leave the room during the testing process. The test is 4 hours long, and I don`t know anyone who completed the test successfully in half the time allotted or didn’t feel mentally exhausted afterward. So yes, it`s not a walk in the park.
How Much Is the PMP Exam?
When calculating the cost of the PMP exam, we need to consider that it consists of several components. The first component is the exam cost itself, and the second is the preparation cost. The cost of the exam may vary for PMI members and non-members. The regular price is $575 (at least as of February 2025). If you pay for membership, you can probably save $100-150.
The cost of preparation really depends on your strategy and self-confidence. It may vary from $20 for a Udemy course to a few grand bucks for a fancy certified coach. But in general, the exam with preparation will cost you between 500 and 1000 USD. So, as you can see, it`s not cheap either.
Can You Gain New Knowledge With PMP?
When people are asking if they can gain new knowledge with the PMP, I assume they mean if they can gain new knowledge through the PMP preparation because the process of taking the PMP test provides more experience than knowledge.
Since the main part of the PMP preparation is reading the PMBOK, which I did, I can give my personal opinion on this. The short answer to the question of whether you can gain new knowledge when reading PMBOK: it depends on what experience you as a PM have. If you are a beginner, you definitely can gain new knowledge by reading PMBOK. On the other hand, the information delivery is way too complex in PMBOK. Thus, it may be overwhelming for the beginners.
If you`re a seasoned PM, you probably won`t learn much new from the PMBOK, but it will help you systematize all the information you`ve learned from other sources and your experience, so it can probably make you a bit smarter.
But keep in mind what I mentioned before: the PMBOK and the PMP exam are based on the assumption of the “ideal world,” which unfortunately is not true in reality.
To summarize, can the PMP help you gain new knowledge? Yes. Can the PMP make you smarter? Kind of. Can this knowledge help you in real life? Doubtful.
Can the PMP Certification Help You Get a New Job?
Well, it`s not a secret that some companies require PMPs or other types of certifications just to consider candidates for project managers’ positions. You`ll probably have little chance to get a job as a PM in such companies as Deloitte, Dank of America, or NASA without the PMP 🙂
However, in addition to these certifications, there is usually a set of other sophisticated requirements that you may not meet, whether with or without the PMP certification, like hands-on experience in a specific industry. So, is there any sense in worrying about not having the PMP if you don`t qualify for the vacancy by a dozen other criteria?
Does PMP Certification Increase Salary?
In one of the organizations I worked for, there was a definite career path for the project managers, where each career level implied not only a salary raise but also some criteria you had to close to get a new position and a raise. One of the criteria for promotion to the Senior Project Manager position was passing the PMP test (the company covered half of the exam fee). So, from that perspective, taking PMP was definitely worth it. At least if you wanted to grow within that particular company. However, the industry was experiencing a crazy boom at that time, and in most cases, you could just go to another company for a Senior position without spending time on certification.
However, there are different cases, and some people on Quora have reported doubling their salaries because of PMP.
Is PMP Certification Right for You?
Now, let`s try to summarize and get the answer to the question if the PMP Certification is right for you. Unsurprisingly, the answer to this question is – it depends. In particular, it depends on such factors as your career stage, industry expectations, and the current context of your career opportunities.
If you`re a beginner and have just started your career as a project manager, it is definitely not worth spending time, effort, and money on at the moment. Just work for a few years, gain some weight in the form of theoretical knowledge and practical experience, and only after that look towards the exercises heavyweights play around with.
If you`re a seasoned specialist, I would recommend you consider the PMP only when you clearly know what it can give you and the result is almost guaranteed. I mean, if your company provides a significant raise for the PMP certification or if you pursued a career in a specific company that considers the PMP-certified candidates only. Otherwise, If you want to get certified just for the sake of having it, hoping it might be useful someday, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your effort on it. Especially since it’s not permanent, and you need to keep learning and working hard to keep it active.This is what I think about the PMP certification, but I would also like to hear your opinion. Whether you`re PMI-certified or not, your thoughts are always welcome in the comments!