Various Costs Associated with PMP Certification
The various costs associated with PMP Certification can be described as follows:
- PMP Membership Fee
- PMP Training Fee
- PMP Exam Fee
- PMP Re-examination Fee
- PMP Certification Renewal Fee
One can become PMI Member by paying 129 USD and 10 USD as joining fee, so total Membership Fees can be 139 USD. PMI Membership is valid for 1 year, in this membership fee one gets standard PMP online course material access for 1 year, additionally you get online access to the latest PMBOK edition, also as a member you get to online access their webinars held across the globe for 1 year, which are necessary to attend in that 1 year period to collect PDUs, required for certification renewal after 3 years of certification validity period is over.
In addition one gets to access the job portal of PMI that is various job opening for PMP professionals across the globe in various organizations. Such are the benefits of becoming a PMI member.
PMP Training Fees
PMP Training fees are something which varies across institute to institute and cannot be taken as a standard or fixed amount, although it is always advisable to take training with an Authorized Training Partner (ATP) of PMI. Also what’s more important is the quality of training, quality of course material and last but not the least, the quality of the end-to-end support the institute provides to each and every candidate of their institute, because that is where the volume of success or percentage of success lies both for the student as well as for the institute. After all it’s the question of the institute merits, credentials and reputation in the market.
As per US standard the PMP training fees from a ATP varies in range between 1000 USD up to 2000 USD for a good training quality which maintains the standards and compliance of PMI. It can become one of the most expensive element of your total costing for PMP Certification, since its very lucrative and niche matter to get a well-trained instructor who covers the entire practical as well as theoretical aspects while conducting the PMP Training.
Sometimes the training costs can vary depending on the mode of training a candidate is taking. Normally many institute charges more fees for Face to Face (Offline Training) compared to virtually led Online Training through Instructor. However as per my opinion there should not be any difference in the fees for Online and Offline Training because of the efforts a trainer has to take to really train his students well as prepare them to clear the PMP Certification Exam in 1st attempt.
PMP Exam Fees
PMP Exam fees are 405 USD for Members and 555 USD for Non-Members, looking at the costs one has to incur as a non-member does not seems to be feasible at all, since they are very high and not at all affordable, so it’s always beneficial to become a PMI Member rather than pay everything as a non-member.
As a non-member one has to bear so many other costs separately, like course material costs, PMBOK guide buying cost, no access to PMI Webinars and Job Portal across the globe. In addition to the higher exam cost. So as a non-member one has to add a lot of course material cost separately which makes it more expensive.
PMP Re-examination Fees
Unfortunately if one is not able to clear the PMP Certification Exam in 1st attempt, then he or she has to bear the cost of re-examination which amounts to 275 USD for Members and 375 USD for Non-Members respectively. In your 1 year as PMI Member you can attempt the exam 3 times in all, and the 2nd and 3rd attempt will cost you 275 USD.
Off course thinking positive one can really avoid incurring this cost as your aim should be to clear the PMP Certification exam in 1st attempt itself, because that could save a lot of your expenses. Once you have exhausted your 3 attempts of giving PMP exam in a year of your valid membership, you need to wait for 1 year to re-apply for the PMP Certification Exam.
For Indian students with the ever increasing cost of dollar it could have become very difficult to bear the expense of re-examination, hence PMI has globally standardized on the costs for exam, re-exam, PMI Membership and other costs as per the country’s currency, which makes it much easier for the candidate to manage the expense.
Certification Renewal Fees
Once you become PMP Certified, the certification is valid for 3 years, you need to renew your PMP Certification every 3 years by paying the renewal fees. Certification renewal fees for Members is 60 USD and for Non-Members its 150 USD. Once again it shows how beneficial it is to become a PMI Member rather than spending everything as a Non-Member.
PMP Exam Process
The PMP Exam process is very vigilant, so one must be very careful and be professional and not do anything stupid. Always report on time (if giving exam oat center). Try and avoid going with you own vehicle to exam center because you do not want to stress yourself for finding a parking lot etc. Be comfortable, stay calm at all time, take deep breadths, if you go with public transport you will get some time to sit back and relax and go through your quick notes again.
Make sure you are carrying your appointment letter for exam along with your photo ID proof to identify yourself at the exam center. Once you start your exam in case you need a Lou break, make sure to do check-out and check0in process. Although this break will still be counted as your exam time.