PM Designations

• Program Management Professional (PgMP®)
• Project Management Professional (PMP®)
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®)

For additional information on PM designations, visit PMI online.

Program Management Professional (PgMP®)

PMI's Program Management Professional (PgMP) credentialing service offers PMI's first credential designed to demonstrate project and program management skills. To be eligible for the PgMP credential, you must meet specific guidelines that objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge, and undergo a rigorous application process as well as three assessments. You also must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. The CAPM or PMP credential are not prerequisites for the PgMP credential.

Steps to Obtaining a PgMP Credential

1. Complete an online application or download an application and submit via mail (faxes not accepted).
2. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will receive an e-mail explaining how to schedule the examination. 
3. Individuals who attain a credential from PMI will be added to PMI's Online Credential Registry and may immediately use the credential designation after their name.

Eligibility

• With a Bachelor’s Degree (or a global equivalent): Over the last 15 consecutive years, applicants must have at least four years of project management experience and four years of program management experience. 
• Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or a global equivalent): Over the last 15 consecutive years, applicants must have at least four years of project management experience and seven years of program management experience.
• The PgMPSM Assessments. 
• A comprehensive application process that includes a review of education by PMI staff and a review of professional work experience by a panel of program managers. 
• A four-hour exam composed of 170 multiple-choice questions that measures your ability to apply knowledge, skills and techniques used in program management. The exam is developed by groups of individuals from around the globe who are program managers and is routinely reviewed and revised to ensure the best consistently objective assessment.
• A Multi-Rater Assessment (MRA) in which you select a team of colleagues and peers to evaluate your performance as a program manager via a web-based survey. 
• Individuals who attain a credential from PMI will be added to PMI’s Online Credential Registry and may immediately use the credential designation after their name.

The PgMP Examination

The multiple-choice examination — developed by program managers from around the world —includes mostly scenario-based questions that test your understanding of the knowledge, skills and techniques used in program management. The examination is made up of 170 multiple-choice questions and will take approximately four hours to complete. It will be administered via computer-based testing globally. In areas of the world where computer-based testing does not exist, paper-based testing will be made available.

Examination preparation tips:

• Review the PgMP credential handbook and the PgMP Examination Specification.
• Study the PMBOK® Guide—Third Edition and The Standard for Program Management.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

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.

Steps to Obtaining a PMP Credential

1. Complete an online application or download an application and submit via mail (faxes not accepted).
2. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will receive an e-mail explaining how to schedule the examination.
3. Individuals who attain a credential from PMI will be added to PMI's Online Credential Registry and may immediately use the credential designation after their name.

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.

Examination preparation tips:

• Review the PMP credential handbook, the PMP Examination Specification and the PMP Sample Questions document (not for commercial use). 
• Study the PMBOK® Guide—Third Edition and other texts that discuss the management of communications, cost, human resources, integration, procurement, quality, risk, scope and time, as well as a project manager's social and professional responsibilities. 
• Enroll in formal study courses.

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®)

Designed specifically for project team members, the CAPM credential is aimed at improving overall project success by helping to ensure project management knowledge. To become a CAPM credential holder, you must meet specific guidelines designed to objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge. You must pass an examination that assesses your knowledge of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), and you must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Steps to Obtaining a CAPM Credential

1. Complete an online application or download an application and submit via mail (faxes not accepted). 
2. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will receive an e-mail explaining how to schedule the examination. 
3. Individuals who attain a credential from PMI will be added to PMI's Online Credential Registry and may immediately use the credential designation after their name.

Eligibility

• Minimum of a high school diploma or the global equivalent 
• 1,500 hours of work on a project team or 23 contact hours of project management education

The CAPM Credential Examination

Applicants must pass a three-hour, 150-question, knowledge-based examination that uses the PMBOK® Guide as its only source. The questions are developed by individuals from around the globe who hold the CAPM credential and are monitored to ensure that the examination continues to be a reliable and valid assessment of project management terms and practices.

Examination preparation tips: 

• Review the PMBOK® Guide—Third Edition. 
• Download and study the CAPM credential handbook — paying particular attention to the CAPM examination blueprint. 
• Participate in Project Management Methods and Mechanics, a web-based self-study course offered by PMI that makes learning the PMBOK® Guide less daunting and more effective.
• Attend Registered Education Provider courses developed specially for the CAPM examination.

In addition to these examination preparation resources, PMI's Basic Knowledge Assessment will help you measure your knowledge of project management and identify areas to focus on in preparation for the exam.