I have been engaged in project management training since 2010, and it has been more than 15 years. A conservative estimate of the number of PMPs trained by me has exceeded 10,000. After reading some of the issues that everyone is concerned about, I feel that it is necessary to contribute my own opinions. Personal opinion, welcome to discuss, please feel free to enlighten me if there is any bias.
- What is the value of PMP certification
There is a separate topic discussing the gold content of PMP certification, and most of the discussions are quite pertinent, saying that it mainly depends on the ability, and the certificate is only auxiliary. But some answers are obviously misleading, such as:
Promotion and salary increase, annual salary of xx million
I understand that this is what everyone expects, but the truth is very hurtful. Everyone's salary is related to many factors such as seniority, ability, responsibility, the salary policy of the work unit, and so on. It is not a PMP certificate that can get a high salary. There is no evidence to prove how much annual salary can be guaranteed if you get a PMP certificate.
In recent years, PMI has done project manager salary surveys and issued reports. One of the statistical calibers is whether there is a PMP certificate. If I remember correctly, last year's survey found that the average salary of a PMP certificate is about 20% higher. I would not think that this 20% increase is due to PMP certification, perhaps because of their attitude towards work and life.
Totally useless
Some people say that there is no PMP certificate at all, and even I saw some people say "As long as it is PMP technology, it must not work." What kind of logic is this, like "good-looking people must have low IQ" as absurd. Even if "the PMP technology you know is not good", we can't draw the above conclusion.
I’ll talk about the value of the certificate later, let’s talk about the PMBOK Guide, the main reference material for the PMP exam. The PMBOK Guide is a national standard in the United States, and the English version is printed with the ANSI logo; the early PMBOK Guide is still an ISO international standard. If you are interested, you can take a look at ISO 10006 (ISO's latest project management quality standard is 21500).
The real value is not the PMP certificate, but the project management system of PMBOK Guide; it is not memorizing the processes, ITTO, EVM formulas, but mastering the thinking logic of project management. For example, everyone who studies project management knows the temporary nature of the project, so what is not temporary?
The value of PMP certificate
Among my many students, some have changed their entire careers because they have PMP certificates, and some have no effect at all. According to PMI, the PMP certificate is a proof of the holder's "project management knowledge and ability", so it is not difficult to understand that some job fairs refer to this certificate.
Based on the exchanges with the students, I summarized the reasons why they took the PMP certificate into the following categories:
The company has set access conditions for the project management position, and the PMP certificate is required; when bidding, how many PMP holders are required by the bidding party; personal career planning, from technology to management, first learn to improve, and then take a certificate As a stepping stone; many of the surrounding work partners are PMPs, in order to have better communication with them; to accompany boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, aunt/nephew, etc.; others are difficult to classify.
Since the candidates are studying for this reason, the PMP certificate should have corresponding value, at least by the company/students.
- Requirements for applying for the PMP certification exam
PMI has clear rules for applying for the PMP certification exam, and some answers are ridiculous. such as
The United States does not need 35 hours of training, the requirements of the Chinese
It seems that since 2004 (the specific time is a bit uncertain), PMI requires at least 35 hours of project management training. I don't doubt that someone can complete the exam application without taking the training, because you are not required to provide a training certificate when applying for the exam, you only need to fill in the training experience.
The principle that PMI maintains is based on honesty, that is, "whatever you report is true, unless I can prove that it is not true". However, PMI has an audit mechanism, about 15% of the candidates will be selected for audit. If you are selected for audit, then you need to submit the training certificate corresponding to the training experience you reported, and you must also submit the other documents you have reported.
The requirements for applying for the exam are the same whether in mainland China or in other countries. If there is any difference between the PMP exam in China and overseas, there are only two points:
For the organic test abroad, there are only paper-based tests in mainland China; the test fee is different, the computer-based test in the United States is USD555 (PMI member 405), not to mention the paper-based test, the number of people selected (shang) is less (xin); China is RMB3900 ( There are no discounts for PMI members).
Must have 35 PDU training certificate issued by REP
At the other extreme, some people say that 35 PDU training certificates must be issued by REP, but PMI does not require such training.
REP (Registered Education Providers) is the abbreviation of PMI Registered Education Providers, which means that this organization is registered in PMI and has passed the PMI audit. Of course, it has to pay a sum of money every year. To apply for the PMP exam, PMI only requires the completion of 35 hours of project management training, and does not require REP training.
I have a client, because the training time is relatively late, so the students all use the project management course in the company's learning system to complete the exam application, and some are selected for audit, there is no problem at all.
Strictly speaking, before obtaining the PMP certificate, the training received is measured in contact hours instead of PDU.
Conditions for applying for the PMP certification exam
Refer to the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) Handbook, there are three basic requirements for applying for the PMP certification exam: 1) educational background; 2) project management experience; 3) project management training. This document will change frequently, remember to find it on the PMI website when you want to use it. It’s free, and don’t look at the versions elsewhere.
- PMP test propositions and historical questions
PMP certification all over the world is unified by PMI to issue questions, scoring papers, and issuing certificates. The so-called "China alone" issue is completely groundless.
In the PMP exam in China, the test papers are written in both Chinese and English. PMI is very rigorous. The Chinese in the test paper is not called a Chinese translation, but a Chinese assistant. It emphasizes that the test is based on English and the Chinese assistant is for reference only. This is not a Chinese patent either. There are a variety of text aids to choose from for the PMP exam.
There are also people who talk about passing the exam. The secret is to do more questions and more "real questions over the years." How come I haven't seen the real questions over the years? Ashamed, it's really ignorant.
PMP examinations in mainland China are coordinated by the Bureau of Foreign Experts. Each examination institution prepares the examination room and Prometric is responsible for invigilating the examination. The test papers are delivered to the test room by the escort truck on the day of the test. All test papers will be taken back after the test; PMI still does not allow candidates to talk about the test questions in the test, and has never released the so-called real questions and reference answers. May I ask where the real questions come from? Is the author of the question or the person who translated the question?
Due to the existence of conflicts of interest, PMI requires that the author and translator of the topic cannot engage in PMP exam training. I once applied to be a volunteer to translate PMP exam questions, but I gave up when I saw the above requirements.
I do not deny that the PMP exam questions will be leaked out through some abnormal channels, but I do not believe that there will be a complete set of "real questions over the years".
- Selection of training institutions
I have also seen someone set up a ranking list of training institutions to evaluate multiple indicators. The logic is good, but due to lack of information, such rankings are highly subjective. For example, let's say "pass rate", let alone the statistical caliber, who can tell the true pass rate of each training institution?
The pass rate data is of course available, but it is not disclosed. I have a buddy who posted the true pass rate of each agency on his company's website for comparison a few years ago, and was stopped shortly after.
Another example is "Word of Mouth". This data is more difficult to obtain. Even large-scale market surveys will have sample selection problems.
I have worked with training institutions in many countries. In the field of PMP training, local Chinese training institutions have an overwhelming advantage, but it does not mean that those foreign institutions have no room for survival. The main reason is that the training objectives are different, and the course delivery methods are also different.
To choose a training organization, you must first clarify your goals. Is it the most cost-effective way to pass the exam, the least troublesome way to pass the exam, or to improve yourself while passing the exam?
The most cost-effective way: find an online course online, after reading it, there will be 35 hours of training certification, meet the PMI registration requirements, and then everything will be self-help; the most trouble-free way: find a good service, You only need to spend your energy on preparing for the exam. Someone will assist you in completing the application, paying for it, and even printing the admission letter. There are constant emails/WeChat reminders of what to do; improve and pass the exam: this is a bit difficult, pay attention The point should be the trainer, not the training organization. You should go to the audition to see if the trainer is your style, and see if the trainer can clearly explain the thinking logic behind the practice.
No matter which training institution you choose, it is essential to spend your own time preparing. The difference lies in how much effort you need to spend yourself. I saw that someone said to brush more than a dozen sets of questions, hehe, each set of questions takes 4 hours to do, and it takes at least 4 hours to analyze and summarize. How long will it take?
The biggest investment in preparing for the PMP exam is not the training fee, the exam fee, but the time. It is reliable to choose a training institution that allows you to pass the exam without taking detours. The threshold for opening a training institution is not high, leading to a situation where "PMP training institutions are blooming everywhere" in the market today. I won’t talk about this today, I will talk about it again when I have the opportunity.
- Write at the end
This essay is not a complete introduction to PMP certification, but just a response to a few questions seen in Zhihu, so that candidates will not be misled again.
Finally, I would say a few more words about the PMP certificate that I personally understand.
If your work is more or less related to the project, or you are going to develop in the direction of project management, this certificate is still worth taking. It is not expensive and there are many potential opportunities. Maybe you will use it one day? "Because you are a PMP, so we do not hire" is still rare. At the least, you can learn a set of internationally accepted project management communication language.
Secondly, the PMP certificate is not a tall certificate, but a basic certificate. If you have the opportunity to talk about it.
Third, the PMBOK Guide and PMP certification exams are not only for projects in the field of construction engineering or IT, but are meaningful for all types of projects, such as customer service, human resources, and marketing.
Finally, you are welcome to discuss the views in this essay, Guolin has the mind to accommodate different views and opinions, thank you!