Affordable PMP Certification Training and Study Options

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Cours­era, Ude­my and Edx offer cours­es toward PMP certification.
• There are two paths to PMP eli­gi­bil­i­ty, depend­ing on your edu­ca­tion lev­el and project man­age­ment experience.
• Afford­able train­ing options for PMP exam prepa­ra­tion include online cours­es, in-per­son work­shops, free resources, and self-study guides.
• Cre­at­ing a study plan that includes prac­tice exams, join­ing study groups, and lever­ag­ing free resources can help you pre­pare for the PMP exam with­out spend­ing too much money.

Are you ready to take your project man­age­ment career to the next lev­el? If so, you’ve prob­a­bly heard about the Project Man­age­ment Pro­fes­sion­al (PMP) cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. It’s like a gold­en tick­et in the world of project man­age­ment, open­ing doors to bet­ter job oppor­tu­ni­ties and high­er salaries. But here’s the catch: get­ting that cer­ti­fi­ca­tion can be pret­ty expen­sive. Don’t wor­ry, though! We’re here to help you find afford­able ways to pre­pare for the PMP exam with­out break­ing the bank.

In this arti­cle, we’ll explore var­i­ous bud­get-friend­ly options for PMP cer­ti­fi­ca­tion train­ing and study mate­ri­als. Whether you’re a sea­soned project man­ag­er or just start­ing out, we’ve got some­thing for every­one. So, let’s dive in and dis­cov­er how you can become PMP-cer­ti­fied with­out emp­ty­ing your wallet!

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What Is PMP Certification?

Before we jump into the afford­able train­ing options, let’s take a quick look at what PMP cer­ti­fi­ca­tion is all about. The Project Man­age­ment Pro­fes­sion­al (PMP) cer­ti­fi­ca­tion is a glob­al­ly rec­og­nized cre­den­tial offered by the Project Man­age­ment Insti­tute (PMI). It’s like a badge of hon­or that shows you know your stuff when it comes to man­ag­ing projects.

Why Should You Care About PMP Certification?

Get­ting PMP cer­ti­fied can be a game-chang­er for your career. Here’s why:

• High­er Salary: PMP-cer­ti­fied pro­fes­sion­als often earn more than their non-cer­ti­fied peers.
• Bet­ter Job Oppor­tu­ni­ties: Many employ­ers pre­fer or require PMP cer­ti­fi­ca­tion for project man­age­ment roles.
• Improved Skills: The cer­ti­fi­ca­tion process helps you sharp­en your project man­age­ment skills.
• Glob­al Recog­ni­tion: PMP is rec­og­nized world­wide, open­ing up inter­na­tion­al opportunities.

Education and Experience Requirements

There are two paths to PMP eli­gi­bil­i­ty, depend­ing on your edu­ca­tion level:

Four-Year Degree Path:

• You need a four-year degree (bach­e­lor’s or glob­al equivalent)
• Plus, 36 months of expe­ri­ence lead­ing projects
• And 35 hours of project man­age­ment education/training or CAPM® Certification

High School Diploma or Associate’s Degree Path:

• You need a high school diplo­ma, asso­ci­ate’s degree, or glob­al equivalent
• Plus, 60 months of expe­ri­ence lead­ing projects
• And 35 hours of project man­age­ment education/training or CAPM® Certification

Project Leadership Experience

You need expe­ri­ence in lead­ing and direct­ing projects. And this expe­ri­ence must have been gained with­in the last eight years. It does­n’t have to be from a sin­gle project. You can com­bine expe­ri­ence from mul­ti­ple projects

Project Management Education 

You will also need to have 35 con­tact hours of for­mal project man­age­ment edu­ca­tion. This can be obtained through var­i­ous means:

• Project man­age­ment courses
• Train­ing sessions
• Work­shops
• PMI Autho­rized Train­ing Part­ner programs

We’re going to go into more detail about project man­age­ment train­ing and where to get it below.

Application Process

1. Go to the PMI web­site and cre­ate a user account
2. Com­plete the online appli­ca­tion form. You’ll need to detail your expe­ri­ence and education
3. PMI will review your appli­ca­tion. This can take up to 5 busi­ness days
4. Once approved, you’ll need to pay the exam fee. The fee is $555 for non-PMI mem­bers and $405 for PMI members
5. Sched­ule the Exam. You have a one-year eli­gi­bil­i­ty peri­od to take the exam

Impor­tant Notes:

• All expe­ri­ence must have been accrued with­in the last eight con­sec­u­tive years pri­or to your appli­ca­tion submission
• The 35 hours of project man­age­ment edu­ca­tion must be com­plet­ed before you sub­mit your application
• PMI mem­ber­ship is not required for PMP cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, but it does offer a sig­nif­i­cant dis­count on the exam fee

Remem­ber, meet­ing these eli­gi­bil­i­ty require­ments is just the first step. You’ll then need to pre­pare thor­ough­ly for the PMP exam, which cov­ers a wide range of project man­age­ment knowl­edge and skills. The exam itself con­sists of 180 ques­tions, and you have 230 min­utes to com­plete it.

By under­stand­ing these require­ments clear­ly, you can bet­ter plan your path to PMP cer­ti­fi­ca­tion and ensure you meet all the nec­es­sary cri­te­ria before applying.

We’ve cov­ered the basics. Now let’s explore some afford­able train­ing options to help you ace that PMP exam!

Affordable Training Options for the PMP Exam

Online Courses

In today’s dig­i­tal age, online cours­es are a pop­u­lar and cost-effec­tive way to pre­pare for the PMP exam. Here are some plat­forms offer­ing afford­able PMP courses:

Coursera

PMI-PMP® Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion Train­ing Course Spe­cial­iza­tion through LearnKartS 

• Five cours­es
• Two Months @ four hours a week
• $49.00 per month

Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia Irvine Project Man­age­ment Prin­ci­ples and Prac­tices Specialization

• Four cours­es
• One month @ ten hours a week
• $49.00 per month

Udemy

The Ulti­mate Project Man­age­ment PMP Prep Course

• 234 lec­tures 
• 27h 43m total length
• $12.99

The Com­plete PMP Course & Prac­tice Exams

• 160 lec­tures
• 18h 41m total length
• $19.99

EdX

Uni­ver­si­ty of Mary­land Project Man­age­ment Pro­fes­sion­al (PMP) Exam Prep Training

• Four cours­es
• Four months @ one to two hours a week
• $428.40

Rochester Insti­tute of Tech­nol­o­gy Micro­Mas­ters® Pro­gram in Project Management

• Three grad­u­ate-lev­el courses
• Eight months @8–12 hours a week
• $1,212.30

In-Person Workshops and Bootcamps

If you pre­fer face-to-face learn­ing, there are in-per­son and on-cam­pus options to con­sid­er. These pro­grams have a more struc­tured envi­ron­ment. Plus, you get more direct inter­ac­tion with your instruc­tors and fel­low stu­dents. Con­sid­er these afford­able options:

PMP Exam Prep Boot­camp by the Uni­ver­si­ty of Houston

Sug­ar Land, Texas

• Five days
• 40 hours of face-to-face training
• $1,987

Uni­ver­si­ty of San Diego Extend­ed Stud­ies Project Man­age­ment Boot Camp

San Diego, California

• Four days
• 35 hours of face-to-face training
• $995

Open Courseware and Free Resources

Who says you can’t get some­thing for noth­ing? There are plen­ty of free resources to help you pre­pare for the PMP exam:

Project Man­age­ment Insti­tute: The Project Man­age­ment Insti­tute offers free online cours­es, including: 

• PMI Kick­off
• Gen­er­a­tive AI Overview for Project Managers
• Busi­ness Continuity
• Free Intro­duc­tion: Basics of Dis­ci­plined Agile™ Online Course
• Tam­ing Bias: Using Wicked Prob­lem Solv­ing to Make Bet­ter Deci­sions and Align Teams
• The Basics of Scrum
• Free Intro­duc­tion: PMI® Autho­rized On-demand PMP® Exam Prep

Mas­ter of Project Acad­e­my: The Mas­ter of Project Acad­e­my offers a free one-hour train­ing course, plus sev­er­al help­ful resources.

• 25+ Lec­tures
• 100% Online & Self-Paced
• Free Down­load­able Materials
• Sam­ple Quiz
• Test-Tak­ing Strategies
• LinkedIn Com­mu­ni­ty

MIT Open­Course­Ware: MIT offers sev­er­al col­lege-lev­el cours­es you can access for free through Open­Course­Ware, including: 

• Project Eval­u­a­tion
• Project Man­age­ment
• Sys­tem Project Management

Self-Study Options

For those who pre­fer to study at their own pace, self-study can be an afford­able and effec­tive option:

PMP Study Guides

If you learn best with a phys­i­cal work­book, check out these afford­able study guides:

Rita Mulc­ahy’s PMP Exam Prep

• Ful­ly aligned to the cur­rent PMP® ECO
• One source prep guide includes all you need to pass the exam
• PMP prep tools, case stud­ies & prac­tice exam questions
• $79.99

Andy Crowe’s “The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try”

• 400 prac­tice exam questions
• Chap­ter quizzes and a sim­u­lat­ed final exam
• Links to 60 videos with Andy explain­ing concepts
• $83.92

Tip: Check your local library for free access to these books before you pur­chase them.

Flashcards and Mobile Apps

Many free or low-cost PMP flash­card apps are avail­able. These are great for study­ing on the go. 

Brain­scape Pmp Exam Prep Flashcards

• Avail­able on any device
• Fea­tures 28 decks and 903 flashcards
• Free

Mas­ter of Project Acad­e­my Flashcards

• 1,500+ PMP flash­cards cov­er­ing each knowl­edge area
• Access from any device 
• Free demo so you can check them out first 
• $19.70 a month

Project Man­age­ment Acad­e­my App

• Mobile app avail­able on iPhone or Android
• Flash­cards, prac­tice ques­tions, and timed exams
• Three-day free tri­al, then $19.99 a month

Online Practice Exams

Online prac­tice exams are one of the best ways to famil­iar­ize your­self with the exam for­mat. They can also help you eas­i­ly iden­ti­fy areas for improve­ment. Here are some sites to check out:

PM Exam Simulator 

• Over 1000 PMP prac­tice exam sam­ple questions
• Two com­plete exams with 180 ques­tions each
• Ques­tions devel­oped by cer­ti­fied PMP team
• Costs between $99-$149, depend­ing on how long you want to access it

PMI® Autho­rized Online PMP® Prac­tice Exam

• 250+ mul­ti­ple-choice questions
• Imme­di­ate feed­back on each question
• Resource library with help­ful links and ref­er­ence documents
• $99

PMP Prac­tice Exam

• Four PMP prac­tice tests
• instant scor­ing with detailed explanations 
• Free

Other Resources to help you prepare for PMP Certification

Community Colleges

Many com­mu­ni­ty col­leges offer PMP prep cours­es at rea­son­able prices. Check your local col­lege’s con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion department

Local Training Centers

Look for PMP boot­camps or week­end work­shops in your area. These are often more afford­able than big-name train­ing providers.

Employer-Sponsored Training

Some com­pa­nies offer in-house PMP train­ing or cov­er exter­nal train­ing costs. This can be a great way to get high-qual­i­ty train­ing at lit­tle to no per­son­al cost. Don’t for­get to check if your employ­er offers PMP train­ing sup­port! If they don’t, you may want to ask about it. Here are a few tips for nego­ti­at­ing PMP train­ing at your workplace.

• High­light how PMP cer­ti­fi­ca­tion will ben­e­fit your company
• Offer to share your knowl­edge with col­leagues after certification
• Con­sid­er agree­ing to stay with the com­pa­ny for a cer­tain peri­od after get­ting certified

Local Study Groups

Check Meetup.com or local PMI chap­ters for study groups. This way, you can share resources and knowl­edge with oth­ers prepar­ing for the exam

Online Forums

Web­sites like Red­dit’s r/pmp or ProjectManagement.com forums are great for ask­ing ques­tions. You can get advice from cur­rent and for­mer stu­dents and PMP-cer­ti­fied pro­fes­sion­als. These resources offer you diverse per­spec­tives on project man­age­ment con­cepts. They also give you the oppor­tu­ni­ty to teach oth­ers what you know. This rein­forces your own learning

PMI Membership

Join­ing PMI can give you dis­counts on exam fees and study mate­ri­als. It also pro­vides access to valu­able resources and net­work­ing opportunities

Creating Your Affordable PMP Study Plan

Now that we’ve explored var­i­ous afford­able options, here’s how to put it all together:

1. Assess Your Knowledge by Taking a Free PMP Practice Test

Try PM Exam Sim­u­la­tor or Oliv­er Lehman­n’s free test. Answer all ques­tions, even if you’re unsure. Review your results care­ful­ly. Iden­ti­fy which knowl­edge areas you scored well in. And note any areas where you strug­gled. Pay atten­tion to ques­tion types (e.g., sit­u­a­tion­al, for­mu­la-based) that gave you trouble.

Record your ini­tial score to cre­ate a base­line. You can now use this as a start­ing point to mea­sure your progress.

2. Choose Your Primary Study Method

Think about how you learn best and choose one or more study meth­ods to focus on.

Online Cours­es:

• Best for self-paced learners
• Look for cours­es with video lec­tures, quizzes, and prac­tice exams
• Con­sid­er options like Ude­my, Cours­era, or LinkedIn Learning

Self-Study:

• Ide­al for dis­ci­plined learners
• Invest in a com­pre­hen­sive PMP study guide
• Cre­ate a strict study sched­ule and stick to it

In-Per­son Training:

• Per­fect for those who pre­fer struc­tured learn­ing environments
• Research local com­mu­ni­ty col­leges or PMI chap­ters for afford­able options
• Con­sid­er boot­camps for inten­sive, focused study

Eval­u­ate Your Learn­ing Style:

• Reflect on past suc­cess­ful learn­ing experiences
• Con­sid­er your sched­ule and commitments
• Think about your bud­get constraints

3. Supplement with Free Resources

PMI Resources:

• Down­load the PMBOK Guide (free for PMI members)
• Uti­lize PMI’s prac­tice ques­tions and webinars

YouTube Tuto­ri­als:

• Search for PMP prep channels
• Watch videos on chal­leng­ing topics

Blogs and Websites:

• Fol­low project man­age­ment blogs for insights and tips
• Use web­sites like ProjectManagement.com for addi­tion­al resources

Cre­ate a Resource Library:

• Book­mark use­ful websites
• Orga­nize free PDFs and study materials

Join a Study Group

• Check Meetup.com for PMP study groups in your area
• Con­tact your local PMI chap­ter for group study sessions

Online Com­mu­ni­ties:

• Join PMP prep forums on Red­dit or LinkedIn
• Par­tic­i­pate in Face­book groups ded­i­cat­ed to PMP study

4. Schedule Your Exam

Set a Tar­get Date:

• Choose a date that gives you enough time to pre­pare thoroughly
• Typ­i­cal­ly, 2–3 months of ded­i­cat­ed study is suf­fi­cient for most people

Cre­ate a Study Timeline:

• Work back­ward from your exam date
• Allo­cate more time to your weak areas

Be Real­is­tic:

• Con­sid­er your work and per­son­al commitments
• Allow for unex­pect­ed delays or setbacks

Stay Account­able:

• Share your exam date with your study group or a mentor
• Use this as moti­va­tion to stay on track

5. Prepare for Exam Day

• Famil­iar­ize your­self with the test­ing cen­ter location
• Plan your trans­porta­tion and arrival time
• Gath­er nec­es­sary doc­u­ments and materials

By fol­low­ing this expand­ed plan, you’ll cre­ate a com­pre­hen­sive, afford­able approach to PMP exam prepa­ra­tion. Remem­ber, con­sis­ten­cy is key. Stick to your study plan, stay moti­vat­ed, and adjust your strat­e­gy as need­ed based on your progress. 

Closing Thoughts

Becom­ing PMP cer­ti­fied does­n’t have to drain your sav­ings account. With the afford­able options we’ve explored, you can pre­pare for the PMP exam on a bud­get with­out com­pro­mis­ing on qual­i­ty. Remem­ber, the key to suc­cess is not how much you spend but how effec­tive­ly you use the resources avail­able to you.

So, whether you choose online cours­es, self-study, or a com­bi­na­tion of meth­ods, stay focused on your goal. With ded­i­ca­tion and smart use of afford­able resources, you’ll be well on your way to join­ing the ranks of PMP-cer­ti­fied pro­fes­sion­als. Good luck on your PMP journey!