Is the PMP® Certification for Project Managers Only?

No! Your title does not determine if you can take the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam, your responsibilities do. The PMP® Exam application does not ask if your title is or has been “Project Manager”, it only asks what roles you held related to the experience you are claiming on the application. There are several roles to choose from; Project Contributor, Supervisor, Manager, Project Leader, Project Manager, Educator, Consultant, Administrator, and Other.

As part of the PMP® Exam application process you need to demonstrate that you meet specific eligibility criteria. If you have a bachelor’s degree you need to have at least 4500 hours of project management experience, if you do not have a bachelor’s degree you need to have at least 7500 hours of project management experience. This experience needs to be within all five of the process groups of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. You do not have to have experience in all of the process groups for each project, but you do have to demonstrate experience in all five groups across all of the project management experience hours you cite on the application.

You also need to have completed at least 35 contact hours, which is 35 hours of project management education. You will need to provide information such as the name of the education provider, title of the course, and start date and end date of the course in the application. If you do not have the required 35 contact hours you will need to complete those hours before submitting your application. Pretty much any course that covers all of the Project Management Knowledge Areas in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) qualifies.

If your roles and responsibilities have been within all five of the process groups, you have the required hours of project management experience, and you have the necessary 35 contact hours even if you have not held the title of “Project Manager” you do qualify take the PMP® Exam.

Watch this YouTube video to know if you are eligible to take the PMP certification exam