TOPIC: Help please - PMP application

Hi there,

I have started my online application to apply for the PMP exam.
I have read the handbook and the eligibility criteria of 4,500 hours and 36 months non-overlapping experience apply to me.

I started adding experience to my application and it automatically calculates the non-overlapping hours, and there are no fields to enter how many hours spent on PMBOK process groups. Is this the case?
I found a template online that suggested that hours per process group needed to be entered to get to the 4,500 hours. If there is nowhere to enter this on the screen, how does the PMI know whether the 36 months were solely spent on tasks which align with the PMBOK? Do they assume that the 4,500 hours were spent in the 36 months?

Regards,
Karen

Karen,

When I made my application last year, I added that in on the narrative. Remember, you will have only 500 characters for each projects. Characters - not words! You'll have to abbreviate a lot.

Good luck.

Harry

Hi Harry,
Thanks. Looks like PMI might have changed something, the application form is requiring project descriptions to between 200 to 500 words. It would not let me save the experience description for anything less than 100 words. The template I was working on which I found online did say 500 characters maximum.

That being said, when I enter five projects with up to 500 WORDS in the description each which automatically calculates to 36 months or more, the 'Continue to Exam Details' button is no longer greyed out.

When you did your application, did you have to enter the hours or percentages for each process group for each project? Should I add that in the description if there are no other fields specifically for this? And should I add my other 70+ projects when that 'Continue to Exam Details' button is clickable?

Sorry if it sounds like I am asking the same kind of question in a different way, want to make sure that we are talking about the 'same' application form, but it looks like I might be completing a new version of the form?

Anon:

Unfortunately, I never printed or saved a copy of the application after I finished it, so I cannot rightly answer your question with any certainty. I think, but I am not sure, that i put in hours by process group for each project.

I do recall that the whole application dashboard was a user nightmare. 500 characters to sum up a 2 year project is a tough row to hoe. I'm glad that PMI cleaned that up some.

H

Thank you so much for your quick response Harry. Ok I will have a think about it and might go to the horse's mouth because I would like to get my application through first time. It's a bit of a nightmare with so mamy resources available online, but not sure what is still relevant/current, so much appreciate your experience.

Cheers,
Karen

Going to PMI is really the key, Karen as they are the ultimate arbiter of your application. I probably called them 3 or 4 times with questions and always got an answer. Word on the street right now is "be patient" when you call and you may not get a body right away. I have found them to be very helpful with the process.

Hi Karen,

in fact the PMI has recently changed the application - starting around mid-June 2020. So my past experience in filling out the application would be no help here.
Also, I would recommend that you double check that the online template that you found is up to date (looks like it is not, to me) and comes from a reliable source.

Besides the handbook and the eligibility requirements, please take a look at this video , which hopefully might guide you through the process. I received it in the newsletter from my local PMI chapter.
The video also mentions a quick reference guide and FAQs on the new application, but apparently I do not have access to them, maybe because I am already PMP certified?
Anyway, you will see from the video that PMI removed the domain hours from the application, so I assume this is why you don't find the corresponding fields in the application anymore.

Hope this helps you a bit!

Gabriella

Hi Gabriella,

Thank you so much, I seriously cannot thank you enough for sharing the video - it explains everything for completing the application. So that's why the application form was not what I expected (I was using this template which was probably reliable at the time www.pmlearningsolutions.com/blog/probabl...mp-spreadsheet-world ) and all resources I came across did align with Harry's response.
I joined the PMI when I started my online application a couple of days ago, I wouldn't have known if there were changes with the application form. This video/change was released between me researching whether I was eligible a couple of months ago to when I was ready to complete the online application.

I've got to say I am slightly dumbfounded because I spent probably close to a month drafting my application! But now with this new application format, it actually looks easier and more practical despite my wasted effort. Siiighh that's ok, I will carry on and get this thing through.

Thank you so much !!!

Karen