Guide · Institutions and Decisions
How to choose independent PMP preparation and plan your study
Independent PMP preparation can be excellent, but know what you are buying: who is an authorised training partner, what counts towards eligibility, and what no one can promise.
The short answer
Check three things before paying for PMP preparation: whether the provider is a PMI Authorized Training Partner or independent, whether its hours count towards the 35 contact hours of education PMI requires, and whether its practice questions are original. Nobody can honestly guarantee a pass.
Eligibility comes first
PMI requires 35 contact hours of project management education, or the CAPM certification, alongside project experience. Check the current rules and whether a course’s hours count before you buy it. Details are on pmi.org.
Plan the study
Most candidates study alongside work. A plan that gives weaker domains more time, then moves to timed practice, uses limited hours better than reading cover to cover. The PMP study plan builds such a schedule from your exam date, weekly hours and confidence in each domain, with original practice questions to try.
Warning signs
Be wary of guaranteed passes, “real exam questions” and providers who cannot say where their questions come from. Leaked or copied exam content breaches PMI’s rules and can cost you the certification.
PMP study planOpen the free tool What this guide does not cover
Exam content outlines change. Always check the outline that applies to your exam date on pmi.org.
Sources
Responsible for this guide
Examples in this guide are illustrative, not client results. Figures come from the free tool’s worked example; change the inputs in the tool to see your own.
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