PMP Application Audits: Random or Not? Who cares!

At least once every moth will I come across a message in a newsgroup or forum that talks about the fact that "PMP Application audits are NOT random. A friend of a friend of mine told me that the PMI looks at your application and based on the profile you will get audited." These are worthless speculations. Here is why and how you should approach this instead.

According to the PMI "all audits are random". That is all that we are told officially and any sort of "audit triggers" that you can imagine (i.e. profiling, application gaps, types of projects, types of education etc.) are pure speculation. And frankly... these kinds of speculations don't help anyone. You either will or you will not get audited. Period.

Here are my recommendations for you on how you can be ready for an eventual audit:

• Know that there is a 50/50 chance that you will get audited.
• Be truthful on your PMP application.
• Have everything you write in the application documented (i.e. training certificates, etc)
• Contact your former employers / supervisors / colleagues before you submit your application
  • Tell them that you are applying and that they would have to review your application in case that you get audited.
  • Show them what you have written in your application about the projects you worked on for them and ask if they agree with what you have written.

That is the positive and proactive way to approach your PMP application. Worrying about whether or not you will get audited because you "fit a certain profile" is futile and will cause you to worry too much. Use that energy to properly study for the exam instead.