10 Steps to Becoming a PMP - Step 3 & 4

Step 3: Become a PMI Member & Member of your local PMI Chapter.

Becoming a member of PMI International makes financial sense, because as a PMI member you will not only receive a free PMBOK® Guide but you will also receive a substantial discount on the PMP® exam. In fact, the discount is bigger than the membership fee. So even if you don't want to stay a PMI member for life, becoming a member in your first year makes sense.

Becoming a member of your local PMI Chapter can also make sense, because most chapters offer PMP Prep Workshops. Again, as a member you usually receive a discount that is greater than the membership fee. Your local chapter is also a great resource for PMP information. You can attend your chapter's dinner meeting and speak in-person with new and seasoned PMPs about the exam. They will be very happy to answer your questions and help you. And you will also meet PMP aspirants like yourself and you can form a study group. Studying together is more fun and increases your chance of passing.

Step 4: Sign up for the Exam.

"I want to become a PMP" is a good plan. But "I want to become a PMP and my exam date is in 3 months" is a much better plan because we all work a lot better when we have a deadline. To sign up, you first have to fill in the PMP® Credential Application and submit it to the PMI. You can find the paper application in the Credential Handbook (see step 1 above) but you definitely want to apply online at http://www.pmi.org. Once your application has been approved you will receive a letter from the PMI. Now you can apply to take the exam on the Prometric Website at http://www.prometric.com/PMI/default.htm. The PMI doesn't perform the test themselves - instead they use Thomson Prometric, a testing company with testing centers around the world. Depending on where you live you may have to travel quite far to take the exam. So you definitely want to schedule this well in advance.