If I am interested in any training programme or courses to upgrade myself, the first question that comes to my mind is “how much does it cost?”. Can I afford it?
We start exploring courses/ training programmes only if it is within our budget. Or, sometimes we may look at the return of investment before pursuing such courses/ training programmes/ certification path.
So, anyone who is interested in PMP® certification exam will have the same question. What is the cost of PMP certification exam? We will find the answer to this question in this article. I will cover the cost of PMP Certification Exam in India. But, this can be used as a guideline even if you are from some other part of the world.
Table of Contents
The major costs involved in getting PMP certification includes the following:
PMI membership costs you US$ 129 for one year.
I would recommend you to subscribe to the PMI membership before applying for the PMP certification exam. Why? PMI provides discounted certification fee for members. Members get a discount of US$ 150 in the certification fee. So, the cost of your membership will be covered by the discount you get for PMP certification fee.
On top of this, you get free access to digital edition of PMBOK Guide and you can download a PDF copy of PMBOK Guide. So, you save on the cost of PMBOK Guide, which normally costs you about US$ 65.95.
You get access to a vast collection of knowledge and career resources, webinars, articles, blogs and papers.
In addition to this, if you subscribe to your local PMI chapter, you can attend regular knowledge sharing sessions and you can connect to other PMP aspirants from your city. You can get support from other previously qualified PMP credential holders. Of course, on top of the regular PMI membership fees, you have to spend about another US$ 10 to US$ 15 to become a chapter member. But, if you have a local chapter in your city, I will advise you to take it.
So, my advice is to spend $129 on PMI annual membership. If you have a local chapter in your city, I would also advice you take the membership of the local chapter at an additional cost of about $10-$15. When you do this, you save about $150 on certification fee and about $65.95 on PMBOK Guide.
PMP certification exam costs US$ 405 for a PMI member and US$ 555 for a non-member (that’s why I advised you to take up the PMI membership).
If, unfortunately, you could not clear the PMP certification exam in your first attempt, a re-examination will cost your $275 if you are a member and $375 if you are a non-member. So, being a PMI member helps here too. The cost of re-appearing for the exam is too expensive. So, your plan and preparation should be to clear the PMP certification exam in the first go. It is not impossible as long as you don’t take the exam too casually.
The cost of PMP certification exam training varies widely, from country to country. The cost depends on whether you want to take the training online or you want a class-room based. I personally would advise you to go with class-room based training, which is much more interactive.
Also, go with the option where it is 4 or 5 full days in a single stretch. Yes, it may require you to take a week off from your regular work. But, this way, you can concentrate on the course and can benefit from it. You also will feel less stressful than attending a weekend course.
I am listing some of the training programmes available, for your reference and comparison:
As you can see, the price varies depending on the course provider and the format of training. Generally, it costs you around INR 12,000 to 15,000 for a good class-room based training programme.
As I advised earlier, if you subscribe to PMI annual membership, you can get the latest digital edition of PMBOK Guide free. If you want a hard copy, then you have to spend US$49.50 if you are a member or US$ 65.95 if you are a non-member. Again, you save $16.45 by being a PMI member.
There are some excellent books, which will be very useful in addition to PMBOK Guide. I suggest you to buy at least one reference book. If you can form a local group, then each one of you can buy a different book and study together. Some of the recommended books and their prices are listed below:
I have not included the cost of mock exams, flash cards, etc. as they are not absolutely necessary. But, if you have them they will be useful. Most of the training institutes also will give you some mock exams. So, during your early negotiations ask them for the details of mock exams.
And, there are thousands of mock exams available online for free or for a nominal cost. So, you can consider them. I will provide a collection of links to those online resources in a later article.
Let me summarize the total cost involved in obtaining the PMP certification:
| Sl. No. | Item | Estimated Cost | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PMI Membership | $129 | You should take it first before applying for the exam |
| 1a | PMI Local Chapter Membership | $10-$15 | If you have a local chapter in your city, I advise you to join them. You should be a PMI member to become a local chapter member. You cannot buy local chapter membership separately |
| 2 | Cost of PMP Certification exam | $405 | PMI Member rate is considered |
| 3 | Cost of Training | INR 12000-14000 | Class room training is considered; You may also go for online training which may be cheaper |
| 4 | Cost of PMBOK Guide | Free | PMI Member benefit |
| 5 | Cost of reference book | INR 600-4500 | I recommend at least one book. Rita Mulcahy book is recommended, which is most expensive; but, very useful |
| 5a | Mock exams | Free | Free online resources are considered & assuming the training institute will also provide mock exams. If you are willing to pay, you can consider Rita Mulcahy’s PM Fastrack Exam Simulation Software. It is wonderful. |
Overall, the PMP certification exam in India might cost you about INR 50,000. It may slightly be less or more depending on your individual preferences.
If you are from other parts of the world, the PMP certification exam might cost you about US$1000. I am assuming $550 for the certification exam, $50 for a book and $400 for training. Please check the exact cost in your place of living as the training costs might be different in your city.
If you have any doubts/ feedback, please leave a comment below.
“PMI”, “PMP” and “PMBOK” are registered marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.
I got this lessons learned feedback from a candidate, who wants to remain anonymous. So,…
Project management primarily involves planning, executing and monitoring/ controlling activities. While a project could be…
While you might find extensive content online for the Project Management Professional (PMP) examination, it…
If you do an online search for PMP training programme, you'll find hundreds of options…
On 19 Mar 2019, I received a phone call from Venkataraghavan. Venkat attended my PMP…
Haitham Al-Kahlani feels the PMP examination is "Scary". I met Haitham at PM Master Prep's…
View Comments
Dear Sir, I have few years of experience in IT Project Management and IT operations. I like to take PMP certification now, does it really required to join a training or with PMBOK guide or any study materials can i take the exams
Hi Sivakumar,
Good to know that you are interested in PMP certification. Yes, 35 contact hours training is a prerequisite for submitting application to PMI.
Nicely explained article? Thanks a lot cleared a lot of my doubts!
Just one thing, given the current Covid-19 situation, I hear the exams are on hold. I was looking to join a pmp course, but I don't want a big gap between me completing the course and giving the exam.
Can you please share if you have any insight on when should be the ideal time to maybe start the PMP course training so that I Can give my exam immediately afterwards?
Thanks Arunima.
Yes, the centre-based exams are on hold in most part of the world. But, PMI has introduced online Proctored exams, which can be taken from the comfort of your home or office.
So, you can plan to take the training now. You can use the current scenario to your advantage, as you may have more time available to attend the training and to study. Keep in mind that it takes normally around 2 months to prepare for the exam.
If you still have any doubts, you can post your comments here or you can drop a mail to pmdrill.com@gmail.com. Thanks.
Very useful link Sir. I am also planning to persue PMP course in Mumbai.
Great Vinet. If you need any help, don't hesitate to contact me. My best wishes.
Addition to my query forgot to mention books.
PMP Exam Prep: Eighth Edition – Updated by Rita Mulcahy – INR 4147
The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try – by Andy Crowe – INR 1980
Head First PMP: A Learner’s Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam – INR 950
PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, 8ed: Updated for the 2015 Exam – by Kim Heldman – INR 567
The above article needs some update, as it was written about two years ago. Look for the latest edition of the books and the current prices.
1. Rita Mulcahy book is in the 9th edition now.
2. Head First PMP is in the 4th edition now.
I am not sure about the other two books.
You can also watch my YouTube video on this subject, which I published very recently: https://youtu.be/Sn5g2h22xqs
Greetings Sir!
I have one query, The way you explained is very easy to understand but at one point I stuck up, that out of 4 suggested books which one I can prefer or all 4 books need to be study, cause that will certainly consume lot of time.
Awaiting for your kind response.
Thank you,
Riyaj
It is not necessary to study all the suggested books. You can choose any one book (or maximum two books) as reference. The choice of book depends on your style of study.
The most preferred book is the one by Rita Mulcahy (make sure it is the ninth edition, which is the latest).. If you are going to get only one book then you should buy Rita Mulcahy's book.
Head First PMP book (fourth edition) is also a good book. It presents the concepts in a very simple and easy way to understand. If you have difficulty in understanding the concepts, this is a good book to start with.
Very useful link
Thanks Ramesh.