PMP Preparation – Employer Support
On this page: Budget | Sponsoring membership | More support
How Much Should You Budget?
The PMP certification is not a big financial investment. However, many organizations are happy to support their employees and cover the costs.
Seminar
Costs for seminars differ from provider to provider. Please enquire at the company that you trust.*
Please also note: Many seminars developed for an expired exam version are still sold at low prices. They do not prepare for the current version of the exam, which has repeatedly led to candidates’ failure.
Notes:
* My public seminars can be found here.
Membership, Application, and Miscellaneous Items
In addition to seminar costs, these are the additional costs that sponsoring organizations should put in the budget per employee:
| Position | Fee* | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| First-year membership fee (payable to PMI) | $149* | Recovered by a $150 member discount on the exam fee. Unlocks the free download of PMI literature. |
| Exam fee (payable to PMI) | $405* | Including the $150 discount for members. |
| Core literature | — | Free download for PMI members.** |
| Practice questions for self-directed learning after the seminar | — | Included in the seminar fee.*** |
| After-class mentoring during application and further preparation | — | Included in the seminar fee.*** |
| Miscellaneous items (e.g. additional literature) | $100 | Not a necessary position, but often helpful. |
| Total: | $654 |
Notes:
* Numbers for Europe. PMI charges different fees in other countries and changes the fees occasionally without notice.
** See Reading Plan.
*** Many, but not all, seminar providers offer this. My students receive this support in addition to my free offerings, such as the public practice questions.
Should an Employer Sponsor PMI Membership for Employees after the Exam?
My clear recommendation: Yes.
By becoming PMI members, employees join a global community of over 700,000 professionals in 222 countries and territories.* This is the place where project management is professionalized and further developed.
On top of that, members have free access to a digital library of Standards and Publications. This includes standards for many hot topics, such as:
- PMBOK Guide 7th Ed.
- Agile Practices Guide
- Process Groups: A Practice Guide
- Standard for Program Management
- Standard for Portfolio Management
- Requirements Management: A Practice Guide
…and many more.
These standards help develop knowledge. Corporations use them to ensure a common language and understanding inside the organization and in cross-corporate Project Business.
* Data per end of 2023
What Else Can You Do?
Apart from monetary support, employers can help their project managers on the path to becoming PMP-certified. See document with recommendations.
