PgMP® Credential Overview
Description
A “program” is defined as multiple projects that are managed in a coordinated approach in order to achieve the strategic goals of the organization. The Program Management Professional (PgMP)® credential demonstrates a program manager’s competency and advanced skills. PgMP’s oversee multiple, related projects and their resources in order to achieve strategic goals.
Audience
Experienced project managers across all industries
Requirements
With a Bachelor’s degree or higher:
- Four years (6,000 hours) of project management experience and four years (6,000 hours) of program management experience within the last fifteen years
With a high school diploma or global equilalent:
- Four years (6,000 hours) of project management experience and seven years (10,500 hours) of program management experience within the last fifteen years
Application Process
- Verify that you meet the PMI PgMP® eligibility requirements above
- Create an account at www.pmi.org
- Complete the on-line PgMP® application at pmi.org and submit
- In approximately 5 days you will receive an application approval e-mail from PMI®; log into www.pmi.org and pay your credential fee ($1500 for PMI members and $1800 for non-PMI members). Within minutes you will receive a confirmation e-mail stating 1 of 2 things:
- Thank you...here is your test code and exam scheduling instructions
- Thank you...your application has been selected for audit...here is your audit welcome packet
- If you are audited (25% of applications are randomly selected for audit upon payment of exam fees), complete all audit forms and mail them to PMI. In approximately 5 days you will receive an e-mail stating 1 of 3 things:
- Thank you...here is your test code and exam scheduling instructions
- Thank you...we require further information...here is what we need
- Sorry...you have failed to meet the audit requirements...please refer to the PgMP Handbook for our refund policy procedure
- In approximately 5 days you will receive an e-mail stating 1 of 2 things:
- Thank you...you have successfully completed PMI's Panel Review...here is your test code
- Sorry...you have failed to pass PMI's Panel Review process...please refer to the PgMP Handbook for our refund policy procedure
- When you have your test code, go to www.prometric.com/PMI to schedule your exam
- Upon successful completion of your exam, you will enter the next level of evaluation: multi-rater assessment (MRA), a 360 ͦ evaluation of your performance by at least 12 individuals and yourself, including:
- 1 supervisor
- 4 peers
- 4 direct reports
- 3 additional references from any of the above categories
- Upon successful completion of your MRA, you will be notified via email and postal mail that you have been awarded your PgMP® credential
Exam Information
- You will have up to one year from the date your application is approved to take your exam
- If you fail your exam, you are allowed to re-test twice within your one year eligibility period
- Exams are available at multiple Prometric locations around the world
- You will need to provide 2 forms of identification upon arriving at the test center
- All of your belongings, including your cell phone, etc., are placed in a locker and are not accessible during the exam
- You will have four hours to complete 170 multiple-choice questions
- Of the 170 questions, 20 questions are considered pre-test and are not scored
- The questions will represent the six performance domains:
- Domain 1 – Strategic Program Management (11 tasks) –- 15% of the questions
- Domain 2 – Program Life Cycle (35 tasks) –- 12% of the questions
- Initiating (6 tasks) -- (6%)
- Planning (9 tasks) -- (11%)
- Executing (9 tasks) -- (14%)
- Controlling (6 tasks) -- (10%)
- Closing (5 tasks) -- (3%)
- Domain 3 – Benefits Management (8 tasks) -- 11%
- Domain 4 – Stakeholder Management (7 tasks) -- 16%
- Domain 5 – Governance (11 tasks) -- 14%
- There are no scheduled breaks during your exam and as such, the clock will continue even if you step away from the exam
- Questions are provided one at a time and can either be answered, answered and marked, or left blank and marked for review
- Upon submission of the exam, you will be asked to answer a survey prior to receiving your results
- Upon completion of the survey, you will be notified as to whether you passed or failed the exam
- The exam center will provide you with a paper copy of your results, including your proficiency level in each of the domains. Proficiency levels are:
- Proficient
- Moderately Proficient
- Below Proficient
How to Prepare
Enroll in a formal study course offered by PMI® chapters or accredited Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s). You can also review self-study books published by R.E.P.s and other reputable training organizations.
