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.

Costs involved in getting PMP certification

The major costs involved in getting PMP certification includes the following:

1. PMI membership fee for one year. This is optional. But I would recommend you to subscribe to the membership for one year; I will explain why it is beneficial to take it
2. Examination fees, to be paid to Project Management Institute (PMI®)
3. Training fees, to be paid to the trainer/ institute/ online service provider to obtain the necessary 35 contact hours, which is a mandatory requirement for you to apply for PMP credential
4. Cost of PMBOK® Guide (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge)
5. Cost of PMP books, mock exams, flash cards, etc. – This is recommended, but not necessary.

1. Cost of PMI Membership

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.

2. Cost of PMP Certification Exam

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.

3. Cost of PMP Certification Exam Training

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:

• Self-paced learning provided by Simplilearn – INR 8,999
• Online Classroom Flexi-Pass provided by Simplilearn – INR 14,449
• PMP® Certification Training – Online Self Learning provided by GreyCampus – US$ 300
• PMP® – Project Management Professional Certification Training provided by Master of Project Academy – US$ 37/ month
• PMP & Beyond, on-site training by PMI Chennai Chapter – INR 12,000 for PMI members and INR 14,000 for non-members

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.

4. Cost of PMBOK Guide

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.

5. Cost of Reference Books

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:

• 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

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.

Summary

Let me summarize the total cost involved in obtaining the PMP certification:

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.