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Smart Start GuideJanuary 2021

INTRODUCTIONWhat is this document?You likely downloaded this document for one of two reasons: You want to become PMPcertified and are looking for introductory information so you know how to apply for and what tostudy to pass The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional(PMP) exam; OR you are attending one of our Accelerated Learner classes to become aCertified Accelerated Learner (CAL) certified using the PMP Exam as verification youhave mastered using the accelerated learning and test taking techniques. For either of thesetwo reasons, this document will provide you with the Smart Start you will need tosucceed.quickly.Most students who chose to attend our Certified Accelerated Learner and Exam Prep classeswant or need to learn how to learn fast, rapidly synthesize a bulk of material from varioussources, work at peak mental performance, stay relaxed and focused, and learn how to deducethe correct answer on difficult exams. It makes sense to verify your mastery of these skills byactually taking a credentialing exam. Therefore, this particular Cheetah Smart Start Guideincludes information necessary to apply for and pass PMI’s PMP exam. Other groups charge forthis information as part of preparing you to become a certified PMP; however, we provide thisinformation free of charge, so that you fully understand what is required before committing anyresources to our Accelerated Exam Prep Programs.Regardless of why you downloaded this Smart Start guide, it is important you understand theWhat, Why and How of the exam you are going to take.How do I use this?We suggest you set aside 30 minutes to quickly review this document. Get your favoritebeverage, make sure you are comfortable, and begin! This document is divided into foursections so that you can quickly understand what is required and make any notes for laterreference. What is the PMP?Why is the PMP valuable for my career?How do I become PMP certified?How do I best prepare to pass the PMP exam?Millions have downloaded this guide since its first release in July 2001. We update this guideseveral times a year so you have the most current information available!We understand life is busy. If you don’t have the time to read this document, call aCheetah Career Coach for a free Exam Prep Readiness Assessment and/or explanationon how YOU can best prepare to pass your chosen exam at : 844-800-4PMP.

WHAT is the PMP?PMP stands for Project ManagementProfessional. This is the most prestigious andglobally recognized certification in ProjectManagement. With PMP behind your name,you are in demand in almost any industrybecause all industries have projects. Themore successful you are with projects, themore successful your company will be.in 1969, the Project Management Institute(PMI) was established to create industrystandards, advance the science of ProjectManagement and promote professionalresponsibility. In 1984, a small handful ofProject Managers became the first PMPs.Three years later, PMI published the industry’sfirst comprehensive set of accepted ProjectManagement standards, “The ProjectManagement Body of Knowledge” (ThePMBOK Guide). The PMBOK Guide wasupdated in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2013 andagain in January 2018 with the release of ThePMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition. PMI is torelease the Seventh Edition in 2021In September 1999, The PMBOK Guidebecame a formal American NationalStandards Institute (ANSI) Standard,ANSI/PMI 99-001-1999. and industriesthroughout the world had uniform tools andtechniques to manage projects, along with aglobal Project Management commonlanguage. In 2006, the PMP credentialprocess received ISO 17024 accreditation.As the Project Managementprofession’s flag bearer, PMI doesextraordinary work to advance thescience and application of modernProject Management. One of itssignificant accomplishments andon-going programs is the formalcertification of Project Managers: theProject Management Professionalprogram.This program helps ensure thehighest professional and ethicalstandards within the community ofpracticing Project ManagementProfessionals. Earning the PMPcredential increases your careeroptions, gives you more ability toinfluence the successful outcome ofprojects you undertake and providesmore opportunities for increasing yoursalary. It offers similar benefits fororganizations that employ people whoare PMP certified.Various studies indicate that only 25% of all projectsworldwide succeed in achieving budget, schedule,and quality objectives.However, these same studies indicate a 75% successrate for projects that employ modern ProjectManagement concepts, tools, and techniques. Thesefacts, coupled with the now ANSI standard, are thedriving forces behind today’s enormous interest inmodern Project Management

WHY PMP to verify your ACL mastery?There is a continuous and rapidly growingdemand for Project ManagementProfessionals to lead the world’s industriesusing effective Project Managementtechniques. Check out a few of the large,web-based employment sites. Search for“PMP” or “PMI” and see how manyemployers are looking forPMP/PMI-certified Project Managers.Check back next week, and the numbermost likely will have grown.Many governments around the world nowwill only let contracts for projects that arerun by PMP’s. And the largest companiesworldwide have mandates that all ProjectManagers are PMP certified. It is now theticket to entry for the Project Managementprofession for the best jobs worldwide. Andfor some very good reasons. PMP’s delivervalue that is both measurable andconsistentBecause the PMP credential is a global,non-geographic, non-industry-specificcredential, you have chosen a GREATcredential to earn while verifying your masteryof learning fast and passing exams. Mostimportantly, we’ve discovered that obtainingyour PMP certification with Cheetah Learningincreases your self-efficacy.A couple years ago a PhD candidate did theirdoctoral thesis on how becoming a PMPimproved self-efficacy (that is their belief intheir ability to achieve their goals). The onlycompany with a sufficient sample size for herto study was Cheetah Learning. Shediscovered that by completing this verycomprehensive and significant program in justfour days of preparation, dramaticallyimproved the student’s belief in their ability toachieve difficult goals.Many Cheetah Learning alumni are nowleaders in their respective industries and 95%of our business is word of mouth referrals.The PMP Exam is based on much morethan just PMI PBMOK. In fact, while PMIreference eight resources to prepare forthe exam, Cheetah Learning uses morethan 60 resources to not only help youacquire knowledge and skills but alsoaccelerated learning techniques so youcan confidently pass the PMP exam afterfour days of intense accelerated examprep.We’re teachers and our number one goal isour students’ success. We don’t do muchadvertising as we prefer to keep our businessfocused on what we do best. The largest andalso the most prestigious organizations counton Cheetah Learning to help their staffbecome PMP certified, work at peakperformance and and improve individualself-efficacy at the same time.

HOW to become eligible to take the PMP?First, you have to be able to show youmeet PMIs criteria to be eligible to take thePMP exam. See the call out box foreligibility requirements. You will need toshow that you have 36 (or 60) months ofexperience leading or directing tasks onprojects as well as 35 hours of ProjectManagement education. You will need tosubmit an application online at PMIswebsite documenting how you meet thecriteria above, summarizing your ProjectManagement experience, including theproject names, Sponsor/companies. PMmethodology used, budget, # teammembers. PMI expects a one sentenceproject objective, a description of what youdid to lead/directed tasks in each of PMIsdefined process groups, and a onesentence project outcome. PMI will lookfor 100 - 500 words.If you are already a Cheetah student,your Cheetah Career Coaches willreview your information to ensure itmeets PMIs expectations as well aseliminate any chance or yourapplication being returned, denied orflagged for audit.Who is eligible to takethe PMP Exam?Education35 hr or PM Training(included in your ACL course)Experiencew/Bachelors Degree-36 monthmanaging projectsw/out Bachelors - 60 months(You can go back up to 8years)Once you submit your eligibilityapplication to take the PMPexam, PMI will ask for exampayment in order to provide youreligibility number.Next you use your eligibilitynumber to schedule your fourhour exam time slot with aPearson Vue Test center or witha proctor so you can take yourexam virtually on your owncomputer.It’s best to first become a member beforefiling this form as the exam fee drops formembers. You DO NOT need to be a PMImember to take the exam or be a PMPhowever we recommend it as you savemoney in the long run on your exam feeas well as other PMI resources.

Next: Along with documenting youreducational and experiential requirementsestablished by PMI, you also need todemonstrate an acceptable and valid level ofunderstanding and knowledge about ProjectManagement tested by the PMP certificationexamination.Today’s exam is designed to fully test yourunderstanding of modern Project Managementconcepts (Domains, Tasks and Enablers)including various predictive, agile and hybridmethodologies, tools, and techniques, in amultitude of differing business environments.The questions are designed to test both yourunderstanding and your practical applicationabilities, so you see a wide variety of questiontypes on the exam.You will be taking a 4 hour, 180 question,mostly multiple choice exam (they havesome matching, fill in the blanks on graphs,etc) and no two exam are alike. Your pass/failscore is based on your overall performance,not on how many questions you answeredright or wrong in a particular domain.Professionals from our Cheetah Exam Prepfor the PMP course who score very high onthe exam have a wide range and depth of PMexperiences. They have the ability tocompletely immerse themselves in the fourday classroom or four-week online program.They also properly use the techniques taughtin the program to relax and focus during theexamPMI states it will process yourapplication within 5 to 10 workingdays and respond to you by askingfor exam payment ( 405 pmimembers/ 555 non-members).In another 2 days PMI will respondto your payment with an eligibilitynumber that you will need toschedule your exam.Eligibility Period: You must takethe PMP exam within one year ofreceiving your approval to test. If itexpires, you have to apply and payagain.If you don’t pass the exam on your firstattempt, you can take the exam again.You will just submit a re-examinationform to PMI and pay for an examretake ( 275 pmi members/ 375nonmembers) There is no waitingperiod to submit the form or to re-takethe exam. You can usually rescheduleyour exam within two weeks. You areallowed to test three times during youroriginal eligibility year. If you don’t passafter your 2nd retake, you must wait ayear to re-apply to sit for the examagain.