Award-Winning PMP Certification Training in Cambridge, MA

Best PMP Certification Training By Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors offers comprehensive PMP certification training that covers everything you need to know to prepare for your test. The PMP (or Project Management Professional) certification is offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI) as an indication of an individual's project management skills, knowledge, and experience in bringing projects to a successful conclusion. Earning this certification can potentially help you negotiate a higher salary or land an exciting new job, so it's important to take your test prep seriously.

Our PMP certification training allows you to review both the content and formatting of the PMP exam in a structured, collaborative learning environment. You can also get great test-taking tips that you can fall back on if you feel stumped by an especially tricky question. Continue reading to learn more about how we can help you pursue your professional goals.

Are There Any Prerequisites I Should Know About Before Enrolling in Formal PMP Certification Training?

There are two paths to earning eligibility for the PMP exam. First, you could earn a secondary degree (such as a high school diploma, associate's degree, or international equivalent) and accumulate 7,500 hours of professional experience directing projects. Alternatively, you can earn a four-year college degree in any major to reduce the practical component to 4,500 hours leading projects. Either way, you must attend at least 35 hours of formal project management education in order to sit for the test. All of these prerequisites must be documented, so be prepared to present proof that you have completed them when you pass your exam in order to receive your certification.

Once you have passed the PMP exam and met the prerequisites above, you're still not done. In order to maintain your PMP certification, you must earn at least 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three years. A fringe benefit of the PMP certification courses provided by Varsity Tutors is that they also count toward these required PDUs.

What Topics Does A PMP Certification Course Typically Cover?

Questions on the PMP examination cover several "domains" of project management. As such, your course can concentrate on concepts such as integration management, stakeholder management, risk management planning, delegation techniques, and close-out procedures to help improve your familiarity with the material by exam day.

While many online classes consist of pre-recorded lectures, every PMP certification class we provide is comprised entirely of live instruction. If you and your classmates are already comfortable with close-out procedures, your instructor can concentrate on other topics to enhance your study efficiency. Your instructor can also foster a learning environment where questions are encouraged, allowing you to seek assistance before a simple misunderstanding snowballs into a more significant learning obstacle.

We scour the country for the best PMP instructors, ensuring that all of the information you receive during your PMP certification training is completely accurate and up to date. All of our classes take place online, so geographic proximity is not required in order for you to study under the tutelage of a truly great instructor.

For example, your knowledgeable instructor can utilize a variety of different teaching techniques to help you further your understanding of project management. You might review a diagram illustrating the advantages and disadvantages of various estimation techniques to help you identify which one a particular scenario calls for. Similarly, your instructor can share helpful mnemonic devices to help you remember "dry" information such as the different types of contracts a project manager is expected to know about.

If you lack the fundamental academic skills that go into acting as a project manager, your instructor can also help you develop them. For instance, the successful implementation of project finance principles generally requires a familiarity with balance sheets and other business-related mathematical concepts. If you tense up around numbers, your instructor can provide practice problems targeting your unique areas of opportunity to help you feel more confident in your quantitative skills.

Perhaps most importantly, your instructor can present material in a more engaging manner than a textbook or pre-recorded lecture could. For instance, data gathering techniques aren't really anyone's idea of a fun time, making it tempting to zone out when reviewing the topic. If your instructor tells you a story about the chaos that can ensue when it goes awry, you might find it easier to remember the underlying principles behind it.

You could study these topics on your own, but working with an expert instructor ensures that your work can be reviewed in a timely manner. Any mistakes can be identified and addressed while the material remains fresh in your mind.

What Is the PMP Exam Like?

The PMP certification exam consists of 200 questions administered over a testing session lasting four hours. Of these, 25 are experimental items that will not impact your total score one way or the other. There is no way to differentiate between scored and unscored questions, though, so you should do your best on every item.

Likewise, the PMP exam is generally computer-based and taken at Prometric testing centers nationwide. The only exception to this rule if it would be "unduly burdensome" for you to reach a testing center, in which case traditional pencil-and-paper testing is available. That said, you should probably plan to take the test electronically.

Most of the items take the form of "tasks" that mirror a project manager's day-to-day responsibilities as closely as possible. Each exam has over 40 different tasks, many of which require the application of knowledge and skills from more than one domain.

It's important to understand exactly what each question is asking you, so your instructor can cover active reading techniques such as note-taking to make it easier to pull key pieces of information out of the text. This can prove especially important for questions that give you irrelevant information to assess how effectively you can identify what information you need to solve a problem. You can also review how the exam handles important keywords such as "not" and "except" so that you do not miss these vital meaning-changing words and miss a question as a result.

PMI tests are also written in an intentionally misleading fashion. For example, two answer choices may sound like they mean the exact same thing at first glance, yet only one of them can be correct. Your expert PMP certification course instructor can identify these tricks for you so that you know what to watch out for during the exam.

Can My Instructor Incorporate Test-Taking Strategies Into My PMP Certification Training?

Absolutely. The PMP exam is composed entirely of multiple-choice questions, meaning that it's possible to take an educated guess and get a question correct even if you don't actually know the answer.

Every PMP exam question has four choices, so even a completely blind guess has a 25 percent chance of proving correct. However, your instructor can teach you how to eliminate some of the incorrect answer choices to raise your odds to 33 percent or even 50 percent. For example, you can learn how to incorporate the information in one item to answer another to leverage the test against itself.

Many students also benefit from incorporating practice exams into their PMP certification training to develop a familiarity with what the test expects of them. If you're nervous about finishing the test within the time allotted to you, taking practice tests and gaining firsthand experience with the time available to you can help you more effectively budget it on exam day.

If you find that you struggle to read every question, don't panic. Your instructor can show you how to pick up the pace without rushing to help you answer every question.

Your instructor can also help you make the most of the resources available to you on test day. While you cannot bring any reference materials with you into the testing center, you are provided with scrap paper to take notes on. Many students use this paper immediately to record formulas or other bits of information that they think they might forget in the moment. You can also use it to record key information you might need to refer back to later, but only do this selectively. Simply reproducing everything the exam tells you is a spend of valuable test-taking time.

Similarly, you can review your answers with your instructor to identify where you are improving and any areas that could use a bit more work. For example, if you consistently answer questions about quality planning and control correctly on practice tests, you may feel more comfortable with that topic on the actual test. Likewise, conflict management techniques should be a bigger part of your PMP certification training if you consistently miss questions about them.

If you are among the many test-takers who have dealt with test anxiety in the past, your instructor can also coach you on how to overcome it. Simply knowing that you have done everything you possibly could have to prepare for the test could go a long way toward calming yourself down. You can also review meditative techniques that you can use to soothe your nerves once the exam actually begins.

Are There Any Benefits to Working in a Collaborative Learning Environment?

You might be leery of sharing your instructor with other students at first, but many individuals find it easier to study complicated concepts in a group setting versus working on their own. Teaching can be one of the most effective ways to retain information, so helping your classmates out can reinforce topics such as vendor management techniques in your mind.

Your classmates are also likely to have had different experiences than you, giving them a unique perspective that may help you develop a more comprehensive understanding of a subject. For example, one of your new friends may know great memorization techniques to help you remember the pros and cons of various feedback techniques.

Your instructor can also take advantage of the collaborative learning environment a PMP certification class can provide to more accurately simulate project dynamics. You can break into groups to accomplish a task with different managers, for example. Since you will not be in the same physical classroom as your peers, this can be a great way to prepare for items concerning remote or virtual team management.

Are There Any Other Benefits of Formal PMP Certification Training I Should Know About?

Time management can be one of the most difficult aspects of preparing for the PMP test. If you try to study on your own, it can be too easy to procrastinate. Taking a formal class ensures that you set aside at least that amount of time for test prep, giving you a foundation you can build upon on your own.

If you would like to study for the Project Management Professional certification test outside of your course, your instructor can recommend resources to you to ensure that you're working with reliable information. PMI updates its exams frequently, and you always want to be working with the most current information available.

Your instructor can also provide tips for how to approach exam day in the right frame of mind. For example, eating a healthy meal beforehand can ensure that you don't get hungry during the test. Wearing comfortable clothing can also help you feel good before the exam even begins. You should also plan to arrive at the testing center early so that you can set up at your own pace. While there are no scheduled breaks built into the PMP exam, it's still okay to take a brief one if you start to feel overwhelmed. These tips and others like them can go a long way toward helping you reach for your full potential.

How Can I Fit PMP Certification Training Into My Busy Schedule?

While most of our competitors expect you to attend courses at a location of their choosing, we provide a proprietary Live Learning Platform that allows you to study anywhere with a stable internet connection. If you wish to attend sessions without leaving the comfort of your home, our exclusive platform facilitates that. If you would prefer the serenity provided by a local library or the familiar atmosphere offered by your favorite cafe, you can also study there. Our Live Learning Platform is completely mobile-friendly, so all you need to do is take out your mobile device and log in from your preferred study spot.

You don't have to worry about the quality of your online study experience either, as our Platform leverages powerful features such as video chat functionality and a virtual whiteboard to provide face-to-face instruction comparable to more traditional PMP certification training options. You can see and hear both your instructor and fellow classmates at all times, so asking for help is as easy as raising your hand. You may also arrange private study time with your instructor if you feel like you need a little bit of extra support to grasp a particular concept.

Since everything takes place online, you don't need to worry about adding an unwanted commute to your schedule. Why go out of your way when a comprehensive course can come to you?

We also provide multiple classes concurrently to give you some control over when you study. For instance, we offer both two-week and four-week options to let you choose the "footprint" PMP certification training leaves on your schedule. If you want to finish as soon as possible, squeezing all of your class time into a two-week period may be for you. If you're already having a hard time balancing professional and personal obligations, a four-week class that spreads out your sessions may make more sense for you. Either way, you get the same amount of instruction hours to help you prepare for your exam.

We launch new courses on a monthly basis, so you don't have to wait too long to get going once you've decided to take the plunge. After all, there's no time like the present to start working toward your professional goals.

Can I Sign Up For Professional PMP Certification Training Today?

Finding an expert PMP instructor on your own can prove to be a real challenge. Not only do you need to verify that any individual you're looking into meets your scheduling needs, but you also need to make sure that they have the expertise you're looking for. Worse, an instructor who lacks the communication skills to share their knowledge with students like you doesn't really help you at all. Considering how busy you already are, how will you do the vetting necessary to make sure that you're working with a qualified instructor?

Varsity Tutors is the answer to that question. We thoroughly interview every PMP certification course instructor, allowing you to rest easy knowing that you're working with an expert in all things Project Management Professional. If you have any further questions about the services we provide, please reach out to a knowledgeable educational consultant using the information provided on this page to learn more about how we can help you pursue your professional potential. We look forward to hearing from you!