Scheduling and Taking the PMP Certification Exam

Schedule PMP® Exam

In the approval email sent to you by PMI®, there is a PMI® Eligibility ID allowing you to schedule PMP® exam at the Prometric website. Prometric is a global provider of testing services . You can also find the Eligibility ID on the PMI® website after you have logged in your account.

It was a bit strange that PMI® bury the Prometric URL deep inside the Exam Scheduling Instructions PDF file. For your convenience the URL to schedule PMP® exam is  http://prometric.com/PMI®.

Follow the instructions below and make the exam appointment on Prometric website. Select an exam center that is convenient to you. Note that some Prometric test center is very busy that you might need to wait weeks before a vacancy is available. Also, be sure to check that the centre will not be relocated before your test date as some candidates found out just one day before the exam that the center was relocated.

1. Select your geographical location from the dropdown menu, click “Next”
2. Select “Schedule an Appointment” to schedule PMP® exam
3. Read through the examination information, click “Next”
4. Agree to the Policies and Data Privacy Notice
5. Enter your PMI® Eligibility ID and the first four letters of your last name, click “Next”
6. Select your preferred test center and click “Schedule an Appointment”
7. Select your exam date and time. Only those dates in blue is available dates in the calendar. Pick the date and a time slot, click “Next”
8. Confirm your contact information,  fill in a valid email address to receive the examination confirmation email,  and click “Next” 
9. Review your appointment details, and click “Complete Appointment”
10. The examination confirmation details and your unique 16 digit confirmation number will be displayed on the screen. You will also get this information in the confirmation email. (There is no need for you to print the exam confirmation for the exam, however having a printed copy with you when attending the exam is always advisable.)

Reschedule PMP® Exam Policy

PMP® candidates are allowed to reschedule the exam date up to 2 days before the exam through the URL above. However, administration fee may apply according to the following fee arrangement:

1. Beyond 30 days (not counting the exam date): no fee
2. Within 30 days and 2 days before the exam: a fee of US$70
3. Within 2 days: no refund, all fees forfeited

On the Day of PMP® Exam

Remember to arrive early at the examination centre (usually 30 minutes earlier). If you need to travel far to the examination centre, it is advisable to book a hotel room in the vicinity of the centre lest you will not be late for the examination (beware: the staff at the examination centre might refuse you to taking the exam if you are late).

It is also advisable to check again your exam venue on the Prometric website. There are quite a few reported cases that the exam venue was relocated but not communicated with the candidates. Play on the safe side by searching for the examination centre online to make sure they are still operating at the address you have.

Accidents are inevitable. Some past candidates could not take the PMP® exam at the schedule date owing to technical or power issues. It is frustrating for sure. But stay clam, do ask for clarification from the attending staff. Urge them to contact PMI® for directions. Remember: don’t ever leave the exam centre without any written proof of the situation.

Exam Taking Strategies for the PMP® Exam

While there are virtually countless number of ways for your to attempt the PMP® exam, the following six ways are considered to be the most effective to help you get the correct answer.

1. Read the Question First – read the question and come up a correct answer without even looking at the answer choices. The benefit is that you can have a clear head and will not be confused by some similar choices.
2. Read the Answers First – read the answer choices first before reading the question. This will help you to search for tips in the questions and is especially suited for long and wordy questions.
3. Eliminate the Wrong Ones – among the four answer choices, there is usually one or two obviously wrong, eliminate them first so that you can concentrate on finding the best among the remaining two.
4. Look Out for Special Words – when you are reading the questions, always look out for absolutes like “always”, “all”, “never”, “none”, “only”, etc. these are often valuable hints for choosing the best answer.
5. Read Thorougly – this is the traditional way of tackling multiple choice questions, you read the question word by word from the beginning to the end. This is called the “non-strategy” you just do what others are doing.

The following two are for calculation type questions:

1. Forward Calculation – read the question, choose the correct PMP® formula and calculate the answer first before looking at the choices.
2. Backward Calculation  – in case you are not sure about how to do the calculation, use the answer choices to fit into a number of formulas to arrive at the situation as described in the question, i.e. you work backward from the answer to the question.

 

The Next Step >>

You have scheduled the PMP® exam. Now, prepare the PMP® Certification well. Learn examination tips and techniques from successful PMP® exam takers. Rest well. And rock the PMP® exam!