A PMP certification stands for Project Management Professional certification, and the cost depends on whether you hold a current membership in the Project Management Institute. Members of the PMI will need to pay an exam fee of $405, and non-members are charged a fee of $555. This cost does not include exam preparation books, software, courses and other selected materials for mastering the PMP certification material. You can save on the cost of the exam fee by joining the PMI, which comes with yearly dues of $139.
Membership in the PMI is not a requirement for taking the PMP exam, though you can save $150 on the exam fee by joining this organization. Becoming a member will also give you access to a number of project management books and exam preparation materials not normally available to non-members. New members of the PMI can additionally download a free copy of a guide book for PMP certification called the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition. Once you’ve paid your first year of membership dues, subsequent years of PMI dues are $129.
When preparing for the PMP certification exam, the cost of most available workshops and bootcamps is about $1,000 per five-day session in most cases. Some workshops are offered in person while others are online, which can also affect the cost in some instances. PMP certification training is also available from independent technical education providers as an alternative to the PMI. Individual training costs can vary by company as well as the length of each training session. With PMI membership, you can get the official PMP certification training manual and set of practice exams at no additional costs. These materials run about $200 on average for non-PMI members, so this is an additional benefit of membership.
Before you can apply to take the PMP certification exam, you’ll need to have at least 35 documented hours of training. This is an additional cost factor that will add up to between $1,200 and $1,400, depending on whether you opt for PMI membership. Figuring in the cost of the exam and training materials, PMI membership can lower the overall cost to between $750 and $900 on average.