Which PMI® Certification Is Best For My Career?

Whether you have ages of project management experience or you are aspiring to climb the PM ladder, the Project Management Institute (PMI)® has a certification that can help your career grow. Every PMI® certification is related to some aspect or specialty of project management and they include:

• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®
• Project Management Professional (PMP)®
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®)
• PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)®
• PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)®
• PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)®
• Program Management Professional (PgMP)®
• Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)®

CAPM® – Certified Associate in Project Management

This certification is designed for the aspiring PM. It has the least stringent requirements out of all the PMI® certifications. However, CAPM® is the only certification of the group that cannot be renewed through earning professional development units (PDUs); to maintain a CAPM® certification you must pass the exam every five years. PMI® designed this certification to be a stepping stone to the PMP® and the 5-year renewal period offers a new project manager enough time to rack up the necessary experience hours to achieve PMI’s most notable certification.

CAPM® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the CAPM® certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

PMP® – Project Management Professional

The PMP® is PMI’s most widely known certification. It is geographically and vendor neutral so it can be leveraged by any type of project manager working in nearly any industry located anywhere in the world. This certification is designed for professionals already experienced in the project management field, specifically in the aspects of:

• Project delivery
• Project leadership
• Management of cross-functional teams

See If You’re Ready For The PMP® Exam

PMP® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the PMP® certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

PMI-ACP® – PMI Agile Certified Practitioner

The PMI-ACP® is designed for project managers concentrated on agile approaches. This certification can apply to PMs already involved in leading agile teams as well as those whose organizations are migrating to an agile approach. The ACP certification covers the following agile methods:

• Scrum
• Kanban
• Lean
• Extreme programming (XP)
• Test-driven development (TDD)

PMI-ACP® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the ACP certification, he/she must meet the following prerequisites:

• 2,000 hours experience leading & directing general projects or a current PMP® or PgMP® certification
• An additional 1,500 hours experience with agile methods or working on an agile team
• 21 hours of agile education

PMI-RMP® – PMI Risk Management Professional

The PMI-RMP® is intended for project managers already experienced in risk management, ideally as it pertains to larger or more complex projects. This credential accredits a specialized function that is becoming increasingly necessary in the global project environment. PMs that utilize the following skills throughout their projects are most ideal for the RMP certification:

• Identify & assess risks to the project’s success
• Mitigate impending project threats
• Capitalize on opportunities brought about by changes to the project environment

RMP® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the RMP certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

PMI-SP® – PMI Scheduling Professional

The PMI-SP® is an advanced certification specific to the technique of project scheduling. This credential is ideal for any project manager who is tasked with developing, managing and maintaining complex project schedules. The PMI-SP® represents an understanding of the importance that effective schedules play in managing a project’s lifecycle as well as your ability to create and manage such schedules.

SP Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the PMI-SP® certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

PMI-PBA® – PMI Professional in Business Analysis

The PMI-PBA® is designed for two types of project managers:

1. Those who work on project teams and are tasked with managing either product development or requirements or
2. Project or program managers who specifically perform business analysis as a part of his/her role

This certification accredits the art of managing expectations; so, if your job involves working with project stakeholders to define requirements, molding outputs or driving the intended business outcomes from the projects your team manages this is the certification you need for your career.

PMI-PBA® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the PMI-PBA® certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

PgMP® – Program Management Professional

The PgMP® is ideal for senior-level managers tasked with overseeing multiple related projects. These managers understand their organization’s strategic goals and their role is to align multiple projects so that they meet such business objectives. Program managers that are the ideal candidate for the PgMP® navigate complex projects in which the job tasks span across multiple functions, organizations, geographic regions and even cultures.

PgMP® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the PgMP® certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

PfMP® – Portfolio Management Professional

The PfMP® certification is designed for the upper echelons of senior-level and executive management. This certification validates an ability to process the organization’s corporate strategy to ensure that the portfolio of projects and programs the company takes on aligns properly. In short, this certification is meant to help you choose the right types of work your organization does to meet specific business objectives.

PfMP® Prerequisites

Before a candidate can apply for the PfMP® certification, he/she must meet one of the following prerequisite options:

Register for PMI® Training

In order to achieve most of the PMI® certifications, you need to verify education hours specific to the certification’s focus. All of our PMI® exam prep courses meet the requirements to earn the certification the course is associated with, so why not meet your education requirements and gain invaluable exam prep training at the same time?

You can register below for an upcoming class or call and speak with a training consultant at 301-258-8200 for more details about each course or if you need help deciding which certification is the best match for you.