Getting certified
What counts toward the PMP® 35 contact hours?
The 35 contact hours are project management training, aligned with PMI®'s Examination Content Outline, that you complete and record on your PMP application. Classroom, employer and self-paced courses can count; books and practice exams alone do not; and from December 1, 2026, live instructor-led hours count only from four kinds of providers (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026).
- Exam
- PMP
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
01What a training hour has to be
PMI counts one hour of instruction as one training hour, and the hours have to address project management topics from the outline: scope, schedule, communications, risk, procurement, financials, resources, stakeholders, integration and governance among them. When only part of a course dealt with project management, only that part counts.
PMI also writes that training is not restricted to any one modality or provider, that all of it is subject to audit, and that it may reject a course it finds to be of poor quality. A certificate that states the hours and the topics makes an audit simple.
Hours are one half of eligibility. The other half is experience, set out in the four PMP eligibility tiers.
02Which providers count, before and after December 1, 2026
| Provider type | Live, instructor-led | Self-paced, with end-of-course assessment |
|---|---|---|
| PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP) | Counts | Counts |
| China Registered Education Provider (REP) | Counts | Counts |
| GAC-accredited degree program | Counts | Counts |
| Accredited higher-education institution | Counts | Counts |
| Employer or company-sponsored program | Not accepted from December 1, 2026 | Counts |
| Training company or consultant | Not accepted from December 1, 2026 | Counts |
| Books or practice exams on their own | Do not count | Do not count |
The outline does not say whether the December 1 cut-off follows the date of the course or the date of your application. If you took a live course from a provider outside the first four rows and will apply after November 2026, confirm with PMI before relying on it.
03Terms on the provider list
- ATP
- PMI Authorized Training Partner. PMI says it does not endorse or control third-party trainers; the ATP program is its own quality track for structured courses.
- REP
- China Registered Education Provider, the provider type for candidates in Mainland China.
- GAC
- PMI's Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs, which accredits degree programs. GAC coursework can count toward the 35 hours.
- Active CAPM®
- A current Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) credential. PMI credits it as all 35 hours, so you document no training at all.
04Training-hour questions
Where can I get the 35 hours?
From any source in the table that fits your situation: a PMI Authorized Training Partner, a university course, an employer program, or a self-paced online course that ends with an assessment. PMI's own self-paced PMP Exam Prep Course lists 35 hours at $699 for members and $799 for non-members (PMI store, as of October 2026). Other formats are weighed on PMP prep options compared.
Do old training hours expire?
The outline tells you to record all training hours regardless of when you completed them (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026). The experience months are the part with a 10-year limit.
I hold the CAPM. Do I still need a course?
Not while the CAPM is active: PMI credits it as the full 35 hours. You still need the experience months for your tier; PMP vs CAPM covers how the two connect.
Is the December 2026 rule part of the new exam?
They are separate changes. The exam moved to a new content outline on July 9, 2026; the live training rule starts on December 1, 2026 (PMI, as of October 2026). What changed on the PMP in 2026 lists both.
05Sources
- PMI: PMP Examination Content Outline (rev. August 11, 2026) checked Oct 13, 2026training requirement, provider list, December 1, 2026 rule, CAPM credit
- PMI store: PMP Exam Prep Course (EL326) checked Oct 13, 2026hours and price, U.S.
- PMI: the new PMP exam checked Oct 13, 2026launch date of the 2026 exam