Getting certified
What are the PMP® certification requirements?
To sit the PMP exam you need one of four combinations of education and experience, from a secondary diploma with 60 months of leading projects down to a GAC-accredited degree with 24, plus 35 hours of project management training. The experience has to fall within the last 10 years, and months that overlap count once (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026).
- Exam
- PMP
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
01The four eligibility tiers
| Education | Experience leading projects | Training |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary school: high school diploma, GED or equivalent (EQF level 4) | 60 months (5 years) | 35 hours, or an active CAPM® |
| Associate's degree or post-secondary vocational program (EQF level 5) | 48 months (4 years) | 35 hours, or an active CAPM |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (EQF level 6) | 36 months (3 years) | 35 hours, or an active CAPM |
| Bachelor's or postgraduate degree from a GAC-accredited program | 24 months (2 years) | 35 hours, or an active CAPM |
EQF is the European Qualifications Framework. If your credential does not state a level, PMI's outline lists what it accepts as proof during an audit: a national qualifications register entry, a statement from the awarding body or ministry, or a formal evaluation.
02How PMI counts a month
The requirement is measured in calendar months of leading and directing projects. The number of projects does not matter: run two in the same March and you still have one March. Each project still goes on the application as its own entry.
Need a degree? No. A secondary diploma qualifies; it costs you two more years of logged project leadership than a bachelor's holder needs, 60 months against 36, and that is the whole penalty.
The experience does not have to be paid, but it has to happen in a professional setting. PMI's outline rules out school projects, research for a degree, planning personal events and home improvement, and asks you to leave routine operational or administrative tasks out of your entries (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026).
Requirements are one gate on a longer route; the whole sequence, from training to renewal, is on how to get PMP certified.
03Gather before you open the application
- Your highest education level and the document that proves it
- Every project you led in the last 10 years, with start and end months and the overlaps taken out
- A supervisor or manager for each project who can confirm your role if you are audited
- Certificates for 35 training hours (which courses qualify), or your active CAPM
- Short descriptions of what you led on each project, drafted the way the application walkthrough suggests
04Eligibility edge cases
Does the CAPM replace any of the experience?
No. An active Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) covers the 35 training hours only; the months of project leadership still apply in full. PMP vs CAPM compares the two credentials.
Does volunteer or unpaid project work count?
It can. PMI's outline says the experience does not have to be paid work but must be in a professional setting (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026).
What changes for training on December 1, 2026?
From that date, live instructor-led training is accepted only from PMI Authorized Training Partners, China Registered Education Providers, GAC-accredited programs and accredited higher-education institutions. Self-paced courses that end with an assessment can still come from any provider (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026).
05Sources
- PMI: PMP Examination Content Outline (rev. August 11, 2026) checked Oct 13, 2026eligibility tiers, 10-year window, month counting, training providers
- PMI: PMP certification page checked Oct 13, 2026eligibility summary