Subtitles of the Movie

In the previous movie we went through some details about the PMI Scheduling Professional Credential Exam such as the total number of questions, length of exam, how it's scored and exam blueprint. In this movie, we'll cover just a few additional details that I hope can clarify what to expect as far as the application and the testing process. The first thing that we'll cover are the fees. Naturally you can expect this to change over time, although not often so the fees that you do have here are those based at the time of the course recording. Always refer to the Credential Handbook for up-to-date information and we covered where to find the handbook in the previous movie within PMI's website. I like to mention the fees each time because not everyone knows that there is a cost savings if you are a PMI member. It's not required that you become a member to apply and be certified, but you'll pay less than the cost of the exam and the membership fee combined than you would paying as a non-member. For example, the cost of the computer-based exam for members is 520 dollars. The cost of becoming a PMI member as of the time that this course was recorded is 129 dollars and those two fees combined add up to 649 dollars, which is 21 dollars less than you would pay as a non-member. In addition, you'll receive member benefits including a monthly magazine that's mailed to you. Just like you can apply for a credential online through PMI's website, you can become a member online by going straight into the Marketplace menu selection and from there click PMI Membership on the left-hand column of the page and then select the type of membership that applies for you. For instance, you can get a significant discount if you're a student or a retiree. I mentioned in passing that you can apply for your credential online. I highly recommend this option versus the hard-copy application. Not only is it easier to fill out, but the process is much quicker. You don't need to be a PMI member to submit your application online but you'll need to register for an account, which is free. So let me show you how to do that on PMI's website. In the upper left-hand portion of the screen, click on Register Now to create your account. Go through the necessary steps to complete your registration. Once you've done that and you're logged in, there's a few ways to get to the application. An easy way is to click Career Development. Under Certification and Credentials, click Obtain a Credential and you'll see a button to the right that says Apply for a Credential. The next item I'd like to review is the application and the testing process. Once you begin your application online, you have 90 days to complete it. After you submit your application, it generally takes three to five business days to get a response. Once approved, you application may be audited. Roughly ten percent of applications are audited randomly, although PMI of course reserves the right to audit your application for any reason. If you have all of your documentation prepared or can get all of the verification information together quickly, the audit process can take as little as five business days. The audit process just verifies that all the information you submitted is accurate, such as the project work details and education. So don't panic if you are audited. Once that step is completed and you've been approved, you have up to one year from the time that your application is approved to take the exam. And of course, if you're not audited, you would go directly to this step. If you fail the exam, you may retake it up to two times within that year timeframe, which means you have a total of three tries before having to reapply for the certification. And once you have passed, which I hope for every one of you taking this course, you are certified as an active PMI SP for three years. To maintain active status every three-year cycle, you need to obtain a certain number of professional development units or PDUs. We'll talk more about PDUs at the finale of this course series. Well, that brings this movie to a close. Hopefully you've had your questions answered and have greater clarity about the exam itself. If you still have questions regarding the exam blueprint, rest assured that we'll be going through them shortly in a future movie within this course.