Phoenix MPUG Chapter

Presents:

PMI Scheduling Professional

PMI-SP Credential
Information, FAQs and Answers!

Mary Hershner, PMP

hershner1@cox.net
602-300-7018

Ground Rules
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unless your asking a question
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making this presentation a
success.

Agenda

PMI-SP Exam Credentials

Pilot Period May 30 July 31
Eligibility to take the exam
Application Process
PMI-SP Exam Format
Preparing for the Exam
Pass/Fail The Exam, Certification Package
Maintaining your Credentials
Exam Testimonial
Questions?

Why pursue the

PMI-SP credential?
Project scheduling professionals
should be recognized for their

knowledge, skills and experience in this

specialized area of project
scheduling.
Scheduling is a tool every project manager
uses in one form or another.
Most Enterprise Project Management Tools
demand a PMs proficiency in scheduling and
employers are looking for the expertise!

PMI-SP Credential
The PMI-Scheduling Professional
Certification is a new credential for those
who practice project management in the
specialty area of scheduling.
The certification provides the basis for the
credentialing examination for individuals
who manage project scheduling.
The exam is NOT tool specific and is based
on the participants knowledge of
scheduling, its terminology and relationship
to the PMBOK (third edition).

PMI-SP Credential
The PMI-SP Credential is offered through
the Project Management Institute
You do not need to be a PMI Member to
apply for the credential
There is no pre-requisite needed to take
the exam, the PMI-SP is a stand-alone
credential offered as part of PMIs family
of credentials
Candidates must be approved through PMI
prior to taking the exam

Pilot Period
The PMI-SP pilot period will run from May 30 th to July 31st
2008. The first 100 people to apply and sit for the exam
will receive 50% off the price of the examination.
Candidates will also be entered into one of four regional
drawings for a chance to win $1,000.00 (US).
Candidates must sit for the examination between 30 May
30th to July 31st to take advantage of this promotion.
The cost for PMI Members to earn the credential is
$520.00. The cost to non-members is $670.00 .
Pilot Exam results will not be received until 60 90 days
after taking the exam.

Eligibility Requirements
Three to five years of project scheduling experience

With a bachelors degree or global equivalent

have:

+ 30 contact hours of formal education (must be in project

scheduling)
+ Within the past five years, a minimum of 3,500 hours of
experience in project scheduling
OR

With a high school diploma or global equivalent

have:

+ 40 contact hours of formal education (must be in project

scheduling)

+Within the past five years, 5,000 hours of experience in

project scheduling

Application Process
For detailed information Download
PMI Scheduling Professional
(PMISP)SM Credential
Handbook (35 pages)
http://www.pmi.org/PDF/PMI-SP_Handbook.pdf
Major Points Covered

How to
PMI-SP
PMI-SP
PMI-SP
PMI-SP

Apply Online
Eligibility Requirements & Verification
Examination Information & Blueprint
Credential Fees & Refund Policy
Credential Maintenance

Application Process

Application Process
You can also use the online certification system to:
Apply and submit payment to take or retake any
PMI examination and/or evaluation
View your submitted credential application
View your examination eligibility status
Download PMI audit forms and/or examination
score reports
Access your certification record and update your
contact information
View your listing on the Credential Registry
Submit payment for credential renewal

Application process

Link to Submittal Process

https://www.pmi.org/authentication/default.aspx?
r=www.pmi.org/certapp/Default.aspx&s=true

Application process

https://securereg3.prometric.com/Welcome.aspx?Culture=en-US

 The Exam is
comprisedFormat
of 170 multiple-choice
PMI-SP
Exam
questions.
20 are considered pretest questions.
Pretest questions do not affect the score and are used
in examinations as an effective and legitimate way to
test the validity of future examination questions.

All questions are randomly placed throughout

the examination.

No. of Scored Questions

150
No. of Pretest (Unscored) Questions 20
Total Examination Questions
170
Note: No pass or fail % has been determined during the pilot
phase!

Computer-based testing (CBT) is the standard

method of administration for PMI examinations.

PMI-SP Exam Format

The allotted time to complete the computerbased examination is four hours.
The examination is preceded by a tutorial and
followed by a survey, both of which are
optional and both of which can take up to 15
minutes to complete.
The time used to complete the tutorial and
survey is not included in the examination time
of four hours.
It may take some credential candidates less
than the allotted time to complete the
examination.

PMI-SP Exam Format

cont.
The PMI-SP examination is developed based on the
examination blueprint contained in the PMI
Scheduling Professional Examination Specification.

The examination blueprint details the percentage of

questions contained in each project scheduling domain.
The following represents the percentage of questions in
each domain that are included in the examination.

Preparing for the Exam

To prepare for the examination, PMI suggests
review of the:
PMI-SP Handbook
PMI-SP Examination Specification
Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK(R) Guide) Third Edition
All are available on the PMI Global Website..

Preparing for the Exam

If you have not completed a course
containing Project Scheduling concepts,
PMI recommends you do so. Educational
programs are offered through a variety of
providers including:
PMI component organizations (chapters, SIGs,
colleges)
MPUG !!!!
PMI Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s)
University and college academic and continuing
education programs
Training companies or consultants
Distance learning providers
Study groups (i.e. local chapter study groups)

What happens if I fail

the Exam?
Candidates have a maximum of three attempts to
receive a passing score on the PMI-SP examination
within the one-year eligibility period.
After the third unsuccessful attempt, candidates
will have to wait one year before re-applying for the
credential and retaking the examination.
Candidates must submit a re-examination form
before each attempt along with the re-examination
fee (please see your handbook for re-examination
fees).

What happens after I pass

the exam?
Pre August 2008 Pilot Exam:
Candidates who sit for the examination during the pilot period (30
May 31 July 2008) will not receive their scores immediately.
PMI will be determining the pass/fail score (cut score) during this
pilot period. As soon as the cut score is determined (within a 60
90 day timeframe), pilot participants will be notified immediately.
Until that time, communications will be sent to candidates to
keep them apprised of where PMI is in the cut score
determination process.
Post Pilot August 2008:
After you pass the exam, you may immediately use the credential
after your name (for example, John Doe, PMI-SP). Your name will
also appear in the PMI Online Registry. Credential holders will
receive a package of information with a certificate, letter and
credential holder card in the mail. Please note: It usually takes
about 6-8 weeks to receive your credential package from PMI.

Certification Package
Within six to eight weeks, you will receive a credential
package that includes:
Congratulatory letter
Information on how to maintain and/or renew your
credential
Credential certificate
Both of these documents list your:
Credential number a unique identification number used
by PMI to maintain your individual certification records
Your credential cycle dates
You will want to file this information in a safe and easily
accessible location.
You will need to refer to it in order to maintain your
credential.

PMI-SP Credential
Maintenance
PMI-SP credential holders are required to attain no less
than 30 professional development units (PDUs) during
each three-year renewal cycle to maintain their
credential.
Please Note The Following:
The 30 PDUs in project scheduling can also be counted
towards the maintenance of the PMP(R) or PgMPSM
credential(s)
If a project scheduling practitioner is taking general
project management classes, only the sections that
pertain to project scheduling can be applied towards the
PMI-SP credential

PMI-SP Credential
Maintenance
Overview of Process to Maintain an Active Certification
Status:
1. Determine certification/CCR cycle
2. Attain no less than 30 PDUs during each certification/CCR
cycle
3. Report PDUs on the online Activity Reporting form
4. Complete the online Application for Renewal
5. Reaffirm PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
6. Reaffirm PMI Certification Application/Renewal Agreement
7. Submit the credential renewal fee US$60 for PMI
members; US$150 for nonmembers
8. Receive new certificate with updated certification/CCR
cycle dates

Exam Testimonial..
Overall, I thought the PMI-SP exam was very well thought out
and the questions were some of best formulated ones Ive
seen in a test.
It did feel a bit like the PMP exam, but the questions were
obviously more focus on the Time Management knowledge
area.
I would recommend anyone taking this exam to carefully study
the Practice Guide for Scheduling and Its important to feel
comfortable with the terminology of scheduling, so time spent
in the Terms and Definitions section will likely pay off.
Other topics that appeared frequently in the questions
centered around scheduling methods (Critical Chain, etc.),
Histograms and performance reporting (Earned Value, in
particular).

Questions?