Project Management Professional (PMP)

The PMP is the gold standard of project management certification. Recognized and demanded by organizations worldwide, the PMP validates your competence to perform in the role of a project manager, leading and directing projects and teams.  (PMI.org)

PMI offers other program and project management certifications.  Visit their website (www.PMI.org) to get details.

Prerequisites

OR

35 hours of project management education

Then you must:

1.  The certification exam has 200 multiple-choice questions, and you have four hours to complete it.

2.  To maintain your PMP, you must earn 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three years

(from PMI.org)

The Project Management Professional (PMP)® is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. You can find PMPs leading projects in nearly every country and, unlike other certifications that focus on a particular geography or domain, the PMP® is truly global. As a PMP, you can work in virtually any industry, with any methodology and in any location.

The PMP also increases your earning potential. PMP certification holders earn 17 percent more than their non-certified peers according to the Project Management Salary Survey—Eighth Edition.

Employers benefit as well. When more than one-third of their project managers are PMP-certified, organizations complete more of their projects on time, on budget and meeting original goals. (Pulse of the Profession® study, PMI, 2015.)

The PMP signifies that you speak and understand the global language of project management and connects you to a community of professionals, organizations and experts worldwide. Become a PMP and become a project hero.  (from PMI.ORG)

As a personal input, I was selected for a GS-14 Program Manager position at least in part because I was a PMP.

The prerequisites are a matter of education and experience. 

As far as the exam is concerned, there are at least four ways to prepare for the PMP exam:

1.  Take a project management course at a post-secondary educational institute that prepares you for the PMP exam.  Caution:  some project management courses may teach you about project management, but not prepare you to take the PMP exam.  Ask your guidance counselor or the professor.

2.  Many private test preparation companies offer a PMP Exam prep class.  (Google: PMP Exam Prep) These classes are 3 or 4 days long with a practice test on day 5.  Many guarantee you'll pass the PMP exam.  The people I know who went this route had a good experience, however, it can cost several thousands of dollars.

3.  Join PMI and a local PMI Chapter that offers a PMP exam prep class.  PMI chapters offer PMP exam prep class every year or so and some may do more than one per year.  The cost is usually under $1,000, but they don't offer a guarantee that you'll pass the test.

4.  Self study with practice tests.  You can apply yourself to studying the Project Management Handbook on you own.  Add to this practice tests and other study materials available from commercial companies.  This may be the least expensive, but its effectiveness depends entirely on your self discipline and ability to learn and retain complex technical material.

I used a combination of 3 & 4.