PMP Compared To Other Project Management Certifications

The PMP certification is the most popular and widespread in the world with presence in more than 35 countries of the world and there are more than 1 million active PMP professionals worldwide according to the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMI has a presence on several continents including Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and North America. 

Even with this level of popularity, there are other project management certifications you can use to improve, verify, or establish your project management skills. 

 

1. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®

 The CAPM® is the entry-level project management certification for individuals that do not have enough experience to sit for the PMP certification. You need the equivalent of a high school diploma, less than a year of experience, and 23 hours of verifiable project management training to qualify for the certification.

The certification is a timed 150 multiple-choice exam that must be completed in  3 hours, re-exam required to maintain certification every 5 years but this will be stopped starting October 1st, 2020. PMI members pay $225 for the certification while non-members pay $300.

You can read more about the CAPM® certification here.

2. PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner 

PRINCE2 stands for Projects in Controlled Environments. It originated from the UK and guides tailoring the approaches to successfully deliver projects. It covers project management from pre-project, initiation, delivery, monitoring, and successfully closing projects.

There are two levels to the PRINCE2 certification

• The PRINCE2 Foundation. This requires a foundation course that typically lasts for 2 days. Unlike the PMP, it does not require project management experience as a prerequisite. It will cost you $200 to apply for the examination. The examination is an hour-long 60 multiple-choice questions with a 55% pass requirement. 
• The PRINCE2 Practitioner. This requires PRINCE2 Foundation, PMP, CAPM, or an IPMA certification and a course that typically lasts for 3 days. It costs $340 for the certification. It is a 2.5 hours-long 80 multiple-choice questions with a 55% pass requirement

PRINCE2 has an Agile variant called PRINCE2 Agile and you can read more about the PRINCE2 certification here.

3. Associate in Project Management (APM)™

The Associate in Project Management (APM)™ certification is an entry-level certification for individuals interested in a career in Project Management. You can sit for this certification with little or no knowledge of Project Management. It is administered by the Global Association of Quality Management (GAQM)®. This certification is aimed at familiarizing aspirants with the most common terms and the most recent thinking in Project Management in order to take them from administrators or supervisors to Project Managers.

The Associate in Project Management (APM)™ certification costs approximately $200. There is a cost of $70 for the e-course and $128 for the examination. The examination is an hour-long online proctored test with 50 multiple-choice questions that requires a minimum score of 70% to pass.

You can read more about the Associate in Project Management (APM)™certification here.

4. Mastering Digital Project Management

This is an online course that teaches Digital Project Management using an Agile approach to project team leaders. It teaches project leaders to manage constantly changing requirements, effective communication with stakeholders, and progress tracking.

This training comes with assignments and practical hands-on training that prepare attendees for the real project environments. There are no entry requirements so newbies can participate in this training.

The training runs over 7 weeks. The course costs $950 for individual trainees who require certificates and $750 for those who do not. You can find more about this program here

5. CompTIA Project+

This is an entry-level project management certification believed to be at the same level as the CAPM® certification and PRINCE2 Foundation. CompTIA Project+ certification is however much easier to pass with a shorter examination. 

The certification equips holders to manage small to medium-sized projects with minimal complexities. They will be equipped to manage communication, resources & stakeholders, and maintain project documentation.

The CompTIA Project+ certification is made up of 95 questions that contain a mix of multiple-choice questions (single and multi-response), and drag and drops. It has to be completed with a 1.5-hour duration and the passing score is 710 on a scale of 100-900. The voucher costs $329.

You can read more about the CompTIA Project+ here.

6. Professional in Project Management (PPM)™ 

This certification is managed by the  Global Association of Quality Management (GAQM)®. It is designed to cater to validating that project managers have the required skills necessary for planning, executing, controlling, and successfully closing projects.

This is a 2-hour long online proctored exam that consists of 150 questions and requires a minimum of 75% score to pass. This certification requires the completion of a mandatory e-course. The exam voucher costs $210.

The certification is valid for 5 years. You can either retake the examination to renew or accrue the required number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to renew.

You can find out more about the certification here.

7. Certified Project Director (CPD)™

This is the highest level certification offered by the Global Association of Quality Management (GAQM)®. It is designed for experienced project managers involved in managing medium to complex projects and a portfolio of projects. The certification focuses on risk management, scope management, quality management, and budgeting. 

To be qualified to apply for the certification, you must:

• Study the GAQM body of knowledge and take the e-course
• Hold a bachelor’s,  Master’s degree or higher degree
• Have working knowledge of project management principles, techniques, and approaches
• Hold a Professional in Project Management (PPM)™ Certification or an equivalent like (PMP, Prince2 Practitioner, or GCPM)

It is a 70-minute online proctored examination with 100 questions and a requirement of 80% to pass. It costs $210 to buy the exam voucher.

The certification is valid for 5 years. You can either retake the examination to renew or accrue the required number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to renew.

You can find out more about the certification here

8. International Project Management Association (IPMA)

This is a Swiss-based International Project Management Association. The association started in 1965, so they are the oldest certification body in the world. This is a Federation of approximately 50 national project management organizations.

IPMA emphasizes sustainability both to the environment and the sponsoring organization in the form of long term cost savings. 

The IPMA federation oversees a suite of Green Project Management (GPM) certifications which all espouse PRiSM™ (Projects integrating Sustainable Methods). The credentials are valid for a period of 5 years after they have been granted.

The include: 

9. GPM-b™ | Certified Green Project Manager — Basic

This is a foundational knowledge-based certification. The GPM level B certification aspirants require a minimum of 2,000 hours of documented project management experience and the knowledge of applied sustainability practices (described in the GPM Handbook of Sustainability and Project Management).

With Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), The examination is a 1.5-hour 75 multiple-choice questions..Without Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), The examination is a 3-hour 150 multiple-choice questions. There is a minimum passing score of 75%. It costs $199 to apply for the certification

You can read more about this certification here.

10. GPM-s™ | Certified Green Project Manager — Specialist

This is the intermediate level certification for this suite of certifications. Applicants for this certification must have a four-year degree and 6,000 hours of project management experience. Applicants without a four-year degree must have five years of experience and 7,500 hours of project management experience. Both categories require this experience to have been in the last 12 years. 

Applicants will have to indicate how they have practiced sustainability, the methods used and the results achieved while submitting their applications.

No examination is required for this certification. The cost of application for the certification is $499 for GPM members and $699 for non-members.

You can find out more about this certification here.

11. GPM-m™ | Certified Green Project Manager — Master

This is a master level credential that certifies a professional as a master in project delivery with a commitment to sustainability. 

Applicants for this credential must hold a GPM-b™ or GPM-s™ (formally known as GPM) certification. They must hold at least one of a:

• Bachelor’s degree: 8 years (12,000 hours) of related professional experience with at least 4 years (6,000 hours) in the last 12 years. 
• Master’s degree: 6 years (9,000 hours) of related professional experience with at least 4 years (6,000 hours) in the last 12 years. 
• Doctorate degree: 4 years (6,000 hours) of related professional experience with at least 3 years (4,500 hours) in the last 12 years. 

 Applicants are required to submit a case study as well as letters of reference from 2 supervisors or customers(A current IPMA Level A® or IPMA Level B® certification can be a substitute for references) which will be reviewed by accessors (GPM-m certified)

They must have earned at least 200 continuing education units prior to application submission. The education requirements for this certification.

No examination is required for this certification. The cost of application for the certification is $999 for GPM members and $1,199 for non-members.

 You can find out more about this certification here.

12. GAIC Certified Project Manager (GCPM) from Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)

The CPM certification is aimed at validating a practitioner’s knowledge of technical project management. It emphasizes proficiency in areas like communications, time, cost, quality, procurement, and risk management.

It is designed for security professionals who are interested in the concept of IT project management and/or individuals preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

The certification is valid for 4 years. It is a 4-hour length proctored (online and center-based) examination. It consists of 150 questions and requires a minimum score of 70% to pass. It costs $1,999 to register for the examination. You have 120 days after you have been approved to complete the certification.

You can find out more here.

By taking a closer look at these certifications, you may find that, based on your circumstances, one of these may serve you or your organization better than going for the PMP credential.