How to Determine Which PMP® Exam to Take - Version 4 or 5?

☞SPECIAL OFFER!!!: If you purchase any 4 or 5 day PMP® Certification Training with Exam Prep between April 1 and June 30, 2013 and you find that you still need to take the PMP® Exam after July 30, 2013, then SmartPath LLC will give you new materials at NO EXTRA COST to you so you can "resit again in class, via Live Video Conference or onsite (if available)," this time to cover the new training for the new Exam that starts July 31, 2013 going forward. You have up to 6 months from the first day of training to resit and take us up on this offer. See Guarantee for other resitting details.

Which Version Exam you take makes no difference as to the value of your credential. The PMP® credential has lots of value because you are required to do 60 hours of training between the time you get the credential and when you recertify by doing PMP® PDU training. It is strongly suggested that you earn 20 PDUs each year so you don't get behind in this requirement. SmartPath LLC offers PMP® PDU training and it will be offering a Conversion Class in August for anyone wanting to get early PDU Training in the new areas in Version 5. Every 3 years you will recertify your credential by doing PDU training.

First of all let me say that the new Version 5 exam has 5 more processes and this means more inputs, outputs, tools and techniques and some other tools have been added. It also has 10 knowledge areas instead of 9. There are some changes in input and output names. So with this in mind it will less work to get the Version 4 training done! Version 4 includes RDS Study for the Exam that started August 31, 2011 and industry best practices.

If you have been a project lead for 5 years or more

You will be able to take the PMBOK® Guide, Version 4 Prep right up until our last Version 4 class which is July 8th to 12th offered in Bellevue, WA or via Live Video Conference. The last Version 4 class offered in Tysons Corner VA is June 3th to 6th. Please send us your resume and we will see if you have some training whereby we may be able to get you preapproved to take the exam, and you will be then able to purchase your exam date before class begins.

If you follow our proven methods and do the class assignments you may take the exam as early as the next day (if you are preapproved for the exam), or up to July 30 at the very latest.

Take a Version 5 class if you still need exam approval on July 9.

Reason: Please be aware that if you are doing this class to earn 35 formal hours of project management education, you still have to wait for exam approval which takes another 3 to 5 business days approximately. Worst scenario, you may have approval by July 20, if you submit your training on July 12, then you still need to find a training location. Last time the exam changed in August of 2011, exam seats were short and while everyone found an exam date some had to travel quite some distance to do so.

For those with gaps or others who want to start training early:

Our earliest Version 5 class will be offered on May 13 to 17 in Bellevue, WA/Seattle area and for those training via 100% Live Video Conference. If you are stepping up to take the PMP® Certification and know you will need to study more or you have lots of gaps and feel you need a little extra time, then you can start early. And you can be ready to take your exam by July 31. You still have time to resit the training should you desire to do so.

Earliest Version 5 Training in Tysons Corner/McLean, VA

May 28 to 31: This class is also offered via 100% Live Video Conference.

How do you know if you are registering for the Version 4 Prep or the Version 5 Prep?

We have marked the dates - Prep for Current Exam or Prep for New Exam

If you have any further questions, please call Nereda Haque, PMP at 360-584-8614

Check here again

Adjustments to this information may change based on strategic influences. So please check here again.

Seat availability - go to www.prometric.com

Go there, scroll down to the first alphabetic picks and click on O-P, go to PMI®-Project Management Institute, go to seat availability, follow the menu. Please be aware that seats are constantly being reschedule. Go check often if you want a better date. Weekend exam dates are quickly drying up so it would be advisable to plan early if you want to take a weekend exam. For example: Today there are no more weekend seats available in July at the Mount Terrace (Seattle) area Prometric but that could change.

What happens if trained for the Version 4 training, and for any reason you now need to take the Version 5 exam?

At SmartPath LLC we allow you to do the following:

You may retrain for up to 6 months from the first day of training. There are other requirements when the exam changes:

You will need to do the following before resitting.

(i) Get approved to get for the Version 5 PMP® Exam, Version 5, or show that you have submitted your application. We will need to see proof. The reason we require you to be approved is to motivate you to do the exam quickly.

(ii) You will be required to purchase the whole package of new materials because much of the information has changed. However, (see the special above) if you purchased your training between April 1 and June 30, you will be given a new set of materials at no extra charge. Why the cut off? The rest of you have had plenty of time to get your Exam done. Most people do their Exams between 10 days and 3 weeks.

(iii) If you are taking the CAPM Exam, you need to take the current Exam by or on June 30, 2013.