To apply for the PMP, you need a qualifying level of education, between 24 and 60 months of experience leading projects, and 35 hours of project management training. The Project Management Institute (PMI) sets these requirements. This checklist uses its July 2026 exam outline to help you work out where you stand.
Step 1: Check the PMP eligibility requirements for your education
PMI's July 2026 exam outline sets four routes. Experience means non-overlapping months spent leading projects within the past 10 years.
Secondary school education, such as a high school qualification: at least 60 months.
Associate's-level qualification, or a higher certificate or advanced technical or vocational programme mapped to the same level: at least 48 months.
Bachelor's degree or higher, or a professional or vocational qualification formally mapped to bachelor's level: at least 36 months.
Bachelor's or postgraduate degree from a programme accredited by PMI's Global Accreditation Center (GAC): at least 24 months.
If your application is selected for audit, PMI can ask you for documents that verify your education, so keep your certificates to hand.
Step 2: Check that your experience counts
Your experience must show that you were leading and directing projects, not only working on them. PMI tracks this in months, not in the number of projects.
Overlapping work counts once. Two projects run in the same three months add up to three months, not six.
It must be in a professional setting, although it does not have to be paid work.
School projects, academic research for a degree, personal events and home improvements do not qualify.
List your projects with dates before you apply, so the application is easier to complete.
Step 3: Complete 35 hours of training
You need at least 35 hours of project management training aligned with the PMP exam content outline. Self-directed reading alone is not listed among the accepted training routes.
If you hold an active CAPM and meet the education and experience requirements, PMI waives the 35 hours. Coursework from a GAC-accredited degree can also count.
The training rule that changes on 1 December 2026
PMI is changing which live training counts towards the 35 hours:
From 1 December 2026, live, instructor-led PMP training must come from a PMI Authorized Training Partner or an eligible accredited academic programme.
Self-paced, on-demand training can still come from any organization, if it aligns with the current exam content outline.
Courses completed before that date remain eligible under the requirements in place at the time.
If you plan to attend live classes after that date, ask your provider to show that it is a PMI Authorized Training Partner, then check with PMI. Leaders Training Centre is a PMI Authorized Training Partner.
Step 4: Know what the exam involves
The PMP exam has 180 questions, of which 170 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions. You have 240 minutes at a test centre, with two 10-minute breaks. Questions come from three domains: People (33%), Process (41%) and Business Environment (26%). Read more in what changed in the new PMP exam.
Your checklist before you apply
Confirm which education route applies to you.
Add up your non-overlapping months of leading projects from the past 10 years.
Write a short description of each project, with dates.
Complete 35 hours of qualifying training, or confirm that your CAPM waives it.
Keep your education and training documents in case of an audit.
Check PMI's current requirements on the day you apply, as they can change.
Getting help in Doha
Not sure whether your experience counts? Talk to an advisor about your background, or see our PMP training in Qatar. PMI makes the final decision on every application.
Sources
- PMP
- Project management
- Exams
