Firstly, you should understand that you cannot avoid a PMP audit because selecting a candidate is a random process, and only the PMI knows how it works.
According to the PMI,
“All applications are subject to an audit, although only a percentage of applications are selected for an audit. The selection of an application for audit is random.”
You should not be afraid of an audit because failing an audit will not sentence you to a life of imprisonment.
However, that does not mean you should invite the PMI to audit you. I believe some red flags may trigger selection and make you more prone to an audit. I believe that if you make some mistakes on your PMP application form, this raises a flag, and you may be selected for an audit.
Experience
If you have made any mistakes in filling out your experience, this may be a red flag, and you may get selected for an audit. For example, you may be called for an audit if you provide any overlapping or gaps in your experience.
PM Training
There are many ways to earn the 35 contact hours, and one of them is through a PMI Registered Education Provider (REP). There will be no issues if you get your PMP training through a REP. However, if you have earned them by any other means, PMI may audit you to verify your claim.
Please note: I’m not saying that you must earn your contact hours through a REP; you can earn them in any way recognized by the PMI. However, sometimes, aspirants think that a particular activity qualifies for contact hours, but in reality, they do not. In this case, if you are selected for an audit, you will fail it.
Job Responsibilities
In the job responsibilities section, if you provide many activities that are not related to project management, the PMI may ask you to clarify by auditing you.
In your job responsibilities section, there should be proof that you are experienced in all project management phases.
The PMP certification is for professionals working in project management; therefore, PMI has to check if you are.
Numbers of Hours per Year
Usually, about 2,000 hours of experience is enough per year. The PMI may need to verify if you provide excessive working hours per year. Fill in this information carefully, and do not put in excessive hours per year.
You should not apply for the PMP exam if you have less experience than required. Once you have completed your experience requirements, you can apply.
Please check your PMP requirements before applying for the exam.
Tips for Completing the PMP Application Form to Avoid PMP Audit
I will give you a few pieces of advice you should keep in mind while filling out the PMP exam certification application form.
Experience
If you have any overlapping experience, provide it as one project since you cannot add overlapping experience. For example, let us say the duration of one project was from January to June, and the second project was from May to December. In this case, you will count your experience as 12 months, not 14.
Many professionals make mistakes while filling out the number of hours. Please do not put an excessive number. Count your hours carefully and note them down. Usually, professionals work approximately 2,000 hours in a year. Therefore, under normal circumstances, if you have given experience for the last five years, then the total number should be around 10,000 hours.
Also, ensure you count experience corresponding to all five project phases and distribute it correctly.
Training
Now, we come to project management training. It is best to earn these 35 contact hours from any Registered Education Provider; do not go for an unknown, unregistered, low-quality, cheap option. Registered education providers’ courses are pre-approved, and the PMI reviews their course content.
It might raise a red flag if you try another option. Therefore, do your due diligence before signing up for any training course.
Job Responsibilities
Under the job responsibilities section, provide your experience relevant to project management. They want to see if you have led and directed projects. Do not include your non-project management activities; it may cause suspicion.
Therefore, before entering the job responsibilities, note them on a separate paper and review them at least twice. Once you are satisfied with the information, you can then submit it.
Ensure that your responsibilities cover all domains and that you use PMI terminology while explaining your responsibilities. Emphasize your role and show them how you led the project. Explain your contribution to the successful completion of the project.
Please note that the PMI wants to see “represent professional and compensated work.” Therefore, don’t add your voluntary work to your job responsibility and project management experience. Only include the projects for which you were given compensation.
These are my recommendations to you to avoid being audited by PMI.
Also, know a few more things before applying for the exam. This will help you if you’re selected for an audit.
- Keep all educational and experience certificates ready with you.
- Contact all your previous bosses or their replacements if the original has moved elsewhere. Inform them about your application and tell them that the PMI may contact them to verify your experience.
- Don’t forget to inform your current boss because they are the most likely candidates to be approached by the PMI if you’re selected for an audit.
Summary
You cannot avoid the PMP audit since it is a random process, and anyone can be selected. Therefore, you should prepare before applying for the exam. This will make you well-equipped in case you are selected for an audit. Supply the correct information, keep all documents with you, and inform your bosses, and you will be ready. You will clear the audit quickly if you have provided the correct information and have documents supporting it.
If you follow the suggestions given above, I can assure you that you will be in a much better position to tackle the audit.
Disclaimer: Please note that the observations and advice given in this blog post belong to me. I do not guarantee that, by following the given suggestions, you will not be selected for an audit; you may or may not be chosen, it is a completely random process.
I hope all your concerns have been answered here. If you need any further information regarding the PMI audit process, feel free to contact me through the comments section.
I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.
Hi Fahad,
I started as a programmer in a small investment management firm. This was 10 years back. Since then I have developed several complex software. I have gone through all the phases – Initiation, planning, excecuting, closing etc. However, I have, for the most part, worked alone on these. Am I eligible for the PMP exam? Can I include the time spent on the programming part in the experience.
As per my understanding programming experience is not a project management experience.
If you have three years experience in project management (if you are a degree holder), no need to go for any further.
Hi,
Very nice article. Thanks for the tips and suggestions.
My case is a bit different. I hope you can definitely help me out.
After completing my graduation, I have started my own company in Sept 2009, which was a partnership firm that time. And I worked on the projects as project manager from Day 1.
In 2012, we converted the firm into a pvt. ltd. company and continued the projects in that.
The projects I have mentioned in my PMP application are from day 1 of my career, and as I wanted to mention only big projects, there is gap in experience as well.
Can it be a case of audit?
Regards
SD
No body knows the case of an audit, it is a random process. You should be fine as long as your total experience is above three years.
Hi, I have a question about PMP work experience. I have project managed short and long term financial investment projects and getting paid for elderly parents using family members and vendors as the project team and organizing projects according to PMI as I have PM training and experience from prior jobs over 8 years ago. Would this qualify as I have over 4500 hours, a degree, and finishing my 35 training hours with a PMI R.E.P. provider.
You should have project management experience in last eight years. Any experience before that will not be counted.
Hi, I have a question about PMP work experience. What types of work do count to PMP experience? Does student project count to PMP experience as well? Also, I have experience in leading non-profit project and I am a paid employee. Does that count as well?
For the first case, I suggest you contact PMI customer care. Regarding the second case, I believe you can count your project management experience.
Hello, I finished the pmi course at georgia tech in 2016 and now I’m ready to submit the 4500 hours of experience. however I have worked for myself as a general contractor in the banked owned REO foreclosure industry for 7 years now. Im what you would consider the middle person. I work for asset management companies who get the work orders or projects from the banks and then hires my company to fulfill the assignment. I then turn and use subcontractors to complete the projects for me. Which I manage the project and speak with the Asset management coordinators over the project. I let them know if the project is on schedule, if it can be completed within the budget and if we there are any issues during the project phases. I guess my question is how do I determine my hours and who can I get to approve them since my clients are not my direct boss. Kindly advise your thoughts on how to calculate my hours as I do believe I have the experience and hours.
I believe you worked as a project coordinator. You can mention your boss ID.There is no need to mention the client. Your boss is enough to verify your experience.
I was selected for audit & submitted all docs . I recd audit fail with No fault condition with a possibility to reapply after getting proper expereince. Anybody had come across such things.
As, I drafted my application with experience in a hurry for taking exam can I request them for reconsider my application.
Since it is audit with no fault, you can apply for the exam again as soon as you get your paper in order.
Anyway, if you want to discuss about this failed audit, you should contact the customer care and explain the situation.
What is the procedure to re-open a no fault case application. Can I amend my experience in my previous application.
If a application failed due to writing of improper experience, on re apply, will it again come under audit process definetly??.
Since it is no fault, you can apply anytime. However, if you want to open your current case, you should contact PMI customer care.
Regarding whether you can select for an audit or not on second attempt, honestly nobody knows.
However, I think that since you are selected for an audit in the first time and failed, therefore you can be selected for audit again.
I have selected for an audit, I have my supporting documents for my Bachelor degree and my work experience, but the problem is that for my 35 PM contact hours, I addressed a project management course that I passed it during my Master’s Degree. I was a three credit one, which makes about 51 contact hours.
I am going to send an email to my university and ask them to provide information about the course and its topics. My questions are:
1) What information does the University have to certified?
2) Should it be signed and sealed, or they may email it to me?
3) If they don’t reply to my inquiry, or they don’t approve the contact hours or PM coverage, can I apply for a 35 Contact Hours class ant provide it to the audit committee?
They should provide you the course content. If they dont do it, ask PMI if you can join another 35 contact hour training program.
Just a plain email, or any letter with their stamp will be sufficient, as per my understanding.
Hi, can any one please tell me, how much are the “Numbers of Hours per Year” should we put, since I have worked 7 yrs till now. can any one please suggest how should I divide my time.
Thanks
Sameer
Around 2,000 hours per year.
Yes, you are right. One cannot avoid the audit. But as I have followed the best practices when submitting the PMP application, my audit process was quite smooth. The biggest problem is the postage time as I needed to send in the audit package from Hong Kong. It took over 8 working days to receive the audit success email.
Hello Edward, can you explain in detail about your audit process?
Hi,
Do I need to take the 35 contact hours even before submitting the PMP Application form on PMI.org. Can you please clarify.
Thanks,
Shee
Hello Shee,
Yes, you must attend 35 contact hours training program before applying for the PMP certification exam.
You’re not eligible to apply for the exam until you attend 35 contact hours training program.
Hey Folks!!
The 35 contact hours is easy to get with PMstudy course. PMstudy provides with 40 contact hours free with their preperatory course. I have enrolled with them and got it.
Hope this info helped..
Hi All,
I agree with Ileana, getting 35 contact hours is quite easy with PMstudy. I am taking PMstudy classroom training program next month and have got 40 contact hours which i have already submitted to PMI!!