pmp online training 35 contact hours

You might be wondering if a PMP online training 35 contact hours course can make you eligible for the certification exam.

I have written this post to describe how you can get 35 contact hours certificate from a PMP online training and how it satisfies PMI’s project management education requirement.

I have also discussed benefits of an online program over other forms of courses in this post and reasoned why it is the best way to get 35 contact hours.

PMP Online Training and 35 Contact Hours Certificate

You need 35 hours of formal project management education to apply for the PMP credential exam.

So, let’s answer the following questions:

  • What is a contact hour?
  • Can online training courses award 35 hours certificate?

Here is a quote from PMP Exam Content Outline (ECO).

One hour of Classroom instruction equals one contact hour.

PMI is clearly talking about “classroom instruction”. So, how does an online course satisfies 35 hours requirement?

Further down, ECO states that


You can satisfy the education requirements by demonstrating the successful completion of courses, workshops and training sessions offered by one or more of the following types of education providers:

  1. PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs)
  2. PMI chapters *
  3. Employer/company-sponsored programs
  4. Training companies or consultants (e.g., training schools)
  5. Distance-learning companies, including an end-of-course assessment
  6. University/college academic and continuing education programs

Refer to #5 above.

A training course from Distance-learning companies with an end-of-course assessment can be used to fulfill PMI’s education requirement.

Note 1: The PMP exam is based on ECO. It provides syllabus for the exam.

Note 2: Self-directed learning (e.g. reading books, watching instructional videos or educational sessions with coaches or mentors) does not satisfy the educational requirement.

Benefits of PMP Online Training Program

You can get PMP training in 3 different forms:

  1. physical classroom
  2. instructor led live online
  3. self-learning online

The popularity of physical classroom training has gone down over the years. After Covid pandemic, physical classrooms have almost vanished. Today people opt for either instructor led live online training or self-learning course.

There are obvious pros & cons of each form of training programs but I think a self-learning PMP online training is much more beneficial than other forms of courses.

A self-learning PMP online training course

  1. is least expensive and most pocket friendly.
  2. is available at a time and place of your choice. It gives you a lot of time and location flexibility.
  3. unlike a live online program, you do not have to complete the course over a period of 4-5 days. It does not give you information overload in a very short span of time. You can study in short spurts and digest the new knowledge before jumping to a new topic.
  4. gives you a choice to learn at your own pace. Whereas in other forms of training, you have to learn at the pace of the instructor.
  5. gives you flexibility to follow your own style of learning. You can decide the order of watching videos, listening to audios, reading PMBOK Guide & other books, and doing exercises.
  6. allows you to use your idle time for the exam prep. You can listen to the audios and watch videos while you are doing mundane jobs like jogging, commuting, waiting at Doctor’s, transiting through airport etc. You can potentially save 25% of your preparation time.
  7. saves you commute time. You don’t need to travel anywhere to attend the training.

Best 35 Contact Hours Online Course

Try to Google “PMP Online Training 35 contact hours”.

What do you see? You will be astounded (rather confounded) by the number of search results. You will find hundreds of companies vying for your attention to buy their course(s). So, which program is right for you? Which of these courses will give you 35 contact hours?

Rather than solving your queries, Google search results leave you confused and stumped. It becomes difficult to choose the right course.

But you should not worry too much. There is a simple way find a good program. You should keep the following things in mind before choosing an online program. You should choose a program

  1. that has a good mix of videos and other instructional material like ebooks and practice questions.
  2. that covers all the learning objectives of project management (scope, schedule, cost, quality, resource, communications, risk, procurement, stakeholders, and integration management).
  3. that has an end-of-course assessment to meet PMI’s definition of 35 contact hours.
  4. that issues a 35 contact hours certificate at the end of the course.
  5. whose content quality is excellent. Poor content quality can hurt your chances of passing the exam.
  6. that is taught by a native English language trainer as the PMP exam is administered in English language only.

To help you choose the right course, I have written an article by comparing the top courses on the above parameters. You can read this article to choose the best online PMP facilitation program that suits your needs.

Final Thoughts

Self learning online courses are cheapest form of training. They are friendly on your pocket and give your lot of flexibility. But you will need self-control and discipline to finish these courses. After deciding on a self learning course, you should prepare a PMP learning schedule and follow it religiously.

Over To You

Which form of training were you contemplating before reading this article? Do you agree that PMP online training is the best way to get 35 contact hours?

Please leave a comment below.

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3 Comments

  1. I am PMP Certified,have the aspiration to train PMP aspirants ,How could I get connect to REPs/Training Institutes?

    Regards
    Abhishek Garg
    9314422834

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