So You Want to Be a PMP®? Here’s What It’s Really Like

You’ve managed vendors, budgets, timelines, and a few questionable stakeholders.
Now it’s time to make it official — become a PMP® Certified Project Manager.

But let me be honest…
The journey to PMP certification isn’t for the faint of heart.

It’s part strategy, part stress, and part deciphering the PMI dialect.
Let me walk you through what it’s really like — and why my students at 3T Career Institute don’t do it alone.

Step 1: Realizing You're Already a Project Manager

You’ve done the work — you just haven’t had the letters after your name (yet).
So you Google “How to get PMP certified,” and suddenly you’re hit with:

• Eligibility requirements

• Training hours

• A $555 exam fee

• And acronyms that sound made up (PMI-ACP? RMP? PgMP?!)

It’s a lot.

Step 2: Training — The 35 Hours That Actually Matter

To apply for the PMP exam, you need 35 hours of formal project management education.

This is where many folks stumble — they buy a cheap online course, binge-watch videos at 2x speed, and walk away with more confusion than confidence.

At 3T Career Institute, we do it differently:

✅ PMI-Authorized course
✅ Weekly coaching + accountability
✅ Real-time support (not pre-recorded silence)
✅ Exam strategy breakdowns
✅ And 1-on-1 time with me — MJ Bianchi, PMP

Step 3: The PMI Application — AKA Bureaucracy Olympics

Writing your PMI application is like submitting a resume in project management code.

What you want to say: “I led a project.”
What PMI wants to see: “I executed cross-functional deliverables aligned with adaptive life cycles while engaging stakeholders and managing risk response strategies.”

Sound overwhelming? I help my students write their applications — and get approved the first time.

Step 4: Study Season — From “I Got This” to “What Even Is a Deliverable?”

Here’s the truth:
The PMP exam is not a memory test — it’s a logic test.

You’ll read questions that make you second-guess everything.
You need more than flashcards and hope.

That’s why 3T students get:

📅 A structured 6–8 week study plan
🧪 Practice exams that match the real thing
📞 Weekly live coaching calls
📚 Materials aligned to the current exam blueprint

Step 5: Exam Day — 180 Questions. 4 Hours. 2 Breaks. Infinite Stress.

When test day hits, you’ll feel all the nerves — unless you’ve trained the right way.

We prepare our students to think like PMI, read questions strategically, and manage their time with confidence.

My motto?
“Prepare like it’s the real exam — so the real exam feels like just another practice test.”

Step 6: You Pass. You Cry. You Add PMP to Everything.

You passed!
You earned it — and now it’s time to:

✔️ Update your LinkedIn
✔️ Add “PMP” to your name
✔️ Negotiate that raise
✔️ Inspire others to start their journey

🧭 Ready to Begin Your PMP Journey?

At 3T Career Institute, we do more than give you videos and hope.
We provide the coaching, accountability, and personal support you need to pass the exam on the first try — and change your career trajectory.

👉 Ready to talk about your PMP goals?

📅 Schedule a time to meet with me here 
Let’s walk through your experience, build your custom study plan, and get you started.

Because with the right guidance — you’ve got this.