How do I pay for PMP exam?

Learning Mudra, Category - PMP


There are many Project Management Professional (PMP) aspirants out there who are willing to apply for or have applied for PMP Certification exam that is being conducted by Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMI conducts various certification programs forprofessionals who want to continue their career in project management field. Before applying for any exam every candidate goes through the eligibility criteria, the exam structure, how to apply for the exam, the fees of the exam and many other things. The main focus of this article is tell you about the fees of the exam and the ways to pay for it.

Fee Structure

If you have gone through the PMI website and seen various certification programs you would have noticed one thing. At the end of the page there is a section named ‘ExamFee’ below which you willfind two amounts written next to two headings – ‘member’ and ‘non- member’. This means that there are two ways to register for the PMP Certification or any certification exam conducted by PMI. “For members” means the former is for the candidates who are PMI members or are willing to become one and “For non - members” means it is for those who are not PMI member or do not want to become one.

The membership fee of PMI for new members is about 129 USD with an additional charge of 10 USD which is a one-time application fee. The membership stands valid for one year and would be required to renew every year. The membership renewal fee is about 129 USD. These PMI membership amounts apply only to individual memberships and not to student and retiree membership. You should take the membership which is suitable to you and for which you are eligible.

The PMP Certification exam fee for the computer based testing which takes place at Prometriccentre is 555 USD for the candidates who are not a PMI member and 405 USD for the candidates who have availed PMI membership. Thus, you can directly save up to 11 USD if you first apply for PMI membership and then apply for the PMP Certification exam. If you want to apply for paper based testing then the PMP Certification exam fee is of 400 USD for the PMI members and 250 USD for the candidates who are not a PMI member.

PMI also has a refund policy for the PMP certification exam registrations. In case due to any reason you are unable to take the exam at the scheduled time or date then you are required to make a request to PMI at least 30 days before the date of expiry of your examination ability. Once your request is approved, PMI will generate a refund against your fee refund request and will deduct an amount of 100 USD as processing charge. Your examination eligibility period is till 1 year from the date of approval of your PMP certification application by PMI.

If you do not want to cancel your exam and just reschedule it then you are allowed to do that as well. But this can be done only till two days prior to your originally scheduled date and time for the PMP exam. However, you would be required to pay an administration fee for the same. The administration fee would depend on when are you applying for rescheduling. Depending upon the number of days prior to the scheduled exam day, the charges would be as follows:

  • If you are rescheduling 30 days before the original date: no fee.
  • Within 30 days and 2 days prior to the exam: 70 USD.
  • Within 2 days: all fees forfeited – no fee to be paid.

If in case you are called for an audit and you are unable to meet PMI’s requirements of audit for the PMP certification then PMI will issue a refund of the PMP exam fee after deducting the processing fee charge of 100 USD. You are advised to prepare hard for your PMP certification exam so that you clear it in the first attempt itself because the PMI also charges you if you retake the PMP certification exam every time. The charges of retaking the PMP certification exam is 275 USD for the PMI members and 375 USD for the candidates who are not a PMI member.

As per PMI certification process, you will be notified after your PMP Certification application is approved. You are not required to make any payment if your PMP Certification application is rejected due to any reason. You should pay through PMI’s online certification system as it is the fastest, easiest and the most relied method to make payment to PMI. You can also pay via check or money order which you would require to post to PMI. Or you can also choose wired transfer method of payment for which you have to mail to PMI’s customer care for more details.

After your PMP certification exam payment is completed successfully you will receive an email from PMI which will contain your eligibility number that you would be required to schedule your PMP Certification exam till 1 year from that date and you can take the PMP Certification exam at most 3 times within that 1 year.

The Author : Learning Mudra


Learning Mudra is one of the world’s authoritative providers of online training for Project Management, Data Science, Software Development, Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, , IT, and many other budding technologies.

Visit Learning Mudra’s Corporate Training page to know more about core trainings for enterprises, enabling the employees in the field of project management.

Share your query with us