How to Become PMP Certified

You need to fulfill several requirements in order to sit for the PMP® exam. PMI® has detailed the certification process quite extensively at its website. Go to www.pmi.org and click the Certifications tab to get the latest information on certification procedures and requirements.
 

You are required to fill out an application to sit for the PMP® exam. You can submit this application online at the PMI® website. You also need to document 35 hours of formal project management education. This might include college classes, seminars, workshops, and training sessions. Be prepared to list the class titles, location, date, and content.
In addition to filling out the application and documenting your formal project management training, there is one set of criteria you'll need to meet to sit for the exam.

The criteria in this set fall into two categories. You need to meet the requirements for only one of these categories:
Category 1 is for those who have a baccalaureate degree. You'll need to provide proof, via transcripts, of your degree with your application. In addition, you'll need to complete verification forms—found at the PMI® website—that show 4,500 hours of project management experience that spans a minimum of three years. You'll also need 35 hours of project management education/training.
Category 2 is for those who do not have a baccalaureate degree but do hold a high school diploma or associate’s degree. You'll need to complete verification forms documenting 7,500 hours of project management experience that spans a minimum of five years. You'll also need 35 hours of project management education/training.
As of this writing, the exam fee is $405 for PMI® members in good standing and $555 for non-PMI® members.

You're given four hours to complete the exam, which consists of 200 randomly generated questions. Only 175 of the 200 questions are scored. Twenty-five of the 200 questions are “pretest” questions that will appear randomly throughout the exam. These 25 questions are used by PMI® to determine statistical information and to determine whether they can or should be used on future exams. You will receive a score of Proficient, Moderately Proficient, or Below Proficient for each exam domain, as well as a Pass or Fail score. Because PMI® uses psychometric analysis to determine whether you have passed the exam, a passing score is not published. The questions on the exam cover three domains with roughly half the questions involving agile or hybrid methodologies. There will also be questions regarding professional responsibility.

You'll answer questions on the following domains:
People
Process
Business Environment

Questions pertaining to professional responsibility on the exam will be intermixed with questions for all the process groups. You won't see a section or set of questions devoted solely to professional responsibility, but you will need to understand all the concepts in this area. 
All unanswered questions are scored as wrong answers, so it benefits you to guess at an answer if you're stumped on a question.

After you've received your certification, you'll be required to earn 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three years to maintain certification. Approximately one hour of structured learning translates to one PDU. The PMI® website details what activities constitute a PDU, how many PDUs each activity earns, and how to register your PDUs with PMI® to maintain your certification. As an example, attendance at a local chapter meeting earns one PDU.