TOPIC: Can I use Contact Hours as PDUs?

Question:
I am preparing for my PMP Exam and I already have 35 contact hours. My company has offered to send me to a PMP bootcamp where I will earn another 24 contact hours, which I really don’t need. Can I apply these contact hours as PDUs for the time after I pass my PMP exam and need to earn 60 PDUs?

Answer:
Unfortunately you cannot. Your first re-certification cycle starts on the day that you pass your PMP exam. Anything that you did before that day doesn’t count. This is because PMI wants you to be an “involved” project management practitioner after you pass your exam, so anything you did before you got certified cannot be carried over as PDUs.

The only way that contact hours can “double up” as PDUs is in the case when you are already PMP certified and you go on to prepare for a second PMI certification like the PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP or PMI-SP. So if you take a PMI-ACP class, then the hours earned in that class will not only count as your PMI-ACP contact hours, but they will also count as PDUs for your PMP recertification.

I passed the PMP exam in April and did not use the PM-Prepcast for contact hrs because I already had the needed contact hours. Can the Prep-Cast be used towards PDUs credits having now passed the exam?

David,

Unfortunately the answer is "No". This is because you watched The PM PrepCast BEFORE you became a PMP. And you can only earn and claim PDUs AFTER you are PMP certified. (And even if you watched it a second time starting now, it would not be ethical for you to claim PDUs for it, because your original intent was exam preparation.)

But don't worry... earning PDUs is really not difficult at all. Here are some ideas:

• I offer 30 Free PDUs at www.pm-podcast.com/pdu (That's 50% of what you need!)
• You can purchase my Agile PrepCast at www.agileprepcast.com/pdu and earn 37 PDUs
• Read my article about 12 easy ways to earn PDUs www.pdu-insider.com/index.php/articles/1...sy-ways-to-earn-pdus
• And while you are reading it: Sign up for the newsletter (right side of article) and I will keep sending you PDU ideas and recommendations