PMP application but did only one project as a lead and one solo project

Question

I am a biology researcher and I have been part of many research projects over the years. I have also played a minor role in a firm as part of a project trying to find franchisees for the firm.

I have done 7 projects in all with one being a solo project and one other as a lead. However, in all the other projects, I have been part of a team with another lead researcher or a supervisor. I have done duties belonging to the 5 major process groups like participate in developing a timeline and defining research goals (IN), make changes as necessary on encountering quality issues with results found (EX), participate in writing the final report for publication (CL) etc.

Will my PMP application be rejected since I have not lead many projects? Kindly advice.

Answer 1

PMI is the authority in determining whether an application is accepted or not. You won't get a definitive answer here. The only answer will come from PMI after you submitted your application.

The criterion explicitly states, "...leading and directing projects...." So based on your language, you have two projects that seem to fit that criterion to a degree. So those two projects need to be no less than 3 and no more than 8 years of non overlapping, cumulative hours equaling 4,500 or more (assuming you have at least a four-year degree).

As an aside, this is relatively new language for that criterion, maybe last five or so years??. It used to read, leading tasks or something similar. That's because the PMP was not meant for only project managers but also project personnel. So there's a lot of PMP holders who were accepted that did not meet the new criterion language.