Once you have gotten your documented 4500 or 7500 experience hours, (with and without a baccalaureate degree) and taken 35 hours of accredited study, you are ready to prepare for taking the examination.
You are required to complete an application with PMI, which is the Project Management Institute. They have been administering the PMP certification test since 1984, although they were founded in 1969. They have over 100,000 members in 125 countries.
You can submit the application online at http://certificationapp.pmi.org. The PMP certification exam fee is presently $405 for PMI members or $555 for non-PMI members. You will have six months from the time your application is approved to take the exam.