Student Profile: Carlito J. Decamotan, PMP

I am originally from the Pearl of the Orient (Philippines) and migrated to Canada with my family back in July 2009. Before coming to Canada, I had worked in various countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. In these countries, I had collectively acquired more than eighteen (18) years of work experiences in the field of Project Controls and Services in Oil and Gas major EPCM / Construction multi-cultural environment. Having obtained my B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in one of the best Universities in the Philippines (Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan) and had worked in one of the biggest Construction Projects in Southeast Asia back in the late 80’s to early 90’s in the Philippines as a Project Planning, Monitoring, and Control Engineer, it helped me a lot in preparing myself in facing the ever changing and challenging world in the O&G industry.

Considering this, particularly in my career in the field of Project Controls, I realized that getting the PMP certification will be a very significant tool in my career advancement. Hence sometime in August 2011, I thought of pursuing the PMP certification and started searching for the helpful PMP related websites and on line tools. On the same period, I registered and became a PMI member and received the pdf version of the PMBOK Guide 4th edition. With the PMBOK Guide, I realized how difficult it will be for me to find time to read through its 467 pages. Fortunately, I found the PM Prepcast and purchased on line on 03.Sep.2011. Still, I couldn’t find the needed motivation to myself and to start on my PMP studies. In fact, the PM Prepcast just became most of the time a “idled and quite” on my IPhone for at least a year. This was because balancing my PM studies with work and family (with 2 little daughters) was indeed a much bigger challenge to me. However, on 22.Sep.2012, I managed to take and successfully passed the “The Project Management Prepcast Certificate for 35 Contact Hours” which is the “missing piece” of my application for PMP credential eligibility. However, though having obtained the eligibility on 25.Nov.2013, preparing the PMP Exam was still never easier to me. Thus, re-scheduling my PMP examination date came just easy for me – I had rescheduled it for five (5) occasions in the span of 6 months. Unknowingly, the “Student Syndrome” or “Parkinson’s Law” had already got into my PMP exam preparation and obviously put me in a worst study plan. Finally, I decided to reschedule for the 6th time for 21.Sep.2013 with a resolved that, it will be the final one. Being really determined this time, I purchased the latest version of the PMBOK Guide 5th edition on 19.Jul.2013 and obtained the updated version of the PM Simulator on 07.Aug.2013.

Knowing that the new PMBOK Guide 5th edition was 100 pages more than the 4th edition (which I never got the time to read), I got more worried on how I would be able to find time to read through and understand the book over the short period of time left for me before the exam date (21.Sep.2013). With the huge task on hand, I tried to find an immediate and effective ways to prepare for the PMP examination using the available resources I had. So, on 22.Jul.2013, I decided to start doing the on line practice tests / quiz in the PM Simulator every night at least 1 ½ hours and using the PMBOK Guide 5th edition as my cross-reference to every answers to each practice tests in the PM Simulator. It started to help build the confidence I needed since I began to understand more deeply the Knowledge Areas and the ITTOs in the PMBOK Guide. I did take only two 4-hour practice exam (Exam 1 and Exam 8) of the nine (9) 4-hour available Practice Examination in the PM-Simulator. Instead, I focused more doing the “Timed / Learning Quiz Engine” where for me in that given time / situation, I found more effective especially with its “Hints” and references from specific pages in the PMBOK Guide. During the day, as I commuted to and from work, I tried to listen to the PM Prepcast (4th edition yet, for I decided not to purchase the latest one due to time constraint) for at least 45 minutes. I knew I was cramming for the PMP exam. Apparently, I didn’t have the luxury of time, so I kept doing “practice test” even the night before the examination. Also, I continuously tried to motivate myself along with my wife’s encouragement for she strongly felt that “I can do it”. Sweet! I really needed that motivation especially coming from my beloved wife.

On the day of the examination, I started with a prayer and dedicated the PMP Examination to my wife and two (2) kids. I knew, passing the PMP Examination really meant a lot also to them. Honestly, an added pressure in the day of the exam was my desire also to set an example to my 9 year old daughter and to prove that with Practice(s), Makes one Perfect, and with good study habit, her daddy can also pass an exam – as what we always expects her to do as well (in her every school examinations).

So, in the 21st of September 2013, in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, I took and passed the PMP Examination and became a PMP®. Passing the PMP® Examination indeed becomes easy with the right preparation and continuous practice, practice, practice in the PM Simulator... I will never hesitate to recommend this product from The PM Prepcast... I would like to encourage anyone out there who are planning to write their PMP Exam to start acquiring these very helpful study tools and the PMBOK Guide, set a truly realistic examination date, set up an effective study plan, then write and pass the PMP Examination in your 1st try!

Lastly, thanks to Cornelius Fichtner and to the PM Prepcast / Simulator Team! Most of all, a million thanks to my ever supportive wife, and certainly to God!