Student Profile: Siva Ram Kuricheti, PMP, C Eng(I), FIE

I am a project management professional with nearly 30 years of experience in large project management particularly civil engineering and infrastructure projects. I am a post graduate in structural engineering, a masters in business administration from XLRI and a Fellow of Institution of Engineers India.

I thought of giving me a structured training in Project Management and then decided to appear for PMP, so that I can actively learn and contribute to the PM community.

As always, a beginer starts without a clear direction as there are so much of materials and internet information that one can come across, and was not really sure which is the best book or best forum I should join to learn and contribute for passing this exam.

Apart from taking a 4 days class room coaching for my 35 PDU requirement, my studies were focussed on PMBOK and Rita and writing the mock exams.

At one stage, I realised that the online mock exams available for free will provide some basic inputs, but I also felt that I am seeing a lot of repeat questions and some questions are straight from the book and no thinking involved.

Then I decided to subscribe to some simulator exams which will provide me a good practice with all new questions in every exam, and give me a realistic exam preparation.

Then I have come across PM Exam Simulator, which can provide 9 tests with good data bank of questions and answer explanations.

I can say this is the turning point in my preparation. In fact last 10 days before the exam I have only done PM Exam simulators one per day, and reviewed with the PMBOK.

During the preparation, I made my own notes and that was helpful for a quick review before the exam.

Question 3: Did you do any "last minute review" on the day of your PMP exam?

My last minute review is limited only to my notes which contains highlevel concepts of various key items which one used to forget. For example, all formulas, process chart page 61 of PMBOK, tuckman ladder, 7 quality tools, data gathering techniques, contents of staffing management plan, contents of configuration mangement plan, requirement management plan, and such like items.

Since, I have done all the PM examsimulator questions with good score averaging above 88% all the time, I was confident that I will pass the exam. I could complete the exam in 2.5 hours, took a break and reviewed. I found PMP exam is not as tough as it madeout to be. If one is clear of the concepts, reviewed the PMBOK well and wrote enough of mock exams one can pass.