Student Profile: Saraswathy Parthasarathy, CSSBB, PMP

I am currently working as Senior Process Improvement Manager in the Hi-Tech industry.  I live in ON, Canada and have 12yrs of experience. I have been managing projects and programs for over 6 years now in various capacities.  Obtaining the PMP certification was my second achievement after my Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.

I began my studies for the PMP certification in May 2015 and obtained my certification in July 2015. I passed the exam on my first attempt.

I highly recommend the PM PrepCast and PM exam simulator as study material to PMP aspirants. The daily newsletters from PM PrepCast is also a must-do subscription. The newsletters carry amazing content – exactly what you need when you are preparing for the PMP exam. Personally, I found them very helpful and motivating.

The first thing I read on my journey to becoming a PMP was lessons learned shared by successful PMPs. It gave me an idea about study material and time required.  I used this information to device my own aggressive study plan.  I targeted 10 weeks dedicating 6-8hrs on week days and more on the weekends while doing my full time job.  In the first 5 weeks, I studied the 10 knowledge areas thoroughly (2 per week) using the PrepCast videos alongside the PMBOK guide.  I went in the order of the PMBOK guide except I saved the Project Integration Management knowledge area to the end.  Most folks say that the PMBOK guide is dry, but it was easier to understand the material using this approach. The last 4 weeks prior to the exam was set-aside to do the PM Exam Simulator tests and a second revision of the PMBOK guide along with ‘Head first PMP’ and Rita’s book. In total I did about 2500 questions.

Don’t try to cram anything into your brain in the last week. My recommendation to PMP aspirants in the last week is to continue to follow through your study plan and start getting mentally prepared for the exam. It is natural to feel nervous and anxious in the last week, but that just means you are on the right track. By this time you are ready, just go for it! I recommend you prepare your list of tips for the exam based on information already available. I picked the ones that made the most sense to me and for my study plan and reviewed them almost every day during the last week.

~ Saraswathy Parthasarathy, CSSBB, PMP