TOPIC: Study Plan/Schedule

I have created my personal study plan upon reading this guide provided by Cornelius. However, I am failing to keep up on the progress. But I plan to take one week off work unpaid in dedicating my study effort before taking the exam. Do any of you have done this? If so, how do you schedule your 7 days off to be fully committed on your studying? Thanks!

www.project-management-prepcast.com/pmp-study-plan

My advice is focus on your weak areas so you can get them up to par with your strengths. At least you'll be at an even pace when you return to work and resume your study plan.

Hi David -

It's great you're able to schedule in that dedicated time to prepare! Like Michael suggested, it's a good idea to start working on your weaker areas first as this will be a great opportunity to bring those areas up to speed.

One bit of advice I would add is not to over-book yourself with studying during that "off" time. For example, if you normally work an 8-hour day, you might want to structure your study time around that same part of the day, and just treat studying as your job for the week. But be sure you keep it reasonable - take breaks, take time for meals, and don't work yourself to death. I found that I personally hit my effective limit after 4-6 hours of studying, after which I needed to close the books and switch gears for a while so I didn't lose focus and become counter-productive (your mileage may vary, of course).

I Second Jonathan that you should consider this period as a normal working day on which you will prepare for the exam. study no more than 8 hours and I would suggest that you split it to 2 halfs, in the first half you will take a full length exam and in the second half you will review the areas where you didn't answer well.
this will help you spot the weak areas so that as Michael advised you will raise your weak points to par with your strengths.

my last advise is take a break the day before the exam and take your time to relax before the exam.

Good Luck.

Hi.

For your week off, also consider using different resources throughout the week to help keep yourself engaged. For example, maybe start with reading a chapter from a PMP exam guide, then reinforce what you read with a video. Take a break and maybe review with flashcards. It may be a long week if you don't have variety.

Also, practise writing out a 'braindump' each day to help solidify processes, definitions and formulas.

Good luck!
Tracey

Hi David,

I've tried taking time off to study for exams in the past, not this one, and found that I got a little burned out. I strongly recommend, as you may incorporate some of the great suggestions provided the others on this thread, that you make sure and have sufficient brakes.

Also,as Ahmed suggested, take a break the day before the exam. Best of luck!

Thank you all for responding to my concerns! Wow, this community really has the PEOPLE in mind first unlike other forums that I have participated. I plan to incorporate your suggestions into my study plan to yield the most out of that week (aka the dead week before college finals).

Talking about study plan, have any of you created and utilized one before taking the PMP exam? If so, do you mind sharing yours with the group here? Ultimately, this is to keep myself accountable on the progress that I have made through studying each PMBOK guide chapter.

Thank you again for the help!
David

Thanks David for your nice words.

I think you will find your requirements in our lessons learnt forum , many of PMP certified professional have shared their plans and lessons learnt there.