I was universally told 2 things about the current state of the exam. First, that the exam these days did not have a lot of math (e.g. EVM…) questions and second, diagraming questions were also few and were on the simple side. On my exam I had several EVM questions (guess I’m just a lucky guy %^) and although only one diagraming question it was a complicated draw, especially on the provided white board. Fortunately, once I finally understood EVM and had the formula’s memorized cold I could do them in my head. For the diagraming I had decided I would mark them out of hand since even the EZ ones on the practice exams took me 5 minutes to draw. I could have easily done them on scratch paper, including the forward/backward pass, but only the whiteboard is allowed on a proctored exam.
My study “materials”:
I took an intensive boot camp to start the fun. To show how my thinking evolved, my original plan had the boot camp last. Next did live 7 day/week group coaching which was a combo of freeform and also a slide deck on certain days covering the 10 knowledge areas. I walked away from PMP work after that to apply for the exam and to pursue the ITIL Service Transition certification while waiting for eligibility. No point spending more money if I was not eligible. Once I received the eligibility notification, achieved the ITIL cert and decided what learning I would pursue I resumed my PMP quest. After considerable research I signed up for the full prep-cast package including simulator. I did not use an exam prep book of any kind. I finished off with a string of Saturday study group sessions. At some point the video course, simulator and study group overlapped.
Major Milestones:
Boot camp. Live coaching on all knowledge areas. Apply for the exam and achieve eligibility. Pre-cast video course. Exam simulators – 7 each. Study group. Schedule exam. Sit for exam.
Study course, the PMBOK and a study group:
I started the prep-cast video course. I did the 100+ question self-assessment first thing and scored over 80%. It was clear to me I had the knowledge and what was needed was a working knowledge of the material at my finger tips that would stand up to the pressure of the exam. Additionally, physical training to build up my reading comprehension and ability to concentrate the ENTIRE 4 hours of the exam. In ice hockey, many games are won/lost in the last 15 minutes of the 3rd period. You MUST be able to be fully engaged for the full game if you expect to win. My understanding is when people do not pass the exam they don’t miss by much.
My approach for the video course was to read the knowledge area or section of the PMBOK first, then do the related prep-cast video module, then the module assessment quiz and review. This got me through the entire PMBOK and avoided having to read it more than once.
Perhaps the biggest realization I came to, after I took the 1st four-hour timed practice exam was that I needed to treat each practice exam as if it was the actual exam. This included the development of a DAY 0 count down, with DAY 0-4 being the warning shot, DAY 0-3 being the start of NOT doing anything out of the ordinary, DAY 0-2 rebooting my entire internet among other steps, DAY 0-1 development/execution of a checklist driven prep sheet (e.g. reboot laptop, clear table, hook up cat 5 cable and test, set alarms, get ID’s out etc.). And a DAY 0 routine. During DAY 0-4 to 0-1 I did learning quizzes and brain dumps and my last study group to keep my brain engaged but not anything near performance level energy, just as a walk though exercise. I eventually came to realize the practice exams needed to be bi-weekly and my best time to start the exam was 11AM. By the time I got to the real exam (2 weeks after practice exam 7…) it was just another exam. I was pumped but not nervous and my stamina was full on, I could have gone another half hour (25 questions, AKA overtime) without breaking a sweat. If I didn’t pass the 2nd attempt would be in 2 weeks. I was passing this thing.
Planning and Schedule
I wrote a project strawman plan and then researched lessons learned and plans from others. This process delivered a start plan that was 75% modified from the strawman. And still the planning took a predictive/rolling wave approach and so was evolving even during execution. Execution itself became adaptive and so overall, hybrid.
For schedule I did a full out schedule in MSP. In keeping with the project plan was rolling wave using a critical chain method. For example, once I figured out the practice exam and the exam itself needed to be 2 weeks apart that pushed my 1st sit out an entire month from the pessimistic sit date in my flight plan. I had the buffers in there to accommodate this, sitting for the exam on 11/24 which would leave me two more attempts, 2 weeks apart, before the end of the year. In sailing you can plan all you want and you should but once you break lines (cast off) you are on the water, the waves and the weather will dictate execution and you need to have had the plan second nature so you can let go of it and deal with the fluid nature of what is in front of you, as it presents itself, and get to your destination.
Key take away (s):
1. If you include the ‘check in’ the exam is 4.5 hours.
2. My DAY 0 routine was flexible. To be in the chair 30 minutes before scheduled start I needed 2 hours and the routine accounted for waking up as early as 4 hours before the check in.
3. If I did wake up early, I started prep incrementally with short 30-minute breaks to fully chill. First time I encountered this I got up 4 hours early and completed prep then went back to bed and went into a deep sleep. I then had to wake up all over again and get back up to performance speed and that killed me. It was painful.
4. Taking the practice exams were much less about learning and much more about building endurance. The learning came in when reviewing the questions answered incorrectly, reading the logic of the question and correct answer and MOST importantly, going to the referenced PMBOK section to cement the concepts. The pre-cast simulator is outstanding.
5. I found understanding the thinking behind the PMBOK essential. Equally so the ITTO patterns (e.g. deliverables go from direct and manage to control quality for verification to validate scope for formal acceptance <OR> the charter provides project approval requirements i.e., WHO decides the project is successful, and WHO signs off on the project in closing whereas the scope management plan provides the process that specifies HOW formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables will be obtained in validate scope). Additionally, executing is about managing, directing, conducting and monitoring and controlling is about just that plus validation and change control.
6. With the proctored exam, for me, brain dumps to start the exam was not an option. I wrote out the process groups/knowledge areas and processes completely every 3rd day for 3 months. I create pre-printed blank grids. Ditto the formulas. With this approach brain dumps were not needed.
7. I started using a boxing analogy once I started the practice exams. Each practice exam was a match and in between game film and training for the next match. Once I was at the 4 days leading up to DAY 0, the sit, I switched to a hockey analogy. In hockey you stop thinking about the last game after a couple of days whether you won or lost. You resist thinking about the outcome of the next game. There is only the next game and you don’t think about winning or losing it, you think about playing it, stay present. Once it starts there are only plays, shifts and periods, let the play develop, have patience with the puck, run the process, play a complete period and just after, be in a position to let the game come to you.
8. I did not encounter a single question of the exam that I encountered in 1400 questions in the practice exams but the style was the same as was the way to think about it and the time management and the test taking strategies. Many questions on the real exam did NOT have a clear choice that I could exclude. The only real surprise.
9. I passed the exam on the first try, with 4 minutes to spare and all AT. I had no idea if I was doing well or not during the exam, no feel for it at all and I was not using any brain power thinking about it. Once I hit end exam, I had no idea if I passed. Once the congratulations came up, I was happy for a second, then emotional. I was not surprised %^)
10. A note about what can go wrong will go wrong. On the days leading up to the 6th practice exam, specifically on DAY 0-1 and DAY 0 EVERYTHING went wrong. E.g. all the plumbing in my 3 flat stopped working. I have my family and tenants and NO toilets. No idea why but ended up being a clogged sewer line from the building to city sewer by roots. That is just one thing. It was a whirlwind yet I still scored 82.5 on the practice exam. That is when I knew I had a solid approach to prepare, address the known risks and sit for the exam that could withstand and account for the unknown/unknowns.
Epilogue
One of the most important things I did at the start was to craft a statement around why I was doing this at all. It decidedly was NOT to get certified or better job offers/pay. It was personal. What I wanted to result from gaining this credential. What would be different, for me personally, not what would come from the credential but different for me simply by attaining it. Not the spoils, the prize itself. This statement went through several iterations, it took a while to nail the essence of it. It was a 2-paragraph statement but it all came down to this one sentence. Once I had it, I referred to it often during the journey, especially during the tough times, to remind myself, in a personal way, what this journey was really all about for me. That is how I won this game.
William Gallagher, PMP
