I have been working towards this Certification for the past 3 months and I wish I would have signed up much sooner.
First of all the PM PrepCast PMP Course is complete and extremely thorough.
I have been working with a large renovation program in the US with a large PMO.
After several years of managing projects and wanting to advance my career I decided to give the PMP a go ahead.
After several days/weeks reading on the PMP and the best courses out there, I found several blogs and reviews explaining the benefits of this course.
Working full time, having a toddler didn't make it easier, which is why the PrepCast was the right tool for me to achieve my goals.
When I first signed up for the course I decided to purchase the Elite Plus version.
I think I could have done with simply getting the Elite and getting the formula guide separately, but overall the materials are very well laid out.
Study Materials:
These included the PM Prepcast videos, notes taken, formula guide and formula assessment questions, PMBOK Guide, and a multitude of websites that I
simply found by typing into the chrome browser the key concepts I was trying to grasp when reviewing the answers to the questions to the tests & quizzes
(Found endless articles and blogs on the concepts published online which help reinforce what is being taught in the course).
My Study Plan:
I dedicated approximately 2 hours before work and sometimes I would squeeze in 1 or 2 hours in the evenings to recap on the lessons.
But the extra hours didn't really happen until later in my studies when I began doing assessments and tests.
I would say that was at the month and a half mark when I began taking quizzes and tests, as well as the formula study guide and the 105 questions
included with it.
On average, for every 30 minutes of video, I would take about an hour of note-taking as I would jot down all the bullet points from the presentations
as well as key points explained by Cornelius.
I figured it would help me retain some information if I wrote things down and went back on the videos to clearly grasp the concepts and info being taught.
I finished the videos in 2 months and in total I did all the Core and recommended lessons to ensure I got all the concepts down.
Once I began taking assessments, that's when the learning really began for me.
I am the type of person who can read something a multitude of times and will still not grasp the information.
By nature, I like to learn by doing, and this is where the Exam Simulator and the formula assessment became the best tools to help me study.
The first exam I took I got a 67.5%, I was just dealing with the Project Scope Management knowledge area and even though I failed, it pushed
me to try and understand why I got the results I did.
I began to review the questions I got wrong and started to analyze every answer to understand the responses.
A week later, I took [u]the second exam and somehow managed to do even worse, got a 62%[/u].
After, I decided to stop taking exams and focus on finishing the PrepCast and then try the exam after finishing.
As I got closer to the end of the course I began reviewing the formula guide and did the formula assessment.
As I had read in the past, doing a brain dump in the exam would make me lose time, and I wanted to ensure that going into the exam I knew all the
formulas to be prepared.
I have to say, the formula guide is a must!!!
I did the formula assessment questions 4 times in order to grasp the formulas, know when to apply what, and it did not fail.
I knew the formulas and at one point I actually started implementing the EVM formulas at my job to track the performance of my projects which has
made a change as to how I manage my projects.
But back to the subject, the formulas from the course and the assessment truly help prepare for the exam day.
Once I had completed the video lessons I decided to take my third exam to see how finishing the course would help me improve my results
as I had fallen short in the Communications, Stakeholder, and Risk Management knowledge areas when I had taken my second exam.
This time, I got a 76% and passed!!!
By this point I was focusing on reviewing the answers to the questions I was marking and got incorrect.
And I also began referencing the PMBOK pages that corresponded to each of the concepts that would assist in understanding why the responses were
incorrect/correct.
I would do two timed quizzes with 50 questions each during the week for two weeks, only testing on the questions I got wrong previously to test my
knowledge again.
This helped me tremendously until I went and took the fourth exam two weeks after the third exam.
The Fourth Exam I managed to get an 81%, and once again, I reviewed the marked questions and wrong questions to better understand.
This time I decided to do 60 question learning quizzes mixing up all questions including ITTO questions. I did 6 - 60 question quizzes to test my knowledge.
I would answer a question and when I chose the question, I would reveal the answer to see if I got the responses.
By the time I was on quiz 3, I was getting over 85%.
Being that I was starting to get burnt out studying, I decided to give the Exam simulator one last shot.
This was on Black Friday and this exam was to determine if I was still over the 80% range, I would sign up for the exam.
The fifth exam and final exam I took I got an 81.5%.
That's when I felt confident enough that I should take the exam.
I signed up after receiving the exam result to take the exam on November 30th, 2020.
I continued to take quizzes up till Sunday as well as the last (4th), formula assessment to ensure I was prepared for the exam.
The Day of the Exam:
I got to the testing center 30 minutes ahead of my appointment.
Made sure to follow all COVID protocols to ensure I was not going to get turned around from the testing center.
Overall, I felt pretty comfortable in the space, with plenty of distance between test-takers, and the moderator made sure to disinfect everything!!!
I was a bit anxious, as I believe anyone would be in a testing setting.
But once the test started, I felt like I was doing another simulator exam.
The exam was split into two parts with a break in between.
You can review the questions from the first part before the break, but once you start the break, you can't revisit those questions again.
I took advantage of the break to stretch a bit and get back to it.
Did not even try to reach into the locker they provide for your valuables as I did not want them to think I was grabbing my phone to cheat.
Anything to prevent from invalidating my test.
Once I started the second part of the test, I got sucked right back into the exam and I was ready to get to the finish line.
As I was getting towards the end I was sure that I was not doing well and I was going to have to retake the exam.
The length of the exam and the ambiguity of the questions was getting to me.
I have a bad habit of second-guessing myself and I knew that the responses I would select would be final, otherwise, if I went back and changed my
responses I knew I would select the wrong answer.
Once I got to the end, I think out of every question I had marked, I only changed one answer.
I was ready to end the exam with 10 minutes remaining, and while being anxious, I decided to end the exam and was ready to accept whatever I got
as a result.
After waiting a few seconds the screen popped up and there it was!!!
Congratulations on earning your PMP Certification!!!
I was about to cry because I have never in my life imagined I would accomplish something as big as the PMP.
I had to keep it together to not disturb the other test-takers.
Once I left the testing room, the person at the counter printed out my results and the moment of truth! I got four AT's and one T.
The Only difference with the Prepcast from the exam is the level of detail of the questions.
The PMP Exam is vague which makes it a bit tougher, but if you study hard it will make you confident enough to know what the responses are.
Most of the questions are situational and encountered very few formula questions, as well as barely any ITTO questions.
Yet, having used the PrepCast as my main go-to for studying, was the best choice I made to pass the exam.
Anyone who sets a good study plan and is determined to do what it takes, will reap the benefits of going through the course which overall makes you
a better PM.
I am excited about how my new knowledge is currently helping me professionally, and I am even more excited to have the PMP initials next to
my name to show my accomplishment and that I have the knowledge and understanding to use best practices in order to deliver projects.
This new credential has made me more confident to set my next goal and pursue my professional license as an Architect.
This is just a stepping stone, and overall I am glad that I invested in this magnificent course provided by OSP International LLC.
Good Luck to all of those who are seeking to become PMP Certified, it's doable, just set your goals and chip at them a bit at a time.
