TOPIC: Now PMP Certified – July 4 (coincidence?)

I just passed the PMP exam this morning (first attempt – 4 AT, 1 T) – seems like quite a coincidence that my PMBOK studying journey should come to a conclusion on Independence Day.

In all honesty obtaining your PMP certification is no easy task so to all of those who have achieved it “congratulations!” and to those who are aspiring “stay focused and you can do it, all your hard work will be worth it in the end!”.

Following is the process that I used and I have identified some of the lessons I learnt as I went:

Step 1: - I have been in the IT industry for over 25 years and approximately 20 of those years have been consulting. So my first step was to read the PMBOK guide and align my PM experience with PMI terms and philosophies. I soon realized that I would not be able to retain all the information in the guide with a onetime read. So I created a PowerPoint to capture study notes. As I read through I made note of concepts, process inputs/tools & techniques/outputs and various items that I haven’t commonly used previously. I organized them in brief summaries, in a fashion that made sense to me and a manner that would be easy to review on a regular basis.

Lesson 1: - Create study notes in a manner that make sense to you.

Step 2: - Once I completed reading the PMBOK guide cover to cover and making my notes I needed to gauge my readiness for writing the certification exam. So I purchased a subscription to the PMP Exam Simulator through PrepCast. I reviewed my study notes and took a complete exam (200 Q & 4 hours). From other PMs that I had spoken with they consistently mentioned that you should get an average of 80% on practice exams to ensure you are ready for the certification exam – I scored 70%. I felt a little discouraged. So I stepped back and thought for a moment about the best way to proceed.

Lesson 2: - A moderate amount of whiskey at the appropriate time can help get you back on track.

Step 3: - I purchased a subscription to the PM PrepCast online course. I watched all the lessons from the beginning to end making notes of items that are not in the PMBOK guide and/or were not previously familiar to me. A lot of the material was a repetition of information I already studied but Cornelius Fichtner described them thoroughly and often related the items to real life scenarios.

Lesson 3: - Repetition is very helpful in cementing the PMI way of thinking.
Lesson 4: - Listening to the PrepCast expands your knowledge regardless of whether or not all of the information gained is on the PMP certification exam.
Lesson 5: - Not everything you need to know is in the PMBOK guide.

Step 4: - I again reviewed my study notes that now contained information from the PMBOK guide, the PrepCast, the PMP examination content outline and various other sources. I then took the next practice exam, checked which questions I answered incorrectly and updated my study notes (when appropriate). I repeated this process from practice exam 2 through 6 scoring between 75%-80% on these exams. I can’t emphasise enough how important the practice exams are in preparing you for the real exam.

Lesson 6: - The format of the questions in the practice exams provide a great feel for how the questions on the real exam will be. By taking the exams it greatly increases your confidence in being able to write the PMP certification exam.
Lesson 7: - In order to qualify for the PMP examination you need to have significant real life project experience. Use that experience to fill in the gaps when questions are vague or you need to decide between two or more plausible answers. Don’t simply rely on the guide or course material, also use the experience you have gained from things you may have done successfully or mistakes that you may have made in real projects.

Step 5: - After my second practice exam I felt I was ready for the real exam. So I scheduled the exam a month out and continued to study and take practice exams until yesterday. Today I took the exam and was rewarded with a passing score!

Lesson 8: - Do not try to take a shortcut in your studies, do not give up, put in the time and effort and you will be rewarded.
Lesson 9: - Just as you need to tailor your methods and processes so that they are appropriate for various projects and organizations you should tailor your study technique to make it work for you. Part of the definition of projects is that they are all unique, so are people so make a plan/process that works for you.

Again congratulations to those who have obtained their PMP certification and good luck to those pursuing it! I hope my lessons learnt can be of some benefit to others.

Dear James,

Congratulations on passing your exam! Indeed, a pleasant coincidence

Thank you for sharing your success and lessons learned. I remember the valuable inputs that you submitted through our simulator Live Feedback™ support feature. We are glad to hear that our products helped you prepare for and pass your exam.

Now it’s time to celebrate your success. Don't forget to start earning your PDU’s.

Good luck in all your future endeavors.

James,
Many Congratulations and thank you for sharing your PMP journey.
Regards,
Rohan Panade