It all started in..
Jun 2014. I was to move from one project to another and I thought that till I get another project I should work on developing skills that will help me further improve as project manager.
My manager referred me to a classroom training which was happening in Mumbai, I booked the class. That was the starting point. However, I was audited in October 2016, where I had not followed the guidelines laid down by PMI & it was rejected before I could send any document to PMI for audit. I found that pmi.org and this article on PMESN had the guidance on how to fill the application properly.
I kept moving my dates, however, when I saw other colleagues getting certified, I promised myself (& my wife) to take the exam.
Also Read: Share Your PMP Exam Experience & Get My Course for FREE!
My study resources
I referred to the PMBOK guide while studying answers for mock tests/sample questions, referred to video sessions by Dan Ryan and Shiv’s Ace your PMP series book.
My study approach and study plan
My study approach & plan was Agile. I made a plan and modified it based on how each week turned out.
I found that studying PMBOK was a bit of a challenge. Shiv’s kindle book & the workbooks by Dan helped me adjust my studies based on time at hand & pace of my study.
Once I went through these, I referred to the mock tests & quiz after each session provided by Edureka & from Dan’s 6 week program material. I also referred to the approach shared by Amit Londhe of PMI champion.
It wasn’t all easy though.
PMI audit was challenging. I referred to guidelines by Shiv & special took the help of Kevin Reilly from PMTutor (thanks Dan for connecting me to Kevin) who to fill up the application.
Though I could have opted for PMBOK6 based exam, however, because of Shiv’s emails & encouragement by PMPs at my office, I decided to go ahead with PMBOK-5 based exam.
Also Read: PMP Against All Odds – by Roselin Kapur, PMP
The week before the exam
My plan was to do 4 mock tests in 4 days and then reserve 2 days for revision. I did 3 mock tests of 200 questions – 2 from Edureka where I scored 79% & 80% and 1 from my company’s learning site where I scored 61% (I took more than 5 hours).
I took Oliver Lehman’s 75 questions test where I scored 64% & couldn’t finish in 90 mins. Then a 50-question test from Christopher Scordo with 76% score. I couldn’t complete the glossary of PMBOK, and I feel that it is very important to go through it.
The real exam
People at Prometric center were cordial. They are very particular about what you can & cannot carry inside & with their security checks.
I wrote my brain dump listing process groups, knowledge areas and processes as didn’t remember it completely, and formulas. This brain dump helped me answer few questions.
I took 2 hrs 40 mins for 100 questions & in the last 17 mins I answered 51 questions (reminded me of T20 cricket match). Most of the questions were scenario based. There were probably 20-30 marked for review which I could not review later. When I reached question #189, it gave me time out message. After the survey I kept my eyes closed remembering God &and then saw the Congratulations message – I was very happy & relieved to see that.
Also Read: How this visual study trick helped me with ITTO questions – by Plaban Roy Bhowmik, PMP
Here are few study tips I’d like to share
- 90% is covered if we understand question well.
- I used visualization technique to see my name on the sheet with Overall performance as ‘PASS’ & certificate with my name mentioned on it consistently.
- It might be easy to take 2 wrong options out but might be a battle to choose best out of 2 option s- it helps to believe you are the project manager & responsible for the project success, Phil Akinwale says you are the Boss. Also, it helps to think what would be PMI’s expected response.
- Good affirmations related to studies (got it from YouTube) help.
- My top 3 steps would be – coming up with a good study plan, maintaining focus, and taking mock tests.
Good luck for your exam,
Hitesh Bhatt, PMP
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