Why Should I Aim to Pass PMP® Exam before March 26?
Years ago I prepared for my PMP® exam on PMBOK®-4 version. Then PMI announced PMBOK®-5 exam, and I got into a dilemma.
Should I go with PMBOK®-4 or PMBOK®-5?
True to my profession of Project Management, I pulled out a paper and wrote down the pros and cons of each option.
You may be in the exact same situation right now as I was years ago.
Should you take the PMBOK®-5 based exam now, or wait and take PMBOK®-6 based exam?
Well, the pros/cons approach would sure help you, especially with reasons that are personal to you and unique to your circumstances at work.
Taking CAPM exam?
If you schedule your exam before 11 March, 2018, you will take the current CAPM exam – based on PMBOK® – Fifth Edition.
If you schedule your exam 12 March through 20 May, 2018, you will take the CAPM Pilot exam – based on PMBOK® – Sixth Edition.
Click here to learn more about the Pilot exam.
Here are few facts that may help you make the choice.
OPTION 1: PMBOK®-6 based exam
- New exam with more content. Over 350 pages of updated and newer content added to PMBOK® including a whole new book ‘Agile Practice Guide’ created in partnership with Agile Alliance®.
- If you have studied for PMBOK®-5 to some extent already, make sure you don’t get tripped with updates to Knowledge areas, Processes and ITTOs. Here’s a post that shows differences between PMBOK®-5 and PMBOK®-6 content.
- New exam will have lower success rate initially, candidates go into the exam without knowing what to expect.
- There is no specific word from PMI about level of difficulty for the new exam. However, going by the approach of including 25 non-scoring ‘test’ questions on the exam, some amount of churning/refinement/adjustment to questions is expected at least for initial few months.
- If you take up PMBOK®-6 based exam, you may find PMI-ACP exam easier to prepare. I know a long shot right now, but it’s a positive point.
- It will be few months after April till the dust settles down and we get to know what to expect, and thus how to prepare better for the new exam.
- Just don’t take any PMP® prep material on the internet to prepare for your exam, unless they explicitly state having been updated for PMBOK®-6. Else, you risk getting confused royally and tanking the exam. This has happened to too many people when exam turned from PMBOK®-4 to PMBOK®-5.
- Little higher cost of the exam (both direct and indirect costs, just like a project), for the reasons stated above.
- Few organizations may, just may, give preference to candidates with newer certification. (I wouldn’t though.)
OPTION 2: PMBOK®-5 based exam
- Known devil is better than unknown angel. (I know you take only the intent of the proverb, not the words literally 🙂 ).
- Level of difficulty and prep efforts are pretty much known, based on the experience of thousands of successful candidates.
- Many proven study resources available to help pass the exam with ease (for instance here, here and here).
- Get the best of both worlds – pass on the easier PMBOK®-5 version and study the newer PMBOK®-6 content at your leisure.
- If you have an upcoming Appraisal meeting, or if you are looking for a job switch – arm yourself with PMP certificate now.
- People are known to take years to prepare and pass PMP® exam (I took over 2yrs). You can use this March-26 deadline to your advantage and hit one of your professional goals now.
These might have helped you at least to get your train of thoughts going so you can make a choice now.
If you choose to go with option#1, that is wait for PMBOK®-6 exam, the best thing to do right now is get yourself PMI membership, and grab your free copy of PMBOK®-6 and Agile Practice Guide and start studying them.
By the way, getting PMI membership is a smart thing you can do – it reduces your overall cost of PMP exam and gives you access to tons of study material – which you can not just use to get your PMP certification, but also to earn your PDUs after you pass the exam!
And if you choose to go with option #2, which is to get your PMP® credentials on PMBOK®-5, well, it’s time to get to work.
Is it too late to attempt PMBOK®-5 exam?
The average time I have seen my coaching students have taken for PMP exam is little over 4 weeks.
It can be bettered if you worked against a deadline with the obvious huge upside of getting your certification while you are swimming in the Known Unknowns. Sorry, couldn’t help throwing a PM phrase there.
The new exam would sure begin with Unknown Unknowns, for which you need to have Management Reserves, which increases your Project Budget! (there you go, I had to complete the analogy with some more PM phrases).
How can I move quick and easy?
Dan Ryan and I are conducting a series of webinars with free PMP® training AND showing the exact plan to pass PMP® before 3/26.
I invite you to register and watch the training today!
I promise you will learn couple of tricks on the training, which by end of the training, help you remember few PMP® concepts for life!
That’s a tall promise. And it’s been possible because.. well, you’ll find out on the training webinar.
Click here, or on the image below, to register now.
And after you pass your PMP® exam, don’t forget to write to me. I’ll have a surprise in store for you. 🙂
Have a great day, and go ace that exam,
