.

“My PMP study plan was 2-months long, and I divided it into 3 phases,” said Stefan during our conversation, “and I used bare minimum necessary study resources that saved me time”.

Along with limiting the study resources, Stefan suggests another important ingredient to succeed with PMP exam.

The ‘PMP mindset’.

And he goes on to explain how to develop one during the preparation.

Stefan Bezuidenhout is from South Africa, the Gauteng Province.

He studied law at university and “kind of fell into construction projects” in his own words. He got himself involved from the procurement and contracting perspective, and never left.

Stefan just completed 18 years later in the field.

He was pretty chuffed that he scored Above Target on all the 3 domains, although just 2 days before the exam an event occurred, putting the exam in jeopardy.

What made you take up PMP?

For the past few years, it started to become necessary within our business to obtain a formal project management qualification / certification.

Because we’re in construction mainly and many of our clients take a predictive approach to project management, PMP seemed like a logical choice.

I checked out a couple of the agile and scrum certifications, but they were not the right fit. I would definitely attempt some of these in the future.

Now that I am certified, I see an increase in the marketability of my profile. Not only outside, but also inside the company. I have the opportunity to move between regions within the company.

According to you, what is the one thing that contributes to PMP success?

In my opinion, it’s mindset.

Simply studying and taking PMP exam, without being able to be in the mindset of a project manager, isn’t smart.

PMP wants you to apply a specific mindset, whether executing projects on a predictive or agile basis. It takes effort to master the mindset, but once grasped, it’s really not that difficult.

One can develop this mindset by constantly thinking about “application” of concepts as one studies them.

Which study resources did you use for your preparation?

• PMBOK 6th Edition and Agile Practice Guide
• Tips and notes from projectprep
• PMP Exam Simulator from PM PrepCast

By limiting my resources to these, I was able to avoid getting information-overwhelmed. [continue reading…]

“Limit PMP exam resources, else you may be hit with Information Overwhelm”, said Ravi, after acing PMP with Above Target in all 3 domains.

Ravi Vamanamurthy has an MBA in Finance, and for the past 5 years he has been managing projects in Information Technology domain.

Procrastination.

Information overwhelm.

Many blockers.

Thankfully he found a way around each, and shared them in this interview.

I hope, just like he found inspirations from successful PMPs, you too will find something from Ravi’s experience.

What made you take up PMP?

I have a background in finance. About 5 years ago, I got an opportunity to graduate into project management.

As soon as I became a project manager, I wanted to have the best of the project management education. Also, I needed to establish my credibility fast.

Upon researching, I came across Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from PMI. It felt like the best way to hit both my goals.

Although I came across other certifications, none of them seemed as comprehensive and well-received in the industry as PMP.

Now that I am PMP certified, I have been able to steadily expand my network. PMI’s membership is a great opportunity to learn from the best and network with the best.

I feel confident that PMP will help me manage complex projects, establishing myself as an effective project manager.

Also read:

• How Jessica Colletta used this one technique to ace her PMP
• How PMI changed PMP exam, again, by including PMBOK 7 content
• Top offers on top PMP study resources, this week.

According to you, what is that ONE thing every PMP aspirant must have?

A deep desire to acquire PMP certification.

Tell you what, PMP is not a simple certification exam to pass. You can’t spend few weekends of study and hope to pass the exam.

For one, there are no strict boundaries around what exactly constitutes PMP content (aligned with PMP syllabus – that is the Examination Content Outline document).

Thus, you are never sure that you are 100% ready. [continue reading…]

“Get yourself a PMP exam mentor”, said Jessica when I asked about the single-most useful tip she can give a PMP student, “and you’ll not have moments of doubt, uncertainty, and confusion. Ever.”.

Jessica Colletta has a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. She has a decade-long experience in Digital Health Management domain, in which the last 4+ she has managed complex projects.

There were a few important insights I got from her exam experience, which I thought is important for every PMP student to understand.

For example,

..it is a general opinion that one must take the optional breaks offered during this long and fairly complex exam.

Relax, rejuvenate, (maybe eat something) and proceed.

But Jessica didn’t opt for them. Not even one of the two. 

4 hours of straight marathon.

But she had her reasoning for it.

I think makes a lot of sense, considering that she passed the exam with all 3 Above Target score!.

Let us hear from her.

What made you take up PMP?

When I first became a Project Coordinator, I took a PMP Boot camp and knew that’s the certification I wanted.

It was the end-all-be-all certification I feel any Project Manager must have.

Initially, the PMP was my Holy Grail. Now that I am PMP certified, now I am considering other certificates to add to it.

What did you expect from this certification?

Recognition.

I have been a Project Manager for four years and I really feel like it validates all the work I have done and how I’ve grown into my profession.

I am hoping it will open up many more opportunities for my future in Healthcare.

Also read:

• PMBOK 7 & PMP: Please Pause Your PMP Exam Preparation, & Take Note This New Development!
• Joseph thinks this is the only thing a serious PMP aspirant must need.
• Kelly shows how every PMP aspirant can use Mindset and Strategy to pass the exam easily
• Melissa shares how she scored Above Target with PMP Process Chart game (free access)

What, according to you, is one good quality a PMP aspirant should possess?

I would say, the ability to visualize yourself in the shoes of a project manager facing a situation and coming up with the right thing to do.

In other words, The PM Mindset.

This is exactly what the PMP exam tests you for. No matter what you are studying for the exam, or how you are studying, you must be able to constantly think like a project manager as you read a question on the exam.

The one idea I kept going back to as I was taking the test was what would I do if in a particular situation.

I have been in many scenarios already that the test reflects questions on. That made it easy for me.

I would recommend having the mindset to try and problem solve and document everything first and foremost.

Which study materials did you use?

[continue reading…]

The news is that PMI has begun to include questions from PMBOK 7th version in the PMP exam question bank.

This means that you are most likely to get these on your exam.

So far we were of the opinion that PMBOK 7th based exam will be officially announced, and expected to be some time in 2023. Or so.

But it all changed this week.

PMI announced that PMBOK 7th version officially makes into the list of reference books for the PMP exam!

More on this in a bit.

I understand this is a bit disappointing. But it’s not all that gloomy, I will explain in a bit.

First things first.

Oliver Lehman posted this on LinkedIn about 24 hours ago, stating,

“Friends, the first #PMPExam questions referring to the #PMBOK Guide 7th Ed. have meanwhile entered #PMI’s exam question bank.​”

Here’s what he said.

You can find his post here.

Well, in terms of actual reference books for PMP exam, the official list that is, there are 11 books now (download guide here).

Where’s the official word on this?

I checked the PMI’s site, and sure enough, there is the official announcement about PMBOK-7 being a reference book for the PMP exam –

“The exam is based on the PMP certification exam content outline (ECO), not the (PMBOK® Guide) or other reference books. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – 7th Edition will now be a reference to inform the development of the exam items.​”

To be honest, I found it a bit hard to wrap my head around the statement, “will now be a reference to inform the development of the exam items.​” 

Does ‘develop of the exam items’ refer to exam questions?

That seems the logical conclusion.

Linked here find the official statement.

What does this mean to those preparing for PMP exam?

I understand that this is a bit disappointing, but sometimes things outside our control do happen.

We know this, being project managers, better than anyone.

This means any of the following –

• Include PMBOK-7 to your list of study resources
• If you have booked your exam before the end of this year, see if you can incorporate about 30 hours of additional study time for this
• If your exam is closer, consider pushing it by at least a week and give yourself time to go through the PMBOK-7 couple of times

You must be thinking:

Wait a minute, 30-hours for 2 rounds of PMBOK 7th version of the guide, are you kidding?

It should not take much longer.

Unlike earlier versions of PMBOK guides, PMBOK 7 is neither long, nor hard.

• PMBOK 7th version is shorter (about 230+ pages)
• The language is much simpler to read compared to the previous version
• Most importantly, DOES NOT replace the previous version, but adds to it

The last point implies that you don’t have to unlearn any of what you have studied so far.

In fact, as you begin reading the 7th version, you will not just start to enjoy it, you will also see “it all makes sense”.

So, please do not see this need for additional study as a setback.

Rather, take this as an opportunity to get better at your craft of project management.

Few top resources to help you along the way

Here are few top PMP study resources (and collection) that might help you –

• PMPrepCast deep-dive & objective review – this 5000-word review with actual videos from the inside of the course will help in your research
• My PMP Last Mile Prep Program – in this program I work with one-on-one you every week – right from your application preparation till you take the exam and everything in between
• This week’s top study resources – along with their discounts and bonuses
• Ace Your PMP Exam – collection of 12 books to prepare for PMP exam using brain-friendly way.
• My PMP Exam simulator on Udemy
• Few top PMP study resource coupons below –

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1. PMP Turbocharger (brain-friendly complementary PMP course)
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Looking for the PMP simulator? Use the coupon below for instant 10% off on PMPrepCast Simulator –

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2022 is here.

Let’s get PMP this year.

Best,

Shiv

(Simpson photo courtesy: 20th Century Fox)

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