As we sat for a chat, I wanted to find out about her strategy for PMP exam.
I asked her is there a single thing that made her score Above Target in all 3 domains.
“Consistency”, pat came the reply.
I had to agree.
Considering that the new exam added more study content (for Agile and Hybrid) without taking anything out of the earlier syllabus, getting a perfect score sure takes a systematic and methodical approach.
As we went over the questions, she shared a 4-step study approach.
This seemed very practical and doable; no wonder she got all 3 perfect Above Target score.
Sonali Hinge works as a Project Manager of Information Technology projects. When not dealing with project constraints, Sonali can be found involved in social service activities. She loves traveling and singing.
If you are aiming for that perfect score in your PMP exam, here is one way to do it.
This is a detailed and step-by-step approach, with specific techniques that worked for Sonali, so be sure to get a pen and paper to take notes. You may come across a few points that resonate with you.
Don’t miss her technique to answer questions quickly on the exam if you are running short of time.
Then stick the note at your study desk for handy reference.
In fact, there are a few hundred such ‘PMP lessons learned’ interview of successful PMP candidates that you can leverage here, if you wanted to use and come up with your own strategy for PMP exam preparation.
Back to our chat.
First off, why PMP?
I am a project manager by profession and want to become a good leader in my career. Hence, to understand the right ways of managing project work, and to refine my thoughts towards leadership, I figured that PMP could be the best platform.
Recently, PMI changed the syllabus and considered Agile and Hybrid approaches, in addition to Predictive.
I thought this is a great opportunity for a comprehensive learning of project management – best of both worlds.
Hence, instead of checking out any other certification exams, I chose PMP.
Now that you are PMP certified, what benefits do you expect?
When I had applied for PMP, the only expectation was to obtain the most trending certification in the market.
I was expecting that I may get valued more in market with these 3 letters in front of my name.
But, When I started my study, it forced me to change my all-materialistic expectations.
PMP taught me my most important lesson yet, that of the Servant Leadership.
I thought if I wanted to be a good leader, I must consider this perspective while managing work every day. I have learned a lot with every aspect of project life cycle management, and its value addition to organize overall project life cycle management process.
And after certification, I would like to say, I am working on becoming a better servant leader for my team and organization.
Since starting my career in Project Management, I have recognized the importance of the PMP certification. But at the same time I realized that studying for the PMP would be a full-time job and earlier I didn’t have the time to study proficiently.
As everyone who is in any type of business environment knows, processes are what drive results.
Sergey Maltsev is from St. Petersburg in Russia.
I was planning to get my PMP certificate for a while, had no time due to family reasons. With 3 kids, 2 cats, and a lot of routine things to do at home, taking time for study was a challenge.
“How to prepare for the PMP exam in 3 weeks without PMBOK, with a simple 5-step strategy” – would be a great title if Shantanu wanted to write a book (although it’d be a bit too long for a book). 
Once I figured that PMP would give me the knowledge, ability to hone my skills, and authority in the industry, the decision to take it up was a no-brainer.
