.

8 weeks from now till the new PMP® exam rolls over.

This is AMPLE time to prepare for and pass the exam.

Even if you are starting from scratch now.

2020 has not been the year we would have bargained for at the beginning of the year. But we can leave this year on a high now.

By getting PMP® certified.

I am offering 15% discount on the entire PM Exam Last Mile prep program right now.

The offer ends 4th November midnight PT.

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Grab your seat now, here.

So you can get in now, work with me, and get out with “PMP” next to your name.

My students have done it in 4 weeks, 6 weeks, one in 15 days, and one even in 10 days.

I am not claiming you can will be PMP® certified in 10 days. 🙂

While I know that it is not impossible, either.

This program is engineered in such a ways that students simply ‘get it’ when they study the vast syllabus, using the brain-friendly mind map based video approach.

And the mind maps act as a powerful revision tool as well, the day before the exam.

3 hours is all that it takes to do a 100% revision of ENTIRE PMP® study content!

How powerful that’d be!

The benefits are well beyond the exam.

It makes you more effective project manager.

Sign up today to work with me, and together we will reach your PMP® goal.

When you sign up today, you will get instant access to –

• – The 14-module PM Exam Last Mile course – so you enjoy the study content
• – PMP Exam Secret Strategies – so you save over 40% of time and effort
• – Onboard 1-1 session with me, where we also create your own customized study plan
• – One-on-one weekly calls with me, to fast track your preparation
• – Quick resolution to any and all of your PMP® topic related questions on a daily basis, so you keep moving towards your goal

This is probably the path-of-least-resistance to your PMP® goal before the harder exam kicks in.

> Click here and join me. Let’s get PMP®! <<

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How often have we seen gritty people using a setback to catapult to the next level? Janice Bryant used her layoff experience to motivate her towards PMP^® certification preparation, and passed the exam!

This week is special, a good number of my PM Exam Last Mile prep program students passed their PMP^® exam! Also, Janice Bryant, one of my top students to have passed on first attempt, is sharing her exam experience in detail.

Janice is based out of Texas. With 9+ years of experience in the Retail Merchandising arena (Omni-channel buying + PM experience background), Janice says, “earning my PMP^® has created legitimacy for the skills sets required for the opportunities I am seeking and makes me an advantageous, highly desirable candidate in today’s job market”.

What made you take up PMP^®?

Upon a permanent layoff in the retail arena (buying) in Feb ‘19, I decided to take control over the next phase in my career journey, mind-mapping the many avenues I could transfer my skill sets.

In narrowing my selection, the most important self-investment that stood out to me was to focus on sharpening my project management skills.

In doing more PM research, I also noticed that many of the roles listed the PMP^® certification as a “plus” qualification.

I knew that this was the best step I needed to take, and quickly.

In the midst of my PMP® studies, I was also suggested to look into the CSM certification. Although, earning both could target “leveling-up” on skills, the PMP® was my main focus.

Now that I am proudly PMP^® certified, I realize that this certification carries verifiable knowledge, and enhanced skills.

The fact that we need to earn PDUs to keep the certification valid, given an indication to the industry that we as project managers continue to strengthen and gain more knowledge. This aligns well with my strategy of learning constantly.

What study resources did you use for the preparation?

Choosing the right set of resources was a challenge in PMP^® certification preparation. I did not want to overstretch among too many of them, neither struggle with less than optimal ones.

Based on research and first hand experiences I used the following –

• PMBOK guide – the official reference guide
• PM Exam Last Mile Program by Shiv Shenoy – for easy-on-the-brains way of learning PMP^® content & the weekly coaching with Shiv to fast track progress
• Continuing Education courses covering all knowledge areas – so I an well versed with all aspects of project management
• The PMP^® Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try by Andy Crowe, Aileen Ellis Program (ad) – for filling potential gaps
• PrepCast simulator & PMI Simulator – as a dry-run for the exam with time management

With these I could proceed confidently, without getting overwhelmed with the enormity of this exam.

Also read: Learn the PMP^® process table under 7 minutes using the Frame method!

How did you approach the exam and what was your study plan?

There were few resources I throughout my study plan phases.

Before I reviewed the PMBOK guide, I joined the Last Mile Program by Shiv Shenoy.

In reviewing his basic course (PMP^® Launchpad) to get a glimpse of what the full program was about, I felt this was a step in the right direction. I utilized the study plan worksheet template to keep me on track and accountable throughout the journey to PMP goal.

Then I read the PMBOK guide, and later, decided to join a CE (continuing education) program that went through all knowledge areas (PMBOK reference).

I was feeling comfortable with my PMP^® certification preparation at this stage. [continue reading…]

With a focus to make a shift to pure project management role, Stefano worked hard towards his PMP^® dream. He didn’t succeed the first time unfortunately. But then he took a hard look at the attempt and identified 2 rock solid lessons (that he will share with you in this article) and in the second attempt, he passed it with amazing Above-Target score.

Stefano Bertazzi lives in Italy, has a masters in Electrical Engineering and more of 20 years of experience in Power Energy Sector for Oil & Gas and Photovoltaic industrial sectors.

He has held several and growing job positions as Designer, Electrical and Quality Engineer, Production Maintenance and Logistic Manager, Project Manager etc. When not thinking about effective ways of managing projects Stefano is found playing soccer, tennis, or playing guitar.

What made you take up PMP^®?

I’ve move into project management (in Power Energy for Oil & Gas sector) just few years ago. For the major part of my job life I’d been working on operations and maintenance area, facing projects just as an end-user or stakeholder.

The first time I heard of PMP^® and PMI was in 2018 during a very complex project I was assigned to.

It was a tough situation with multiple consistent deliverables, involving a lot of stakeholders and a very large multinational project team. I have to confess that during this period there were many moments of pure pressure.

Then I came in contact with a very experienced project manager on the seller side, of one of the critical deliverables.

I noticed immediately how smooth his approach and behavior was, and how it was sure of what he was doing, and how cooperative he was compared to others .

He talked me for the first time about PMI, PMBOK and PMP^® certification, underlining their importance for a professional approach.

This is the reason why, as we neared the end of the project, I decided to take up PMP^® certification.

Also read: How Anupam passed with perfect Above Target score on first attempt

What benefits do you see now that you are certified?

As we learn in the first chapter of PMBOK, all projects are ‘unique endeavors’. Thus in spite of managing many projects, every project brings with it newer challenges.

Now that I am PMP^® certified, I understand how knowing the best practices of project management could really help manage complex projects that challenge your limits.

I have seen that in operations and maintenance area fast solutions and lean thinking are a must, and I believe to have a natural and native “agile” approach to my projects. I am feeling more confident of managing the projects now.

Which study resources did you use?

For the 35-hours of course I could use a generic project management course purchased by my organization but I did not find it useful for study.

Thus I studied from Rita Mulcahy and PMBOK, and I practiced on two different exam simulators.

How did you approach the exam and what was your study plan?

[continue reading…]

I passed the PMP^® exam many years ago. I had it scheduled on 31st December! 🙂 The thought of beginning the New Year without PMP^® was hard to accept and I de-risked the exam in every way possible.

This is something that is consciously built into our PMP^® prep program, and is a discussion of topic with every student during our one-on-one coaching calls.

I remember the very first discussion with Anupam Maji, where he mentioned that he had been trying for PMP^® for a long time now, and each time priorities shifted and exam preparation went on back-burner.

It pretty much resembled my own experience. I promised him that I will ensure that he will stick to the plan and take the exam with complete confidence.

Last week when Anupam called to say that he passed the PMP^® exam all-5 Above Target score, it was like a flashback 🙂

What a moment for him to have finally reached PMP^® goal, after several false-starts!

In this article this week, Anupam shares exactly what he did to study in spite of busy work schedule and came out with flying colors.

Oh, and don’t miss his 7-pointer study insights at the end of this article.

Anupam Maji is a Bachelor of Technology from NIT and has an Exec-MBA from IIFT. He has been working on projects in Telecom sector for past 15 years.

– Shiv

What made you take up PMP^®?

If we just look at Project management opening across IT industry, getting PMP^® certified seems to be a common ask across companies.

This proves the point that PMP^® is the most sought after certification in the field of project management and hence I wanted to go for it.

As I was already Prince2 certified, PMP^® was my obvious choice.

What’s changed, having passed the PMP^® exam now?

Studying for PMP^® exam gave me a holistic understanding of how project should be managed.

While it could be difficult to follow all the process, tools and techniques on every process – it helps tremendously in tailoring the required ones for the project.

Plus, the confidence that comes from the fact that now I know all aspects of project management and thus can take up any challenging project – is unmatched.

Also read: How Jisha used a proven plan and passed the PMP^® exam

Which study resources did you consider, and eventually used for the exam preparation?

I wanted to keep my number of resources to minimum. And throughout the preparation I planned de-risking my exam in any way I could. I will share these along the way.

For one, having too many study sources could mean information overwhelm, or even analysis paralysis. So, after my research into tons of study resources I zeroed in on these three –

• PM Exam Last Mile prep program – a mind-map video based + one-on-one coaching based training program
• PMBOK guide (for the uninitiated, what is PMBOK guide?)
• PMP reference guide book from Kim Heldman )ad)

I used all of these throughout my exam preparation.

In fact this PMP^® book on Amazon helped me get started with my preparation, which sparked off my interest in the PM Last Mile program.

Apart from these I used the following for clarifying some of the doubts – [continue reading…]

I remember our first PMP^® strategy call, where Jisha Joe talked about how this certification is not just a must-have for project managers from career opportunities perspective, but also so do their job confidently. She wanted to move up the ladder with PMP^® under her belt. Though she began in Learning domain, she soon found her penchant for project management and made the shift.

Jisha works as a Project Manager with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, on Lean Six Sigma improvement projects. She holds a post graduation in Industrial relations and Personnel management and is an animal and nature lover.

Next day Jisha joined PM Exam Last Mile prep program and we worked out the customized study plan together. Her eagerness to take up the study and commitment in spite of unexpected work related challenges impressed me the most.

And today she is a proud PMP^® certified project manager. In this article Jisha shares her preparation journey, lessons learned, and few study tips that she has picked up along the way. I’m sure you will find this article quite useful if you are preparing for the PMP^® exam, especially if planning to pass it before the new exam kicks in.

How come you decided on PMP^®?

I started my career as a Learning and Development Executive and continued to be in the training field for many years till I got an opportunity to move into a PM role within my organization.

It was a very new experience for me and I realized that PMP^® held a lot of value in the Project Management field all over the world.

I have seen how PMP^® certified project managers efficiently manage their projects, and so I was sold on the importance of this certification for my career.

And now I wanted to do this before the new exam rolls in.

Great! Now that you are PMP^® certified, what’s the core benefit you expect?

It helped me understand the intricacies of end-to-end project management. I have been able to use some of the concepts in my current project after I began the study, and I have been able to see critical gaps & fill them.

PMP^® is an invaluable addition to my profile, I already feel confident of taking up more challenging projects.

Also read: Test prep strategy that got me 4 Above Target score – by Jayant Jha, PMP

Which study resources did you use?

I picked just two –

• The exam strategies and complete study program from Shiv, PM Exam Last Mile prep program
• PMBOK guide for reference

How did you approach the exam and what was your study plan?

[continue reading…]