.

I will spare you the lecture on how much important is freedom for us. 🙂

Freedom from worry, and the freedom to grow in our career.

Which time and again is proven by the fact that project managers with PMP^® certification earn more and grow faster (ref PMI’s survey).

On the happy occasion of our Independence Day, I am offering something I hardly ever do (in face this is the first time ever!)

A whopping 30% discount on ALL of my course.

Choose to sign up for any of my course, with full access and all bonuses, for lifetime access, at 30% discount.

This is a 48-hour Flash Sale – ends in 2 days from now.

[ujicountdown id=”freedomoffer2018″ expire=”2020/08/16 13:30″ hide=”true” url=”” subscr=”freedom2020″ recurring=”” rectype=”second” repeats=””]

Click here to sign up for PM Exam Last Mile prep program at the discount price (already applied) >> https://bit.ly/pmp-freedom30

From the course listing page you can sign up for any of the courses by entering this special code FREEDOM30

[su_button url=”https://www.simplifiededucationsystems.com/courses/” style=”3d” background=”#f66c10″ color=”#fefcfc” size=”8″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” icon=”icon: heart” icon_color=”#f52223″ text_shadow=”1px 0px 0px #645757″]Get 30% discount on ANY and ALL course, use FREEDOM30[/su_button]

[su_button url=”https://bit.ly/pmp-freedom30″ style=”3d” background=”#f66c10″ color=”#fefcfc” size=”8″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” icon=”icon: heart” icon_color=”#f52223″ text_shadow=”1px 0px 0px #645757″]Click to join PM Exam Last Mile prep program at 30% discount today![/su_button]

[SneakyAffiliate sneakyaffiliateurl=”http%3A//www.pmexamsmartnotes.com/pmprepcast-blogpost” sneakyaffiliatecookiexpdays=”1″ sneakyaffiliatesplash=”Are%20you%20sure%20you%20want%20to%20leave%20before%20you%20checkout%20special%20PM%20PrepCast%20sale%20by%20Cornelius%3F” ] [/SneakyAffiliate]

“PMP^® helped a smooth and confident transition into corporate world, said Sean after passing PMP^® exam.

Sean Stewart has 21 years in the United States Air Force, holding the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt). Sean and his wife, Jamie, who is retired from Air Force, have two boys, ages 19 and 13. He has been in the IT world for the last 15 years and has a Master’s in Organizational Leadership for Columbia Southern University. Sean loves following his youngest around as he plays travel baseball and spending time traveling with his family.

What made you take up PMP^® certification?

The decision to initiate the retirement process in the military is likely the most exciting and terrifying choice a service member will make career-wise.

The next question is, “What will I do after I get out?”.

For me, I wanted something challenging, but that would utilize the leadership and organizational skills I developed during my career.

I did consider obtaining an advanced IT certification like CISSP or CySA, then I looked at going for the a PHR since I was a First Sergeant for four years. Neither seemed liked the right fit.

While talking with a mentor, I noticed he had a PMP^® certificate on his wall. He gave me some insight about the certificate and what having it could me for me and my future.

I then did some research, and I felt like the PMP^® was the right course of action for me because as you progresses in rank in the military, you get farther away for the actual work and more inline with running projects which is what I’ve been doing for the last ten years.

What was the core benefit you expected from PMP^® certification?

The primary benefit is it provides a verified starting point on my knowledge, skills and abilities when interacting with colleagues, customers and peers.

Well, first and foremost, it helped me land a great job with a great company. I also believe it will help open doors where I can keep growing professionally and personally.

Also read: How studying for PMP^® exam helped Harpreet earn 2 more certifications!

[continue reading…]

In this article Harpreet Kaur shares how exactly she went about plan of study for PMP^® exam and passed it online. Harpreet has over 11 years of IT PM experience, primarily in HRMS domain.

What made you take up PMP^®?

The PMP^® badge was a professional target as well as a personal goal for me to achieve. Many false-starts happened in the past 3 years. I would begin study with all earnest and then project priorities take away the focus from the preparation. 🙂

I know it sounds like too long it took to achieve, but actually, it was final 8 months journey that helped me to have these 3 letters after my name.

Did you consider any other certification exams?

As my goal and approach was clear from the beginning, I decided to go only with the PMP^® certification. Although, once I began the study I used that momentum and aimed for a couple of short term certifications like Agile Certification & Scrum Professional Certification in parallel.

Sign up for FREE PMP^® course today (limited time only)

What benefits would you expect now?

At the outset this would surely add value to my resume. While I was studying for my exam I realized that we are already use many of PMP® concepts in our job. However, earlier I didn’t have a structured approach, and I also had lack of clarity – which often made me second guess my approach.

PMP® certification teaches you all that one must know about project management, that one can implement for better project execution.

Now I’m recognized as a person who has spent effort and time to attain the PMP^® certification. Since this is not an easy exam to pass, the credential show the commitment of the person as well as the fact that he/she is eligible to manage projects professionally.

Also read: How iterative planning helped Smita pass PMP^® exam

Which study resources did you use for the exam preparation?

I had followed the set of guidance that you described in various blog posts that gave me insights into the exam journey. PM Exam SmartNotes blog has been resourceful and has guided me through all the stages of my PMP^® preparation journey. I followed your suggestion of not having too many resources while doing the self-study or mentor-based study. [continue reading…]

As she was talking about her PMP^® exam experience, Smita said that she believed in the phrase ‘a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow’. And she used this iterative PMP^® planning strategy in her preparation as well. She had to reschedule her exam a couple of times, which also became a reason for iterating the plan.

Smita Kabra is a software professional with over 10 years of rich experience. She has been an active member of our PMESN community.

I see that some of her preparation strategies shared here are right on the dot.

For instance, she used Kanban board to manage progression at process, and even concept level. She made it fun and ensured she moved along the plan, one task at a time. Or, she learned the processes by applying to her project and pondering how would she do things differently.

I’m sure you will learn a lot about how to prepare better for your own PMP^® exam, by understanding how Smita did it.

What made you take up PMP^®?

The journey actually began in my early 3 years into my professional career, I started to work as a quality assurance analyst. As I gained confidence in my role I realized the need for formal project management education.

I happened to be mentored by the person who had earned PMP^®. As I started to learn from him I got interested to get into project management and decided to get PMP^® certified. Unfortunately back then I did not have the project management experience to meet the application eligibility criteria.

As I grew and got opportunities to work as a project manager and met eligibility criteria, I decided to apply for PMP^® exam. In addition, my husband encouraged me to plan for PMP^® exam as he had earned this certification 5 years ago.

Also read: How Natalie used smart strategies to pass her exam

What benefits do you see now that you are a certified PMP^®?

The benefits from achieving my PMP^® certification are many – the knowledge, tools and techniques to manage any type of projects, and resultant confidence. Not to mention a chance to build my professional network.

I’m also confident that my PMP^® certification will show potential employers that I am experienced enough to take up challenging projects. This has already increased trust with my managers and co-workers in my current organization, it has definitely changed the perception.

Which study resources did you use for the preparation?

I did use a few and they were distributed between primary study material, reference material, and mock tests.

• Rita Mulcahy (ad0 and the PMBOK guide, primarily
• PMP Study tips, Techniques, Strategies (PMExamSmartNotes blog) – especially the articles from this collection are very helpful
• Saket Bansal’s videos on EVM and few other concepts
• LinkedIn PMP^® course by Sandra
• While studying these I created my own notes and mid maps
• I tried to do a lot of free exams online and also used Rita Simulator heavily.
• Enjoyed concepts from HeadFirst PMP^® book for few concepts like Integration, Risk, Cost, & Stakeholder management

[continue reading…]

Natalie Boylan passed her PMP® online exam recently. When I heard about her interesting online exam experience I reached out to ask if she can help the community of PMP® aspirants. I’m thankful that she obliged and shared her smart strategies and study tips in quite a detail in this article.

Natalie is an experienced PM with a background is in Marketing. She hold an MBA in Marketing & Strategy from UC Davis, and she’s based out of Sacramento, CA.

What made you take up PMP® certification?

Overall, I was looking to add more legitimacy to my project management skills. I had the hands-on work experience but had never taken any formal PM training, other than a one-unit course while earning my MBA.

While looking around at PM roles, PMP® certification was highly recommended for many of the top companies. I knew that in order to position myself as the best candidate, I would need to earn my certification. I did not consider any other certification exams.

What was the benefit you’d expect from PMP certification?

Definitely the legitimacy that comes with earning such a weighty certification like the PMP®. I hoped it would make me more competitive and desirable in the job market and within an organization.

Now I see the PMP® helping me not only with what I just mentioned, but also with making me a better project manager!

I am looking forward to the continuous learning that comes with being a PMP® by earning my PDUs.

You may be interested: Check if these top PMP® strategies will help you.

Which study resources did you consider for the exam preparation?

I actually took the exam twice, once in 2018 and once in 2020.

I sort of took the exam on a whim in 2018 – I knew I wanted the certification but I didn’t fully realize until I was sitting in a four-day prep class the magnitude of the exam and just how difficult it was going to be to pass. The main resources I used were the in-person class and the materials they provided ($1000), a copy of the PMBOK I rented from the library (free), and Joseph Phillip’s Udemy Course which I only ended up watching 2 hours of.

The class moved very quickly through the materials and really emphasized the brain dump portion. My strategy was just to absorb as much as I could to prepare for the exam and know the formulas to write down as soon as the test started.

In all I had just 2 months between when I first took the prep class and when I took the exam, which for me, was not enough time to really understand the materials. I think I did this because the instructor encouraged us to not wait too long to take the exam to avoid losing steam. I ended up failing the exam and then got too busy with work and life to reattempt it within the year.

In February 2020 I was laid off due to company restructuring.

Smart way to prepare for PMP exam, Free daily PMP® questions with contextual study notes: Like the Facebook page, Join the LinkedIn group, Subscribe for free PMP® videos.

The second attempt

Once COVID-19 hit and I knew looking for a new job could potentially take months, I decided I needed to be productive with my transition period and attempt to take the PMP® again. Since I was unemployed and the exam was expensive enough, I knew I couldn’t spend a ton of money. [continue reading…]