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PMP Exam Online! PMI announced today that the PMP exam can be taken from your home or office.

Yes – even in your pajamas, with your pet cat curling in your lap.

May be they’ll allow a large cup of coffee as well (I checked, unfortunately they don’t).

You know what’s good about this arrangement? In the week before exam you take 4-hr mock tests at the same time-slot as your exam, and being in the place from where you take the exam, and the real exam does not feel any different! 🙂

Sunil Prashara, CEO & President PMI, had talked about this on his blog last week of March, and today he announced it – bang on target, mid of April.

Now you must be thinking..

“How does this work? I mean, how do they make sure that the candidate does not seek help?“

There will be an online proctor who will be monitoring the candidate through webcam throughout the 4 hours!

Yes, it can get a bit uncomfortable initially but once you dive into the seriousness of the exam questions you will probably not be conscious of being watched. 🙂 Isn’t this ton times better than driving for 4 hrs to the test center, undergoing all that security checks, pulling out trouser pockets, and feeling the tense exam hall atmosphere?

Of course there are few additional things to do to make this possible, like having a minimum expected configuration for your computer, strong internet connection, and more.

I know you have more.. many of my students have been asking me these ever since we heard from Sunil Prashara that PMP exam will go online.

“I have already scheduled test-center exam slot. I want to take online test now.”

Smart choice! All you do is in your PearsonVUE account cancel currently scheduled exam slot and opt for online test. If you did it now, PMI will NOT charge you any rescheduling fee. Yay!

The same option holds good if your exam slot was in the past and you could not take the test because test centers were closed on account of COVID-19 scare.

Just know that in certain countries (such as Japan, Slovenia, South Korea) PMI has not allowed online exam, yet.

“What are the conditions to take exam from home?”

Just know that you can take the exam from anywhere outside of the test-centers. That means your home, office, or may be even a hotel room – because you need a distraction-free and noise-free environment and you must be the ONLY person in the room while the exam is on.

There IS a check-in process before you begin the test, when you need to show your entire room via web-cam to your proctor. Including the fact that you don’t have any kind of books, papers, post-its, gadgets etc within arm’s length.

Also, once exam begins the test software locks your screen to any other application access (including internet access).

“What about the papers for calculations that we’d get in the test-center?”

Every option has pros and cons, right? As you might have guess while reading previous answer, NO scrap papers are allowed while taking online test. You’ll have to do the calculation from the calculator app on the screen and/or in your head.

Yes, even phones are not allowed.

“What if I wanted to take a bio-break during the exam?”

There is a 10-min break, which divides the exam into two parts. You can take a bio break or food-break only during this 10-min window.

Once the test begins you will NOT have access to first part of the test that you took before the break.

“What if I have a technical issue during the exam?”

Questions like these and more are answered on this page that PMI has published.

Also, more FAQs and details are given on PearsonVUE’s online exam related page here.

This video explains the process –

Whew! PMP Exam Online. At last. What will happen now?

Ever since the test centers were closed due to lock downs all scheduled exams have been postponed. Many candidates even deferred scheduling till there is better clarity.

At this point though the physical opening of test centers is not clear (of course depends on the local governments’ laws as well). And in view of this online PMP certification exam is a great move.

I would imagine that many candidates will rather take the exam online now, by even cancelling their current test slots booked in distant future due to lock down.

If you are one of them and want to opt for online exam, simply write to PMI support to get guidance on taking online.

Whether you are ready for taking the exam, or thinking of taking it now (utilize the WFH time!) I would highly recommend booking a free PMP consultation call with me, here

>> http://bit.ly/bookpmpcalls

I will help you pass the exam sooner than you thought possible, and if you follow my process, even with a perfect all-5 Above-Target score.

Talk soon!

PS: Help a friend or colleague preparing for the test, share this page in your network.

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Most of us are working from home in view of the Covid-19 scenario and this means a change of lifestyle for many! And preparation for PMP exam has become quite challenging for some.

Yes, we don’t spend any time on commute, we do miss water-cooler chats with colleagues, and (happily) miss long and not-so-productive meetings. This means more time available for work, and more productivity. However, some of my readers say that they are spending more time on tasks like coordination, and seeing overall drop in productivity.

In a way, we are all using one of T&T of Acquire Resources process, Virtual teams!

Those with kids at home may have to isolate ourselves to a corner of the house to get some work done!  🙂 (psst… to keep them occupied Audible has opened up FREE access to their service… tons for amazing stories to listen to!.)

All this also means that you are in front of laptop for a longer period of time in a day.

Here are 3 ways of preparation for PMP exam while giving your eyes some well-needed rest, every single day!

Also read: Vicky Adam’s smart prep strategy to pass the exam without breaking a sweat!

This article also covers a bunch of ‘tools’ to enrich your working from home hours for maximum RoI – both from PMP study and office work.

• Top 3 non-visual ways of super-charging PMP study
• 3 Uber-productivity tips while working from home
• 3 Proven tools to increase effectiveness of WFH

While at this, I’m offering you for my course, for free, towards the end of this article.

Let us dive right in.

3 NON-SCREEN WAYS OF SUPER-CHARGING YOUR PREPARATION FOR PMP EXAM

1. Discuss with a ‘study buddy’.

Having a study buddy is an invaluable way to enjoy PMP journey and accelerate the study.

Once you find a study buddy, you both will typically work out a study plan and a day & time of the week to connect and discuss the agreed upon content.

Possible approaches

One way is to plan for both to study the same content for a given week, the other way is to plan completely different content.

For instance, the content plan could follow the order of Knowledge Areas and processes in PMBOK guide. For each week both of you can study same set of processes, or different KA-specific processes.

And again, during the discussion you can ask each other questions about their content; or let each one take turns to present the the studied content.

Some of the advantages of study buddy approach –

• Commitment: when both are agreed to a study plan and a day & time for discussion, there is an inbuilt commitment to study the content before the discussion.
• Predictable progress: since both will be following the co-created plan, there is predictable consistent progress.
• Teach to learn: teaching someone is a great way of learning, so is listening to an explanation. Both of you can plan to study different modules/processes/chapters for a day/week and teach the other.
• Uncover hidden assumptions: we make few implicit assumptions while learning new concepts. Explaining or listening to someone’s explanation is a great way to uncover them.
• Motivate each other: all of us have downs and lean period during our study journey. When one is down the other one can remind about the benefits of the goal and pep them up.

Where do you find a study buddy?

Do you have a friend or colleague that is preparing for PMP exam? Or even someone that is contemplating on taking up PMP?

If you don’t already have one, please invite a study buddy on our free PMP student support group, here.

Also read: How Divya brought preparation of PMP exam down to this simple formula!

2. Listen to PMP audio.

As a PMI member you will get to hear tons of webcasts on topics ranging from each of the Knowledge Areas to Agile and more. Whether you are a member of PMI or not, you can listen to tons of PM webinars by using filters as shown below. [continue reading…]

“PMP coaching is essential to succeed with confidence. Shiv worked with me each week right from the beginning when we together came up with a customized study plan. This gave me plenty of confidence to move forward.”, said Vicky Adams after she passed her PMP exam.

Based just outside of Munich, Germany where she has lived for 5 years, Vicky is originally from the UK. She has nearly 20 years of rich experience of working in IT, primarily as a Business Analyst on global software implementations. Vicky has been working as a project manager for the last 3 years.

In this interview she reveals her step-by-step journey towards PMP certification goal.

What made you take up PMP?

Professional qualification, credibility for the role, its alignment with the work experience I have been doing.

I considered PRINCE2 briefly – as I thought it might be more recognised in Europe. However, in Germany, PMI & PRINCE2 both seem to be recognised and decided on PMI as it seemed more comprehensive certification.

What’s the core benefit you’d expect?

PMP is a professional qualification that will add credibility for my work experience. This is also a first step that opens doors for further discussions with a potential employer.

As PMP certified, now I can employ new tools and techniques at work. In fact, I have also leveraged some of the leadership and motivational techniques with the younger members of my household. 🙂

Since PMP preparation takes considerable amount of time, I think that it gets us into a continual learning mindset. This means now I can go ahead and take up other certifications much more easily.

Which study resources did you use for your preparation?

I did some research and chose the study resources, and during the course of my preparation phase I picked up a couple more.

• PM Prep cast videos (ad) – excellent quality content and very detailed. Highly recommended.
• PMBOK – I preferred a hard copy, you will get a soft copy for free with PMP membership
• Rita’s Exam Prep (ad) – easy to read, very good for situational understanding
• Prepcast exam simulator (ad) – gave me about 8 full-length tests
• Few other resources including audio books and blogs such as Shiv’s PM Exam Smart Notes blog, and of course the PMP Exam Content Outline
• Then I came across and signed up for coaching with Shiv, which was quite useful in my preparation.

I would recommend putting in some time for research and select the study resources that you find naturally appealing to your style of learning.

Also read: How Jeremy passed his PMP exam in 4 weeks using this strategy (download 4-wk study plan infographic)!

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

I decided not to hurry, and began my preparation about 5 months before my tentative exam date. On an average I studied 2-3 hours a day. [continue reading…]

It is a celebration time at my office each time PM Exam Last Mile Prep program student passes their exam. Which happens multiple times a week now a days. And it is an uber-special occasion of celebration to pass the PMP exam in 4 weeks!

Exactly what Jeremy Rasool did with some brilliant planning, cool study resources, and focused effort.

While such success of my students is a blessing to me, it is also a reminder of my responsibility to help as many aspirants as I can, to pass the exam in the easiest possible way, in the shortest possible time.

Jeremy Rasool is an experienced project manager with over 20 years of rich experience, and is a Sr. PM with Dept of Health Cape Town, South Africa. In this short interview you’ll find how did he pass the PMP in just 4 weeks.

Don’t miss to download the 4-Wk PMP Study Blueprint infographic at the end of this article!

What made you take up PMP? Did you consider any other certification exams?

The PMP is undoubtedly the benchmark and my research overwhelmingly favored the PMP over other qualifications.

As a project manager, working in the public sector, I feel that the project management (PM) level of maturity is low compared to Supply Chain Management, of which I am also certified (CIPS, Diploma Level).

I needed the PMP certification to show proficiency and expertise to build the PM level of maturity within the organization.

That’s a prudent goal. What are the benefits you expect now?

The core benefit of the certification for me is to lock into a community of project management professionals. And also to garner the skill set in delivering business benefits through effectively & efficiently executing projects.

Which study resources did you use?

I used Simplilearn, PM Exam Last Mile Prep program and Prepaway exam questions.

In retrospect, the PM Exam Last Mile Prep program was all I really needed in conjunction with mock test questions. [continue reading…]

“I used mock test for PMP prep as a ‘gap finding’ tool. After each mock test I would identify areas that I need to study more and revise those areas. This approach helped me cover all the syllabus thoroughly”, said Roshan DSouza as I chatted with him to find out what was his mantra to pass PMP exam.

Roshan scored an incredible all-5 Above Target score.

I especially liked his 7 thumb-rules from the last part of this interview. These thumb-rules are very insightful.

Roshan works in Dubai and has a rich experience of over 13 yrs in project management and operations across the middle east. He has a keen eye for saving costs and achieving project objectives within the project constraints.

What made you take up PMP?

I have been working on projects for past 10 years. Working all those years on projects gave me real hand experience in project management.

However, all this knowledge was either transferred through my peers in the organization or on-the-job-learning and not from an authoritative source.

The main driving factor to take up PMP was to identify gaps in my project management knowledge, which would help me in becoming a better project manager. Also achieving a PMP badge meant that it opens a big window for career growth for me.

I did consider taking higher levels of Cathodic Protection courses provided by NACE, as those courses are applicable to the field that my projects are concentrated on. But I became more interested in PMP as it allows me to work on all kind of projects.

What was the benefit you expected from this certification?

The benefit I expected from becoming PMP certified is that of being recognized from PMI, that should help me in career growth. This certification does add a lot of value to your project management profile and helps in demonstrating your capabilities to potential employers.

Also read: How this German doctor prepared for his PMP and passed on first attempt!

Which study resources did you use?

In preparation of PMP, I enrolled into a PMP course on Simplilearn (review here) which had self-learning & WebEx classes.

After completing this course, I got confused in identifying what material to consider for studies as there are so many out there.

Finally, based on recommendation from a good friend I went ahead with PMBOK and Rita Mulcahi’s book (ad). I used only these two books in conjunction with the course for my exam preparation.

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

[continue reading…]