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I am a Communications Project Manager for a University. I have always enjoyed taking on small projects and seeing them through completion. In 2016, I wanted to learn about the “proper” way how to handle a project. I took the Georgia Tech Project Management Certificate program.

Prior to this, I was not sure if I wanted to become certified, but during the program I decided to give it a shot. The program was great foundation, but I truly was not prepared when I took the test the first time in 2017.

My timeline for studying was completely off and I was also involved in several other programs that cut my studying time down.

I failed my first attempt. Locked all my materials up and did not look back…until I noticed my PMP test qualification was close to expiring.

My Why

I debated if I should take up PMP exam again…and I convinced myself to do it (the application feels like a test…why let that expire)!

After failing the first time, I felt defeated, but I also felt I had to prove to myself that I could accomplish this personal and professional goal. So, it became a must…and I knew I could not give up that easy just because of the fear of failing again. [continue reading…]

Apart from your own efforts, what is the easiest way to learn a new thing?

Leveraging other people’s experience.

This is especially true in case of exam like PMP.

Whenever a newer version of an exam is introduced the passing percentage initially tend to drop.

Lot of variables come into play that cause this – new content, newer variations of questions, no idea about what to expect.

Sounds familiar?

As early adopters (to take the analogy from product life-cycle 🙂 ) take the exam and share their experience, other students will get a ‘sense of what to expect’.

I am hoping that PMESN community members will help other members that are preparing for their PMP exam in the new format by sharing their exam experience and the lessons learned.

To encourage this contribution back to the project management community, and as a token of gratitude thank I am giving away one of my blogging courses, for Free. [continue reading…]

The PMP journey was exciting and enjoyable for me.

I kept it as simple as I possible could.

1. Fix the Objective

The true objective of getting PMP could be many – get the knowledge required to do a better job at work, get that promotion, get that dream job you are eyeing, ans what not. But the objective for the exam cannot be any of them.

For me it was to pass my PMP exam in the first attempt, while being able to enjoy the process.

2. Lock the approach

Do the research and get your study materials selected. It can be different for different people based on your learning approach, but I suggest spend some time in this research (at least 1 week) and select it carefully as this will decide your fate.

For me I selected below –

• Study Material from my Training Institute
• Exam Notes from PMExamSmartNotes , thanks to Shiv for his content (here, here and here). It is simplified and easy to remember.
• Question bank from Mohit Arora (1000 questions – 100 questions from each Knowledge area)
• Simulations from my Training Institute – 3 simulations.

Once you lock it down try not to switch. Remember the objective is not to do a research on PMP but to clear the exam. 🙂

My PMP results

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I passed my PMP certification on earlier this month on my first try with Above Target in all 5 domains. I did this with what I call as ‘PMP Training mode’, based on the lesson I learned with several false starts.

The Trigger

Coming from software engineering industry I noticed the impact of PMP on project managers quite easily. The idea of taking up PMP triggered in mind when I met few senior executives of a big multinational software development company. I noticed one common thing in those executives, and that was their badge with PMP certification. That time, I decided that I will also give a try to PMP certification as I also desired to reach that position.

Basic Preparation

In April 2016, I completed my 35 hours training course and began studying with the aim of appearing for the exam in Jun-Jul same year. But after 1 month of study some high priority office work took over, and I lost my momentum. I started my studies again next year in April 2017, only to lose my interest due to higher priority work at office.

Then in November 2017, I got the news that PMP exam is changing is changing and last date of the exam in current form is 26-Mar-2018.

Finally I decided, come what may, I will need to complete my PMP certification before 26-March, otherwise I would have wasted all my earlier preparations and I would need to start again for the new course.

I submitted my exam application and got the confirmation in January. Then paid my examination fees and scheduled my exam for 5th Mar (just after the Holi weekend).

I had to get into PMP training mode. Thus my serious my preparation began.

Also Read: 10 Awesome PMP Study Tips From a Topper! – Heather Lyons, PMP

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My PMP journey began in 2006!

I attended a training, but never did any preparation for the exam. While I can put the blame on factors like lack of time due to job priorities, the real reason was that I could not get to bury my head in the dry PMP study books. The moment I open a study book, I would feel sleepy 🙂

So I decided to go take the Agile approach to my PMP study. Take only what is absolutely necessary to study, study in smaller chunks, and improve based on feedback loop. Take a test based approach to improve my understanding of PMP content.

Then I started searching for training videos and found PM PrepCast. I bought these videos and began watching them with great interest. These videos are lengthy, but covers the topics very well. I must say Mr. Cornelius Fichtner has done a fantastic job in explaining the concepts clearly.

I used to play these videos (as audios) while driving to office and this continued for a month. No other preparations. But these videos were also asking me to read at least one other study material to prepare for the exam. Again, I lost my interest in preparing for PMP exam.

I then downloaded Shiv Shenoy’s Smart Notes, but did not read it first. Also subscribed to his daily PMP questions on facebook (LI group here).

So I started reading Shiv’s Smart Notes. But along with that I wanted some audios or videos which should be short, crisp and to the point. Having worked in project and product management for almost 15 years, I was able to easily relate all theories to practical scenarios.

Then I found PMP Training videos by Joseph Phillips. Bought these videos for and started listening to those. I completed this in 2 weeks as the videos were very short, but crisp and clear. [continue reading…]