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“How To Pass PMP Exam Before PMBOK-6 Kicks In?”

If this question has been bothering you for some time now, well, here’s the solution right in front of you.

The book is released on Amazon platform and within few hours it is being bought by PMP students!

What can you expect in this book?

This is a book based on PMP exam experience of hundreds of PMP students that have successfully passed their exam. I have had the honor of being part of their PMP journey; observe and guide in their prep.

Some of them have been pretty unorthodox in their prep approach, some of them have chartered new path of preparation (one solely used Simulators to prepare for his exam!) – and with all this there has been a pattern, or call it collection of best practices and unique techniques, that forms the core this book.

The book reveals a simple yet highly practical 4-phase approach to prepare for PMP exam from scratch (from the PMI Application stage) and to get past each of the stages till what to do on the exam.

This is a short 51 pages ebook – of pure content, packed with strategies, tips and techniques. No introduction passages explaining why PMP is required and such. This book assumes that the audience knows about PMP exam and is at a stage where she needs a well laid out plan to get going and grab that PMP certificate.

This book does just that.

A bonus section outlines few smart ways of identifying ‘question type’ and apply specific strategy to answer that question.

• How to structure 4-phases so you have ample time for each phase to study before exam day
• How to choose study resources that are right for you
• How to save time during your study period
• What to do in the week before exam to cover the ‘last mile’
• How to de-risk the exam day
• What to do on the exam to answer questions quicker
• and more..

Click on ‘Look Inside’ option on the book’s image here  to see what is covered in this book on Amazon page.

How can you get this for FREE?

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Shiv, here is my PMP study plan for passing PMP exam on the first attempt.

My PMP trigger

I work at an Engineering company for Oil and Gas projects, which needs me to play a project manager’s role. My job profile also requires me to study new active techniques to solve problem – especially to make real Cost Estimation, to know how much we need to complete, or how to reserve for risks. Since these types of projects take long time and need large work force and equipment, and price fluctuations happen all the time based on technological changes that happened in the industry.

In addition we faced many issues dealing with vendors, communicate with stakeholders effectively, and to prevent delay or scope creep due to limited information or unclear requirements.

In order to deal with all these difficulties, I participated in courses of project management. These group learning activities helped me gain valuable insights and understand many gaps I had in my knowledge.

I learned how to deal with issues since changes on the project happen all the time. Also, I got tips to manage time better, and calculate project costs using specific techniques. These encouraged me to think about taking PMP exam.

It was the realization that with PMP certification I can get the right knowledge, build problem solving skills, make right decisions on the project that made me take up PMP.

Also Read: How Swati passed her PMP exam with 3 weeks of PMP study plan (schedule included)

How I studied for PMP exam

I read PMBOK guide two times.

I made it a point to make my own notes at the end of each knowledge area. Doing this helped me build a set of summary-notes which would be useful during revision.

Next, I read PMP exam prep 8th edition by Rita Mulcahy and added to my study notes.

In fact, my short study notes acted like Flash cards!

In addition, I solved all the questions given at the end of each chapter.

I became a frequent visitor to PMExamSmartNotes’s Facebook page. Here I would try to answer the daily sample questions and then cross-check it with the answers posted twice a week. I also joined a project management community in Iraq. [continue reading…]

Shiv, I am glad to inform that I passed my PMP exam! It certainly was not easy but the journey was quite enjoyable. In this article I would like to reveal by PMP prep plan – basically the resources, strategies, tips, and techniques that helped me pass the exam. PMP exam experience is different for everyone and I hope that at least some of what I share here will help PMP aspirants looking for tips.

Resources I Used For PMP Prep

There are quite a few out there (do a Google and you’ll be overwhelmed). Therefore, I recommend doing a bit of research and pick few that fits your bill. Here are few that I chose –

• PMBOK – this is one book that I feel is a must-have for every PMP aspirant
• Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book
• Aileen Ellis: PMP® Success, very good supplement book to PMBOK with process group wise
• Vijay K. Verma book on Organizing Projects for Success & Human Resource Skills for the Project Manager (Part 1, 2, 3). This is a very good read for Knowledge & Skills of exam content outline
• I downloaded Safari Queue app & read lot of other resources on Project management books

Also Read: How I Developed Confidence For PMP Exam – by Helen Abigo, PMP

Full Mock Tests Are Crucial For PMP Success

Another important study resource I recommend is a good mock test Simulator.

Attempting full mock exams of 4 hours is a tremendous help in understanding how real exam feels like. It is also helpful practice to plan how to pace your exam and try and answer more questions in a confident manner.

Here are few mock tests that I used for my preparation. [continue reading…]

They say ‘Practice Makes Perfect’. It was so true for me in the context of PMP exam. The more mock tests I took the more confidence I gained to face the PMP exam.

Here’s my PMP Lessons Learned.

This was my first attempt at PMP exam and it took me about 7 months of preparation. I am specially thankful to my dad, whose constant encouragement and support helped me pass this exam.

I was looking for a structured approach to managing projects and when I came across PMP, I was sure this had to be my savior.

PMP Resource Used

I attended the class room training in Synergy business school to get a overall sense of PMP syllabus and to fulfil the requirement of 35-hour contact project management education.

Then I used the following study resources –

• PMBOK guide
• Head First PMP
• PM ExamSmartNotes Blueprint email course

I did not use Rita Mulcahy book, I found that it did not fit my learning style.

Also Read: How I Developed Confidence For PMP Exam – by Helen Abigo, PMP

The study plan I used

I started for preparing the exam in the month of January. My aim was to take up the exam in one month, that is to complete the PMBOK by 15 days, take the mock exam on every weekend, and to take the PMP exam by 30 days. [continue reading…]

Helen Abigo is a MBA International Business from Orlando, Florida. She recently got her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. This is a short account of how she went about it. – Shiv

Inception

I decided to get PMP certified because I was coordinating projects and felt that getting certified will give me a boost in my career.

I started studying 6 months ago, and began with PMP Prep course by Umer Waqar udemy.com

Also Read: How I Got PMP Certified Under 6 Weeks Without Traditional Project Management Background – by Daya Patil, PMP

Study material

I also studied Rita Mulcahy, I learned the process map like the back of my hand.

I used the PMBOK guide more as a reference book, and focused more on the changes in the new edition. I enrolled with Simplilearn 2 weeks boot camp to get my 35 contact hours and took the exam 1 week afterwards.

Next, I started practicing with 50 questions, then 100 questions.

1 week before the exam, I took 200 questions at a time to get used to sitting down for the whole test.

Also Read: PMP Exam Changes 2017: 6-Wk Plan To Pass PMP Before PMBOK 6th Edition Exam Kicks In

The Exam

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