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I failed PMP, Now What? My mindset strategies and more to pass the PMP the 2nd time!

In this article Megan Gamble reflects on her first time PMP exam experience to analyze what went wrong, and then lays out the strategy she used to come up trumps the second time around. If you missed the PMP goal first time, this article may just help you recognize the areas to gun for, and strategies you can use to ace your PMP exam in the next attempt.

Read on..

Think back on the day of the exam.

Once you completed the challenging 200 questions, took the survey to then press submit (after saying a prayer), only to get the disappointing news of “Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that you did not pass the Project Management Professional exam”.

After much studying and rigorous training, you do not understand how you did not pass the exam and you may be wondering if all hope is lost.

I can completely relate because I was one of the people that did not pass the PMP on my first attempt.

After I received the devastating results (3MPS and 2 BPs) I wanted to throw in the towel and say ‘forget it, maybe PMP is not the right thing for me’.

However, I realized that as Project Managers and evolving experts in our respective fields, we have to learn and accept to take the good with the bad and know when to change our approach to go back and tackle the task or project again.

After revising my strategy and my mindset, I sat for the exam the second time I passed (4Ps and 1 MPs) with some simple, yet effective modifications.

To give you some insight, here was my study strategy when I sat for the exam the FIRST TIME –

• I read the PMBOK 5th edition,
• Skimmed through Rita 8th Edition book,
• Bounced back and forth between multiple resources (multiple meaning anything that says PMP),
• Took any and EVERY mock practice exam that said “PMP”
• Studied 2 hours a day 4 days a week and took a practice test once every two weeks (I did not allot proper time to review ALL test/quizzes, etc)
• I always studied late at night (9pm EST) after work

[continue reading…]

This is the second and concluding article about ‘PMP digital badge’ – the icing on PMP cake that PMI introduced last month.

In the part-1 of this series we saw why PMI has teamed up with Acclaim.com to provide digital badge to PMI certification holders. And also how it helps you spy on crucial job-market data and apply for a profile that suits your needs and pays you more!

In this post we will look at,

• The step-by-step process to claim your badge and showcase it on your LinkedIn profile and other important places
• How to discover your hidden professional traits and how to use it to get an edge over other candidates! I was pleasantly surprised to discover mine (you can see later in this article).

Let’s jump right in.

If you have already got your PMP (or any other PMI certification) in the past you would have received an email informing you about the digital badge, some of you might have received it as well at this point of time.

We saw how useful this seemingly simple digital badge, in that you can access to job market insider data which was hard to access in the past. With the digital badge you can not only ‘market’ your value well, but you can find out specific job profiles in are interested in and apply to them directly.

I received my digital badge recently. In this article I will show exactly how you can claim it and then use it to subtly market the value you can bring to any organization.

As I mentioned in part-1 of this series this is the best possible third-party endorsement for you.

Step 1: You will receive an email from Acclaim.com

You’ll receive an email with Subject “Project Management Institute issued you a new badge”.

This happens indepedent of the communication you receive from PMI.

Accalaim has to get new PMP information and then they will send you the email asking to claim your badge.

Figure 1: the email you will receive from Acclaim to claim your PMP digital badge

If you don’t receive this email even after about 4 weeks of passing your PMP exam, you can write to their support team from here >> http://support.youracclaim.com

Step 2: Create an account

If this happens to be your very first instance of claiming a badge from Acclaim then you’ll be asked to create a badge. Then onwards you’ll be able to claim (automatically, if you configure that way) from any professional certification agency that has tied up with Acclaim.

Figure 2: create Acclaim account

Step 3: Claim your PMP digital badge

Figure 3: flaunt your badge!

Simply click the Accept button on the badge page and you’ll see the above screen. [continue reading…]

Swaroop started his PMP preparation in the month of October and obtained certificate on 3rd February with 3Ps and 2 MPs on his first attempt. He had a unique approach – he paired up with his friend for PMP exam. They seemed to have had a huge leverage of each other’s time and efforts. In this article, Swaroop lays out the exact step-by-step process they followed to pass PMP exam, along with few PMP exam tips.

Read on..

When you are in college, you may have enjoyed preparing for exams. You may have even pioneered the art of sitting at length and optimizing the exam time and come up triumphant every time. But once you join a job that ‘skill’ starts waning. After close to a decade now if you have to appear for a full-fledged 4-hour-200-question-exam, well, you certainly remember your college days.

Preparing for PMP exam is one such experience.

What does it take to appear for PMP exam

Clearing exams wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. PMI lays down conditions – in terms of educational qualification and in terms of number of hours of project management experience – to even to be eligible for PMP exam.

Assuming you pass that hurdle, there are a ton of processes to understand and related project management concepts, and each process has several Inputs, Tools & techniques, and Outputs. And then depending on how much of project management experience you have, reading PMBOK book could be a pleasant experience or a tough nut to crack.

At times it feels like not having project management experience is a boon while understanding PMBOK guide.

That is because PMI expects you to answer a question based on the ideal strategies as given in PMBOK and not based on how you may have acted in the real world scenario. Therefore, not basing answers purely on your experience would be a favor you would do to yourself.

PMP exam success will depend on your understanding of Project Management guidelines defined in PMBOK, end to end.

The exam is of 4 hours duration, in which you’ll answer 200 questions. Sitting in the exam hall for 4 hours in itself may seem like a big deal answering mostly situational questions.

You will be thrown questions after questions where, to use cricketing analogy, you’ll have to bat plenty of curve balls, bouncers, yorkers, googlies to get certified as a PMP. This is where the mock exams will help you to practice sitting continuously for four hours optimizing the time to answer questions and to really get the grip on different patterns to solve the questions.

Here’s a quick & short guide about PMP exam that you may like to go through first. [continue reading…]

Jerly Thomas used a simple, yet effective PMP study plan to prepare for her exam. She did have a false start like many of us, but having the advantage of planning PMP early in her career, she managed her exam prep with just enough study resources, and with some smart planning. In fact, Jerly completed her exam in just half the allotted time!

In this post she reveals all the techniques she used to ease the difficulty associated with PMP prep. Read on..

Early Beginning

My PMP journey started in the very first year of my career, when my manager suggested that I attend the 35 hour PMP boot camp organized by the company for its project managers.

I attended the training inspite of not being eligible (I was just few months into my career) just to understand more about PMP exam. The course gave me first insights into what PMP/PMI is and how the certification can help me in my career. I liked the content and realized that it can help me grow as an effective project manager.

As soon as I was eligible for the test I began my PMP preparation. I submitted my application for PMP certification in May 2016. However, my serious preparation for the test began in Jan 2017.

I submitted my application for PMP certification in May 2016. However, my serious preparation for the test began in Jan 2017.

It took 2.5 to 3 months of preparations, wherein the last one month I dedicated to answering mock tests.

I took my PMP test in April 2017 and passed with 3MPs and 2Ps.

Here is how I went about reading the course material. [continue reading…]

This morning I received a mail from one of PMESN readers, KJ.

“.. [can you] please help me with PMP exam preparation or give some pointers. I have other commitments as well [that take up my time]. I need to pass the exam. How do I prepare and by that I am not asking shortcuts, just right guidance.”

She said that she has a limited time to spend towards PMP prep and has a lot of commitments, and she asked me for some pointers that help her pass the exam.

Now, it was hard for me to put together all that information in one email. So instead, I sent her a bunch of relevant page links, grouped under few buckets so she knows exactly where to look for what information and run with it.

Then it occurred to me that such information to come up with a complete plan by spending just a couple of hours may help many PMP aspirants with similar situation (shorter timeframe and multiple commitments) that are looking for a way out.

In this post I give you 4 stages of PMP preparation.

And all that you need in each of these stages to come up with a solid and simple PMP exam prep plan, resources, tips and techniques to ace your PMP exam.

Click to read about ‘PMP Last Mile’ study system that helps you pass PMP with only PMBOK (over 2364+ have used this system to prepare for their PMP exam).

Spend a couple of hours on these pages and at the end of the session you will have clarity, plan, resources and hopefully, a bit of fillip you need to go get that certificate. These couple of hours may be the best time investment you could make at the beginning of your PMP journey.

These couple of hours may be the best time investment you could do at the beginning of your PMP preparation.

Disclaimer: Some of the links you find here are affiliate links such as Amazon. This means that if you choose to purchase the product using these links I will get a small commission, at no additional cost to you (your purchase price does not change).

This keeps this blog and other efforts of free PMP education (Fb community, coaching, email support etc) running. However, you are free to go to those sites directly and buy from there. I only recommend them because either I have used these PMP products, or have verified them and believe in the value they provide you in your PMP preparation.

With that said, let’s get started!

We shall see how to achieve PMP credential in 4 stages –

• Stage 1: Set a solid Foundation
• Stage 2: Prepare and optimal Study Plan
• Stage 3: Choose Study Resources that suit YOUR needs
• Stage 4: Use the experience of other PMPs to refine your Study Approach!

For each of these stages I shall specify exactly what to focus on, and provide with tools and resources to fulfil the aim. At the ene of this exercise you should have pretty much everything you will ever need to prepare for PMP with ease and pass without any stress.

Now, that’s a bold statement.

And the results PMESN readers are getting gives me the confidence in the PMP exam prep guide I am sharing below. And don’t miss the bonus section at the end, it can very well act as an additional dose of motivation!

[continue reading…]