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I wanted to share my PMP Study method with you in case others found it helpful. I passed the PMP exam in January 2017 without using flashcards or doing an exhaustive brain dump at the beginning of the exam.

PMP Study Books

I took a prep course in January of 2016 but did not find the prep course materials very effective, so I decided to look into other prep books.

I used the following books during my prep:

• Shiv’s Crack the New (2016) PMP Exam in Four Weeks
• PMBOK
• Head First PMP by Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman
• Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep

My Study Approach

Due to a heavy work schedule, It took me three months of studying to feel ready for the exam. I used a 3-step approach to save time and get better understanding quickly – [continue reading…]

My PMP test prep journey started in June 2015. That’s when I decided that I wanted to be PMP certified.

I started by joining PMI, then I spent a few months researching and compiling data for the application. I finally applied for PMP test and in February 2016, right after making my payment for the exam, received notification that my application was being audited.

I successfully completed the audit process in March and planned to spend a few months studying before scheduling the exam. However, due to various life events, I ended up actually taking and passing my PMP test on February 4, 2017.

Here are a few things I think are very important to keep in mind in your PMP test prep –

The PMP application

Make sure that you would be able to contact the managers you listed for your projects in the event that you are audited. This is really important because the audit process is essentially your manager providing verification that you actually worked on the projects you indicated. [continue reading…]

Let me guess. After some deliberation and researching into possible project management certification options, you decided to take up PMP exam. You invested in top PMP study material, collected a bunch of free resources, came up with a study plan and schedule that suited your busy schedule.

You put together your management experience in a way that PMI expects, submitted your PMP exam application at PMI.org, and shared it with your previous managers in case your application was selected for audit.

You made many sacrifices, with most difficulty cut down on family time, gave up social engagements, managed office commute time better, and prepared for the exam.

You went ahead and scheduled your exam, reworked your study plan, rewrote your milestone plans, and with some doggedness tried to stick to the plan putting your best foot forward.

Now you are 1 week away from the exam.

You getting into the ‘Golden Week’.

And the question you have in mind is how best to utilize this one week to increase your chances of acing the PMP exam.

I remember vividly how this question petrified me when I was preparing for my own PMP exam years ago.

After my own experience and that of thousands of PMP students I have helped personally pass their PMP exam, here’s what I believe is a decently good plan for your golden week. This is not everything you need, and there could be other areas to focus on based on your unique circumstances, but this is a start to make a plan for the golden week. [continue reading…]

I would like to share few PMP certification tips, with the hope that this will help few PMP aspirants.

Background

I had failed CISSP exam many years ago, because of which I had a negative feeling about taking certification exams. I had studied for PMBOK-4 many years ago but did not take the exam.

Last year I decide to take the exam again and read 3 books – PMBOK, Head First, and Rita.

Study Resources

I read PMBOK in last July and Head First PMP last Nov, Rita’s in December 2016.

I found PMBOK to be boring.

Although many people like Head First, I personally think that it is not the best way for me to learn (pictorial explanations are good but I don’t enjoy the graphical style of learning). Having said this, it still benefited me by having some important concept learned and clarified.

Many people said Rita is not easy to study, but I found it to be great and down to the point (I’m not native English reader). The book gives many exam tricks and key points directly.

I made my study notes based on HeadFirst and Rita. I read the 3 books only once. Actually, I should have studied them once but I didn’t have much time left for the second round of study. [continue reading…]

Here’s my journey from initial decision to passing PMP exam on second attempt successfully, and few PMP exam tips that I hope will help any PMP aspirant.

I’d like to say that I am one of those that have passed the exam on the second try. I will tell you what went wrong and why I have to sit for the 200Q/4-hr trip a second time. This may help you avoid some of the mistakes yourselves.

The beginning

I learned about PMP the very first time from many PMP credential holders in my company. In 2014 my company offered us an internal certification program which all employees with a specific job role needed to take up. As I had done few projects in the past already (e.g. retrofits, SW updates/upgrades) after passing this internal certification successfully I came in touch with the PMBOK the first time.

I recognized that some of the material of our internal certification was mapped to the structure the PMBOK has as well. I began to take interest in the PMBOK guide and decided to find out what it is all about. I began reading – but to be honest it also started to be a bit boring.

I talked to my colleagues who already had passed the PMP exam for PMP exam tips and also which material they used to prepare for the exam. They recommended that I check out Rita’s PMP book. I bought the Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam and must confess that this book was much more interesting to read than PMBOK. [continue reading…]