My PMP journey started 3 months back, when I decided I need to get certified and also learn how I can use PMI’s best practices in my daily work.
The first thing I realized while starting the PMP preparation was how each project is managed differently and how guidelines set out by PMP can be of enormous help in managing the project efficiently.
I passed my PMP exam and would like to share what I learned along the way.
My PMP study approach & tips
1. I decided that I was going to study not only to get certified but also to use PMI’s project management guidelines to better manage the projects I work on. This mindset helped me investigate many concepts in detail and the long-term benefits of this approach kept me motivated to study when chips were down.
2. I enrolled for a 4-day PMP training. It helped me get an overall view about how to plan for my certification. I would recommend an online course which you can pace as per your need, rather than the classroom training that forces to cramp too much information in 4 days. (few reviews here and here). [continue reading…]
How I Passed CAPM Exam: My journey to the CAPM credential was life changing, becoming a project manager was always one of my life goals, yet I procrastinated, some of my procrastination was due to some life events, others was just me being lazy.
In 2016 after walking away from my job, I decided that this is the time for me to put my best foot forward and take this course for ME. I enrolled in a Project Management Exam Prep course with a local institution here in St. Lucia (NRDF) and my journey began.
On the very first day of class, I remember our lecturer (Mrs. Jeanette Hughes, PMP) saying, “Do not underestimate this course; you must ask yourself, DO I HAVE THE DNA TO BE A PROJECT MANAGER?”
I thought to myself, sure I do, I really did not know what was ahead of me, especially being one who had no background in project management or a full managerial role.
Our classes went on, and my studying began from day 1.
Also Read: CAPM Exam Lessons Learned – Elizabeth Coleman, CAPM
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“5 Proficient grade (5Ps) in PMP exam with only 8 weeks of preparation”, is how Saravanan Baskaran describes his PMP prep journey. Saravanan is the owner and Principal SAP Consultant & Architect at Universal Technology Solutions, LLC. In this article he reveals the strategies and techniques he used to ace his PMP exam.
-Shiv
Taking several mock exams and reviewing sample questions helped me in clearing the exam successfully. More importantly, reviewing all the incorrect answers by going through the relevant chapters one more time helped me in clarifying my doubts, and understanding the core concepts well. There are numerous materials available in the market. However, I would strongly recommend to just pick and stick with few sources that you feel comfortable with.
Primary PMP prep material
I took the remote training offered by MPROI for 2 weeks. I took the exam 6 weeks after I completed the training.
I figured that reviewing MPROI material and taking several mock exams would be sufficient to prepare well for the exam.
After reviewing MPROI material, I was able to understand the PMBOK well. My rough estimate was 4 to 6 weeks of preparation time.
I spent around 2 to 3 hours during the weekdays, and 6 hours on weekends to prepare for the exam. So you could say, overall I spent about 150+ hours of prep time. [continue reading…]
I started my PMP prep in mid-2015 by studying PMBOK 5 but actual preparation started in Mid-2016 when I enrolled myself in PMP Preparation class for 35 contact hours.
How I began my PMP prep
- I read PMBOK once during mid-2015 and found it to be very dry book, so decided to use it for reference only in future.
- I read Rita’s Book thrice as suggested by my trainer. I highlighted important things during first two readings and read all those highlighted material twice during last week of my study.
- I searched and found some tips for remembering Process Group & Knowledge Area Mapping Table and Formulas but later I realized that there is no need for these, because if you read Rita thrice you will automatically memorize these things.
- I attempted Rita’s, Andy Crowe‘s and HeadFirst‘s chapter end questions 5 times and kept a record of the result for comparison. The results gradually improved and I was able to secure 85% to 100% in 4th and 5th attempt. Also attempted HeadFirst’s and Andy Crowe’s Mock Exam 5 times and able to secure 90%+.
- Attempted all 1000 questions given in “PMP Prep – Question & Answers 2013 Christopher Scordo“.
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CAPM students usually find it difficult to get training material specific to CAPM. The reason is that PMI defines CAPM syllabus to be same as PMP. Hence, there are very few prep courses that aim for CAPM. A reasonable differentiation can be found in Simulator (here’s a free CAPM simulator for you). Also, very few test prep experience are written online by people that passed their CAPM exam.
When I came to know that Elizabeth passed her CAPM exam, I asked her if she could share her preparation experience and lessons learned. I’m thankful she obliged. Here it is, hope you will find it useful.
-Shiv
The beginning
My journey for the CAPM certification started about 7 months ago.
I started with the Essential of Project Management course from pmi.org, while reading the PMBOK 5th edition. IIt was at this time, that I discovered SHIV’s blog and downloaded his high-level material.
Since the Project Integration Management knowledge area interacted with all the other knowledge area, I spent about 2 weeks alone just going over this material until the light bulb finally came on.
Also read: CAPM Prep: Focusing on Concepts Helped Answer 30-35 ITTO Questions – Srikant Deverajan, CAPM
Scheduling the exam
I finished “reading” all of the other 9 knowledge areas in the PMBOK in about two months. Since I had not scheduled a date for the exam, it seemed like 3 months passed by. Once I finally scheduled a date, I started taking some “mock” exams, it was then I realized that I only read the material and never really studied it.
I also discovered that it’s a good idea to read the entire PMBOK from cover to cover.
My CAPM Prep ‘Core’ Lessons
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Shiv, I have 11 years of experience in testing and currently I am a Test Manager. I have worked in the capacity of Program Test Manager and also have had experience with Project Management, but PMP tests you on a different level.
I got my certification before the new exam came into force, but the format and prep steps remain just the same. I will try here to put down my preparation in specific points.
At the beginning of 2015 I gave myself a year to pass PMP exam, but professional and personal commitment delayed the process. And when I realized I was in October and left with exactly 3 months to clear the PMP. Jan 2016 would bring new PMP exam format and I didn’t want to wait till then. So I went ahead, filled the form (step-by-step instructions here) and locked my exam slot on Dec 26th.
October prep
I did a word-by-word reading of “Rita Mulcahy – PMP® Exam Prep 8th Edition” (RMC) without forcing myself to understand anything more than I already know. The best part of RMC is that it explains you how to go through the book, and trust me it’s the best.
I also tried the questions at the end of the chapters, didn’t score more than 60% though. [continue reading…]
