Dear Shiv, here is my PMP exam prep experience. I’m hoping that it will help other PMP applicants.
My PMP journey was a difficult but an interesting one. I work as a Civil Engineer and my work schedule includes eight hours a day, six days a week schedule, which leaves me very little time for PMP study. Moreover, I had just three years of project management experience but I was determined to get certified once I met the minimum requirements PMI has mandated for eligibility.
Classroom beginning to my PMP exam prep..
I started with classroom training last October and for about a month I studied what I learned daily in the course, but managing work and studies was difficult at the beginning.
I started studying right after the training. I planned to study for three to four hours a day but it did not pan out that way on most of the days. However, this act of planning helped me keep my study momentum.
I ended up studying for two hours during the weekdays and managed to study very well on weekends (my one day-off); this day was a great time for me to study well. I managed to clock in five hours (sometimes more).
During this period I couldn’t set a date for the exam as my study plan didn’t work well for the first month, and I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough time. So I decided to set my exam date after some more preparation till I could get a better sense of my progress. [continue reading…]
Shiv, I passed PMP in first attempt with 3P and 2MP!
Here is my experience, hope this will help people studying for their PMP exam.
PMP training
My core study companion was the PM PrepCast by Cornelius Fichtner – Needless to say, it is the best one available. Thank you sir!
Other PMP resources I used
1. HeadFirst PMP – My favorite. Gives good foundation. Liked many aspects of this book.
2. Rita Mulcahy – Great book to understand the topics in depth and in a practical approach.
3. Andy Crowe – Very easy to understand and to the point.
4. PMBOK – Hardly touched. Covered only a few chapters. I should have read it.
5. Kim Heldman – Covered only a few parts, but liked the way it is presented, with process flow rather than Knowledge area wise.
6. Online resources – Apart from books, I referred some online resources. They are Saket Bansal’s videos. I guess prep will not be complete without his videos. Great explanations! Also, I referred Edward Chung’s notes.
7. Shiv Shenoy’s website. The smart notes, tips and tricks and the brain dump page are must-reads. [continue reading…]
Dear Shiv, although I came across your website quite late for my preparations, it gave me valuable inputs and tips for the PMP exam preparation. My target was to pass the exam in the 1st attempt no matter what proficiency I get.
Time and again I was reading the contributions of other aspirants and their success stories. It was so useful for me. I would definitely like to share my experience here so it can help PMP students.
At the age of 46 years the decision itself was very tough when your cognitive and learning skills both slow down. Also, traveling by Metro (Noida to my home town) for my office and back to home consumed at least six hours each day. It consumed my energy, time, money and concentration. Nevertheless I developed the habit of concentrating and studying while traveling, often standing during rush hours. [continue reading…]
Three to four years ago I heard about PMP® Certification from a friend. As I am voracious reader so I thought of taking PMP® exam to enhance opportunities for my career advancement.
At the same time our organization arranged a video conference with leadership team for PMP® aspirants, which boosted my interest in PMP®.
About an year ago I took training from IIL for 4 days. As part of this training I was given 4 days sessions, PMBOK® guide, IIL book and access to PMIQ (simulator) for 6 months. I scheduled exam on 4th Jan, 2016 (before new syllabus come in to place) but my preparation was on & off, so I ended up postponing the exam.
Preparation
In Dec 2015 our organization appointed a PMP® ambassador to help PMP® aspirants. I contacted him, where I got briefing about the study resources, study plan and came to know about Shiv Shenoy. He advised me to take online tests and if I am consistently above 80%, then I can go for real exam. My score was just about reaching 50 to 70% that time.
My study resources and approach
I rescheduled the exam to April 18th, 2016. Apart from IIL notes and the Kindle book “Crack PMP in 4 weeks” by Shiv Shenoy, I decided to get these –
[continue reading…]
Hi Shiv, happy to share that I have completed PMP on 29th April on my first try with little over 3 months of preparation. I am sharing my PMP study plan and lessons here, with a hope that it will help PMP students..
My PMP study plan consisted of 3 study resources, and four rounds of systematic and focused study. I also used a combination of ‘test project’, self-study notes, mock tests and brain-dump as study strategies.
Study sources I used
• PM PrepCast online PMP video course
• PMBOK Edition 5
• PMESN PMPBOOKS (from Shiv) – Especially, the sample questions (300Q+250Q), Formula guide, Type of Questions, Mind Maps & Test Taking Strategies
Also Read: How Jerly Thomas passed her PMP exam with a simple and inexpensive study plan!
My PMP study plan
I created my own study plan in terms of a ‘project’ – that I could apply the processes to as I studied them! This helped me understand the concepts with better clarity.
The other thing that helped me is that I fixed a target date for my exam, and planned backwards to create study plan. Having the exam date fixed had another advantage: it helped me focus better on my studies
First round of study: Understanding PMP concepts
I have taken PM PrepCast as starting point for the study – I went to through all the video modules. I watched self-study videos of a particular chapter and studied the same chapter from PMBOK5; then the next chapter self-study videos and the same chapter PMBOK5 and so on…
I would recommend preparing your own study notes during this journey (chapter wise). I found this very valuable. [continue reading…]
Click here to get your free copy of the book ‘Master Your Stakeholder Management Concepts’!
Plus, just for today click here to download the book ‘Master Your Procurement Management Concepts’ as well.
Free access is available for today only.
If you liked this book, please help more PMP students download these books by writing your honest feedback on Amazon. Thank you!
If you had any suggestions for improvement, please write me shiv(at)pmexamsmartnotes(dot)com
In case you missed getting previous ones, here’re the links –
Thanks for the feedback you’ve been sending my way.
Happy Studying!
Shiv
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