I casually started my PMP preparation at the behest of my husband. I got interested from the perspective of getting more knowledge and due to the competitive edge PMP has in any industry and also by the salary perks it can bring in. Also, I was passionate to learn and implement PMP concepts in my organization.
Having two kids to manage (5 yr old naughty boy and 10 yr old Barbie) along with work, I took up this challenge and set my goals.
One of the best things that happened was that I was introduced to Shiv’s PMESN blog & the Facebook community by my husband. I enrolled myself for his free PMP Study Blueprint email course. This was a real boost to my study plan.
My Study Plan – 3 Months to PMP
- I attended classroom sessions on PMP with Simplilearn. It was an excellent 4 day classroom session and automatically helps you earn 35 PDU’s. It was too good.
- Started my regular daily 2 hours learning from Feb 14 2015 (the day I enrolled with Simplilearn).
- I wrote down in an excel sheet my Mission, My Goal and the Benefits I would get when I completed PMP successfully.
- I studied everyday for 2 hours from Feb 2015 to May 5, 2015. Of course there were many days I could not learn due to commitments at home, etc. So don’t give up if you get hurdles on your way… it should only cheer you up more and make you more committed to learn ..:-)
- I read the Simplilearn ebook thrice, which was simple and easy to understand. I read the PMBOK guide twice.
- I wrote and saw all the processes daily along with the formula dump (all of them). This took more time initially and then I narrowed it down to 10 min 🙂
- I started off with mock tests in the month of April. But what I would suggest is to start off with PMP mock tests right when you complete PMBOK once.
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Hi Shiv,
I cleared my PMP certification exam. First of all I want to thank you for your continuous support by sharing materials, questions and support. Here I am sharing my experience of the complete journey.
Study Materials I used:
- Simplilearn PMP’s study materials
- PMBOK 5th edition
- Self made notes
Planning for Exam: [continue reading…]
Shiv, I knew this was not enough to pass the exam on my first attempt, but I planned a non traditional path to PMP success. I will start after application acceptance in order to focus on the specifics of the journey.
Preparation
After the application was accepted I scheduled my exam date 3 months out to make sure I had enough time to plan. Prior to application acceptance I took a course through Syracuse University to obtain the 35 credit hours. I knew this exposure was not enough for the exam but it did give me an introduction to the terminology.
I started the true exam prep on June 01 2015. I created a plan in MS project that involved using the PM PrepCast followed by reading Rita’s book, Headfirst PMP and then the corresponding chapter in PMBOK. I continued that routine everyday 7 days a week until I was complete with all resources.
I finished after July 4th weekend. At that time, I started Prepcast Simulator and at the same time I read all of Shiv’s articles and started reading Andy Crowes book just to confirm I understood the terms completely. There were some areas that I had trouble (ie Time Management) but it made sense.
After passing the first 3 practice exams, I rescheduled the exam from 21 Aug to 6 Aug because I did not want to wait to take the exam and risk forgetting the material. I took 5 full length exams from the simulator, Andy Crowe’s full exam and Head First full exam for a total of 7. I scored 80 or above on 5 of them and in the 70 percentile for the other 2 practice exams. [continue reading…]
PMP exam for me has been a tough journey as I failed once and passed in my second attempt. I have learnt a lot and now I am ready to share my experiences. I will list them down in the form of points with the most important on the top:-
- Don’t be overconfident:- I did my PMP Boot camp in April last year and based on what they taught and what I was practicing in my Job, I was confident enough to clear the exam. So I applied for the certification and fixed the date to be mid-May. I didn’t read the PMBOK and just practiced around 1500 questions available on different platforms.
To my surprise, not even a single question came in the exam. It was time for reality check as the exam seemed to be from a different world altogether. The language, the scenarios all seemed alien.
Another thing I did wrong was to waste time. I reached Mumbai for the test a day ahead but wasted it by roaming around. The result was that I failed.
- Don’t just rely on practice questions:- If you think that by just practicing dummy questions available all over the internet, you can clear the exam, then you are in for a rude shock. Clearing your concepts is crucial.
- Enroll for a study program:- I always wanted to enroll for Shiv’s study program however being on a global project and with no fixed time for my Job, I couldn’t do it. Still I went through all the topics shared with me by Shiv and it helped clear my concepts. [continue reading…]
Preparation
First, I acquired my 35 contact hours from ESI International-George Washington University. Then, I read the PMBOK 5th addition cover to cover and took a Velociteach, timed PMP simulation to baseline my skillset and identify gaps.
I felt like I needed additional help, so I attended a Rita Mulcahy 2-day PMP Prep boot camp, which was extremely beneficial. Following the boot camp, I participated in a study group with my local PMI chapter led informally by a PMP credential holder. The study group lasted for 2 months.
Study Plan
After the study group, I developed my own personal intense daily study plan which included:
1. Read the PMBOK again at least one more time concentrating and paying particular attention to definitions. [continue reading…]
I passed my PMP with a “Proficient” score in all the 5 Knowledge Areas, in my very first attempt. Here’s my PMP exam prep lessons that I hope will help people preparing for the exam.
1. Start with a Plan.
Plan on what to read, Plan on your study schedule, Plan on your exam date. Keep your plan brief so that you are able to stick to it.
2. Keep your studies simple and focused.
Read ONE book thoroughly, following all instructions in the book to the dot. Use the PMBOK guide as a reference guide all long. It is not essential to read / study more than one book / same book twice, if your first reading is thorough. But this may not be true for you, so kindly decide what works for you.
3. Attempt mock exams
..especially the Simulators that offer 200 questions to be answered in 4 hours (without a pause). It prepares you for the real test, in every aspect. [continue reading…]
