Working in the Quality Assurance field, Amit Lambi strongly feels that PMP for QA Lead can help them grow further into their role, as well as provide an opportunity to pivot into project management.
A music buff, Amit Lambi has about 11+ years of overall IT industry experience and 8+ years of relevant experience as a System Test Professional in the Data communication and Networking Industry.
In this week’s PMP® Lessons Learned article, Amit shares how he went about preparing for his dream certification, PMP®, and some of the insights he gained that might help in your preparation.
Let’s jump right in.
Why PMP® certification over others?
PMP® is a globally recognized professional certification and respected credential. It is considered an essential certification for Project Managers in any industry.
It helps even if someone is not in the official designation of Project Manager, but handles team, budget, delivery, etc, such as Quality Assurance, or Compliance implementation.
Since QA is my field of specialty, I decided to go with PMP®.
PMP is essential for those looking to move to the next level in their career.
When I was working as Lead QE Engineer initially I thought of taking up ISTQB (Foundation Level and Test Manager). But then comparing the benefits with that of PMP, I decided to go with the latter.
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Now that you are a certified PMP®, what benefits would you expect?
First of all, PMP certification adds value to my resume, it shows that I have the required knowledge to manage projects – big and small. Then of course it provides industry recognition and showcases my commitment to professional growth.
Throughout the study period I have been able to discover many insights into how projects are (need to be) managed, and with this how Quality Assurance should be managed to achieve project objectives.
As PMI’s salary survey shows year after year, having PMP® under your belt can drastically improve your compensation (22%-25%), which is great.
With PMP credentials I have been able to get in touch with different professionals in the industry, and PMI’s platforms & local chapters have provided me with various networking opportunities.
Which study resources did you consider, and eventually used for the exam preparation?
Initially, I started with these,
- SimpliLearn Online Classroom Flexi-Pass Instructor-led 35 contact hours classroom training with below training aids
- PMP Podcasts on the internet
- PMP Flashcards
- PMP Pocket Prep paid iOS App
- PMP Formulas
- Went through PMP Exam Lessons Learned shared by those that passed – this was both inspirational and educational as I found a couple of strategies
For my last 2 months, Last mile prep full time and below study resources used,
- PMBOK® guide glimpsed once
- Headfirst PMP glimpsed once
- Rita Mulcahy’s PMP® Exam Prep read once thoroughly
- Oliver Lehmann’s PMP Practice Questions (more free mock tests here)
- Simplilearn two sets of Practice Questions (practiced till I got a score above 70%)
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How did you approach the exam and what was your study plan?
My exam preparation was done in two parts –
- 35 contact hours training time (before Pandemic)
- Last Mile Prep in two months full-time study (during the pandemic situation)
I got the opportunity to work with Shiv in one-on-one calls on Skype, got the required details and motivation to pass the exam confidently. His Study materials definitely helped me grasp complex information in an easier way.
Any blockers along the way?
Well, I found the PMBOK guide to be a hard read, so I used it for reference purposes only.
I’d say that using PMBOK in detail is not necessary, so once I realized that I carefully selected study materials that really worked well for me.
How did you study the week before the exam?
I reviewed the technical requirements to ensure my computer is compatible with the online proctoring software. Then I ran the system test once the OnVUE application is installed and confirmed everything is fine.
On exam day, I disabled firewalls and antivirus software to avoid any unnecessary popups that might ruin the exam
I took the last week off from work because of the pandemic situation I was doing WFH and also I was serving my notice period in my current company.
Also, I through my own study notes, and mind maps – the familiarity of my own notes gave me a feeling of comfort
I watched the videos at 1.5X or higher speed and covered the entire content.
Finally, I went through PMBOK annexures and the glossary of terms.
With this preparation done, I took as many 4-hr mock tests as I could.
Any specific study tips for PMP® students?
The biggest part of PMP preparation that many people either miss or misunderstand is – practice tests or mock tests.
I would highly recommend taking mock tests to understand and practice time management on the exam.
Answering 180 questions in less than 4 hours takes a lot of focus and patience. Considering we get ~1.2 minutes per question, this could be a big task. Sometimes we tend to get stuck on a question and lose track of time. So practice is essential.
The other advantage of mock or practice tests is that it tells you which areas or topics are still rusty. Get yourself a very good simulator and it is definitely worth the investment.
That’s all I had to share. I wish all the exam aspirants good luck.
