I passed the PMP Exam... So can you!

If you are reading this article and planning, or considering sitting for the PMP Exam, it already says a lot about you. From that alone, I can tell that you are a dedicated person, who is continuously looking for opportunities to improve and advance in life. Whatever is the source of your motivation, you possess the drive needed to get you there!

This being said, unfortunately you still need to be very prepared before you take on the PMP Exam. No matter how experienced or knowledgeable you are about project management, DO NOT underestimate the difficulty of this exam. Commitment, consistent preparation and self-discipline are the key ingredients here, and believe me, you will learn a lot.

I am well aware that there are a lot of articles/blogs that explain the benefits of the PMP certification, that is why I am not going to talk about them here. Instead, I am writing this article to support you (hopefully) in having a successful studying experience. Some of you might notice that the approach I am going to use to organize the article is inspired by the project management framework which my exam was based on (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing), because I want you to see your studies as a project that you are trying to fulfil. Please note that the topic here is about how to prepare for the PMP exam, and not directly related to the content of the PMP itself!

I. Let us start by INITIATING. As any decision you make in your life, the decision of investing money, time and efforts in getting certified needs to be assessed against the benefits that it could bring you. If you did not already do that, think of your current situation and in which direction you want to head in your career, what do you want to achieve, what skills you want to develop or enhance, what do you think you need to be better at what you are doing, what do you think your organization or clients would value. Now, is the PMP certification aligned with the overall career goals you set for yourself? Do you know how will it help you achieve those goals? Are you ready to commit and dedicate your energy and efforts for it? If you answered YES to all the previous questions, consider yourself as a PMP aspirant. Waste no more time and initiate your PMP application (or work on fulfilling the needed requirements prior to that). I think we are ready to jump to the next topic!

II. Now that you know you want to get certified, you need a PLAN to be able to achieve that. Yup, you need to plan for everything in this life, and the PMP is no exception! Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail (I love that quote and had to keep reminding myself of it).

Based on what I kept hearing and on my personal experience, you should aim to study for a period of 2 to 3 months, not more, not less! Why not more? Try to avoid extending your studying period beyond that as you will start forgetting some topics you learned in the beginning, you will lose focus, and I think it’s simply not sustainable, especially for someone working a full-time job and having other responsibilities. Why not less? I will let you answer that question yourself when you start studying ??. Seriously though, there is a lot of material that you need to learn and digest, and keep in mind that the PMP exam is based on the project management best practices and standards according to PMI, and not your personal experience! So don’t rush, take your time in fully understanding the material you have in hand. I advise you that you commit at least 4 hours each day to study. Most importantly don’t skip days, if you cannot commit 4 hours on a specific day, do the maximum you can, but don’t skip days. Set a daily goal and book your exam even before you start studying so that you get a sense of a deadline.

In terms of resources/tools, the course you are required to take as part of the application won’t be enough to make you learn the key concepts. I STRONGLY advise purchasing the exam prep kits offered by RMC Learning Solutions (by Rita Mulcahy) and Velociteach (by Andy Crowe), which both contain prep books, practice tests, exam simulators with the right difficulty level, flashcards, valuable tips and more! Their versions are always aligned with latest updates of the PMP exam. These are to be purchased ALONG with the PMBOK Guide by PMI. Don’t make this mistake, it is crucial that you read the main book.

In your plan you should have a perfect balance between reading and practice. Below is the plan I personally followed during my studies. Time estimates take into assumption that the person studying is a full-time employee. Exam/Test time estimates take into account the review of incorrect answers:

1.      Take the PMP course (as part of the application requirements). I personally prefer not to provide advice on which course provider to choose as I think you can find better and cheaper courses than the one I had. Keep in mind however, that the course needs to be delivered by a PMI Registered Education Provider in order for your application to be approved. (~ 2-5 days)

2.      Read the PMBOK, then skim through it again. (~ 2-3 weeks)

3.      Do an in depth reading of RMC’s prep book. If you have the online version of the book, I want you to put comments next to the important topics/concepts that you come across, especially the ones that are new to you. If you prefer the printed version, you can use sticky notes instead. (~ 2-3 weeks)

4.      Take an online mock exam offered by RMC. (~ 5-6 hours)

5.      Read Velociteach’s prep book (the book is easy to read). While reading, I want you to create a list of the key concepts, and the items you think are not sticking in your head. Next to the listed items, mention the related page numbers on the book so that you can refer to them easily in the future (I’ll explain why later). Do the practice tests after you finish each chapter in the Velociteach prep book. (~ 1-2 weeks)

6.      Take the mock exam present at the end of the Velociteach prep book. (~ 5-6 hours)

7.      Do the practice tests present after each chapter in RMC’s prep book. (~ 10-12 hours, span them over two or three days)

At this point you are probably wondering about the reason behind making all these comments, notes and lists. Let me explain. By the time you complete step 7, you would most likely still have around 10 days left until your PMP exam appointment. When you reach that moment, every minute of your studies count! That’s why it’s important to have a, what I like to call, “last 10 days plan.” If you can take some time off from work during that period it would be even better, but it’s not necessary per se.

During my last 10 days, I followed the below plan:

Day 1-2: Do some online practice tests offered by Velociteach, RMC, and other resources if you are able to find good ones (you should have free access for the Velociteach and RMC tests if you have purchased the prep kit).

Day 3: Take an online Mock Exam offered by Velociteach.

Day 4-6: Go back to the comments you made in the RMC prep book (step 3) and read them again carefully, along with the Tricks of the Trade? sections present in the book. While doing this, add the items that you think you still need to go through again to the list you created in step 5.

Day 7: Take an online Mock exam offered by RMC.

Day 8: Take an online Mock exam offered by RMC.

Day 9-10: These are the most important 2 days (they are the only days you have left before the exam)! During these 2 days I want you to absolutely avoid doing practice tests/mock exams. You would have already done enough by this time! I want you to focus instead on the list you have created. Each item on that list needs to be reviewed. If you find an item you think you know enough about, you still have to review it, it got on the list for a reason! Refer to the noted page numbers and read carefully the related paragraphs in the RMC/Velociteach prep books. This time these concepts should definitely stick in your head!

III. Now that you have a well-structured study plan, you need to put all the hard work in EXECUTING it and complying with it. Remember, you promised yourself in the initiating phase that you will be committed to it. Consider these 2-3 months as an investment that will pay off hopefully for the rest of your life. During executing, we tend to lose focus and motivation, we get nervous, we reassess the decisions we made, and lose hope sometimes. Some of us might encounter some unexpected obstacles that they need to deal with while preparing for the PMP exam, and so the stress level increases even more! We are humans at the end of day, and all these things are perfectly normal. When this happens to you, keep the big picture in your mind. You could do things that can remind you of it, like putting sticky notes on your bedroom wall mentioning the reasons why you are pursuing this certification, read or learn about others’ experiences after they got certified, check some LinkedIn posts where people are sharing their joy about successfully passing the PMP exam (this one might be funny to you but believe me it works!). Stay motivated in whatever way possible, this is a learning experience, and consider this period as an investment you are doing for yourself, to be able to be better at what you do, and make a positive change in your own way.

IV. While executing your plan, you need to constantly MONITOR AND CONTROL the way you are performing, especially during practice tests and mock exams. Aim for an 80% score on the mock exams to be confident that you are ready for the real exam (although I think anything above 75% is good sign). If you are getting 80%, aim for the 85%. If you are getting 85% aim for the 90%! (if you get a 90% you are out of this planet). Re-adjust the plan if you feel it’s not meeting your needs. It worked for me, but might not work 100% effectively on someone else. You need to tailor the plan as per your learning preferences and style, but make sure that you have a good balance between reading and practice.

V. Finally at CLOSING, your PMP exam is tomorrow. Feel confident that you did everything in your power to be ready for it. In the last day, keep it easy, don’t over exert yourself, you will need that energy on the big day. As I said previously avoid doing any practice tests or mock exams! Make sure you study early to finish early so that you can enjoy the rest of the day and have a good sleep prior to your exam day.

Tips on exam day:

-         Use the highlight/strikethrough features, they really help you understand the question and eliminate the wrong answers.

-         Review all answer choices before choosing one.

-         Keep an eye on the time.

-         Postpone the questions that need calculation till the end, as they usually take more time than other questions. Remember, all questions carry the same weight. You might be losing your chance of getting around 3-4 questions right by focusing your time and efforts on a calculation question.

-         Flag the questions you are unsure about so you can review them at the end.

-         Remember to breath if you feel you are losing focus or getting nervous.

I hope this article will help you through your certification journey. For any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

Wishing you best of luck on exam day, you got this!