PMP Lessons Learned: Juan Carlos, PMP
Shiv Shenoy
Authority Branding for CXOs & Experts | LinkedIn Top Voice | I help you transform your expertise into a book, build your presence on LinkedIn, and attract growth opportunities.
Once the exam started, oh boy… the true terror began!
I read my first question, and remembered thinking to myself “wow, I don’t know the answer, this is nothing like the simulators”.
The same happened for the second question, the third one, fourth, fifth, and so on…
By the time I was around question 30 I thought to myself that I had already lost the exam, and everything I did was just a waste of time, I was completely demoralized.
Someone that began their exam this way, ended up scoring Above Target on all the domains.
Wouldn’t you want to understand exactly how they did it?
That, and more, you will be able to get in this week’s PMP Lessons Learned interview.
Juan Carlos is from Guatemala City. With a master’s degree in Project Management and a Bachelor’s degree in System Engineering and Computer Science, Juan works as an IT Project Manager. He loves binge-watching web-series, apart from enjoying movies in theater.
Because he loves teaching, Juan also contributes as a teaching assistant. One of his goals is to teach at his university on Project Management.
Juan is a PMP topper, he scored Above Target in all the domains, and shares how he did it, this week.
Don’t miss reading his exam experience. Gave me goosebumps.
What made you take up PMP?
I enrolled myself in a master’s degree program here in Guatemala.
To be able to graduate, one of the requirements is to get one of four certifications: CAPM / PMP by the PMI, or IPMA D / IPMA C by IPMA.
I knew since the very beginning, before enrolling myself, that I wanted to be a PMP, and it didn’t matter to me that it was the hardest certification of my options. That was my primary reason for taking up PMP.
What was your core expectation from this exam?
I wanted a formal project management training.
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I knew I needed a proper set of guidelines and tools under my belt.
Now being a PMP certified professional, it helps me boost my career by having something tangible that shows my experience as a project manager. It also has given me the necessarily tools for me to take right decisions based on the project situation, and on how to approach it.
I also feel comfortable walking into a project that requires a waterfall, agile, or hybrid approach.
Also read:
According to you, what is the one thing a PMP aspirant should have/do/use, to prepare well and pass the exam?
SIMULATORS!
I can’t stress this enough.
You MUST have at least two different simulators to prepare well.
Other than that, you need to have the correct mindset. You need to think that you will pass the exam, that’s the only thing that you really need to think about, there is no space for a negative or pessimistic mindset.
Which study resources did you use for your exam preparation, and how did they help?
I read two different exam preparation books, did two different mockup tests in an Excel file, and used two different simulators from different websites, all of these in my native language (Spanish).
Book 1 (Spanish)
Book 2?(Spanish)
Book 3 / mockup test (English)
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2 年There’s definitely a gap in training/simulation and the actual exam Shiv. Sounds like a huge benefit to be able to help someone prepare for question that don’t line up with the learning.