PMP? Lessons Learned #15

Peak Point: Hello Simon! Congratulations on your PMP certification and thank you for agreeing to share your lessons with us. Could you please start us off by telling us about what you do?

Simon: I am a registered graduate Civil Engineer with both the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK). I am an accredited site supervisor by the National Construction Authority (NCA), and now a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). I mostly work in the design and construction supervision of highways, dams, and other infrastructure projects. I prepare cost estimates, work schedules and mobilize and allocate resources. I also do quality control and stakeholder engagements in projects.

Peak Point: When did you join the PMP Exam Prep class, and when did you pass the PMP exam?

Simon: I joined the PMP exam prep class in September 2022 as the first cohort of IEK members attending the PMP Exam Prep class organized by the IEK. I took the PMP exam and passed on the first attempt on 14th August 2023.

Peak Point: I noticed that you passed the exam exactly one year after you attended the PMP Exam Prep course. What took you so long?

Simon: I must say my PMP preparation journey has been a long and interesting one. Immediately after finishing the training with Peak Point Consulting Group in September 2022, my wife challenged me to study and take the exam in the following month of October. Her motivation was that this would be a birthday gift for me since October is my birthday month. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage because my mind was not settled.

Later, I would set quarterly targets that I kept postponing because I wasn't studying! When I realized a year was almost over since I underwent the training, I decided to work with Ronald Kefa, PMP, DASM, PMD Pro, 's advice of committing to a date by paying for and scheduling the exam. I scheduled the exam on 30th June 2023 and gave myself a one and half months for preparation.

With the exam date set and fees paid, I had no choice but to knuckle down and prepare for it. In hindsight, I can tell you nothing brings more clarity to your PMP exam preparation than locking down the exam date.

Peak Point: Now you have more than one reason to celebrate on your birthday in a couple of months!

What motivated you to get the PMP?

Simon: Engineering is all about projects, yet I don't think that the project management unit taught in undergraduate engineering classes is near enough to prepare engineers for what awaits them at the workplace. The modern economy is driven by projects and I wanted to acquire skills that would make me a more effective project manager. Not only that, I wanted to be a recognized project leader, and that's why I chose to pursue the PMP. I believe that possessing top-notch project management skills gives me a strategic advantage globally.

Peak Point: Very well said. Tell us about how you prepared. Did you dedicate daily study time?

Simon: I dedicated 2 hours of study every morning from 4:30 am to 6:30 am for one and a half months. I went through the PMBOK Guide the 2nd time in one month and dedicated the half month for revision of questions and reviewing other relevant materials.

Peak Point: What study materials did you find most useful?

Simon: The study materials I found most useful were the PMBOK Guide 6th Edition, PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, and the Agile Practice Guide. I also used Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep 10th Edition. Even though the 11th edition has since been published, I found the 10th Edition still very helpful. The questions at the end of each chapter, and the explanations of the right answers, helped me to develop the PMI mindset which is very useful for approaching the exam.

Peak Point: Did you use a PMP exam simulator to prepare? ?

Simon: I didn’t manage to use the exam simulator. However, I participated diligently in Peak Point's revision group on WhatsApp, where 15 questions were posted daily for participants to attempt, and then the answers (with explanations and references) would be revealed later in the day. I am grateful to Peak Point for their sacrifice and dedication to see that all the cohort members sail through the PMP exams.

Peak Point: What key strategies can you say helped you to pass the exam on your first attempt?

Simon: Approaching the exam with a servant leadership mindset when tackling questions from the People domain and a proactive mindset when tackling questions from the Process and Business environment domains.

Peak Point: Did you take the online proctored exam or did go to a test center?

Simon: I took the exam at Computer Pride Test Centre, JKUAT Towers in Nairobi. I would recommend the test center over and over again.

Peak Point: How so, what impressed you so much?

Simon: The exam center staff were very courteous and professional. Their computer’s speed was on point and the environment very quiet and cool for exams.

Peak Point: This is interesting to hear because yours truly had the same view when he passed his PMP exam there many years ago.

Were you anxious at all?

Simon: I arrived at the test center 30 minutes before the exam starting time. This helped me to be calm during the clearing process. However, when the clock started counting the remaining time from 270 minutes my heart started racing for the first 30 minutes of the exams. Thereafter, I managed to get into the exam mindset and started flowing with the questions. I must say this less-than-ideal start cost me a lot of time because I completed less than 15 questions in the first 30 to 45 minutes. This would catch up with me later.

Peak Point: Did anything surprise you or was it all fairly as you had expected?

Simon: I was surprised that there were no direct questions or answers picked from the PMBOK Guide. All questions were application questions. They are looking to see if you really understand how to apply learned concepts in real-life situations at work.

Peak Point: Did you finish answering all the questions?

Simon: In the last 10 minutes of the exam I was remaining with 20 to 30 questions unanswered. I decided to just go straight to the last part of the questions and avoid the detailed narrations. This helped me to save time that I would have wasted in reading the distractors in most of the questions. When the countdown reached zero, I was left with just the last question. So, overall did well to manage time, but I could have done better.

Peak Point: In your estimation, what was the ratio of predictive versus agile/hybrid questions on the exam?

Simon: 70% agile/hybrid and 30% predictive. I found the agile application questions leaning towards IT and manufacturing projects. PMI should increase more agile/hybrid questions on infrastructure projects.

Peak Point: Well, it just happens that knowledge work such as software development, which has high rates of change and uncertainty lends itself more to the agile approach than infrastructure projects that are typically very well understood from design specifications and thus can be planned in greater detail. You can easily change direction very late on a software project without incurring too much loss. However, you can't do the same on an infrastructure project because you'd have to undo or break a lot of physical materials in the process and that's quite costly.

The exam has two optional ten-minute breaks. Did you take any?

Simon: Having lost time on the first 15 questions, I only took the last break to strategize on how to tackle the remaining 60 questions in 40 minutes.

Peak Point: Which type of questions did you find to be most challenging?

Simon: Questions that required to identify the next action by the project manager because one question would have 2 to 3 answers that seemed correct.

Peak Point: Indeed these types of questions tend to be some of the hardest. The key is to understand the priority. While some of the actions in the other multiple choices may be correct, they may not be the next action to take in order of priority.

What did you do when you saw the notification that you had passed?

Simon: I couldn’t believe it until the exam center staff printed for me the results. I praised God and felt such a great relief and achievement.

Peak Point: I feel you, totally. The relief and fulfilment of passing the PMP exam are second to none.

Whom did you call first to announce the good news?

Simon: My wife of course.

Peak Point: How lovely! That was 11 months overdue but with the same excitement, right? ??

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do the same?

Simon: I would make the preparation period short or a max of 2 months and work with a fixed day of scheduled exams.

Peak Point: What would you do differently to prepare for the exam?

Simon: I would attempt full simulated exams before taking the main exam. I think this would help me deal with the anxiety that came over me in the first 30 to 40 minutes of the exam and made me rush through the remaining questions just to beat the clock. The cardinal rule on the PMP exam is: "Never leave a question unanswered."

Peak Point: What advice and tips would you give aspiring PMP candidates?

Simon: Set a PMP goal by fixing an exam date, study to understand concepts, tune your mindset to the PMI mindset as you prepare for the exam, join revision groups, and take simulator exams. Finally, and I think this is a big one, gather the courage to face the exam.

Peak Point: How can you be reached for professional discourse or business opportunities?

Through my email: [email protected] or

Linkedin: www.dhirubhai.net/in/ simon-mateli-civileng-pmp9a6756a5