PMP? Lessons Learned - Shankar Rajkumar, PMP

Shankar Rajkumar passed his PMP? exam recently. And as it is a custom now a days, I let out a YooHoo! cry (yes, Shankar is a student of PM Exam Last Mile prep program ?? ) and asked him if he can share his exam strategies and study advice.

He told me that he had successfully used some of the points that other PMP?s had shared, so it would be his honor to continue along the tradition.

So, let us get straight to the point!

First off, what made you take up PMP? exam? :)

The gold standard in Project management and world wide recognition are the key factors to choose PMP? certification. I didn’t need any other reason.

Now that I am certified my ability to take on complex and challenging projects will improve. I am able to applying thought of Tools and Techniques and the knowledge areas to my current projects.

It gives me such confidence on a daily basis knowing that I understand the intricacies of complex projects now and can think through the right way of managing my projects.

Which study resources did you consider, and eventually used for the exam preparation?

It can be overwhelming to go over tons of materials out there. I think if you can choose a limited number of (2 or 3) books or courses, you will be able to cut down unnecessary confusion, and study with focus.

I used the following study resources for my preparation –

• PMBOK
• Rita Mulcahy
• PM Exam Last Mile prep program

How did you approach the exam and what was your study plan?

I had begun my study with PMBOK, and I went one complete round of study with it.

Then Rita Mulcahy’s book for 2 rounds of study.

I went over PM Exam Last Mile prep program twice – and the videos, cheat sheets and mind maps for revision.

Also read: “The FAST-M study strategy I used to pass PMP? exam” – by Arti Kumari, PMP

What was your experience with the PM Exam Last Mile prep program?

The quality of information captured in ‘Last mile’ course is amazing. The mind mapping helped me to grasp the complex concepts easily. And because I felt it was easier to study with, eventually it was quick and easy to recall on the exam as well.

The examples, and narration provided by Shiv is very good. He has covered each process group in depth at the same time with humor.

Knowledge capsules, Mnemonics, and ITTOs information are topics that are covered very well.

A note on Shiv’s explanation of concepts: I was really impressed with his explanations. His examples are very easy to relate to and it helps to understand the complex processes in their simplest form. The formula guide, mnemonics diagrams, and videos were all comprehensive and easy to follow. I think they will help shorten the preparation time overall as well.

Grab the most brain-friendly PMP? prep program with weekly 1-1s. Special offer from 1-6 August!

Did you face any issues along the way?

Well, following the study was very tough due to the hectic office schedule and work pressure. But I think this is common for most of us.

Treating the exam like another project is probably a good approach to deal with this. Just like we handle multiple projects at work.

The other issue I faced was with the pandemic situation.

It forced me to reschedule the exam twice! Each time the frustration of not getting this task off my to-do list was increasing. ??

I had to do the revision and preparation again and again. While this was challenging psychologically, in the end it made the real exam a bit easier I guess.

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