Preparing for your PMI Exam at Prometric

In my opinion, preparing for a PMI exam is similar in nature to that of an athlete preparing for a game.  Athletes cannot simply walk onto the field and expect to compete, much less win, when they are matched against a worthy opponent without some amount of preparation. The athletes who are exceptional, spend countless hours training across many disciplines in the hopes of a favorable outcome.

It can be argued, the same can be true for the PMI (Project Management Institute) exams. With each Role Delineation Study (RDL) and Standard / Practice Guide Update, the exams become a little more challenging.  In this post, I’m going to share my knowledge and experience with regard to preparing for the Computer Based Test (CBT) at Prometric. Much like watching game films of your opponents, the following should help to better prepare you and hopefully alleviate some stress, leading to a successful outcome for all your hard work.

1) Locate a Test Center
Once PMI has accepted your application (time and process varies by credential), you will receive an email which contains your Prometric confirmation number. My recommendation is to login to Prometric’s website, to gauge seat availability over the next three months at your preferred or alternate test center. 

2) Simulation Tests
A key aspect of preparing for a PMI exam is practicing simulation tests. While these are not the actual questions which will appear on the exam, depending on the quality of the source, they can be somewhat representative and help to assess a knowledge baseline. I would use this opportunity to try and mirror the Prometric experience. For example...

• Before starting a simulation test, take :15 minutes to complete the brain dump on a booklet - 2 sheets of legal paper folded in half;
• Decide if you’re going to use the Windows based calculator or a simple hand-held calculator;
• Simulation tests are the perfect time to practice keeping score,tracking your cadence, and to determine the optimal time for beaks;
• Consider wearing over-sized headphones to mute out ambient noise;
• If you find taking tests to be stressful perhaps play talk radio in the   background to condition yourself to an environment that may not be   conducive to focusing.

3) Scheduling an Exam
When you're able to consistently score 80% on full-length exams, using reliable test simulation software, consider scheduling your exam with Prometric out about 4 weeks. My personal preference is to schedule exams for either Monday or Tuesday, early morning between 9:30am and 10:30am. Typically after the first time slot (8:30am), this way there is little wait upon your arrival. 

4) Practice, Practice, Practice
Over the next four weeks concentrate your studies, including practicing your brain dumps multiple times per day. Leading up to the exam, try to complete at least 3, if not 4 full-length simulation exams. During this time, I also recommend charting your scores. 

5) Need More Time to Study?
If for some reason you need to cancel or reschedule your exam within 30 calendar days of your appointment, Prometric will charge at US $70 rebooking fee. If you cancel your exam within two days of your appointment, per the handbook, you will forfeit the entire? exam fee.  To reschedule a cancelled exam you will need to submit a re-exam fee and you will need to be within your one-year eligibility period. 

6) The Countdown to Exam Day
The day’s leading up to the exam should be relaxing, and relatively stress free. If your exam is on a Tuesday, I recommend taking Monday off from work, perhaps get some lite exercise. 

While I don’t encourage studying the day before the exam, simply because it may evoke doubt and stress, looking over material and practicing the brain dumps can be a stress reliever.

Sleep is paramount to help the brain and body function, so go to bed early the nights before the exam.

7) Exam Day
The morning of the exam, don't eat an overly heavy meal, it should be something filling and nourishing. My recommendation is to not consume an abundance of fluids, as bathroom breaks while permissible will count against the exam time.

Consider wearing two layers of shirts, this will provide you with some flexibility if the test center is either too warm or cold.

Leave your house in plenty of time to allow for traffic or difficulties parking. In some instances, I’ve encouraged candidates to take advantage of Prometric “Test Drive”. For US $30, candidates can familiarize themselves with the test center and the check-in process, learn more…. https://bit.ly/1peb1s9

Plan to arrive at the test center at least :45 minutes before the start of the exam. Upon checking in at Prometric, you'll be provided a key for a small locker. Remember to bring your driver’s license and confirmation of registration. At this point, I would recommend using the rest room, as I don't encourage breaks where you leave the workstation during the exam.

When your seat is available, a Prometric proctor will have you sign in and verify that your driver’s license matches the exam registration. They will pull out the scratch paper (which in my recent experience has been a blank exam book (approximately the size of two sheets of legal size paper folded in half) with 2 pencils. At this time, let the proctor know if you would like a traditional calculator - versus using the Windows based calculator. If you are using a traditional calculator, check to make sure you know how to turn it on. I also recommend rolling the pencil tips to confirm they are not broken and sharpened to your preference.

Once your identity has been confirmed, the Prometric proctor will screen you for any contraband. You'll be asked to pull up your pants / shirt sleeves and turn your pockets inside out. This screening also includes the use of a metal detector. They are about as thorough as the TSA.

Once the proctor selects your test station, you will then be escorted into the exam room. Your identification / driver’s license will be placed in the corner of the desk. This is done, so that the proctors can confirm the identity of the person seated throughout the exam - as you will be randomly observed by different proctors at random intervals, your exam session is also recorded.

In some cases, the proctor will leave your workstation and the 1-minute countdown clock will start for the 15-minute tutorial. In some experiences, they may wait for you to click start to begin the tutorial.

8) Using the first 13 minutes of the tutorial….
Create your Brain Dump, although most advanced exams are experience based, this will help your confidence during the exam.

Create your Score Sheet; in each of my seven PMI exams, I have accurately predicted my final “pass / fail” result – I’ll share these tips & tricks in another post.

Create your Cadence Chart, I recommend breaking the exam into three sections, consider a 170 question exam:

1. Sprint 1 & 2 : 105 minutes each completing 85 questions per sprint
2. One minute break following each sprint
3. Final review time of 28 minutes

Using the last 2 minutes of the tutorial quickly review the material…

- If you plan to use the Windows Calculator, refamiliarize yourself with the tool
- Make note of how to flag questions for review
- Understand how the scroll feature works for multipage / multipart questions 

9) Sprint 1 & 2
Duration 1 hour, 45 minutes
Goal is to complete 85 questions – don’t skip any questions

• Flag any question you want to review
• Keep score, tracking confidence of each question
• Every :30 minutes track your actual progress to target
• While seated take a 1 minute break after each sprint (stretch in your chair, close your eyes, try to refocus).

10) Final Review
With 28 minutes remaining, review all flagged questions and low confidence answers. On occasion, some questions may help you to answers others. Only in case where you find additional information, do I encourage students to change their answers. 

11) When you Click Submit
Once your review is complete, upon clicking submit, you'll be prompted to complete a short survey about the test center and the PMI credential. Upon completing the survey, a message on screen will indicate Pass / Fail. You can then leave the testing workstation and contact the Prometric proctor.

12) Celebrate Your Success
In the moments following, the proctor will hand you a printed exam summary, which they’ll emboss with the Prometric seal. In two to three weeks you'll receive the Certificate from PMI.