The Project Management Professional certification: preparation and study materials

Hi, I'm Oleksandra Domina , a project manager at Valtech with nine years of experience in IT project management.?

I'm excited to share my path to preparing for and obtaining the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. I am offering my PMP study guide, exam tips, and insights.?

Why pursue the Project Management Professional certification??

Amidst many certifications, each with its benefits, I started thinking about which would be best for my career. Important things to consider include:?

• What exactly do I do at work??

• What are my projects??

• Where are the clients I work with??

• What projects do I want to try??

• What soft skills do I need to develop in terms of management?

After documenting my responses and revisiting them, I discerned the need for a foundational education in management. Consultation with my supervisor further solidified my decision. While an MBA presented a comprehensive yet costly and time-intensive option, the PMP certification emerged as a more expedient and economical pathway to bolster my credentials.?

Project Management Professional exam preparation and study materials??

The Project Management Institute outlines the certification prerequisites:?

1. A high school or secondary school diploma or a diploma from a specialized educational institution. A bachelor's degree is advantageous, requiring less experience.?

1. A specified number of months in project management (management being crucial) within the last eight years.?

1. Completion of 35 hours of training in preparatory courses or CAPM certification.?

These criteria ensure that the certification substantiates practical professional engagement rather than merely serving as a checkbox on a resume.?

The First Stage: PMP exam preparation courses?

Numerous courses are available on educational platforms like LinkedIn Learning. Hence, I opted for offline training at InStar , a Kyiv-based company. They offered online training with a Miro board and Zoom calls.??

During the course, I familiarized myself with the material structure, gained a general understanding of management basics, and much more. The training was interactive, highly intensive, and practical. After each session, we reviewed sample exam questions, deliberated potential answers, and confirmed the correct ones. Each option was open for discussion, allowing us to clarify any uncertainties with the instructor. Following the group's active learning, I dedicated slightly over a month to it, followed by three months of individual test practice.?

Second Stage: PMP study guide and books?

When choosing Project Management Professional study materials, I invested in a physical copy of PMBOK (6th edition, though now somewhat outdated due to the release of PMBOK 7, which offers restructured and updated content) and Rita Mulcahy's exam preparation book.?

If I were preparing today, I would procure PMBOK 7, Rita Mulcahy's book, and an electronic version of PMBOK 6 to fully understand its structure. Currently, at work, I periodically reference Rita's book before consulting PMBOK 6.?

?Using the #Pomodoro technique, I dedicated 25 minutes every morning and evening to reading these books and taking tests. This routine amounted to one or two hours in the morning and one or two hours in the evening. I highly recommend purchasing these two books for preparation, as they played a crucial role in forming the final structure in my mind and systematizing my knowledge effectively.?

The third stage: PMP exam testing?

?Two to three times a week, I would search for exam questions online and take free tests, occasionally opting for paid ones. I engaged in consistent review, albeit not extensively.?

Also, I discovered KnowledgeMap , which I consider the best website for preparation! Its advantages include:?

• A personalized preparation schedule with a built-in Gantt chart.?

• There is an abundance of materials for each topic, including videos, links to relevant PMBOK topics, and more.?

• Ability to test individual topics, sections, processes, etc.?

• Comprehensive statistics on test performance, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.?

• Option to find a preparation mentor on the site.?

• It's Ukrainian.?

I recommend checking out knowledge.map even if you need to prepare for PMP, as it also offers preparation for various other certifications.?

Additional Insights for PMP Certification Success?

During my preparation, I also opted to purchase a PMI Membership, primarily for the discount on the exam fee. However, I soon realized its value extended beyond that, especially when seeking answers to questions on the PMI website. Access to a plethora of exam-related materials proved invaluable in aiding my preparation.?

Planning your studies with a Project Management Professional study guide?

Preparing for PMP is akin to training for a half marathon; consistent, systematic training in various conditions yields better results than sporadic efforts.?

I structured my PMP exam study plan using a Todoist planner with recurring tasks, encompassing each project phase and knowledge area. This approach ensured I had a daily list of topics to review, refine, and study further.?

It is convenient for me to break down all the material according to the project's processes and phases, write down each topic separately, and test it. Additionally, I conducted general tests once a week to maintain an overall understanding.?

Structuring educational material is, in fact, a form of knowledge systematization. So, I would strongly suggest that you organize everything clearly and meticulously.?

Project Management Professional exam eligibility?

PMP exam schedule and registration?

The Project Management Professional application process is quite complicated, so it's essential to understand it calmly and thoroughly. You need to specify your projects' start and end dates and mention all the results and details. Remember to note important milestones and your activities related to them. Understandably, we only remember some of the projects we've worked on over the past eight years (especially in outsourcing) in such detail.

In my case, the time between the PMP exam registration and the actual exam date was 14 days.??

The process of the PMP exam registration involves submitting the application, undergoing validation, and potentially facing an audit, among other steps. Hence, waiting until achieving a 90% test success rate before applying for the exam is not advisable. It's best to initiate the application process concurrently with test preparation. Aim to start the application when achieving 70-80% test marks.?

PMP exam audit

Here's an outline of the process of PMP exam audit prep:?

1. Create a Word document listing all projects managed as a project manager (not as a business analyst or lead) over the past 3-4 years. Emphasize the role's significance, as projects with this role will be considered.?
2. Specify if your organization has a non-functional structure (matrix, project). Ideally, you should be part of the company's Project Management Office (PMO). If not, clarify this in your application.?
3. Ensure your projects align with the term 'project,' resulting in a new product or service. Submitting a support process may lead to an audit and rejection.?
4. To the application reviewer, demonstrate familiarity with project management terminology. Use concepts like management plan, stakeholders, resources, and scope.?
5. Include start and end dates of projects, counting overlapping projects as one experience.?
6. Clearly state the project's purpose and the achieved results.?
7. Describe projects according to project phases (initiation, planning, execution, testing, closure) using PMI terminology.?
8. After describing all experiences, check the character count and review the application form.?

I received approval for the PMP exam within 2-3 days after about a week of application preparation. I recommend sharing this description with your manager, as confirmation of your project management experience may be necessary during an audit.?

You have 90 days to complete the form accurately and comprehensively. A detailed and structured application ensures swift processing and exam admission without an audit.?

An audit involves verifying your education and experience. PMI personnel review the application, with statistics showing only 8-10% of applicants go through the audit. Therefore, honesty and accuracy in the application are crucial. If selected for an audit, provide truthful and verifiable information, as rejection during the audit prevents applying for any PMI certification for a year.?

The PMP exam: What to expect?

Start with choosing a PMP exam format: at home or in an exam center.?

The online exam guidelines have clear rules on what kind of room you should have, how you should position the camera, and what should or should not be nearby. For example, you cannot use a pencil and paper during the online exam. You have to install the appropriate applications on your computer; there is no guarantee that they will work without problems.?

I chose an exam center Pearson VUE in Kyiv as I wasn't sure I could sit through the entire exam at home without being distracted. Before the exam, you must fill out paperwork, take off all your earrings, bracelets, etc., and hand over your phone to the camera.?

The Project Management Professional exam lasted three hours. My native language is Ukrainian, but there was no such option, so I passed the exam in English. You just turn on the program and go. The worst thing is that after the last question, there is no clear message indicating whether you passed or not. I got a message like:

"You passed the exam; thank you."?

I didn't encounter a single PMP question that I had come across in my studies. No formulas, no calculations (unfortunately). The PMP exam questions were voluminous, with not a single test requiring a simple "yes" or "no" answer. You have 3 minutes per question on average, so you have to read and choose the answer quickly. Each question presents a lot of information, and you have to choose one or more answers that should be a continuation or a solution to the situation.?

All the questions were situational, testing your knowledge in practice.?

Project Management Professional exam question example:?

You are the project manager of a hybrid project with X teams. Programmer A wrote to stakeholder B with the following change. After that, C, D, and E happened on the project. What should you do first? Who should you contact first? What is the result of these actions??

It reflects the situation and whether you are aware of it. Therefore, it is quite difficult to answer. You need to analyze clearly and very quickly and know what to do in a given situation.?

Cheating during the exam is not an option. Without knowledge of the theory and how to apply it in practice, I think it won't be easy to pass. The PMP is an applied exam involving three hours of active brainstorming.?

Maintaining your Project Management Professional certification?

You need to confirm your knowledge and activities and maintain your certificate through the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) system every three years.?

During the three-year cycle, you must collect the appropriate number of PDUs (actually, hours) for different categories. PDU stands for Professional Development Unit. 1 PDU is 1 hour of time spent on your own training, training others, or volunteering in the field of project management.?

In general, the categories where you need to collect PDUs are divided into training and what you "give back to the profession."?

To renew your certificate, you need to collect 60 PDUs: a minimum of 35 hours of education and 25 hours of optional credit that can be earned by teaching others and volunteering. ? ?

The Education category consists of three areas, corresponding to the project management triangle. It's really cool that you can learn in any way you want: webinars, courses, books, etc. PMI offers a lot of free materials, but the paid ones help you get your certificate renewal faster. The choice, of course, is yours.?

There are many materials on learning platforms with PDUs that can be claimed after completing a course or webinar. You can choose interesting material in a convenient form. It's not difficult. The main thing, in my opinion, is not to wait until the last months when you need to confirm the certificate.?

The Giving Back category includes the hours you actually work as a project manager and everything you create in this area. You can write articles, books, host webinars, make presentations, and participate in volunteer activities offered by PMI.?

There are many options. You can choose expensive courses and webinars to gain points quickly, or take small steps. It's up to you.??

PMP certification benefits and how it affected my work?

After passing the exam, I took my test results, compared them with the knowledge categories, and identified the questions I needed to improve on. This is what my file with PMP study plan looks like:?

I looked through and studied each question marked as low priority separately. I am taking PMP courses and reading a lot. When I feel that I have learned enough, I close the task.??

However, a significant advantage of this PMP preparation strategy is that I often encounter these questions in my work. This allows me to immediately put my learning into practice and suggest improvements to the workflow. This is a significant benefit because I am full of ideas ???

A parallel step was to revise my own goals, team goals, and workflow. My manager and I decided that we needed to set up several processes from scratch. Woo-hoo, and I know how!??

PMP: Risk management strategies?

I started by creating relevant documentation, identifying risks, and filling them with information.?

First, I created a risk breakdown structure for our project. Then, I started creating each risk. The PMI website has templates for risk documentation, but I used the corporate one.? ?

PMP: Change management techniques?

In our practice, changes often bring many problems to projects. That's why change management piqued my interest, and I started conducting at least an initial change management process in each of my projects. This included creating a changelog, creating special Issue Types to track this process, and describing the basic algorithm of actions and necessary parameters for each change.?

_____?

My pursuit of the Project Management Professional exam cost of approximately $1000, spanned six months.?

For me, PMP is not just a certificate; it is a step into a new vision of project management and an entry into an interesting new world. I began to view projects as living mechanisms where every cog plays a role. The learning process itself allowed me to see my work differently, analyze what we are missing, and identify ways to improve our processes.?

Additionally, this certificate gives me a great deal of confidence. No matter what happens in life, I will always have the opportunity to work and gain experience in my favorite profession.??

I dream of pursuing and achieving further PMP certifications.?