Transitioning Veteran Passes PMP Exam - 1st Attempt!

Taking the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam, based on the 6th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) book, was the second hardest exam I have taken in my life, with the first being the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) for Nursing several years ago.  For the PMP exam, I studied for about four months and really stepped up my studying game a month before the exam including taking more practice quizzes every day and a full practice test at least once or twice a week.  Although this exam has an alleged first time pass rate of about 50%, I was determined to pass it on my first try.  I say “alleged pass rate” because you may find many websites, blogs, online videos, and rumor mills that state the first time pass rate is around 50%.  However, the Project Management Institute (PMI) does not declare an official PMP passing score nor a pass rate.  PMI only states on their website that “if you fail on your first attempt, you can re-take it two more times within your one-year eligibility period.  Fees are associated with re-examination.” (https://www.pmi.org/certifications/faq).  I am not trying to scare those of you who are thinking about getting your PMP, I want you to be aware that it takes a lot of commitment and hard work to prepare for the PMP’s 4 hour exam.  Do not be discouraged; with significant preparation and a positive attitude, you can pass the exam on your first try as well.  

In this article I will share my PMP journey that prepared me to pass the exam on my first attempt.

Free PMP Training for Transitioning Service Members

As a transitioning military service member, I was afforded the opportunity to take a free Project Management Professional (PMP) course through a program called Onward to Opportunity (O2O) through the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University (https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/programs/career-training/).  This program provides professional certificates and employment support services to transitioning service members, members of the selected reserves, veterans, and military spouses at no cost to the participants.  The O2O program provides training in several career tracks such as information technology, business management, and customer service.  Additionally, it pays for one industry certification per participant for the career track of your choosing.  In my case, I chose the business management career track with an industry specialization in project management.

You are allotted a total of 6 months to complete the program, 3 months to complete the coursework and 3 months to study for and pass their required practice exams.  Completion of the assigned coursework within the first 90 days of the program results in a non-credit certificate of completion from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.  Be aware that this certificate of completion is not the same as an industry certification; it serves as proof that you have successfully completed the online training portion of the O2O program and if you complete the PMP course, you can use this certificate as confirmation of having completed 35 hours of professional project management education, which is required for your PMP application process. 

O2O’s program coursework contains all of the required materials, including a digital copy of the latest PMBOK edition to help you complete the program.  Upon successful completion of the coursework and practice test requirements, O2O pays for your exam and for a one year membership to PMI.  It’s definitely worth looking into this program if you are a transitioning service member.  Keep in mind that the O2O program is always evolving to better serve its candidates, therefore, its policies, procedures, and access to programs may change over time, so your experience with O2O may be vastly different than mine.

WARNING: many of the program candidates quit early in the program; they either do not finish their online training, or finish the online training but never take the required practice exams due to getting tied up with their transitioning process and other life events (i.e. planning retirement ceremony, moving, Veteran’s Affairs appointments, job searches, etc.).    

My recommendation is to power through O2O’s online PMP course quickly so you may give yourself more study time and meet the program’s deadlines, while also allowing yourself plenty of time to focus on your transition.  I completed the 35 hours of online PMP course work in one week – that was the easy part.  The hard part was carving out the time to study for my exam while also getting ready for my transition out of the military.  Once I completed O2O’s requirements, I was then eligible to apply for the exam.  PMI’s application process was fairly simple to follow; the challenging part was figuring out how to translate my years of military project management experience into “PMI language”.   A website called Vet Stone (now called Vets2PM, https://vets2pm.com) helped me translate this information using their free military project management translator once I registered on their website.   

Since PMI audits applications randomly to confirm the experience and/or education documented on applications, I prepared for a potential audit by gathering contact information of previous supervisors that could attest to my work, and gave them a courtesy notice to inform them of the possibility of being contacted by PMI.  Luckily, my application was not audited and it was approved by PMI within 5 working days after I submitted it.  I immediately informed my O2O advisor of my application approval and a week later O2O sent me an email stating that my exam was paid for and to schedule an exam date.  Of note, you have one year, from the time PMI approves your application to take the exam.

Study Techniques

I did not want to schedule an exam date until I figured out study strategies that worked best for me.  For my study strategy, I completed O2O’s online course first, and then I read the PMBOK.  For some reason my brain had a hard time processing the PMBOK the first time I read it, so I purchased Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep Ninth Edition book which was very easy to read and helped me understand the PMBOK better the second time I read it.  I like Rita’s conversational tone and the examples the book provides for each process group.  Rita also gives exam tips throughout the book and provides practice quizzes with answers at the end of every chapter for a total of 400 practice questions.  However, I still had some knowledge gaps and had a voracious appetite for more study material and practice questions, so I continued on my quest to find more resources.

Free Online PMP Study Material 

Since LinkedIn offered me free LinkedIn Premium for a year as a veteran, I researched courses on LinkedIn Learning and discovered that LinkedIn Learning has a myriad of courses including various PMP courses taught by different professionals.  I found one course that I really enjoyed and the instructor’s name is Sandra (Sandy) Mitchell, MBA, PMP, CSM, PMI-ACP (https://www.dhirubhai.net/learning/cert-prep-project-management-professional-pmp/welcome).  In her videos she covers the PMBOK’s 6th edition material with personalized stories, which helped me remember the material better.  Some of my initial knowledge gaps included network diagrams, forward and backward pass calculations, and earned value management.  After watching her Project Cost Management and Project Schedule Management videos, I was able to master those areas with ease.  Although I had a better handle on the PMP material after watching her videos, I felt something was still missing.  Once again, I went on a hunt for more information.  

I searched PMP YouTube videos and found several videos by Aileen Ellis, PMP, PgMP, CSM, CSPO (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzl_4rhvVtjJ_rSIC1HRvmw).  Some of my favorites were Aileen’s outputs, tools and techniques, and earned value analysis with no math calculations videos.  She teaches how to read the test questions and figure out which process group the questions are asking about while addressing how to rule out the wrong answer choices.   

Free and Inexpensive Exam Preparation Apps and Websites 

The real learning emerged for me while taking a slew of practice quizzes and tests because I sharpened my knowledge by researching the questions I answered incorrectly.  To help me track the types of questions I missed, I kept a “PMP notebook”, wrote down the explanation for the correct answers, and turned those missed questions into note cards.  To study on the go, I downloaded apps on my phone including Pocket Prep, PM Sheet (this app helped me memorize all 49 processes in less than a week), Quizlet, and PMI Prep.  I used the free version of the first three apps I just mentioned and paid for the PMI Prep app because it gave me five 200-question practice exams and three 20 question practice quizzes per knowledge area, so I was able to track which knowledge areas I needed to focus on most.  For the last ten days before my exam date, I would either take a quiz or full exam in practice mode using two different test simulator programs, TestPrep through a website called Skillsoft (https://www.2.skillsoft.com/resources/percipio/), and TotalTester (https://hub.totalsem.com).   

These test simulators helped close the rest of my knowledge gaps and I liked TotalTester the most because it gave me the option to tailor practice exams by process groups and the number of questions I wanted to answer.  For example, I could choose to take a 100 question practice exam on only the planning process group, or take a 20 question quiz on all of the process groups.  Both test simulators have practice questions similar to the questions I encountered on the actual exam.  While TestPrep and TotalTester were free to me through the O2O program, they are very affordable through their websites, so I highly recommend you invest in one or both.  The more practice questions you can get your hands on the better.   Once my practice scores were in the 80’s and 90’s, I was confident I could pass the test.  

In a four month study period, I answered at least 4500 practice test questions.  Some days I would take several quizzes throughout the day, while other times I powered through 200 question practice exams – it just depended on my schedule and mindset.  Here’s the breakdown of the number of questions I answered using the various exam preparation resources already mentioned:

Phone Apps (1800) + O2O Online Training (1000) + TotalTester (700) + TestPrep (600) + Rita (400)

Ultimately, only you know what study habits and materials work best for you, and what works best for your budget.

Test Day

I chose to take my exam at a proctored facility because the online option was not going to work for me as I am easily distracted at home and my neighborhood is very noisy.  To help ease my test anxiety, I drove to the exam site the day before the exam to assess the environment, time how long it would take me to get there from home, and read the posted rules and regulations for the exam.   Scoping out the facility before exam day was a good choice because the classroom was chilly, so I brought a sweat shirt on the day of the exam to keep me warm and some ear plugs just in case I needed them to muffle any potential noise.  Water, food, and cellphones are not permitted in the test center so make sure you hydrate, eat a decent meal, and leave your cellphone in the car on test day. 

Once the exam starts you are allowed to do your brain dump (formulas, equations, and miscellaneous information you need to have memorized for the exam), however, I practiced my brain dump every day for 10 days straight before my test date and knew it well enough that I did not need it on exam day.  Halfway through the exam, I was given the option to take a 10-minute break, which I gladly took.  I recommend you take advantage of the 10-minute break to mentally re-charge and finish strong.  

In spite of being fully prepared for the exam, a few minutes before I started testing, the supervillain, Doubt, showed up to try to shake me.  Fortunately, my superhero, Confidence, showed up as well and mercilessly defeated Doubt so I could focus on my exam.  Three and half hours later, I finished the exam and after completing the mandatory post exam survey, a message popped up which said something along the lines of: “Marisol Maloney, congratulations, you have passed!”  

If you commit to learning the PMP concepts, put in the study time, and maintain your confidence, then this could be your story too.  Best of luck on your PMP journey!