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Yes I Passed PMP.
Use PMBOK & Rita Mulcahy Book and Rita Questions and Answer CD / Book for exam preparation.
Don't search here and there for more PMP study material and practice exams. Focus on above mentioned two sources only.
The information in this guide is strictly my personal experience and what worked best for me. I cannot guarantee you will pass any exam, let alone one as difficult as the Project Management Professional.
1) Have enough experience
There is no doubt the PMP (Project Management Professional) exam is built for the experienced project manager in a structured Project Management Office. The PMI minimum guidelines of three years with a bachelor’s degree and five years experience without a degree are really appropriate for this exam. I did struggle with the initial terminology since I have never been with a large organization and used the Project Management Institute terminology. I understood the concepts, but I needed a lot of study time for the exam. You can make up for the lack of being in a structured PMO (Project Management Office) by having the basic terminology as part of your study plan.
2) Read the PMBOK
Holy crap, this is a really boring book if you even if you do love project management. It is the same as reading a technical manual, except it is all theory and best practices of project management. Still, once you read the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), it provides a deeper understanding of project management, and how each component can be improved to enhance the overall project performance. Do not stop and take notes or try to grasp the complexity of every concept, the initial reading is just to get through the entire book.
3) Read the PMBOK again
The second time through the PMBOK, take notes of any concepts, terms, or acronyms you do not fully understand. It really helped me to keep a running list of everything I did not understand, and keep an item on the list until I got it. These are great topics for flash cards. Remember the old school3×5 cards that you can write on? Spend $0.89 and buy a pack. It’s ok if you look like a super nerd by holding your flash cards at Starbucks or at lunch. The end goal of passing the PMP exam is worth the loss in cool points.
4) Get your education hours
I used the PM PrepCast podcast, which I highly recommend. I used it every day driving back and forth to work, be careful, after45 minutes of talking about risk management; you may get a little drowsy. I know there are seminars, online and live courses, but I preferred working at my own pace and really learning the material, plus the podcast is very affordable. When you listen to the podcasts at home or work, you can pause the audio and take notes as well. Remember, the purpose is EDUCATION, not just to burn through them to collect hours. The choice really depends on how you learn, your time and budget. I would have taken a40 hour class if work paid for it and I did it during work hours.
5) Take some practice tests
We at PassTheProjectExam.com have compiled a database of practice exams for the PMP certification.
After you take your first practice exam, accept the fact that you have been humbled, now go study some more. Actually, the best course of action is to keep taking test after test, after test. If you are anything like me on my first practice exams, I did terrible. Like a31 out of100 terrible. Don’t worry; you cannot pick up this knowledge overnight. It takes time and dedication, which is why employers respect the PMP certification.
6) Work on your application
Download the Experience worksheet here and start filling it out. The application process takes a lot longer than you think, just use the spreadsheet and it will help you when you fill out your application online. The bad news is you cannot upload the spreadsheet to PMI, but it will be a great way to organize all your projects.
Be prepared for an audit. I immediately received a notice when I submitted my application that I would be audited. If you have your documentation prepared, this is a simple process. You will need:
Proof of education
· School transcripts for any college course you submitted as education hours.
· Certificate of completion for any additional education courses submitted.
· Proof of project experience
· You will have to print out all your projects you submitted as experience and have your old boss sign off. It was easy for me since I had two bosses, and we all still work in the same city. I emailed them a heads up, coordinated a time for me to stop by, and had them sign the documentation. This must be snail-mailed into PMI, and you must mail the signed originals. Good luck if you have former bosses out of town. Also, I hope you left your old job on good terms, because you now need a favor from an old boss.
My audit was approved within a week of me sending in my information, so as always, proper documentation pays off.
7) Go Back and forth between the PMBOK and Practice Exams
Wash, rinse, and repeat until you are getting practice test scores of85+. Even though the passing score in61%, if you are the type of person who will take the PMP, you will be much more comfortable knowing that you are going to pass the exam when you walk in the room.
I personally printed out50 practice questions and took manual tests at lunch. It gives enough time to take the test and check the answers. Using the online test you can get through more questions, but there are just times when my eyes need a break from a computer screen, so I printed out questions. Download our free practice exams and get to work!
8) Schedule full Test Exams
When is the last time you really focused on something for4 straight hours? You may need some practice.
Block out4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday to take a full200 question practice test. Four hours of concentration is a lot of time and mentally taxing. Practice taking the exam in full. I would recommend taking a break90 minutes into the exam for10-15 minutes. A mental break is required to refocus and continue. Take a full200 question exam at least3-4 times before the real exam.
9) Schedule the PMP Exam
Now is the time to pick a date. I was lucky enough to have my exam scheduled on a Monday, so there was no work pressure from the previous day.
Also, take the entire day off of work; you need to be100% focused on the exam.
Visit the testing location prior to the day of the exam, even if you just end up driving by the building, it will save a lot of anxiety the day of the exam.
Arrive extra early. The risk analysis portion of my project manager brain would not allow me to be less than an hour early. Luckily there was a Starbucks a couple blocks away. I’m not saying caffeine will help you pass the PMP, but I knocked back a few before going into the exam center. There are no rules against using caffeine super powers to pass the exam.
10) Rock the Exam!
Once you have arrived at exam time, relax, read carefully, and rock the exam. You have dedicated the time and you know the material. Test day is the day you separate yourself from coworkers, fellow interviewees, and future coworkers. Today you will become a recognized expert in Project Management. Very important: you will get paid more money with the initials PMP after your name. Yes, it may require leaving your current company, but you will get more cash over the rest of your career.
The actual exam will not take you4 hours. I completed my exam in2 ½ hours, and I took a full15 minute break90 minutes into the exam. Seriously, take the break. Go outside, breathe fresh air, look at some trees, do anything except think about the test. It is amazing how this quick break will allow you to refocus and dominate the latter half of the test.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Congratulations! You have now passed the PMP and are eternally grateful to me! Well, maybe not eternally, but keep reading the PassTheProjectExam.com newsletter because we are not done with all your certifications. The PMP is the most important, but now we have to work on standing out from the PMP crowd.
Our newsletter will fill you in on certification goodies like free PDUs to keep that PMP certification and study guides for more project related certifications. The more people that sign up for this newsletter, the more free stuff I can give away. Force all your coworkers to sign up. Have your PMO director make my newsletter mandatory education for your annual reviews. Do something creative and I will do my best to hook you up with the best way to pass project certification exams so you can bring home more dolla dolla bills ya’ll.
Please contact me with success stories, questions, additional tips, etc. If you send me hate mail I will post it, but only if it’s funny, original, and you don’t go overboard.
