PMP Insights

As promised, I am sharing my experience with PMP certification.

Initiation: Start looking for information on PMP. How it is beneficial to your career.

Planning: What course to take, select a training which grants 35 contact hours.

Go through reading materials. Books and material referred - PMBOK, Rita. Estimate timeline, budget, and quality of institute. Procure an online course or regular one and finally identify the key stakeholders and communicate with them. Create a plan. 3 months are more than enough to pass PMP.

Execution: you have to start with an attitude that you can do it. Start sticking to plan. If things don't work as planned evaluate and re-plan. Have a mentor who can highlight what you are doing wrong. Take their inputs. Focus on each knowledge area, but more on execution process group as it has 34% weighting. Page 61 for sure should be memorized. Know how tools and techniques work and the whole concept of ITTO'S. If you try to understand the flow of input, tools and techniques and outputs that will be great. Things will be a lot easier.

Remember all the theories of HR and 7 basic quality tools. Prepare maths part of PMP - EVM, CPI, SPI. Communication channels N(N-1)/2. Make a mind map to fully understand the concepts. Participate in group discussions, stick to Rita Mulcahy book for reference. JOSEPH Phillip online course is really good. Go through it. Take questions based on each knowledge area to better understand the concepts.

Once you are confident apply for the exam and take at least 4 full-length Mock Tests before appearing for the exam.(You may take online mock tests, provided by headfirstlabs.com; oliverlehmann.com; pmaspire.com; pmstudy.com)

If you are scoring above 72-75 % in mock tests you are good to go for the final exam. Think like project manager while answering questions. You have to keep in mind code of conduct also.

Monitoring and controlling: Stay focused, monitor your progress, be realistic. You can take the exam any time you want. So take your time. Understand the concepts, as it will help you to become a better Project Manager. Trust your gut feeling, it will tell you when you are ready. Review your mock tests to fill the gaps in knowledge.

Closing: Take the exam and let PMI decide the result. Celebrate your success.

IMPORTANT tips from exam point of view:

Show up early in the Prometric center.

No jewelry or watches allowed. Even to the extent, I was asked to keep my water bottle in the locker.

Carry a warmer as it is quite cold inside.

Take brain dump in 5 minutes.

Formula and pg61 will be enough. Use abbreviation.

Read questions carefully and practice the power of elimination.Target to do 50 to 55 questions per hour. If you have time remaining to review your answers.

You may use a calculator of the simulator to solve maths question. Very easy to use. Or the physical calculator.

If you don't know an answer for sure mark it and move on to the next question, cause you have limited time. You may revisit all marked questions in the end.

Question pattern: situational. "....What to do next?"

CPI SPI- 4 questions budget overrun types, communication channel, critical path. Integrated change control is the really important topic. A lot of questions on that.

Risk response questions, project charter, scope validation, perform quality assurance and Closure. Questions on stakeholder identification were also there.

All the best guys, knock it off before March 2018.

And please live your life, as you are part of world full of opportunities. Nothing can define you. And an exam for sure can't. So, start your studies with a positive mindset that you can do it.