I always try to add Value to everything I do, everyday!
That was the date I was granted as Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI in USA.
Exam Experience
It was really thrilling after all the exam preparations that took months to complete.
My exam was conducted in Prometric Singapore early in the morning around 8.00 am plus, and completed around 12.00 pm.
Even though it was my first attempt on the exam, but no doubt - it was extremely difficult and very tiring process as it requires 4 hours continuously to focus on those long, wordy questions.
Those questions were so wordy that I had to scroll down to see all of them, on top of that, they are situational questions, with answer options which are similar to each other!
Yep, PMP exam format was multiple choices - not an essay.
Without enough real-life experiences on Project Management along with thorough preparations, one will find the exam very challenging - let alone to pass it.
However, it does NOT meant that it is impossible to pass!
Thus, here I am going to share my tips on preparing for the PMP exam.
The Beginning
My preparation for this PMP exam was started 7 months prior to the exam. But, please don't get me wrong, it was not really effectively 7 months. Those 7 months were filled up with procrastination!
I did not fully focus on studies, indiscipline with my time along with lots of work pressures. During that time, I had to handle few critical projects simultaneously. And because of that I kept re-scheduling my exam date, which was 3 times!
You might be asking, then what should be the decent duration to properly prepare for the PMP exam??
My answer is 2 months, if you can fully focus on your studies - continuously!
If you are like me who is working very long hours, I reached home only around 10 pm every day, then I believe 3 months would be sufficient time for the preparation.
Do note that, PMP exam preparation relies heavily on your determination and personal goals - what you want to achieve with it! Thus, mental preparation is very important, before your studies.
Here's my tips on how you should prepare for it.
Get Yourself Ready
- Tips #1 - Set yourself, mentally, that you are going to pass the PMP exam. Don't bother listen to discouraged comments from others!
- Tips #2 - PMP is just a title, it might not directly give you the tangible benefits in terms of money. So, firm your mind to go for PMP - purely to pursue the knowledge, which I believe personally very important for my career.
- Tips #3 - Never, ever procrastinate on your studies. Spend time 30 min to 1 hour every workdays to study, and Saturday for 2-3 hours, then take Sunday off. Be discipline with your time!
- Tips #4 - Be Consistent on your studies. Never, ever leave a day or two without study. In my experience last time, if I have a gap between my studies, those knowledge that I have studied suddenly gone - and I have to repeat studying the same subject again.
- Tips #5 - Ensure to read and understand 1 chapter in every 2-days.
- Tips #6 - Read other books besides PMBOK Guide as this book is difficult to understand in your early studies. Go for additional books which I shall mention soon. You should read PMBOK guide once you finished other books, as this book shall furnish and complete your knowledge. In my case, I studied PMBOK Guide few weeks before the Exam.
- Tips #7 - Practice a lot with sample Exams and Mockups.
Should I go for PMP Exam Classroom Course?
My answer is absolutely NOT! In fact, I discourage it - if possible. I did not go for any Clasroom Course to pass PMP exam.
Reason being is that, those Courses are very expensive, and on top of that you might forget it after a while - without being able to replay back the content that the Instructor explained during the course.
Then, what is the alternative?
Go for PODCAST - Project Management PODCAST
I highly recommend this PODCAST as the Presenter, Cornelius Fitchner is a very good presenter with very animated tones :). Hearing his voice will not make you sleep, for sure!
This PODCAST will give you the 35 contact hours that you need for PMP Exam's per-requisites, and also much cheaper than average courses, it is only $129.99. At my time, it was even cheaper (was only $99).
With this approach, my total investment for PMP preparation is much lower compare to others.
Useful Resources
Below are information to useful resources that I used during my PMP exam prep:
-
Books - Head First PMP, The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try, PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition
These are the best books that I found in the market to prep me! - Exam Simulations - PM Study Plus from pmstudy.com. This is the best PMP Exam simulation that I experienced after trying many others and extensive research on those other web sites or tools. It is relatively easy on the pocket as well.
See you in next post..
