Cracking the PMP code

Transcription

1 Cracking the PMP code I passed my PMP certification exam on 6 th July PMP has been a long thoughtful journey for me. It took me almost 2 years to finalize on PMP (Prince2 and ITIL creating the dilemma). Background I attended the mandatory workshop organized by my current organization in December I sacrificed my marriage anniversary on Day 1, although a dinner date made up for the lost day. After the training was over, my confidence level was ~55% (mock test being the measurement tool). I registered with PMI in February 2015 and then created a formal plan to crack PMP in the first attempt. There were too many distracting variables affecting my study plan like an upcoming annual performance appraisal, a growing daughter (1 ½ years when I registered with PMI), weekend time for family and job hunt. The initial thought process was to clear PMP by March (as I would have received 50% refund of my exam fee but with a lock in period of 9 months). However, that would have been too less a time to clear PMP exam and I didn t want to rush nor push myself unnecessarily. In April 2015, I initiated my application procedure and scheduled my exam (for the first time) on 25 th May 2015, however on 21 st May 2015 I had to re-schedule the exam date to 6 th July 2015, as I was under prepared and my confidence level hovering between 65% - 70%. Study plan and resources Since I have a very small kid, I used to study between 4:00 AM and 9:00 AM Irrespective of how you plan the approach, you have to first target the PMBOK. Read thoroughly through all chapters in the following flow of processes 4.1, 13.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 9.1, 10.1, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 12.1, 13.2, 4.3, 8.2, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 10.2, 12.2, 13.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.5, 5.6, 6.7, 7.4, 8.3, 10.3, 11.6, 12.3, 13.4, 12.4, 4.6 Take a print of Page 61 (Table 3-1) and read it before start of your study day Ideally 8 days is sufficient to complete PMBOK, provided you dedicate 4-5 hours/day

2 Next in line should be Rita Mulcahy PMP exam Prep 8 th edition book Read thoroughly through all chapters, this time by knowledge areas Solve all exercises and practice exams Take a print of Page 50 (Rita Process Chart) and read it before start of your study day along with the process table from PMBOK Ideally 13 days is sufficient to complete Rita book, provided you dedicate 4-5 hours/day Head First PMP, 3 rd edition should ideally be the last book and it definitely the most engrossing of all books. Read thoroughly through all chapters, again by knowledge areas Solve all exercises and exam questions Focus on Rita Process Chart and process table from PMBOK before start of your study day Ideally 12 days is sufficient to complete Head First PMP book, provided you dedicate 4-5 hours/day I signed up for Shiv Shenoy free study material, after re-scheduling the exam on May 21 st The rescheduling may have cost $70, but it increased my odds of passing the exam. Read all the chapters shared via , again by knowledge areas Focus on Rita Process Chart and process table from PMBOK before start of your study day Ideally 11 hours is sufficient to complete all books Alternatively I created my own flashcards, which I used to revise on a daily basis, even if I missed studying a particular topic (as planned) Earned Value Formulae Prepare MS Excel spreadsheet for your practicing problems and questions from Rita book and Head First PMP. Weigh your answers against the ones mentioned in the books to gauge your confidence level. I would say even if your confidence level is above 80%, you have more than 90% chance of passing PMP exam on first attempt

3 Once registered with PMI, you have access to various resources from ProjectManagement.com. Race to Finish Setup your profile and download process deliverable templates to experience how they look and fit in real life projects IMPORTANT: Take the PM challenge and try reaching at least the Rocket Surgeon level i.e. answer minimum 250 questions. I am now aiming for Da Vinci level, which is 500 correct answers The questions test your project management knowledge, however there are no scenario based questions The explanations are good and a repository of your correct question and answers is stored in the profile for your reference The last 3 weeks (21 days) prior to exam date I focused on reading all materials simultaneously i.e. (PMBOK, Rita, Head First, Shiv Notes and My own flashcards) Although I planned to complete the following PMP exam test modules, I could never achieve completion, blame it on weekends. But anybody can target completing these 950 questions before the final exam Head First PMP Practice Exam (200 questions) Tutorials Point Exam (200 questions) Oliver Lehman Sample Test (175 questions) Edwel Programs Free PMP Exam (200 questions) PM Exam Simulator (175 questions) On penultimate day before the exam, your ideal schedule should be Shiv notes on knowledge areas and respective exam questions from Head First PMP and Rita book Earned Value formulae Practicing creating schedule network diagrams Questions on critical path and floats Questions on earned value Questions on communication channels Questions on risk management problems

4 The exam day Remember one very important lesson, at the end of day, it only an exam. No matter what the outcome, finally your plan, efforts and process matters. So wake up early, read Shiv Notes followed by Earned Value formulae Try reaching the exam center 1hour prior to schedule time and complete the mandatory Prometric center procedures. Stay hydrated before the exam, as you may not have access to water during the 4 hour exam time The moment you get a workstation assigned, write all formulae and replicate the Page 61 (Table 3-1) Complete the demo procedures, take a deep breath (with a prayer), put on the headphones and start your exam I won t be surprised that post 4 hours, your signature would change, just the way mine changed to Amit Londhe, PMP P.S: I got a new job before clearing my PMP exam, so the added pressure on passing the exam was reduced

5 Study plan from 16 h May to 6 th July Description Chapter Start Date End Date New Stat Date Study PMBOK - 5th Edition & Rita-PMP Exam Prep 8th Edition - Rita Mulcahy 16-May-15 1-Jun-15 Introduction & Framework & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 16-May May-15 Project Management Processes & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 17-May May-15 Integration Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 18-May May-15 Scope Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 19-May May-15 Time Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 20-May May-15 Cost Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 24-May May-15 Quality Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 25-May May-15 HR Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 26-May May-15 Communication Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 27-May May-15 Risk Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 28-May May-15 Procurement Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 29-May May-15 Stakeholder Management & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 30-May May-15 Professional & Social Responsibility & Practice Exam (Rita + Head 1st) 31-May May-15 PMBOK Annex 1 & X3 31-May May-15 Acronyms & Definitions 1-Jun-15 1-Jun-15 Head 1st PMP 2-Jun Jun-15 Chapter 1, 2 & 3 2-Jun-15 2-Jun-15 Integration Management 3-Jun-15 3-Jun-15 Scope Management 4-Jun-15 4-Jun-15 Time Management 5-Jun-15 5-Jun-15 Cost Management 6-Jun-15 6-Jun-15 Quality Management 7-Jun-15 7-Jun-15 HR Management 8-Jun-15 8-Jun-15 Communication Management 9-Jun-15 9-Jun-15 Risk Management 10-Jun Jun-15 Procurement Management 11-Jun Jun-15 Stakeholder Management & Professional Responsibility 12-Jun Jun-15 Chapter 15 & Practice Exam (200 questions) 13-Jun Jun-15 Tutorials Point Exam (200 questions) 14-Jun Jun-15 Revision (PMBOK + Rita + Head 1st + Shiv & My Notes) 15-Jun Jun-15 Chapter 1, 2 & 3 15-Jun Jun-15 Integration Management 16-Jun Jun-15 Scope Management 17-Jun Jun-15 Time Management 18-Jun Jun-15 Cost Management 19-Jun Jun-15 Quality, HR & Communication Management 20-Jun Jun-15 Risk Management 21-Jun Jun-15 Procurement Management 22-Jun Jun-15 Stakeholder Management 23-Jun Jun-15 Professional & Social Responsibility 24-Jun Jun-15 PMBOK Annex 1 & X3 25-Jun Jun-15 Acronyms & Definitions 26-Jun Jun-15 Oliver Lehman Sample Test (175 questions) 27-Jun Jun-15 Edwel Programs Free PMP Exam (200 questions) 28-Jun Jun-15 Final Exam Prep 29-Jun-15 6-Jul-15