As the title of this post suggests, this is my third and final post in the series of my journey to becoming a Project Management Professional (PMP). In my first post I covered how I discovered and transitioned into becoming a project manger. In my second post I walked through the whole process of becoming a PMP. Now, I am going to focus primarily on how to prepare and pass one of the most difficult certification exams. I prepared for and passed exam on my very first attempt. This was no small feat given the high difficulty level of this exam and so I look forward to sharing my tips on how to prepare for this exam without signing up for any classes or bootcamp.
My Circumstances
2011, the year when I was aspiring to become a PMO was also one of the busiest times of my life. Among other things, I was juggling full time work while parenting a toddler and a pre-schooler that required lots of my time and attention. Balancing my time between family, work, household matters and church did not leave me time for much else, let alone to spend hours and hours of time familiarizing myself with the extensive body of knowledge required to pass the PMP exam.
My Problem with Traditional Learning Methods
There was no shortage of training courses and bootcamps that touted high success rate of passing the exam if you employed their methods. But those things required additional structured time from my life. Time which I did not have.
Those types of training methods also cost a lot of money. In my case, that may not have mattered because the generous continuing education program at my company would have covered most of those costs. Yet, it was just not something I wanted to spend cash on.
Besides time and cost, I figured that in addition to attending the formal training, I’d still have to put in effort and time outside of those structures since at the end of the day nothing was going to replace my own personal investment to become an expert on the subject matter.
The Plan
So if was not going to go the route of traditional learning, how was I to prepare. I simply had to do my own reading, research and make a plan to cover all the subject matter content. Asking around I got a couple of good tips from my colleagues who had recently become PMPs. Even though they all suggested bootcamps (which I had ruled out), I employed their other suggestions that seemed feasible to me.
1. The Best Exam Preparation Book
When it comes to PMP Exam preparation books, there is apparently a clear winner. It is PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy. So I dutifully purchased the latest edition of this book (5th) and used it as my guide (I am sure I saved money by getting an used copy online). Today there are a lot of additional resources by the same author, but I only used the book.
In this book, Rita walks through the Project Management methodologies and concepts in a very pragmatic and make-sense approach that is easy to follow along and remember. Her famous process chart helps summarize the whole project management process in an easy to understand visual which is a must have. She also points out the must-know aspects of Project Management. She uses the whole first chapter to also teach you how to learn. How to take notes, what to pay attention to…etc. I applied a lot of principles from the first chapter in my learning process.
2. Use Mind Maps
One of the best ways I personally learn is to visualize what I am learning and associating concepts to each other. The best way to do this is via mind mapping. Basically in addition to the charts and illustrations provided in the book, as I went along, I would create my own visuals to help me remember the terms and concepts. And the key was to fit as much of the information in one sheet. Think of it like creating your own study guide reference.
3. Memorize Those Formulas
If you have never had to embark on this journey before, just know, there are tons and tons of calculations involved in project management. Lot of formulas for all types of measurements. My trick was to have all the formulas in one big sheet of paper and just memorizing them. No other way around this. Sorry.
4. Know the PMBOK
I have a love-hate relationship with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). It is the single source of truth on which the entire exam is based on. If it is in the PMBOK, it has a chance of being on the exam. This is a very technical overview of the project management knowledge domains and captures every detail to the Nth degree. But it is very hard to read and follow along. Which is why Rita’s book which is the opposite, is my #1 resource. Nonetheless, this body of knowledge cannot be ignored. Even after you’ve mastered all the concepts as presented by Rita, you have to give this a read at least once to make sure there are no gaps in your knowledge.
5. Take Lots of Practice Tests
Yes, practice, practice, practice. Even after I faithfully followed the previous 4 steps, when I took the practice tests, I still discovered lots of gaps in my knowledge, which I was able to correct after further reading and research.
Making the Time
Now that I have outlined how I went about preparing for the exam, you may wonder, how did I make time for it? As mentioned in my previous post, I prepared and passed the exam in 4 months. So, how did I do it?
Usually at the end of the day, after work, after tending to family and home, when I would sit to go through the material to read and learn, I would be so tired and mentally exhausted that I just couldn’t do it. So, I had to find an alternative. I did what any grown up woman in her 30s would do. I called mom and dad for help, packed my bags and took myself and the kids to my parents’ house in the other side of the country to spend a month with them. My wonderful husband was very supportive because he knew this was important to me and he himself could not spare any more time out of his schedule to alleviate me of even more responsibilities.
At my parents’ house, I did not have to worry about cooking, cleaning, other chores nor any other social obligations. I spent some fun time with the kids but my parents pretty much took care of the little ones’ every need. This meant, I had time to focus on my learning. This one month was crucial to helping me truly focus on the subject matter and fully prepare.
Taking the Exam
Now that all the preparation was done, there was only one thing left to do. Take the exam. I walked in confidently into the testing center. Took the 2 sheets of blank paper that were provided for taking notes and sat in my assigned seat. Once the time started for the exam, I spent the first few minutes quickly jotting down all the formulas, the process chart and other key reference information on the blank sheets of paper before I even started reading the test questions. I answered all the questions referencing my notes as needed. If I was not sure about the answer to any of the questions, I would mark it for review. Then I went back and redid any questions I needed to and submitted my exam. Within minutes of submission, I knew I had passed.
I was now, finally a PMP.
Jubila 365 