Dear All,

A quick note to share my lessons learnt from the PMP Exam Certification. I have been a silent guess but active reader of PMZilla forum for several months now, especially the LL from  members.

I attempted the exam on September 19, 2012 (first try) and failed with the following scores:

Initiating – MP

Planning – BP

Executing – MP

Monitoring & Controlling – BP

Closing – MP

 

For the first attempt I had studied for 2 weeks and used the following material:

PMBok 4^th Edition – Read once

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Rita 6^th Edition – Read once

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Did Chapter wise questions but not all from Rita’s book (average score was 74%).

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Did Exam Central Mock Exam (200 questions – scored 83%)

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Memorized the 42 processes (page 43 of PMbok)

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Memorized few earned value formulas not all + Line of communication formula.

 

Exam Day:

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I walked into the exam pretty confident counting on my 10 years of project management experience.

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I was a bit nervous during the exam because I did not get enough sleep the previous night. I was also under a time constraint to fetch my kids from school straight after the exam.

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Brain dumped 42 processes and earn value formulas I had memorized during the first 15mns tutorial.

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Exam had many questions on Earn Value Calculation, Risk, Quality and Procurement.

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Finished within 2h40mns, did not review and submitted for grading.

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Obviously I got a chock when I failed but it was not a surprise when you see my level of preparation. I was a wake-up call for me.

 

What went wrong the first time?

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I did not put enough emphasis on study and mock exams before going for the exam (was too confident about my years of project management experience).

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I did not read PMBok several times and did not grasp all the concepts 100% but decided to show up for the exam using an 80/20 rule (after all, the exam requests 61% for a pass rate!).

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I was not focused enough (a bit distracted by other commitments during the day).

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I did not take any break during the exam and did not marked any question for review.

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I did not memorize all the earned value formulas, just a few.

 

What I did after the first failed attempt:

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Kept my motivation high for the second try and told myself that failure is not an option for the second try.

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Reviewed my study plan and followed it.

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Registered as PMI Member in order to take advantage of some free materials

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Decided to re-take 4 weeks after first attempt; so firmed up exam date (October 24^, 2012. I did not want to start from scratch by waiting too long).

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Put in place a strategy for taking the exam itself:

o  

 Decided not to waste time on questions that were not easy or straightforward. Rather marked them for review

o  

Decided to take a break after 100 questions (had brought some energy drink and snack to recharge)

o  

Finish the remainder of question and review marked ones.

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Read PMbok several times and made sure I understood all the concepts 99%.

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Read Rita 6^th Edition and did not do any chapter wise questions

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Rita PM Fast Track 7^th edition (Exam simulation):

o  

Did exams by knowledge areas – 1518 questions – Average score was 70%)

o  

Did full 200 questions Mock Exam – scored was 68%

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Other Mock exams that I did:

o  

PMStudy free 200 questions – scored 63.43%

o  

HeadFirst free 200 questions – scored 83%

o  

PMPForSure free 100 questions – scored 78%

o  

Oliver Lehmann free 75 questions – scored 65.3%

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I was not too concerned about the score within the range of 63+% as I knew what my weak areas were and was working on them (read concepts in PMBok and Rita).

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I memorized the 42 processes (Page 43 of PMBok).

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Memorized all Earned Value Formulas + Communication + PERT + Network Diagraming (Float etc..)

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Memorized Quality Theories and HR Motivation Theories.

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Like the first time, exam was mainly around Earn Value, Risk, Quality and Procurement. 1 or 2 direct ITTO questions. I used the first 15mns for Brain Dump like the first time.

My exam score for the second try (3Ps+2MPs):

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Initiating – P

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Planning – MP

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Executing – P

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Monitoring & Controlling – P

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Closing - MP

Closing points for PMP aspirants:

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Have a plan and stick to it

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Ensure that you fully understand PMBok concepts and don’t base anything on your past experience (unlearn what you know based on your experience and re-learn as per PMI methodology)

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I suggest using 1 additional study material (in my case I used Rita 6^th Edition).

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Practise enough Mock Exams and review the questions you got wrong and try to understand the concepts.

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If you fail the first attempt, don’t give up. Even if you fail the second time, never give up. Review what has not worked and adjust your study plan.

All the best in your journey to PMP Certification and all my regards to the creators and members of PMZilla. I have learned a lot from this forum and has grown from the experience.

Regards,

Brahima, PMP.