Hi all,

I gave my PMP certification exam on 18-Oct-13 and cleared it in the first attempt!!  

This post is to clear the myth about PMP exam's difficulty and to let you know that PMP is definitely achievable - we will see how...

Preparation time :

I believe that about 2 months of intense preparation with 2-3 hours of study per day would be adequate for someone who has hands on experience with project management and good learning ability. Give yourself one more month if you want to “play safe” but anything more than 3 months is an over stretch in my opinion.

Preparation Materials :

I chose HeadFirst PMP as my prep guide and it explained the concepts of project management in a simple and easy to understand manner and is certainly a “brain friendly” guide as it claims to be.

My advice is – do your research, choose a prep guide that suits your learning style and stick to the one that you choose. And yes – read the PMBOK as many times as you possibly can. It is from the PMI itself, after all. I studied the PMBOK at least 3 times thoroughly, over and above some quick revisions.

I did not study materials from Rita Mulcahy, Andy Cowe or Kim Heldman – I completely appreciate and respect these materials though.

Mock Exams :

It is certainly a good idea to take up mock exams once you feel that you are through with your preparation as it gets you into exam taking mode. Don’t waste your time or money on paid ones. There is very little chance that you will see any of the mock questions in your exam. The real exam has a lot of (80% or more) SITUATIONAL questions. I took only the free mock tests (about 800 questions from various sources) and my scores were consistently above 80%.

Exam central , Oliver Lehmann, Whiz labs, HeadFirst are some of those that I tried and I thank the authors of all these sources earnestly for keeping it free.

Am I ready for the PMP exam?

This is one question you will find really difficult to answer and you will never be able to tell if you are ready for the exam. Please ask yourself these questions

1.       Do I thoroughly understand all the 47 process listed in the PMBOK and exactly which of the 5 process groups and 10 Knowledge Areas that they fit into?

2.       Am I able to understand / explain at least 85% of the items in the glossary section of PMBOK without referring to the book?

3.       Am I 100% confident in the essential formulas used in PMP – especially EVM and NPV ?

4.       And finally - Is my score consistently above 80% in mock tests (at least 3 full length mock tests from different providers)

If your answer is YES to ALL of these questions, it is an indication that you have prepared well and you have a good chance of passing the PMP exam.

Another tip : Go ahead and book the exam slot after you have done your initial preparation and understood PMI's terms about project management. This will motivate (chase) you to prepare hard because you wouldnt want to lose the money that you have invested for booking the exam slot. If you keep thinking and questioning yourself if you are ready for the exam, the "right day" will never come!

The PROMETRIC center :

I personally visited the PROMETRIC center with my appointment and passport and got it validated with the security staff, 4 days before my exam. This is to avoid any last minute surprises of not being able to locate the test center or the PROMETRIC staff not letting your sit for the exam because your name is even slightly different in the passport / ID proof that you have brought - RISK avoidance, if you will

The EXAM:                                                                                                                                                        

The actual exam is such a stressful experience. It certainly took me longer to answer the questions than it took in my mock tests. It is quite a task to sit through for 4 hours and keep your concentration levels high, giving enough attention to the questions and also keeping a tab on the clock that is ticking. I actually took a can of RedBull energy drink to keep myself alert.

Questions:

a.       80% of the questions were situational; very few of them ran for over 3-4 lines.

b.      10 to 12 questions on EVM, 3 or 4 more involving formulas

c.       More questions on risk, procurement management than on the other KA’s

d.      I don’t recollect questions on professional responsibility; at least they were not so straightforward as those in the mock tests

e.      Very few direct questions; May be 3-4 on ITTO’s

And I did make a braindump of KA’s, processes and process groups, formulas as most people recommended but it never helped me – I just did not have the time or need to refer to these when I gave my exam. Most of my time was spent “recollecting” what I learnt and “thinking” about the best answer.

To BOOST your confidence:

Think about this carefully.

1.       It requires ONLY a 61% score to get a pass grade in the PMP exam.

2.       You need to get 131 out of 200 right (considering you do not know those 25 questions that are not taken for scoring). Conversely, you are allowed to goof up with as many as 70 questions !!

3.       And there is no negative scoring for wrong answers !

It can’t get easier than this..Doesn’t it look simpler this way? Are you able to see “how simple/possible” it is to crack the exam if you have put in your hard efforts preparing for the exam?

FINAL words:

The PMP exam is NOT EASY for sure and is not very difficult either. Focused preparation for 3 months can definitely get you there. There is no short cut to success - there is no way you are going to skim through a book in a week, show up at the PROMETRIC center and pass a PMP exam – do not  under estimate this exam.

And more than the certification itself, study the PMBOK for the wealth of knowledge it has to offer on project management best practices. Prepare well and SUCCESS IS ALL YOURS!!

Please let me know if you have any questions and I shall try to provide best possible assistance.