About me

My name is Edward Chung and I am a full-stack web developer/designer/project manager working in the education sector in Hong Kong. I handle web development projects large and small, including major revamp exercises, one-page landing pages, online applications and systems. I have always wanted some sort of testimonial to my project management skills and PMP is the definite choice.

I passed the PMP examination on 7 Nov, 2013 based on the PMBOK Guide fifth edition with ‘Proficient’ in Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and ‘Moderately Proficient’ in Closing.

Since I was too busy to set aside the time for PMP bootcamps owing to family obligations, online PMP courses seemed the suitable choice. After searching Google for several days, I have established my criteria for selecting the online PMP course:

1. Can watch the training videos without time limit (or, for a long period of time) in case I need to reschedule my exam date
2. Can be downloaded to my iPhone and watched on the go without requiring internet connection
3. Can obtain the 35 contact hours certificate in order to apply for the PMP exam
4. Guaranteed refund in case I am not satisfied with the quality

The PM PrepCast Overview

The PM PrepCast is a dowloadable PMP course which you can download the whole course to your iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android or any mobile phones capable of playing videos. You can keep and watch the videos without any time limit. If you are using iOS devices, the PM PrepCast can be added as a webcast and automatically sync between your iOS device and iTunes without the need of installing extra softwares.

Throughout the PM PrepCast, the presenter, Cornelius Fichtner, will guide you all the way and teach you everything you will ever need to know before (i.e. how to apply for the exam, pass audits and prepare for the exam), during (i.e. plan your time, braindump, when to take rest), and after the exam (i.e. earn PDUs at low cost). There are 15 review questions after each chapter for you to check whether the course materials have been correctly understood. 

Unlike other PMP exam prep courses, the ambition of Cornelius does not stop at equipping you with enough knowledge to pass the PMP exam. He tries to add ample real-life examples and cutting-edge knowledge into the course to assist you to apply your newly gained knowledge in your everyday work.

The PM PrepCast is updated in August 2013. That means the current version is based on the 5th edition of the PMBOK Guide. As a little bit behind the scene information, the latest edition of PM PrepCast is created using the Agile/Scrum methodology. You can be assured to get first hand knowledge on Agile, which is the one of the focus of the latest PMBOK Guide.

What You Get by Purchasing PM PrepCast

1. Over 50 hours of high quality video lectures, covering all the knowledge areas of PMBOK Guide with additional lectures on examination skills, cross-cutting skills and applied concepts. The content is more than enough for your PMP exam and will also benefit your everyday work.
2. Certificate for 35 contact hours after passing the Final Exam.
3. 300 sample exam PMP questions (15 questions for each knowledge area)
4. Subscription to a 10-part “Learn from the Experts” email course and weekly newsletter, detailing the examination taking strategies of successful PMP exam takers, their lessons learned and updated exam tips and news.
5. The PMP Exam Study Checklist. This checklist is a great resource to find additional exam study materials and exam preparation tips to boost your studies. And you will learn to know whether you are ready for the PMP exam.
6. Access to the member-only PMP discussion forum where experienced PMP instructors including Cornelius will discuss and answer your questions.

Pros

1. The publisher of PM PrepCast is a Project Management Institute Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.). That means the course material fulfills the highest standard set by PMI.
2. Cornelius is a seasoned PMP and a professional radio station host. His sense of humor is intertwined throughout the whole course giving you a bit of surprise here and there. You will always look forward to the ending farewell message of each episode. In one episode, he even appeared in the video to say hello to his listeners.
3. Unlike other online PMP courses which would present the course materials for each chapter of PMBOK Guide as one video, Cornelius has digested the PMBOK Guide into small chucks of videos ranging from 10 – 30 minutes each, which can server as ‘attainable‘ goals for each listening session. I printed out the video index, set the goal for each day and crossed out the video titles after listening.
4. The whole course is professionally recorded in a studio. The voice quality is superb. There is no annoying background noise common to amateur online videos.
5. After passing the online examination (called Final Exam) of 20 questions, you will get the Certificate for 35 Contact Hours which fulfills the requirements of 35 contact hours for the PMP exam. The Final Exam can be taken for an infinite number of times until you have passed.
6. The powerpoint slides are beautifully illustrated with related photos.
7. More than 26,600 students (as at Dec 2013) have taken this course for PMP exam preparation, which is the largest student population among similar online PMP courses.
8. In case you are not satisfied with PM PrepCast, you can ask for a full refund within 90 days of purchase. The only condition is that you must not have taken the Final Exam.

Cons

1. Only 15 review questions are provided for each chapter (a total of 300 for the whole course). You will need to search for free PMP exam questions or purchase PMP exam simulators for better preparation.
2. If you would listen to every episode of the PM PrepCast, it would take you more than 50 hours. However, only 35 contact hours are needed by the PMP exam.
3. You will need to take notes by pen or on your computer as the powerpoint slides are not included in the course.

Market Competition

In a survey of 100 lessons learned by successful PMP exam-takers shared on the internet, PM PrepCast comes first with 19% of the successful PMPs used it as their online learning resource and PM Champ comes second with 2%.

My Recommendation

If you are looking for a PMP examination preparation material that provides you with both the required 35 contact hours as well as the practical information that will benefit your everyday work, I highly recommend the PM PrepCast as your PMP examination companion. At US$179.99, it is the best investment for your PMP examination preparation.

As an alumnus of PM PreCast, I can get an extra 10% for you if you follow the procedures detailed in this post.