Tips to Passing Your PMP Exam

Matt is an IT PMO Director for ABM Industries in San Francisco. He is an experienced leader in Information Technology and project management, with a strong passion for both.

  Career Development   Using PMI Standards  

Obtaining the Project Management Professional certification can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned project managers. The extraordinarily robust application process alone can be enough to discourage someone from going after the certification. I am proud to say that I have coached dozens of PMs through the process and will share some tips that are sure to help you obtain your PMP.

Lesson 1: There are no shortcuts.
A member of one study group I led nearly eight years ago told me he got a tip from a “buddy” and that he was going to take the exam without finishing the study group or the materials we were studying. The tip was that all you really needed to do was memorize all the inputs, outputs and processes referenced by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). He took the exam the following week, failed and was back in the study group the next week. While there are tips that can make the process easier and not quite as daunting, at the end of the day you will need to know the material in order to pass the exam and obtain your PMP.

I am aware of one exception. There are “boot camps” out there that immerse you for several days into an instructor-led class geared toward preparing you for the PMP exam. Some even offer a guarantee that you will pass the exam. While I have witnessed the effectiveness of these training classes, be …

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