Bouncing Back from Exam Failure

Over the past 10 years, Chris Cook has spent his career in the construction industry. He has a Bachelor's of Science in Industrial Technology Management with an emphasis in Building Construction Management and Master's of Science in Project Management. He is an accredited PMP. Follow more of Chris's insights at his blog EntrePMeur.

  Career Development   New Practitioners   Using PMI Standards  

I failed my first attempt at the PMP exam. I could run through the list of excuses, but that does not do anybody any good. In the end, I failed.

I was not prepared at all. Thinking back to my high school and college days, I was always a good test taker. This should not be any different, right? Wrong. The PMP exam requires ultimate focus leading up to—and throughout—the exam. Experience does not qualify you to accomplish your goal of passing. I have a master’s degree in project management, and that alone does not prepare you.

A failing result is devastating. No one expects to fail anything they attempt. You go in with supreme confidence having studied for months. Then you click “submit” and wait…and wait…and wait. You are expecting confetti to fall from the ceiling when the “Congratulations!” pops up on the screen. Instead, you stare blankly at the “Sorry” message you received.

What you do next tells more about yourself than flying through the exam and passing with ease. It definitely did for me. So what did I do? I got back on the horse. I rescheduled my exam for six months later and passed. Still no confetti from the ceiling, but I felt relieved.

4 Keys to Getting Back on the Horse

1. Failure is feedback. This approach is an agile management principle. Apply it to your exam results like you do …

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