Alina ludwigSr Project Manager| Mantis InnovationStevensville, Md, United States
Sorry this is a bit lengthy.
Quick Background- I've been managing/ leading numerous DOD support projects mainly in war torn countries (i.e Iraq/ Afghanistan) and thought I had a pretty comprehensive understanding of PM profession especially giving the challenging environment. After moving to US I realized the need of more formalized training, did some research and decided to try for the PMP. I must admit in the beginning it felt near impossible to achieve, for vary reasons.
For the purpose of the exam, experience is required but is not enough without additional preparation.
Study - Took a 6 weeks PMP course program
- PMBOK Guide- read it once, then multiple re-checks of any aspects I did not feel a good grasp on. As for many PMP students, ITTO's seemed so challenging, I did not know what to do with them, how to memorize. It was not needed and as in" Repetitio mater studiorum est", I kept reading and trying to make sense of it all. Only after I went through the entire book/ course material things started to come together. I do think is a must to know all processes by group/ knowledge area, why and how they happen, most importantly the repetitive aspect.
- A. Crowe book- read it twice, did all the test questions and used it as a friendly "translation" of PMBOK. I am "old school" and wrote a lot of the material, using different colors, on my paper book. The visual aspect of diagrams, formulas, definitions helped me memorize.
- I have probably done over 2000 questions, from different reliable sources, including 3/ 200 questions mock exams. In general I would score somewhere between 75/85% depending on the difficulty of the test. Do your research and see what works best for you, not one experience is the same with another.
PearsonVUE- Washington DC location- impeccable experience, not a single issue.
The Test- Think how many people are achieving the PMP and you can be one of them.
The questions are hard to define, in a way some are much easier than other online tests available and some are much harder to crack. The most difficult for me, not a native English person, was to make sure I fully understood what the question was asking. I was afraid of this aspect but in the end it did not seem as bad as I thought.I was given 4 laminated pages to write on which was plenty, and was allowed to do a brain dump during the first 10 minutes system intro.Use this time if you want to write down your formulas.
I did not have many agile questions, had a few formulas, lots of risk and stakeholder engagement questions, some contracts/ procurement, I would say a pretty good mix.
My technique was to go through all 200 questions first, mark what I did not know to answer at first glance and then go back to it. This worked for me, I had about 70 minutes left after finishing all 200 questions, did not take breaks mostly because I did not want to feel pressured by the idea of not having enough time... do how is best for you.
Do not feel discouraged if you do not know to answer as you start the test, avoid feeling negative about it and keep going. You will see that all the study you have done pays off and memory comes back if you manage your stress level. Read a lot, prepare yourself the best you can and know it is achievable.
The satisfaction of seeing " Congratulations" at the end of the exam is worth all the hard work and investment you put into.
Good luck to you all! Saving Changes...
Thank you. This is great info.
Is there a specific format for the experience part of the application?
Thank you
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1 reply by Alina ludwig
Sep 25, 2019 11:40 AM
Alina ludwig
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Thank you Alain. Yes the application format is standard, you can find it on PMI's website. Keep in mind the application and exam will change June, 2020 .
Saving Changes...
Alina ludwigSr Project Manager| Mantis InnovationStevensville, Md, United States
Sep 24, 2019 8:51 PM
Replying to Alain Lamusse
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Congratulations!!
Thank you. This is great info.
Is there a specific format for the experience part of the application?
Thank you
Thank you Alain. Yes the application format is standard, you can find it on PMI's website. Keep in mind the application and exam will change June, 2020 . Saving Changes...
