Conrad D'CruzPM Consultant| Netswirl Inc.Apex, Nc, United States
The relief and thrill of passing the PMP exam never seems to fade. Today (at this very hour) marks ten years since that Fall day in 2007. Looking back, I am satisfied
with the decision I made to invest of my time, effort and resources to go down the path. I learned a lot during the preparation and my experiences since then have added to my knowledge, skills and made some very good contacts.
This is why I encourage colleagues who are sitting on the fence and balking at the effort and time investment, that they should set the goal, make the commitment and take action towards the goal. Saving Changes...
Steven ArgabrightSenior Client Project Manager| Montrose Air Quality ServicesLake Dallas, Tx, United States
Oct 19, 2017 1:10 AM
Replying to Br. Ts. PUI CHEE KHIAN
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Conrad & Steven, can you share your PMP journey here? It will be great inspiration story to PMP aspirant out there.
Hello Pui,
I am very happy to share my journey to PMP certification. My PM roles were very similar to Conrad. I was not employed strictly as a PM; More so, I was either a project coordinator, team member, or contributor. Much of my 25-year career has made me very familiar with the aspects and tools of project management, but really leading the project has only occurred within the last 10-12 years.
Fortunately, I was able to meet the 35 contact hour requirement thru recent collegiate PM coursework. The required number of project hours was (ugh) tedious to catalog but necessary for the PMI application.
I chose to start my learning VERY slowly. I read the PMBOK three times, several chapters at each sitting, starting in February 2017. The time commitment was very intense. I devoured any free online practice exams that I could find. When August came, I realized that I needed some kind of rigorous formal training and preliminary testing before the big exam to really benchmark my knowledge.
Here, I chose the opposite of Conrad, I made the commitment to enroll in a PMI boot camp to 'cram for the exam'. 4 solid 10-hour days coalescing the PMBOK info and 50-question mini-exams every day followed by a 200-question practice exam at the end. I found it to be TOTALLY worth my effort (and the company's money, if you have that option available to you). The mini- and full practice exams enabled me to get over my stress and pass the big exam the following week. I chose an afternoon slot, ate a big breakfast, and nothing else until after the exam. Took the CBT exam, filled out the survey, and finally got my results.
Mission accomplished. First time through the exam.
If anyone needs PM boot camp training in the DFW area, I have a sincere recommendation. Contact me if you're interested. I'll give you the website info, and you can make your own decision.
Take care, get certified, God bless, and ya'll be good!
Pui … I am happy to share my experiences. I had PM roles before I considered going down the PMP certification path but was hesitant because people would tell me it was a big-time commitment to get certified. My PM mentor encouraged me to take the plunge and at the very least do the contact hours since she was one of the instructors. I took the class and I liked the PMI framework and process. I had a choice of going through a cram class which “teaches you how to take the test in a week” and then signs you up for the test on the following week. I did not want to do that and wanted to do it in a more systematic way.
The biggest task at that point in time was collecting details of work experience. The online application helped greatly because it shows you what requirements are completed and what are pending. The next biggest challenge is making time to go through the books and taking practice tests. Sometimes past knowledge of how it is done at work is the biggest hindrance to learning the PMI process. Since I prefer well defined processes, I found it easy to focus. After going through the PMBOK and support manuals, I took lots of paper tests as well as online simulated tests. I made sure my practice environment was similar to what I would experience when taking the test i.e., 4 hours timed tests in a closed room with no distractions. Initially it was frustrating because I could not reach the minimum pass requirements for several months after completing the class. After a while I learned to recognize what was deficient in my knowledge and kept reading till those areas were familiar. When I consistently started getting a passing grade I knew I was ready. The next big challenge was finding a testing center that had exam slots which matched my availability. I patiently waited and got a convenient location and an afternoon time slot. There was the usual test anxiety but I quickly settled in to the exam and worked my way down the computerized test, marking the questions I was not confident of. I did a second pass and got all of those completed. Then I started the final review and the clock timed me out when I was almost done with my review. After the survey, I got my results – all the studying and hard work had paid off.
The overall suggestion I have is take your time, don’t rush it. Get familiar with the materials. If there are gaps, increase your knowledge by reading and getting your questions about the process answered by someone who has a PMP.
I hope this was helpful. Please ask if there are more questions.
Thank you so much Conrad. Sincerely I wish to extend my gratitude for the experience that you had in PMP journey. Saving Changes...
