I am planning to get certified in 1-2 years. Not sure which org. maybe PMI, or Australian equivalent.
Since these orgs require an applicant to have industry PM experience, I want to ask at this stage, what documents should I be collecting to prepare for my application?
I might need to actively fill the gaps in my current experience. Do I need employment certification that I did Risk Management, Scope Management, etc.?
I highly recommend PMI PMP certification. PMI is an organization whose PM standards are accepted internationally. The PM Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) is the bible. Contact them via internet PMI.com for more information on PMP certification.
For documentation of experience, start putting together a binder that has a description of the projects you have worked on; your role in the project and the appx number of hours you logged to the project.
To prepare for the PMP exam, many local chapters sponsor weekend training sessions.
There are a lot of ways to prepare for certification...if you are planning on PMI certification, definitely document which areas of the PMBOK that your experience relates to (developed scope documents, completed risk analysis, etc.). That will help you in the long run when a year goes by and you can't remember exactly what you did on a project.
As far as preparing for the exam, several organizations teach PM...I work with Western Carolina University, and we teach an online PMP Preparation course...instructor-led, asynchronous, and high quality. If you want to check it out, go to http://cess.wcu.edu and click on distance learning. It's really good.
Assuming you want to get the PMP certification through PMI (which is what I recommend), here's what I did, roughly in this sequence:
(1) Get the latest information from their web site (www.pmi.org). You'll get an application and a list or prerequisites, which includes documenting your work experience and education. You must be pre-qualified to sit for the exam. (2) Obtain and use a self-study CD, which provides simulated exams. This will help you identify what you're weakest in, which will help you focus on areas you need to brush-up on the most. Few companies practice every aspect of the project management discipline well (e.g., Earned value is only practiced in a small minority of firms today), so if you aren't using an aspect on the job, you won't be familiar enough with it. These CDs aren't cheap (I used the one from The International Institute for Learning, which costs over $500), but they will save you lots of time. (3) Get the books (PMI sells them) that delve into the subject matter you need to study. Note that the PMBOK alone will not provide enough information to pass the exam! (4) Sign-up for a PMP prep class from your local PMI chapter. If nothing else, you'll find out what the exam will cover, including the terminology, which is VERY important. (5) Get some tips from others who have taken the exam. I found that about a third of the quetions were fairly straight-forward, and for the other two-thirds, all of the possible answers to the questions looked pretty darned good! The objective is to select the "best" answer from the list. (6) Get plenty of rest the night before you are scheduled to take the exam. (7) If you're taking the exam on a workday, take the day off from work. If you pass the exam, you'll want to celebrate the rest of the day - if you fail it, you'll be too depressed to go back to work that day!
I was fortunate enough to pass the exam on the first try, with 10 questions to spare! Hope my strategy helps you, too. Good luck! Saving Changes...
Taking this exam is not as hard, nor does it require as much study time as the others lead you to belive. Over 99% of my students study only 40 hours and pass. The secret, learn what to focus on and what you know and do not know. See www.rmcproject.com for independant study guides and other helpful hints or send me a question. Saving Changes...
I'm a consultant in a software firm in India I cannot afford to buy the books that PMI sells due to my constraints. Will it be ok if I study the PMBOK throughly?. Can anyone help me by suggesting free online resources for the same or if one of you has some info can you share it with me? Saving Changes...
Anonymous
There's a discussion group for people preparing for the PMP certification exam. It includes lots of free resources and can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PMPCert Saving Changes...
You may also try new products now available online such as the PMP EXAM online intensive preparation with preparepmp.com :
-Intensive training : 1320 questions sequenced per knowledge area and process domain including three full exams of 4-hour 200-question.
- Study online at your own pace and gain the PMI required 35 contact hours.
- Free 245 questions are available in the FREE DEMO: enrol easily at http://www.preparepmp.com - If you have any information request, do not hesitate to contact us at: [email protected] Saving Changes...
Anonymous
I agree with the other posts. PMP Certification is a hot certification right now and is recognized across the world.
PMTI (http://www.4PMTI.com) provides the following tools and documents for you to know more about PMP
a) Free PMP Exam Prep Toolkit - http://www.4PMTI.com/FreeToolkit.php. This is a good document if you are wondering what is PMI, PMP, PMBOK, advantages of PMP Certification, how to prepare for the exam and what is tested in PMP Exam
b) Free PMP Exam Sample Questions - (http://www.4PMTI.com) Check these out to understand what type of questions show up in the actual PMP Questions.
c) If you are planning to do a self-study you will find a roadmap on how to prepare. (in PMP & PM Links section) On the other hand, if you are looking for a course, you will find a comparison worksheet on what to look for in a PMP Exam Prep Provider at http://www.4PMTI.com/whypmti.htm
You should also check out the Yahoo group - PMPCert, PMP-Prep. PMBOK alone will not suffice. You should at least invest in a good PMP Exam Prep Book and a PMP Exam Question Bank at a minimum. These will prepare you to use your existing knowledge and experience to understand and learn the PMI way of Project Management. Hope this helps!
Al HarrisSenior Project Manager| University of Chicago Medical CenterDarien, Il, United States
I agree with the postings that recommend the PMP certification. It is widely acknowledge and is increasing as a requirement for PM positions - at least from what I see in position announcements in the Chicagoland area.
Solid familiarity with the PMBoK is very important and I highly recommend taking a PMP Exam Prep class. Many PMI chapters offer such classes as do universities and other private companies. The posting here from Rita Mulcahy mentions her class and as an alum (Yes I passed first time) of her class I can strongly recommend it.
Saving Changes...
Andy JordanPresident| Roffensian Consulting S.A.Cherry Grove, AB, Canada
I too would heartily endorse Rita, she is well known to anyone who has been to a PMI symposium, and her record speaks for itself. A lot of companies are making a lot of money from PMP candidates, and I would question the benefit (of the training) for most people - you just don't need it
My views on PMP may be a little different. I would heartily support anyone new to project management who wants to 'prove themselves' - PMP is a benchmark. However, when I look for a PM who has several projects under their belt I would look for something that is more industry specific - not necessarily a formal qualification, but something a little less generic than PMP - RUP or SDD for example.
PMI did made a quantum leap forward with the exams based on the 2000 PMBoK, and with the continuous development / recertification program.
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1 reply by Brian Gunn
Feb 17, 2016 4:42 PM
Brian Gunn
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I recommend PMP from PMI, for sure.
I would recommend the following to prepare for the exam:
1) Join PMI - there is a ton of great material here.
2) Read PMBOK - I know it is extremely dry, but thats what it is about, isn't it.
3) Buy Rita's book - Excellent read, applicable test exams, good examples.
4) Invest in test exams. I have taken 7, 4 hour practice exams. After each exam, I would review those areas i did poorly in and review PMBOK and Rita's chapters and refresh my memory. I truly believe this was the primary reason I passed on the first try. I also took the freebees found on the internet. I estimated I must have answered at 3000 questions.
5) Know the calculations and understand the calculations.
6) Understand (not memorize) the ITTO and Knowledge areas - taking the practice tests will weed out your weak areas.
7) While taking the test, be aware of your time, a few times during the test I was calculating the average speed of answering the questions to judge if I would have enough time. Finished the test with 6 minutes left which was plenty of time to review my marked answers.
8) Take a test run traveling to your testing facility - this will reduce any possible stress.
Good Luck!!!
