About a week ago, I submitted my application to sit PMI®’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam. Their website says that it takes about five days to get a response on whether you’re approved. I logged into their website today, and it looks like my application is approved. I now have 353 days to pay for and take the test (from my approval date). So now what do I do?
Pay for the Exam
I’m a PMI® member, so the fee for taking the PMP® is reduced; my cost is only $405. If you’re not a PMI® member (you don’t have to be), the exam fee is $555. Fortunately, I work for a company that supports ongoing education and certification, so I’ll be able to expense the exam fee. Once I pay, I can schedule my exam with the testing organization.
Schedule the Exam
You can take the exam in person at a testing center, or you can opt to take the test online. If you’re taking the test online, you can’t schedule for the current day; you need to set up your test in advance.
Testing Center
I have taken other certifications at exam centers, and it’s no fun. They make you remove everything from your person, including jewelry, watches, cell phones, etc. Then, they ask you to turn out your pockets, and they use a wand to confirm that you don’t have anything else on you. Talk about stress! It’s basically like entering a prison.
Proctored Online
I highly recommend taking the exam online from the convenience of your own home or office. You will need to prepare your environment to meet the testing organization’s requirements (a topic for a separate blog). You can schedule the exam according to your needs. Once you schedule the test, plan backward from that date. If you need to change the date, be sure to do so within the allowable timeframe by the vendor; otherwise, you’ll lose your exam fee.
Create a Study Plan
Presumably, if your application was approved, it means you already earned the necessary 35 contact hours of training. That’s a good start, but you need to internalize what you learned. Every person has their preferred style of studying, but here is how I typically approach preparing for certification tests:
Work backward from your test date
Most trainers/coaches recommend that you schedule your exam for no more than six weeks out from the time you do your training. Once you have the exam on your calendar, you can plan backward from that date.
Revisit your training materials
Take any materials you received during your training course, online or in-person, and review them. These artifacts are good resources to use when studying and will jog your memory of what you learned during the class.
Study one knowledge area/domain at a time
Choose one area to study at a time and focus on it. Review it until you feel comfortable that you have mastered the content. Don’t try to learn too much at once.
Create flashcards
Using flashcards is one of the techniques I find most useful. As I watch an online training course or read from a book, I create a spreadsheet of questions and answers. I include true/false questions for things that I think might trip me up on the test. Then I upload the spreadsheet into a tool like cram.com, and I drill like crazy. You can also use index cards if you prefer to go old-school.
Join a study group
Some people find that joining a study group is the best way to learn. I don’t fall into this camp, but I can’t argue with those who do. Your local PMI® chapter might have an Endorsed Education Provider to host study groups or create one yourself. It would help to have a current PMP®-holder as the study group facilitator.
Take a prep class
You may have earned your 35 contact hours without attending a prep class, but if you or your company can afford it, prep classes are generally worth the money. I have taken several boot camp-style preparation courses over the years, and while they are intense, they help hammer home the concepts you need to know.
Online exam simulators
There are lots of exam simulators available for the PMP®. You can also find many free sample tests you can use to practice online. Just be cautious of the source – the quality of them may vary. The PMI® has its own version available for a low cost (but it only includes 300 questions).
Buy a prep book
There are several prep books available that you can buy. I purchased a highly rated one updated for the January 2021 exam version. The test focuses on the PMBOK® sixth edition, plus many other referenced learning resources. Prep books usually have quizzes at the end of each chapter and good explanations of the answers.
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Study a little bit every day
Think of this as a marathon – not a sprint. Put in an hour or two every day, and you’ll absorb what you need to without memorizing things. A little bit every day goes a long way.
Create a brain dump
Writing out a brain dump before starting your test is another technique I have seen used in many prep classes. I don’t use this approach myself. However, it must work for some people because it’s so popular. Personally, I don’t think you need his type of thing with the current exam version.
Don’t try to memorize the ITTOs
For previous PMP® test versions, memorizing all the inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs (ITTOs) was essential, which caused most people to struggle. There are 49 separate processes, and it’s insane to try to memorize that. Instead, learn the concepts, and rely on those in your studies.
50/50 Predictive/Adaptive
I earned the PMI-PBA® several years ago, and I was disappointed that the exam’s focus was still about 90% waterfall. I had expected a more balanced set of questions, but that’s not what I experienced. I have spoken to a few people who have taken the PMP® since the January 2021 update. It is now evenly split between traditional and agile (predictive/adaptive) ways of working on projects. If you have already earned the PMI-ACP®, you’re halfway there and can probably focus your studies more on the traditional aspects of project management to prepare for the exam.
Always use the PMI®’s perspective
My final tip is to forget everything you do in the real world of project management. The PMI® doesn’t care about that. Look at everything through the PMI®’s lens. Pretend that you live in the perfect world, that you are fully authorized and have all the power to do everything you need to do. Also, assume that you have a Project Management Office (PMO) and a Change Control Board (CCB).
So, now what?
I’m taking my advice and putting the above plan into action to prepare for my PMP® exam. I already started listening to a different prep course on Udemy than the one I used to gain the necessary contact hours. I’m taking copious notes to compile my flashcards. I’m also using the PMP® prep book I bought. I expect to pay for the exam soon and schedule the test for mid-March.
How about you? Are you ready to earn your PMP®, or do you already have it? What did you do to prepare? Let me know in the comments below!