7 steps to PMP Exam Success

For those who’ve already finished your analysis in regards to the PMP examination, by now, you should have realized that it is a mammoth of a aim to perform. The Challenge Administration Skilled (popularly often known as PMP) is taken into account a gold commonplace within the undertaking administration neighborhood and serves as a badge of honor for many who’ve demonstrated the dedication, self-discipline, focus, and laborious work in buying the coveted designation.

That being mentioned, there at the moment are over 1,000,000 individuals who have their PMP, and so are you able to. All you must do is have a plan of how you’re going to get there and observe it.

Whether or not you are new to the sphere of undertaking administration or somebody with years of undertaking administration expertise, having a examine plan for the PMP will at all times show to be useful in your journey to amass the PMP. Planning turns into much more vital whenever you’re making an attempt to review for the PMP together with work commitments. Consider PMP examination preparation as an train in managing a undertaking of your individual and testing your expertise.

Listed below are 7 steps to observe to get that coveted PMP designation below your belt.

Step #1: Perceive roughly how a lot effort and time is required for PMP examination preparation.

Step one in engaging in any job or initiative is to evaluate what it entails. For the PMP examination, this implies understanding what materials is roofed on the examination and the examination format. Figuring out the breadth of the fabric examined within the examination will allow you to plan extra realistically. Nevertheless, on common, the PMP examination preparation timelines vary from 2-3 months or roughly 80-100 hours of examine and observe. To learn the way many months you may want to check the overall time you may spare throughout per week to the overall time required for preparation. Keep in mind to maintain the plan high-level and maintain room for flexibility in your schedule. There may at all times make certain days whenever you may not have the time to review as a result of skilled and private commitments.

Step #2: Plan your examination finish date and examination preparation strategy

After buying an understanding of the supplies and the examination construction, get an concept of whenever you wish to take the examination and your examination preparation strategy. This doesn’t imply reserving the examination however merely planning a specific week or month by whenever you would need to write the examination. In relation to approaching the examination content material, there are alternative ways you are able to do this. For instance, some individuals prefer to be taught in a classroom setting, so that they take bodily or digital PMP courses. Others who’ve a busy work schedule may not have the capability to spare 5 days straight in a category and like a self-paced course possibility. No matter possibility you select, do not forget that the chosen possibility should work along with your studying fashion, prices, and schedule. For instance, we have had a number of busy professionals leverage their PMP examination preparation with our PMP e-learning programs and attained success.

Step #3: Undergo the examination preparation supplies and the PMBOK patiently

Whereas learning for the PMP examination, endurance is essential. The ideas within the PMBOK and the supporting supplies are fairly complete, and you should undergo them with focus and focus. For instance, the primary time you learn the PMBOK, you would possibly really feel overwhelmed with the way in which it is structured. Therefore, breaking down the examination content material and tackling one chapter at a time from the PMBOK is a greater strategy. For instance, you may learn one chapter from the PMBOK and complement it with watching the movies in your PMP e-learning course and fixing end-of-chapter questions.

Step #4: Put together for agile together with predictive undertaking administration

Till the tip of 2020, the examination PMP content material was primarily predictive. Starting in 2021, the PMP examination content material incorporates each predictive and agile ideas. So, in the event you’ve labored in a waterfall-style setting for many of your profession, agile would possibly look like a more recent subject for you. Nevertheless, with the discharge of PMBOK sixth version, PMI additionally launched the PMI Agile observe information, a 210 pages ebook that covers varied agile subjects written in collaboration with the Agile alliance. So, studying the PMI Agile Follow information along with the PMBOK is vitally vital since almost 50% of the PMP examination is now agile. Moreover, seize a free copy of the scrum information and browse it completely, too, since scrum is a broadly used agile framework and a majority of the agile questions within the PMP examination are on scrum.

Step #5: Follow sufficient mock exams and questions

The PMP examination is actually a take a look at of your skill to understand the query and relate it to a undertaking administration idea. Plus, the examination size is 4 hours, and nearly all of the questions are situational. Additional, a number of questions within the examination might be fairly prolonged and would require good studying pace and comprehension skills. Because the saying goes, ‘Follow makes good’, so getting ample observe earlier than the examination is paramount. Most of us writing the PMP aren’t within the behavior of sitting for lengthy hours writing an examination anymore, so it is important to place your self by way of that state of affairs as a lot as attainable to turn out to be snug with it.

Moreover, practising varied mock questions from totally different sources can provide totally different views of the examination. One vital factor to notice is that no matter useful resource you select, be certain that they supply mixture of predictive and agile-based questions. You could resolve at the least 4-5 mock exams with a median rating of 75-80% to really feel assured about sitting the precise examination.

Step #6: Evaluation improper solutions from chapter assessments and mock assessments

Figuring out the fabric and fixing mock papers is not sufficient in the event you aren’t studying out of your errors. Even with excessive scores within the mock assessments, you should assessment all of your incorrect solutions. It will guarantee you do not miss out on ideas you should know for the examination and ultimately add to your rating within the precise examination. Whereas reviewing incorrect solutions, it is a good observe to consult with the sections of the PMBOK supplied within the reply clarification. Doing this may enable you establish the explanation for the improper selection and reinforce the proper reply. Comply with this course of for each chapter or mock take a look at you resolve.

Step #7: Learn by way of the PMBOK yet another time and resolve extra questions

The PMBOK is a large ebook. It is almost unattainable for anybody simply to learn it as soon as and have the ability to retain the knowledge. With 10 information areas and 49 processes, after a degree, it may possibly turn out to be fairly tough for anybody to recollect the content material inside every of the processes or information areas. Moreover, undertaking administration is an built-in self-discipline the place varied processes, instruments, and strategies join with one another. Therefore, each time you learn the PMBOK you may uncover these new connections amongst the a number of processes and information areas which strengthens your understanding of the subject material and aids you whereas answering questions, additional bettering your total efficiency. Preserve fixing mock questions all alongside this step to test how a lot of your understanding has improved.

Some further suggestions for PMP examination success

Along with the steps given above, listed here are some further tricks to help you throughout your PMP examination preparation.

Tip #1: Evaluation the glossary within the PMBOK and the Agile Follow Information

Though missed by many PMP examination candidates throughout their examination prep, the glossary serves as a superb useful resource to familiarise your self with a number of definitions, terminologies, and acronyms used throughout the PMBOK. You too can convert the glossary into flashcards for on-the-go-byte-sized studying.

Tip #2: Get on board with a examine group for extra motivation

Getting ready for the PMP examination is a gigantic job with weeks and months of dedication and devoted effort. Due to this fact, it’s normal to lose your motivation alongside the way in which, particularly whenever you’re on their own within the journey. It is in all probability a good suggestion to affix a examine group regionally or on-line. Not solely you may really feel charged with the vitality of different candidates, however you may additionally have the ability to study different sources you may leverage in your PMP examination prep and be taught from different individuals’s experiences and errors.

Tip #3: Use flashcards

Utilizing PMP flashcards is a good way to interrupt up the PMP content material in micro-sized studying artifacts. Flashcards might be Q&A-based, definitions, acronyms, or formulation associated to the PMP examination. The fantastic thing about utilizing flashcards is that they’re moveable and can be utilized for fast studying everytime you discover the time. Nowadays you may discover each paper-based or app-based flashcards, or if you wish to go a step additional, create a few of your individual, particularly for the content material that you just would possibly discover tough to recollect.

The PMP examination is tough however not unattainable. Many candidates have discovered success in passing the PMP examination utilizing a method such because the one written above.

Nevertheless, it is also vital to do not forget that everyone seems to be totally different and that nobody measurement suits all. Be at liberty to take cues from varied sources and design your customized PMP examine plan. Lastly, do not forget that, it doesn’t matter what course of you observe, the important thing elements of dedication, laborious work, and energy are what is going to pave the way in which for a profitable PMP examination go recipe.