The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a leading international organization for project management career and professional development. But you know that already and the purpose of my post is to share some of the things that helped me and might help you to pass the test and become certified.
I started the process by becoming a PMI member and went through the prerequisite training. The PMI membership came with the books required to study and discounts for other helpful reading materials. I took the test almost one year later. And that was OK.
I jumped on YouTube and watched one video that promised I can pass the exam without studying (I wanted to believe it) only to hear the author saying that it took 4 weeks to read the PMBOK and one more to read the Agile Manifesto. So yes, it does take quite some time to study for the exam. I watched another two videos. Their advice was to read the books; now; and solve practice tests; now; then read about the knowledge areas I was weak in; solve another practice test; take the real test.
This worked.
I registered for the test on a date five weeks from that day and mapped the PMBOK 6, PMBOK 7 and the Agile Manifesto in four weeks worth of time. I saved the last week for practice tests and rest before the test. Then studied.
On the test day I went to the test site (there is an online version but I knew how much better I could focus in a small cube with no distractions or options to move around) and waited for two hours for the system to start functioning and for the test to start. Almost five hours later I finished and the result was Pass! Yay! Now what? No more problems to solve? After a marathon of situational questions that had my mind in high gear and my heart pacing itself to make it through? Just drive home and continue working as if nothing happened? Well, yes. A little bragging or sharing the news with family, friends and coworkers helped transition down from high gear.
So how did I actually do it? Was it hard? Yes and no. Yes because it took a long time from when I became a PMI member and started the training until I took and passed the test. I could have done it faster but I let other commitments take precedence and postponed the test taking. No because the material I studied is very good and I am applying it every day not only in work situations but in my private life as well.
What happened first?
A coworker who had taken the test a few months before offered advice.
1. Become a PMI member and save money overall – I did it without hesitation, very good idea.
2. He recommended Udemy, a website that offers the 35-hour prerequisite training program at a lower price than offered by other providers. The website clarifies whether or not the training is accepted by PMI – I checked that before enrolling and it was OK. Always check before committing.
3. He recommended that I study every day as many hours as I can between scheduling the test and the day of the test. This was to be a five-week period for me.
4. He said that by the middle of my training time I should be able to fill out the Knowledge Areas table without consulting the book and know the inputs and outputs for all the processes.
What was next?
Udemy! YouTube! Audible! Scribd!
All three platforms have very good information and using the audio resources was helpful because I drive quite a few hours every week and I catch as much as I can while driving.
The three channels I followed and found very helpful are:
- PMPwithRay – Ray’s videos are very well done and he also offers a set of practice tests. I purchased his set for less than $50 and took the tests at least three times at 1-3 weeks intervals. The best part about the tests is that Ray offers full explanations for each answer and provides links to the respective videos on his YouTube channel.
- David Mclachlan’s 200Agile PMP Questions and Answers. David goes through each question and answer methodically and explains why an answer is good or bad. He helped me develop a test taking mind set while also cementing my understanding of the Agile methodology. I think I went through the first 150 questions and it was fine.
- Varun Anand’s YouTube videos and his eduhubspot platform have a wealth of very good videos. He updates his content to keep up with the PMI changes to the test materials. Varun posted a video with his tips for passing the test and I recommend it, as well as the one providing tips on the logistics of the test: taking the breaks and more.
Watching videos and listening to audio books was then supplemented by reading the manuals and linking the material read with the questions. This was the most helpful part of the study program. Mixing up the video, audio, and hard copy materials with taking sample exams every week. The bundle of exam included five tests and by the time I retook each I hardly remembered the questions.
I passed, now what?
The certificate was generated 2 weeks after I took the test and that is when I also received the analysis of my scores. I had above target scores for al three domains: processes, people and business. It felt good to see the results of my studying pay off.
I wish you the best of luck with learning the materials and passing the test. I hope you will do great!
The Full Person 