You would be looking for free PMP certification material for the exam prep and studies. Who wouldn’t?
Free is always good. Nah!
There is an old adage. There is no free lunch.
In this post, I have shared Ben Ziskoven’s experience with PMP studies. His experience proves that there is a merit to buying few paid courses. He categorically states that free PMP certification sources are not worth the time.
I would like to congratulate Ben on his success, and wish him good luck for the future. Here is his experience in his own words.
PMP Certification – Free And Paid Courses
I like to continuously challenge myself and it is fun experiencing my environment form different perspectives and helps me gain more insight. I do not wait to get motivated before I get started, but get motivated along the way. After I am immersed, there is not stopping.
Here is how you can become a Project Management Professional like me.
About The PMP
The PMP is considered the global gold standard for Project Management. The PMP is a recognition of having the knowledge and experience necessary in the project management profession. The certification needs to be renewed every three years and by holding the certificate you agree to uphold PMI’s ethical standards.
The Project Management Institute keeps updating the Project Management Body of Knowledge based on proven best practices. These were found useful to increase results for projects by project managers all around the world. The newest guide includes an Agile Practice Guide and recognizes the changing role of the project manager. The process groups in project management are Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Control and Closing. The knowledge areas which are universal in each area where project management is applied: Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, (Human) Resources, Communications, Risk, Procurement and Project Stakeholder management.
How I Studied For The PMP
I used my laptop to participate in online courses, to take simulated test exams, gather information, look up information on specific terms and formulas and make notes. I also watched part of the online course on my smartphone for the purpose of repeating some materials at any available opportunity, and did some practice exams from different mobile apps while on public transportation but I do not recommend this, as I could not find a mobile app with good quality exam questions.
I kept to the schedule. The two paid courses I took, had a suggested schedule of completion within a specific number of weeks. I would then strive to complete everything even faster to not only make it a fun challenge but also to allow for unforeseen slacking due to changes in my plan.
I started out with the course from Joseph Philips on Udemy which included practice questions, later took the course from Examspm (link is below). The exam simulators were really helpful. I studied many evenings in an empty room in a university nearby my home, which I found to be the best environment to focus continuously.
What I Wish I Knew
Taking practice exams is incredibly time consuming and can be exhausting next to work and other personal endeavors. Practice exams take up four hours each. I completed an exam in one day on the weekend and did half an exam in two or three days during the week. However, the most time consuming and also vital to my exam success was to review the answers to the practice exams. I would review questions I had right but doubted about and then try to internalize them. More importantly, I would review the questions I had wrong and internalize that to not make the same mistake again, and keep (very slowly) improving my score almost in every practice exam.
I also wish I had immediately trusted some of the blogs I read and advice I got from YouTube that was positive about paid exam practice questions and paid courses. I have found that most of the free materials I came across were not of high quality, but there are a few exceptions I will mention here.
Free PMP Certification Materials
YouTube Video’s with practice questions and explanations from Aileen Ellis are from the PMBOK 5th edition and not the 6th edition, but I still found them very useful.
Oliver Lehmann free exam questions are of a high enough level to test your knowledge. If you always get more then 85 percent correct on the practice exams you should feel confident that you will succeed on the exam.
Paid Course
The PMP course by Helena Liu is really good. She was an IBM consultant but now trains PMP students full time. I got in touch with her and asked to recommend her course that I was really happy I took. Below you find the direct link. She extensively promotes her course via free webinars and e-mails but I wish I had ‘fallen for it’ earlier on. I find her tempo and voice very pleasant and the course covers what there is to know for exam success.
https://benziskoven–secureforms.thrivecart.com/pmp-webinar/
Good luck on your journey!
Over To You
Which free material are you you using for studies? What courses are you planning to buy? Would you buy a paid simulator?
Please share you thoughts in the comments below.
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Hi there! I just read your article on how to get PMP certification for free, and I found it very interesting. As someone who’s been considering pursuing the certification, I appreciated the various options you provided for getting certified without paying the usual exam and training fees.
Your discussion of the various free resources available for preparing for the exam, including online study materials and practice tests, was particularly helpful. I appreciated the way you highlighted the importance of self-study and discipline in preparing for the exam without the support of paid training courses.
I also found your explanation of the PMI’s Volunteer program to be very insightful. Your suggestion to volunteer for project management-related activities and earn PDUs towards certification was a great reminder of how to gain experience and contribute to the industry while also preparing for the exam.
Overall, I found your article to be a great resource for anyone who’s interested in pursuing PMP certification but wants to do so without incurring the usual costs. Your suggestions for using free study materials and taking advantage of the PMI’s Volunteer program provided a great roadmap for achieving certification while minimizing expenses. Thanks for sharing your expertise on the topic!