Do you want to how to pass PMP in first attempt?
I am sure you do. So, why not read first hand experience of a recently anointed PMP. In this post, I have shared PMP certification exam preparation jouney of Deepak Chander. He passed the credential exam in first try in October 2016. He has kindly documented his experience and shared a few tips & suggestions that can help other aspirants to clear the exam.
I conducted a PMP exam prep workshop in July 2016. Deeapk was part of that workshop. Right from the start of the program, my first impression was Deepak was highly motivated about the PMP exam. Throughout the workshop he was attentive and was asking right questions. I am glad that he is the first person from his batch to crack the exam.
I feel very happy for Deepak and wish him good luck for life ahead. Without any further delay, let me share Deepak’s experience in his own words.
Deepak’s Experience – How To Pass PMP In First Attempt?
I am writing this blog to share my experience with all of you & the strategies I followed to get through PMP in first attempt.
My PMP preparation span over 5 months. First two months for only PMBOK reading. I admit, I didn’t understood much of it but was good enough to get the basic ideology of projects, processes, knowledge areas & PMBOK structure.
Then comes the 35 contact hour training. That was a booster & kick start for the rest of preparation. It sets foundation & clears basic fundamental of the management practices. It was helpful to understand the meaning & relations among ITTOs.
After training I completed the thorough reading from Headfirst & covered the chapter wise questions. I read somewhere that the Headfirst is not the perfect book for PMP, But must say it is the easiest book to understand & interesting to read. Choose one which suits you well.
It took 2 month to cover all content from Headfirst. Then I scheduled my exam date & according plan for my end phase study & 7 days leave just before exam.
End phase study involved taking simulator test & looking after pitfalls. I covered nearly 2600 question(many of them were repeated). During my end-phase study I referred PMBOK for every issue or concept. This was my best shot of preparation…I believe.
Then finally cleared PMP.
5 Most Important Tips From Deepak
- Read & understand every word of PMBOK.
- Get a better understanding of PMBOK structures & popular terms before 35 hours training so that you get most of time in understanding the rest.
- Get one more book for variation & further analysis.
- Get Online Test Simulator. This will provide you thousands of questions. Leverage to create your own test both Knowledge area based & Process group based. Closely assess your progress & practice what pulls you behind.
- Schedule your exam at least 20-25 day before your desire date & plan last couple of weeks very specifically.
Study Material Used
Joseph Phillips PMP Training Course on Udemy (All mock tests and flashcards)
Rita Mulcahy’s Book (Only questions of few chapters)
Christopher Scordo’s PMP Exam Simulator
Over To You
What strategy are following to prepare for the exam? Which training program have you taken? Which exam simulator have you bought? Do you think you can clear the exam in first try?
Please leave a comment.
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Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Appreciating the persistence you put into your blog and detailed information you provide. It helped me pass the exam.
Thanks.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience with the PMP Examination. Your suggestions will be very useful for people who are currently training for the PMP Certification. Good point made on using a test simulator it will help gain a lot of important experience.
Thanks.
Good one. 6th tip – do lot of Q.
Thanks.
Informative and interesting Blog! Beautifully written, as usual, I like the post. Thank you so much for nice sharing with us. Keep posting!
I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read, I learn new information from your article, And also It helped me to pass the Project Management Professional Exam. You are doing such a great job by sharing such a good blog with us. Keep sharing such a good article.
Hi Devin, Thanks for the appreciation.
BR, Praveen.