I PASSED THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMP) CERTIFICATION EXAM ON FIRST ATTEMPT

Well, this is out of the blog theme.. it has nothing to do with travel, but I have to write it down. Keeping the excitement boiling inside me is not healthy, because it would make me look like a crazy person smiling to myself and (maybe) talking to myself.

I passed the PMP exam on the first attempt. I was among the 2 person who passed, another 10 or more candidates that share the same exam time with me have failed. I am very sorry for them, as the exam is not cheap. It's about USD555/exam. PMI is very good at making money. These poor candidates will have to forked out another USD250 ( if I am not mistaken, you can check PMI.org for more info) to sit for the exam again. But if I were them, I wont part with my money unless I am really ready for it.

It was the last day of 2014, on 31st Dec to be exact. The exam took about 4 hours straight. I went to the loo only once, for I fear that I'd waste time outside of the exam time. And yes, the clock still running even if you go out for drink or toilet break. So, the lesser time taken to leave the exam room, the better. After the 4hours time finished, we were asked to complete a questionaires on the exam centre. At that time, my heart was pounding so quick and my hands were shaking. I was informed that the exam result will be shown right after the exam. So, the waiting is killing me. Then, suddenly there was it..There was a big "CONGRATULATIONS" note on the screen. And it was then that I started smiling...

Alhamdulillah...

THE JOURNEY - 4 MONTHS PREPARATION TIME

I decided to take the PMP exam to validate myself as a certified project manager. Being one of the world-class recognition in project management, it is not easy to get certified. The exam is known for its difficulty, because almost 80% of the exam takers have failed the exam. So I attended the 5-days PMP Preparatory Exam at CADD Centre, Petaling Jaya in Sept 2014 with some of my office colleagues. Our trainer, miss Gythri was an excellent trainer. The classroom session was dry, as we have to adsorb all the theories from PMBOK. The class went on Saturdays and Sundays. Once completed the 5 days session, me my colleagues registered with PMI for the exam. We purposely selected the last day of the year in order to get the RM2,500 refunds promised by government of Malaysia.

Aahh... yes, I have to inform CADD centra that I have passed the exam to request for the refund!

What did I do to pass the exam for the first time?

1. I read PMBOK 5th edition from cover to cover. Never miss even a page!

2. I allocated minimum 1 hour study everyday. Because I have a full time job (hence cannot study at work) and a mother (hence cannot study when children are around), I woke up at 4.30am every morning to study. 

3. I used Rita's book (8th edition) to make myself understand the PMBOK further.

4. I did a lot of mock-up exam questions / sample exam questions. Some given by my trainer, but mostly from the internet. I just googled 'Free PMP exam questions PMBOK 5th', and lots of links shown.

5. Pray hard and get the blessing from my husband.. (thanks, sayang!)

But, hardwork alone will not guarantee to pass the exam. From the 4months of torturing myself with study and after sitting for the exam, below are five important tips that other PMP-inspired people out there should know :

1. Earned value is very important. Lots of questions on SPI and CPI. You have to understand it's basis and know how to put it in use.

2. Change management is very critical. You wont be able to answer it correctly if you dont understand the fundamental of change in project management. I think, more than 10 questions were about change alone!

3. You dont have to remember all the ITTO... but you have to understand the sequence and where every processes and tools are used. Rita's book is very good at giving you the understanding.

4. You must always picture yourself a project manager of a big project in a big organization. The questions will require you to answer based on that perspective. 

5. Allocate 1 min per question. Never more. If you cant answer it, mark it for review and proceed with next questions. You can go back to it later. Given time, you brain will secretly find its way to find the correct answer. You'll be able to answer it right when to review the question again later.

I hope the above will give you some ideas on the PMP exam and what to do before sitting for it. If you have questions, feel free to comment below, or email me at cutifamili@gmail.com.