Passed my PMP yesterday!

[Mythili]

Hi All,

I have appeared and cleared my PMP exam yesterday...

Good luck to rest all in the line.

Regards,

Mythili

[Mythili]

Thanks Govind!

The questions in the exam were very wordy and scenario based. Very few are direct questions asking which process, input, output or tool/technique. I have got around 12 mathematical questions. 3 from Earned value forecast, one from TCPI, around 5 from EVM, one from EMV (probability impact) and 4 from critical path lead and lags. 

I have read PMBOK Guide, the 155 pages material provided by Knowledgewoods people, ITTO Sheets, classroom notes of knowledgewoods, and worked on PMP mathematics for sometime.

Last one week I was giving the mock exams. Initially it took almost four hours but gradually I started finishing comfortably between 3 to 3.30 hrs.

If we are not used to attempting four hour long multiple choice question style of exams, then midway through the examination will bring about some form of fatigue in us. This will cause to rush through the remaining questions. So, for all those who are planning to take the exam soon, keep practicing until you overcome this factor.. :-)

Goodluck!!

Regards,

Mythili

On Thu, Jun 13, 2013 at 5:40 PM, Govind <mkgo...@gmail.com> wrote:

Congrats Mythili. 

Any tips that you would pass on for people who plan to take the exam soon

Cheers again

Govind

[Mr P.V.K.Sharma]

Hi Mithili,

 

Congrats on your success and thanks for the tips...Get going and Good luck...

 

Sharma

[Arun Aroume]

Congrats Mythili!!!

Guys - Please make use of those mock tests as part of our knowledge woods package. It truly helps... I am sweating it out here. Got rogered in the first sample test and hoping to come up from the ashes on the remaining ones!

Rome was not built in a day but i am looking to build mine by 17th ;D

Regards,

Arun

[Rishi Agarwal]

Congrats Mythili.

 

Arun what happened to your exam?

 

Regards,

--Rishi

[Arun Aroume]

Dear All,

I am glad and relieved to let you all know that I cleared my PMP at 12:04 PM on Tuesday - 18th June, 2013!!!

Its a great feeling, but yes the effort that went into it was tremendous... (No Shortcuts, Nervousness, Sleeplessness before the Exam, Acidity during the exam!!!!!!!)

Like Srini and Mythili cautioned, the questions were extremely lengthy and definitely tested grit, patience and fear of losing time

As I mentioned in my previous note to all of you, Do not lose out on the 10 mock exams provided to us as part of the package from Knowledge woods

Be advised: The GUI and the simplicity of the Knowledge woods mock exams is NOT how the GUI of the final exam looks like. Note that the English is genuinely bad in the knowledge woods mock exams, but it will give you great practice to sit through 4 hours and 200 Questions - Which trust me is not easy!!

My Advise on Approach, follow the below (Arun Aroume, PMP® 10 Mantras ;D):

1) People who say that one has to read the PMBOK Guide minimum twice, ARE RIGHT (Unfortunate, but true!!)

2) Head first PMP is just about ok to read once, to start off with and set your context and direction right - BUT ITS DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH to clear the exam

3) Read Rita Mulcahy, trust me its an excellent book, the concepts in it are great if you read it with intent.I never touched it until Srini mentioned, so i got hooked on to the book.The best of the book i felt is the way she has sequences the Processes and the Tricks of the trade. Memorize them, they are mentioned in Rita's Process Charts, in a sequence, via which you are tested in the examination. There is an exercise in it, wherein you make cutouts of the process and have to arrange them on a table - DO IT, it will give you great visual understanding of the sequence of processes (especially the Planning Processes)

4) Pay lot of heed to Procurement process, be PAKKA in your concepts and differences of Verifying Scope and Closing Projects, tools and techniques used in Plan Procurement and Conduct Procurement

5) In terms of the math: 

• IMPORTANT: You do not get a physical calculator in the Exam and trust me it does make a difference. DO NOT practice with a Casio calculator and the like. During the examination, the calculator is an embedded soft calculator, which is very basic (the same as your windows calculator), and get used to using the mouse for entering the numbers (especially large numbers) and for performing the calculations so use your windows calculator
•  As Srini said, Lots of Numericals on EVM, So know how to calculate VAC, EAC, ETC, PV, EV, and TCPI. Read the situations (typical, atypical and when initial estimates are flawed) in the PM Mathematics Sheet handout and make sure to practice them (you will find lots of questions in the Mock Exams)
• Critical Path was the toughest, and its not as simple as finding out critical path and total and free float! They will ask you indirect questions about leads and Lags
  
• Write down all the formulas you know in the scratch sheet provided to you, in the first 10 minutes

6) You must be an expert in the tools and techniques in detail and you should be able to differentiate between tools and techniques and Inputs and Outputs... Study in depth the Definitions, functions, "where is it used" and "what it tells you about" - especially NPV, IRR, Scatter diagrams, Run Charts, Control Charts, S-Curves, Sensitivity Analysis, Monte Carlo Analysis, Bar Graphs and Histograms, Analogous Estimates and the difference between it and Parametric Estimates, bottum up estimation etc. 

7) It is a very small area but one can definitely score all questions right, if you are well versed with PMI Code of ethics

8) Be well versed in the differences between Smoothing, Compromising and Withdrawal conflict resolution techniques and also, the different Leadership styles

9) Be well versed in Risk Management especially the differences between Identify Risks and Plan Risk Responses, and when should risk audits be used and when risk re-assessments should be done

10) Practice during your Mock exams to give your exam in one shot without getting up, be on that hotseat for 4 hours! Though you are allowed to getup and go to the washroom, the procedures of checking before you go out and checking after you come back in, will easily eat-up about 5 minutes alone. So you will Lose time! This Practice you will get when you give your mock exams

Follow this approach for preparation:

One Study of PMP Head First --> One Study of Rita Mulcahy --> One run through of the PMBOK 4 --> Give Knowledge woods Mock Exam --> Understand your weak areas --> Study the weak area in PMBOK (If you are weak in the sequencing of process, consult Rita Mulcahy's Book) --> Give another round of exams --> Repeat the iteration from the "Understand your weak areas"

Finally, when you are confident, a day before the Exam, Go to http://www.pmstudy.com/enroll.asp#PMP, and register for the free test. This is closest in GUI with the actual PMP Examination

On the day of the exam, reach the center about an hour before your scheduled time, Go through the Mind Maps, Go through the Formulas and then enter for formalities, 30 minutes before your appointment starts

At the end of it, Have a Blast as you will really feel good with the Aura Around you once you clear :) 

Warm Regards,

Arun Aroume, PMP® :D

[Mr P.V.K.Sharma]

Congrats Arun and thanks a lot for the great tips,

 

Regards,

 

 

Sharma

[Mythili]

Congrats Arun!!

[Sreesha Begane]

Hi All

I have cleared my PMP exam on 18th Jun.

Please follow the tips and tricks provided by Srini, Mythili and Arun.  That should be sufficient to clear the exam.

Suggestion from my side is to read Rita Mulcahy's book.  This will definitely enhances PMP clearing strike rate.

Cheers,

Sreesha

 

[Rishi Agarwal]

Congrats to Sreesha & Arun.

 

Thanks Arun for sharing your thoughts. I guess I need to use your 10 mantras to clear my PMP.

 

Regards,

Rishi

[Prashanth Sharma]

Dear All.........Just to let you all know that I have cleared my PMP yesterday.

Thanks Venki for sharing Rita's book on PMP. I could crack the exam just by reading that book. The tips and tricks mentioned in that book and the quality of questions given at the end of each chapters were really good. 

I am not sure if i am the last one to take the exam in this forum :-), but if you are yet to clear your PMP, then do not miss to go through the book (along with other books ;-) which you have already planned to study) at least once (twice better, thrice the best).

Regards,

Prashanth

--
Regards

Prashanth

[khushbu jain]

Dear All, I have also cleared my PMP last monday. Thanks Venki, Mythili, Arun for the tips. 

All the best for the rest in line,( if any... :) )

Regards,

Khushbu

[Richa Pathak]

Hi,

Congrats Prashanth and Khushbu,

I have scheduled my pmp exam on 19th this month,  can you please share softcopy of the Rita's book so that I can give atleast a one time read before my exam.

Any tips for last week preparation will be very helpful.

Regards
Richa

[Rishi Agarwal]

Congrats Prashanth.

 

I am yet to take this certification exam. Looks like I will be the last person since I am caught with some other priority things to complete.

 

However, when I clear this exam I will let you know all :)

 

Regards,

Rishi

[khushbu jain]

Pfa... also refer 175 page booklet given by knowledgewoods.. Its concise precise version of pmbok... 

All the best.. 

Regards,

Khushbu

 PMP__Exam_Prep_7th_Edition_-_Rita_Mulcahy.pdf

[khushbu jain]

Typo 118* page booklet... :)

[Richa Pathak]

Thanks Khushbu, Prashath :-)

Regards
Richa