How to Pass the PMP Exam on First Try

There are many ways to study the exam, but first thing is first, check if you are qualified to take the exam. You must have at least 3 years of work experience in project management. It doesn’t matter if your title does not state the word “project manager” as long as your job responsibilities is project management.

Second, do your research to prepare for the exam. Why do you want to pursue the certificate? Is it right for you? The benefit of being a certified project management professional can be career advancement, salary gain, or it can look good on your resume. Check how important it is and how it will benefit you and the organization. If its for you, go for it. I read that depending on the people it will take about 3 months to study the exam. It took me 6 months which I will explain later.

1. Check if your qualified

I went to the local project management school to see if I am eligible to take the exam. I submitted my resume to Technical Institute of America and got a confirmation that I was qualified. The reason why I wanted to verify is because the minimum requirement was 3 years of experience in project management with a bachelor’s degree and I applied when I had a minimum of 3 years. I wanted to make sure if I invest my money and time, I am 100% sure I am qualified.

PMI Website:

https://www.pmi.org/certifications/types/project-management-pmp

2. Read blog

Its overwhelming if there is so many resources out there and you don’t know where to start. The best thing is to do is to read the blogs who have passed the exam. So I did my research, I read blogs online, found recommended books and read its reviews, practiced online test, and learned step by step study guide.

One of the blog I read:

https://edward-designer.com/web/pmp/

https://www.leaderquestonline.com/blog/pass-the-pmp-exam-the-first-time/

https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/6189/My-Top-10-Recommended-Web-Sites-for-Free-PMP-Exam-Sample-Questions

3. Study

I read that PMBOK was very dry and technical, so I started with a book called Head First PMP. It consists about 800 pages long and covers many drawings and graphs. It's easy to read and understand. I read it twice and made my own reviewer. The PMP Exam Prep Simplified was provided when I enrolled at my local project management school (Technical Institute of America, NY). It was very useful. I study the book twice and took the 200 questions test twice. My goal is to get over 90% score on the second round within 3 hours because the actual test is 4 hours and you need time to get back to review your answers.

Finally, I got the PMBOK in PDF for free from Project Management Institute because I am a member and you get discount for the exam. To be honest, I did not finish the last part of the book since it was mostly graphs. The point is to understand the overall process and memorize the important terms and formula. Online free exam is very very important. There are many free online exams, just type PMP free online test. Here are the study materials I used below:

Books:

Head First PMP

PMP Exam Prep Simplified

PMBOK

Online free exam:

http://www.gocertify.com/quizzes/project-management/pmp-practice-quiz-pmi-project-management-professional-quiz-5.html

https://www.project-management-prepcast.com/pmp-practice-exam-questions-sample-test

http://www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmp-exam-simulator/free-pmp-exam-simulator

https://www.oliverlehmann.com/pmp-self-test/100-free-questions.htm

http://www.examcentral.net/pmp/pmp-exam-questions

I used to practiced on Head First PMP website a lot which consists of 10, 50, 200 questions but it seems like they don't offer free test anymore.

4. Complete 35 hours course

This is mandatory. You must take the 35-hour course since it is part of the prerequisite to apply for the exam. You can take online or classroom, but I prefer classroom since I wanted to meet people, so I attended at my local area (Technical Institute of America).

I chose the cheapest courses available near me which was $800. Other courses were $2,000 and I think both are equally good. The exam will cost another $555 ($405 w/ PMI membership) and PMI membership is $129, and I have to buy books and stuff so I just chose the cheapest course. The course was intensive – the weekend class was entire day for 4 days, and I finish it within a month. You just need to attend, take the exam and pass it. It’s not difficult, this is the easiest part.

Resource:

https://www.tiaedu.com/Training_PMP_course_nyc.html

5. Submit application online and get ready to be audited

This is one of the part I will never forget in my PMP journey so listen up if you don’t want to waste your time! I failed the application around 5 times, and it takes about 10 days to get an approval/decline email back from PMI. I don't want this to happen to you so keep reading.

Before submitting the application, you must read PMP book to understand the philosophy since the application require you to write PMP term or phrase – no exception. They ask you to write all the work experience you had as a project manager. For example your job responsibility, project type, who and how many people you managed, project outcome, etc.

Correct Example:

"Objectives: to construct $2M retail space Outcome: interior work completed My role: to manage architects, engineers, contractors, technicians, electricians, light designer IN: Perform stakeholder analysis to align expectations and gain support for the project PL: Develop communication, risk, quality, cost, schedule management plan EX: Conduct weekly meeting and manage task execution based on the project management plan MC: Manage changes to the project scope and costs CL: Obtain financial, legal, and administrative closure."

Unluckily I was audited randomly. Much worst, I needed to get a signed application handwritten by my former employers. Guess what, all my former employers are located outside the country. Japan and Thailand. I graduated in the Philippines, so I had to get my transcript from my university in the Philippines which took a while. Okay – so I reached out to all my employer, explained the situation, and requested if they can fill out the form and send the application directly to PMI with their signature on each project description and envelope. The envelope must be sealed with company logo.

On my first attempt, I obviously did not pass the application. I thought it was normal to fail for the first time so i kept going, did my research on how i went wrong. I understand PMI wants to make sure that individuals are qualified, but I wish they would accept email or fax since there are many people like me who worked outside the country. Mailing consumes time and money and is quite outdated. I requested PMI if they can check that the application is satisfactory, before I would reach out to my employer to send another application by mail. My former employer had to write down all the responsibilities I did for many projects and mail it again.

After many attempts, and thought I would give up, I finally passed the application. Thanks to my friend who pushed me through when I was in a tough situation (I was also planning for my wedding without a wedding planner and I will talk about this in a different post).

You see, that was just the application process. I don't want people to be discourage by reading this post but i want you to expect the worst scenario. You'll never know you might not get audited anyway. By the way, the application was approved a week before the exam edition will change so I was quite panicking to schedule the test. I scheduled the exam on March 21, 2018, 3 days before the edition will change because that was the only available date/time/location. PMI actually admitted in the email that there was an error on the submission and I actually pass the application beforehand… Oh well.

6. Study more

While waiting to pass the application, I was studying about 3 hours a day, every day. 3-5 hours on the weekend to get ready for the exam. I want to pass the first time, so I won’t waste my money and time. I needed to be determined, and I was also scared because I heard the exam is very difficult. I used the reviewer I made to study and took the free online exam multiple times until I score 100%.

7. Exam

The exam center was located far away in New Jersey. It was the closest exam center available during the peak season (edition will change in a few days). There was few places close to where I live in New York but it was available in a month and I wanted to take the exam as soon as possible! I think I was not able to sleep that much the night before the exam, but try to sleep early and take the exam first thing in the morning so your mind is clear. I brought my reviewer with me and study a little bit before the exam. I was an hour early so I could eat and review a little bit.

Getting inside the facility, they will tell you to leave your belongings inside the locker and bring nothing – not even water. Don’t drink too much water before the exam because the exam is only 4 hours and if you end up going to the restroom, they have to do the body check and your wasting average 15 minutes. I finished the exam exactly 4 hours – I really tried to finish as fast as I can, I didn’t even had time to review my answer. The exam was difficult, I wasn’t even sure if I pass at that moment. The content is obviously not about memorizing terms but understanding it. There is a lot of situational questions like the example below.

Test Example:

You are working on a project to create state of the art diving equipment that can take you safely to depths of 300 feet in deep ocean. The project is on schedule, and budget allocations and spending is continuing as per normal. However, lately there has been a rumor that the blueprint for the new design is not original, and you, the Project Manager have just been sued by a competitor for copyright infringement.  To say that you are worried is an understatement. Such problems was never discussed during the risk planning activities, and were therefore, never added to the risk register. To deal with the situation, it will now cost the project a lot of time and money. What is the BEST response for this situation?

A. Don’t take any action, just accept that there’s a problem that the team did not plan for.

B. Stop all project activities and approach senior management for advice on this problem immediately.

C. Add the risk to the risk register and begin gathering information about its probability and impact.

D. Use the management reserve to cover the costs of the problem.

Resource: https://www.pmchamp.com/how-to-answer-situational-questions-in-the-pmp-exam/

You have to pick the best option and the answer is D.

Once you finish the exam the computer will instantly tell you if you pass or fail. I did pass and received a score of more than 70%. Thank god. My advice when pursuing the PMP certificate in short is do your research, study a lot until you understand, and don’t give up.

Good luck!

Currently I am pursuing for LEED Green Associate and I will provide another study guide when I pass the exam! Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions about taking the PMP exam or would like to add some suggestions to pass the exam, please comment below. I would be happy to answer all of them! :)

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