Project Managing my PMP

It has been a while since I started on the path of getting my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and now that the exam is done and I am officially certified, I have been reflecting on the why and how of getting the certification.

Why: In 2018, I was looking for professional development, which was more content-focused. Over the years, I've been lucky to have lots of opportunities for soft-skills focused sessions. Grad school has been behind me for several years, and I was itching for a little structured learning while working. Being a generalist means that there is no list of technical knowledge to acquire.

I did a bunch of research online (not just for project management to be honest, but for all options available to me), and finally landed on the Applied Project Management course at Northwestern. I asked (it never hurts) if work could sponsor me, and they agreed! It came together rather quickly, and one evening, I found myself in a class with about 20 other folks from a very diverse set of workplaces -- healthcare, universities, start-ups, organic food companies. Where I really lucked out was with the professor: her style of teaching was very engaging, and since the class was more focused on application versus the exam, it wasn't boring. The PMBOK guide, one can argue, falls under the category of boring reading. I think it's more tedious than boring, you have to know that you are unlikely to be successful at the first attempt and keep at it. Taking the class allowed me to get the 35 Professional Development Units (PDUs) you need to take the exam. So, here I was, at the end of 2018, with the course done, and a whole bunch of material, and a vague wish to take the exam.

In the spirit of life and serendipity, I was offered and accepted a Project Manager position in a different department, and started in January 2019. The next 6-8 months were a whirl with a big project, and the exam was something that I thought about occasionally. At some point, I decided to sign up for both a PMI membership, and the PMP exam. My exam was for mid-April 2020, and I started getting serious in January, amping up in February, and then... boom Pandemic! So the exam was cancelled, and I needed to reschedule. I signed up for an online exam first, but.. nothing in my life would have met the conditions they have. No windows, no noise, nothing around you. Also, you can't use paper for notes and I really, really dislike that.

So I moved my exam to July and was pretty constrained by availability at test centers, and had to select an 8 am slot, which is something I want to avoid. Of course this meant, I slacked in May, and restarted in June (there has been a lot of start and stop in my preparation). In line with when it rains, it pours, I was looped in to project manage a big project, in June. Of course.

I remember the Sunday afternoon where I saw the email confirming that I was on the project, and remember the deep, deep anxiety I felt for the next few hours. As far as projects and work goes, this is meaningful and challenging work, and I have not had a minute where I felt I did not want to do the work. But now the procrastinating had turned my exam preparedness (lack thereof) into a real risk. Suddenly, my days were 12-16 hours long. I worked all day, took a break, and then studied/took exams in the evening. I wasn't averaging above 60% in the first few; 200 questions was way too many and I would tire out and not read the questions carefully. I did panic at my scores, and started to review my results and mistakes a lot more carefully.

At the end of it all, it was above target in all sections for me, some luck and some effort. It didn't help that I couldn't sleep the night before, and legit had to put my head down during the exam because I was.. exhausted. I don't recommend this strategy.

Prep work: there were a lot of resources and tools I used, and I am listing them in order of how useful I thought they were for my preparation and final success in the exam.

1. Joseph Phillips' PMP Exam Prep Seminar
   • Value for money: high (I remember paying less than 20 bucks since I was a new Udemy user)
   • Quality of content: excellent - he's an engaging teacher, and went over the the knowledge areas, processes, and an overall approach to the exam very thoroughly.
   • Pros: There are memory sheets, exams at the end of each chapter, the ability to bookmark certain points in the video, a forum to interact with other students (I didn't use this..)
   • Cons: There are 2 exams at the end, and the second was full of questions like 'How many inputs are there in X process' and 'How many tools are used in Y process' -- that's not how the exam is, and there is no point trying to memorize the number of inputs and outputs, it will not get you anywhere.
2. Cornelius Fichtner's PMP Prepcast
   1. Value for money: high
   2. Quality of content: high - I only bought the exams, and so I can't speak to the course, although most of what I have seen online has been very favorable.
   3. Pros: Solid number of exams, quality exams. After the actual exam, this is the one that I thought best represented what one should expect.
   4. Cons: No discount (they have a code each month for specific products, and not a blanket discount)
3. PMBOK guide: this is a divisive topic. For me, reading the PMBOK helped. Knowing the different sections, being able to cross-reference, all of that was a solid part of my preparation. It's hardly a riveting read, and I think it's very intimidating as the first step. I would recommend using this as a resource alongside a course. There are people who have passed the exam without ever reading the PMBOK as well, so it's clearly possible. Personally, I would have been very nervous about taking an exam and not having ever read the core book.
4. Rita Mulcahy's Exam Prep
   1. Value for money: meh
   2. Quality of content: it's okay.. and I know for some folks, that's blasphemy. The questions are rather focused on being wordy, and some of the answers, I didn't quite agree with.
   3. Pros: You can take the exam by Process Group or Knowledge Area; you get used to dense text in questions.
   4. Cons: Expensive, and no discount.

Make of that what you will, I don't think there is one right choice -- you have to know your learning style, and tailor accordingly. Now to keep getting those PDUs, so I never have to take the exam again :).