All about PMP

So, u wanna be a PMP?

2010-10-29T16:00:00.000+05:30

Welcome!

I am glad to see you here. You might have reached here as a result of performing a search on Google, or this blog may have been recommended to you by your friend or colleague. Howsoever you may have reached here, I welcome you.

In India, we have a saying: 'Atithi Devobhavah'. Translated into English, it means that my guests are equivalent to GOD for me. I am a humble soul waiting here to serve my guests.

I am sure that you must be looking for information on PMP certification. Maybe your organization has mandated that all managers need to get PMP certified within the next couple of months, or, you may be an early bird wanting to beat your colleagues in the race to get this certification. Possibly, you have landed on this page while searching for information on some other topic (search engines sometimes do behave in a weird manner) and got interested.

Anyways, I am assuming that you are sincerely interested in pursuing PMP certification. OK, so let us do one thing: Search for 'PMP Certification' on the web (use the search engine of your liking). How many results do you get? 1 lac, 10 lac or even more? During my last search on this topic, Google presented me with 9,09,000 results. Boy, was I bewildered! You bet I was. Out of these nearly 10 lac results, how do I know what to believe and what not to? How many of these sources of information are authentic, and how many of them should not be believed? How many of them have already updated their study material or sample questions in accordance with the 4th edition of PMBOK Guide, and how many are still pedalling ware based on the 3rd edition?

Can you see where I am going? When I started preparing for PMP certification, I faced a similar dilemma. I did not understand how to differentiate a reliable information source from a fake one. I did not know whom to believe and whom not to. I was totally confused. Fortunately, for me, I had some kind souls (friends and colleagues) help me out. They were kind enough to help me distinguish between reliable and useless information. With their help, I completed my PMP certification successfully on the first attempt in May 2007. I have been a lucky soul.

How about you? If you have friends or colleagues or seniors, who can guide you, you are placed advantageously. But if you find yourself sifting through the wealth of information available, and need some help (and guidance) in following the right path and preparing effectively for the exam, help is at hand. Irrespective of whether you need help with applying for PMI membership, scheduling PMP exam, facing PMI audit or preparing for the exam, I shall guide you and help you in being successful.

If you are not sure of your eligibility to apply for the exam, click here . If you are looking for recommended study material, click here . If you are on the look out for sample questions, you should visit this section. If you need help in facing PMI audit, you can find relevant information here . For further information, select the link for appropriate section from 'Site Navigator' on the right side.

However, if you have come here looking for personalized guidance to help you move through the entire process, I am willing to be your savior. But, as they say, there is no free lunch. I expect to be paid for the efforts I make for your success. Referring to Indian tradition once again, a shishya (student) should always provide the desired 'Guru Dakshina' (Teacher's fees) to his teacher. So, I believe that I am not doing anything wrong here. Please mail me for details of charges(Replace [at the rate] with corresponding symbol).

If you are satisfied, I request you to let your friends and colleagues know about the existence of this website. If you are not satisfied, please mail me and let me know the reason for your dis-satisfaction. I will try my best to help you.

I wish you the best in your pursuit of PMP Certification. GOD bless you!

Looking for PDUs?

2010-10-20T16:34:00.002+05:30

If you are a PMP looking to earn PDUs in order to retain your PMP certification, don't despair. Now, you can easily earn required PDUs while relaxing at home or commuting.

Click on the image below to learn more and to start on your journey of collecting PDUs:

Helpful Resources

2010-10-14T07:23:00.002+05:30

Friends,

Here are the links to a few helpful resources available on the web for help with PMP Certification exam. I hope you find them useful.

(1) Here is a small video by Jeff Minder on 'Secrets to passing the PMP Exam PMBOK Fourth Edition':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjLa7ORHPZU

(2) At the following location, you can find a series of videos by Joseph Phillips that are helpful in preparing for the PMP Exam:

http://instructing.com/free-pmp-exam-prep/

REMEMBER that these videos are AVAILABLE FOR FREE ACCESS ONLY TILL THE END OF NOVEMBER 2010. Joseph intends to stop providing free access to these videos starting December 2010, as per information provided on the site.

As usual, your feedback is welcome. Do let me know if you find these resources helpful.

Recent Updates

2010-10-01T22:51:00.003+05:30

There are going to be changes to the PMP Exam content starting August 31, 2011. The change is expected to impact around 30% of content on PMP exam. The proposed changes are based on the results of RDS (Role Delineation Study) carried out by PMI.

For more details, visit the following link:

"http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/Project-Management-Professional-PMP/~/media/PDF/Certifications/PMP Update and RDS FAQs -final.ashx"

Testimonials

2009-06-06T23:10:00.001+05:30

Here is a testimonial from someone who did not become a PMP in the first attempt but succeeded next time:

Recommended Study Material

2009-01-21T13:41:00.032+05:30

I have started this post on the requests of numerous friends, who are lost in the maze of study materials for PMP® exam available in the market. Here, I am listing products based on 4th edition of PMBOK Guide, which are recommended for PMP® aspirants, for help with successful preparation for the exam. These materials have been tried and tested, and are definitely helpful in your pursuit of the coveted PMP® certification.

NOTE: I am an affiliate of PM PrepCast as well as Amazon and earn a referral commission when you purchase products listed on this page.

Please click on the image corresponding to each product in order to purchase it.

I. PM PrepCast by Cornelius Fichtner

The 35 hour long PMP® video workshop priced at USD 99.97 is based on the 4th edition of PMBOK® guide and helps you shorten your study time. You will learn the concepts, tools & techniques that are not covered in the PMBOK® Guide but required for the exam without having to read dozens of other books.

Here are the bonus items you get free of cost when you purchase this product:

(1) Certificate for 35 Contact Hours
(2) 60 Tough PMP Sample Questions
(3) 10 Steps to Becoming a PMP - Email Course
(4) The Exam Study Checklist
(5) Access to Exam Discussion Forums

Also, the author offers unconditional Money Back guarantee on this product. If you are not satisfied, you may ask for a refund and get your money back.

Hurry! The price of PM PrepCast is going to be increased to USD 129.99 from Jan 01, 2012. Purchase it before this date in order to avoid spending more money later.

II. PMP Exam Formula Study Guide (updated in accordance with 4th edition of PMBOK® Guide) by Cornelius Fichtner

I highly recommend this PMP® Exam Formula Guide for its comprehensive collection of all formulae relevant to the exam. If you purchase this product, you get the following as a bonus:

(1) 105 sample PMP® Exam Formula Questions
(2) Formula Pocket Guide and Cheat Sheet
(3) PMP® Exam Formula Guide Email Course
(4) Access to Exam Discussion Forums

The best part is that the author offers unconditional Money Back guarantee on this product, just like he offers it on the PrepCast. If you are not satisfied, you may ask for a refund and get your money back.

III. PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition by Rita Mulcahy

This book is recommended almost universally for help in preparing for the exam. Rita's explanation of the PMI-isms is extremely helpful in analyzing situational questions from PMI's viewpoint.

IV. Head First PMP

Another book highly recommended for PMP® aspirants. A very easy-to-read book, which explains students all the concepts required to attempt the certification exam, without weighing down on them.

V. PM FASTrack : PMP Exam Simulation Software by Rita Mulcahy

This huge collection of practice questions helps the exam aspirants understand how to analyze given scenarios and arive at the correct answer, thus helping them perform much better in the exam. Though it is costlier as compared to other products, but is still a good purchase.

VI. PMP Exam Study Guide by Kim Heldman

Very good book on PMP Certification Exam! Recommended!

VII. Professional Responsibility and Situational Q&A by Rita Mulcahy

Rita's practice Q&A on the areas related to Professional Responsibility. Good purchase!

The Audit Process

2009-01-21T05:04:00.005+05:30

How many times have you fainted thinking about what would happen if your application got selected for an audit?

I believe that this fear is the greatest fear in the minds of all PMP applicants. Sometimes, it even overpowers the fear of not being successful in the actual exam itself.

So, how do we go about getting rid of this overarching fear? As with other phobias, the best bet is to analyze this fear rationally. First, you should know why some applications get selected randomly for an audit. The answer is that this is the
result of an exercise by PMI aimed at ensuring the authenticity of information provided by PMP (exam) applicants. PMI randomly selects a small percentage of submitted applications for audit.

Now, let us proceed with an analysis of the audit process.

I. When might your application get selected for an audit?

In order to answer this question, we need to understand the complete process of applying for the PMP credential exam. Remember that you should register for the exam only after you are sure that you satisfy all the eligibility requirements (discussed elsewhere), including those related to your educational, project management experience and training needs.

Here are the major stages of applying for the exam in a sequential order:

(a) Apply for PMI membership (This is an optional step but is beneficial financially as well as otherwise).

(b) Register on the PMI website, and always specify your PMI membership ID while registering (if you have already paid for membership and obtained it). This way, you will be charged only the discounted examination fees.

Note: You may be charged full examination fees if you apply for the exam after logging in using an ID, with which you did not associate your PMI membership ID.

(c) Apply for the certification exam by filling in the online application form. (Becoming a PMI member after applying for examination is not helpful, so always ensure that you apply for the exam after obtaining PMI membership).

(d) Your application will be reviewed for accuracy and completeness, and you will receive an e-mail advising you to go ahead with submission of examination fees within 5 working days of your having submitted the application.

(e) Submit the examination fees.

(f) You will receive an e-mail within a couple of minutes advising you of your candidate ID (for the exam).

(g) Use this candidate ID in order to register for the exam at a date, time and venue convenient to you, by visiting the Prometric website (http://www.2test.com).

(h) You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Prometric containing the date, time and venue for the exam selected by you.

Now, where does the audit fit into all this? Well, it fits in exactly between steps (e) and (f) stated above, i.e., if your application gets selected for an audit, you will receive an e-mail advising you of the same (rather than an e-mail containing your candidate ID).

II. What should you do if your application gets selected for an audit?

First thing, don't panic. It is just an audit, and not a bomb shell. The worst thing that can happen is that you will not be able to get past the audit process, and will have to apply for the exam again (Even in this case, you are refunded the examination fees submitted by you less a processing fees of $100). So, the sky is not going to fall, right?

As a part of the audit process, you will be requested to send to PMI hard copies of your educational, training, and experience certificates through snail mail (regular mail or express courier service). You can select the PMI center nearest to your place of residence for dispatching your documents. (The details of documents requested, along with postal addresses of all available PMI centers, where you can send in your documents, will be sent to you in the audit notification mail). Just send PMI the requested documents and wait for their feedback.

III. What happens next?

Upon receipt of your documents, PMI will verify if you have successfully provided evidence of your documented educational, training and experience credentials. If they are satisfied, you will receive another e-mail informing you of successful audit completion, along with your candidate ID for the exam. Otherwise, you may receive a mail with request for more information (or supporting documents). You should then send them the requested documents. Finally, they will either issue you a candidate ID or else, inform you of your failure in having gone through the audit successfully, and refund your examination fees less a $100 processing fees.

Summary:

One of my close friends got selected for an audit recently, and was through with it in less than 10 working days. A colleague of mine was able to get past the audit even quicker. She got the required documents couriered from India to PMI head office in USA on a Friday, and received an e-mail informing her of having successfully qualified in the audit next Wednesday. So, it was not even 5 working days for her!

If you possess documented evidence of all your experience in directing and managing project activities as well as your educational and training qualifications, you have nothing to fear.

So, go ahead full steam in your pursuit of PMP certification, without being afraid of the audit!

How to apply for the exam?

2009-01-20T09:20:00.009+05:30

In this post, we shall talk about the procedure to be followed in order to apply for the exam. Please note that you need to put in time and effort in order to collect all the required information and fill in the application form. (I have also discussed this procedure briefly in the section on the audit process).

Here is a list of the major steps to be followed in order to apply for the exam:

(a) Apply for PMI membership (This is an optional step but is beneficial financially as well as otherwise).

(b) Register on the PMI website. Always specify your PMI membership ID while registering, if you have already paid for membership and obtained it. This way, you will be charged only the discounted examination fees.

Note: You may be charged full examination fees if you apply for the exam after logging in using an ID, with which you did not associate your PMI membership ID.

(c) Apply for the certification exam by filling in the online application form. (Becoming a PMI member after applying for examination is not helpful, so always ensure that you apply for the exam after obtaining PMI membership).

(d) Your application will be reviewed for accuracy and completeness, and you will receive an e-mail within 5 working days of your having submitted the application, advising you to go ahead with submission of examination fees.

(e) Submit the examination fees online.

Note: PMI accepts the fees only in US Dollars. Applicants from other countries may pay using credit cards. Also, if you plan on getting your examination fees re-imbursed from your employer, it is advisable to save a copy of your credit card statement, which lists the exact amount charged to your card in your local currency.

(f) You will receive an e-mail within a couple of minutes advising you of your candidate ID (for the exam).

(g) Use this candidate ID in order to register for the exam at a date, time and Prometric center convenient to you, by visiting the Prometric website (http://www.2test.com/).

Note: You may sometimes find that no slots for taking the examination are available for the next couple of weeks, or even, months. So, always plan ahead and reserve a spot for yourself. You can always re-schedule the exam if you feel that you are not prepared well enough to take the exam, a week or 2 before the scheduled exam date.

(h) You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Prometric containing the date, time and venue for the exam selected by you.

(i) Check out the route to the examination center from your home before the actual exam date, and be aware of any obstacles that you may encounter on the way.

(j) On the day of the examination, be cool and confident. Go to your center and appear in the exam, concentrating on each question.

Tips:

(1) One of the options available to the applicants is to apply for the exam as well as PMI membership simultaneously. In this case, the applicants are supposed to be charged the discounted examination fees (applicable to members). However, I would advise you to play safe and obtain PMI membership before you apply for the exam.

(2) It is always beneficial to collect all required information before you start filling in the examination form online.

(3) If you still do not have all the information required to fill in the application form available with you (when you start), you can always save whatever information you have filled in, and complete your application at a later time.

(4) It is always better to check with the managers and supervisors of the projects, which you are documenting in your application form, and inform them beforehand that you are specifying their names in your application form. This is especially helpful when the original manager has left the organization and you are putting in the name of the current manager with whom you have not worked on the documented project.

(5) Sometimes, you may not get an e-mail advising you of your candidate ID immediately after you pay the examination fees. Instead, your application might get selected for an audit. Refer to the section on audit process for information on how to proceed in this case.

My articles on PMSTUDENT

2008-12-15T08:27:00.007+05:30

I hope your preparation for the PMP exam is in full swing.

I would like to invite all of you to have a look at my articles related to PMP certification on www.pmstudent.com, a popular site dedicated to the practice of Project Management and frequented by many veterans in this field. Here are the links:

(1) Are you eligible to appear in the PMP exam?

(2) Audit of PMP Exam applications

You are free to comment on the articles as well as on this post and share your thoughts on the subjects.

Discussion Group

2008-11-01T04:57:00.001+05:30

As a result of your suggestions, I have started a 'Yahoo!' group in order to facilitate discussions on any topic related to preparation for PMP exam. The group name is 'wannabeapmp' and you can easily locate it after logging in to Yahoo! groups.

Please enroll yourself and ask your friends and colleagues as well to become members of this group and start sharing their experiences, thoughts and suggestions / feedback there. All your suggestions, bouquets and brickbats are welcome!

Sample Questions

2008-11-01T00:01:00.036+05:30

Here is a link to 100 free sample questions for the PMP certification exam:

http://www.pmeducate.info/PM8126586684568tgh/sample%20exam.swf

And, here is a link to 75 (plus another 175) free sample PMP questions from Oliver Lehmann:

http://www.oliverlehmann.com/

You only need to click on the links for 75 (and additional 175) free PMP questions.

And, here is a link to another 70 sample questions (though these are easier than the real exam questions)

http://www.preparepm.com/mock1.html

Are you looking for a daily dose of questions to help you prepare better for the exam? Head straight to the following URL:

http://www.pmexam.com/18201.html

Here, you will get access to a daily practice question, daily crossword puzzle, daily vocabulary review, and a daily word search puzzle.

How about a whole lot of practice questions, presented 10 at a time? You need to visit the following URL:

http://www.voightps.com/

and click on the first tab titled 'Practice PMP Exam'. You will be presented with a set of 10 practice questions and you can re-appear in the exam any number of times.

Another site offering free sample questions in all Knowledge Areas:

http://mypmp.ie/

Here is yet another site offering free sample questions for practice:

http://www.passionatepm.com/free-pmp-exam-practice-test-questions

You only need to click on the 'Launch Quiz' button corresponding to the number of questions you want to be presented for practice. Options available include, 15, 50, 100 and full 200 questions. You may be asked to register yourself by providing your name, e-mail address and the name of your city and state.

OK, here is another site offering 340 sample questions for practice:

http://sites.google.com/site/pgmpguide/

No registration required. Just go to the site and start attempting the sample questions.

Another set of 220 free practice questions from J. Alex Sherrer, author of 'Project Management Road Trip for the Project Management Professional' is available at the following location:

http://www.pmroadtrip.com/pmp_exams.html

This exam is also available for download at the following location:

http://www.pmroadtrip.com/nonsearch/PMRoadTrip_V4Questions.pdf

Make the most of it while it is still available.

Hope these questions help you prepare better for your certification exam.

Mock Exams

2008-10-04T12:35:00.023+05:30

I have started receiving requests for sharing some links to sites offering free mock exams. So, here is a starter. You can find a full 200 question mock PMP exam, in addition to other sample questions, at the following site:

http://www.pmbootcamp.org/

Just make sure that you register on the website for a free student account. You truly have a treasure on your hands here.

OK, here is another very good free mock exam, with complete 200 questions for practice, from none other than the publishers of 'Head First PMP':

http://www.headfirstlabs.com/PMP/free_exam/

This exam is also available for download at the following location:

http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfpmp/hfpmp_ch15.pdf

Make the most of it while it is still available.

Here is the link to another free mock exam based on 4th edition of PMBOK Guide. You need to provide your name and e-mail ID in order to register for this exam.

http://hosted.onlinetesting.net/evolutionten/register.pl/FreeSimPMP4thed

I plan to share lots of free sample questions for PMP exam in this blog. So, keep on checking back everyday and make sure that you refer my blog to your friends as well! But, being PMPs or PMI members, we are all bound by PMIs Professional Code of Ethics and should not look for pirated copies of preparation software or other books. At least, I would not be able to help you with such activities. So, do not ask me for copies of CDs or books. If you want sonething, please go ahead and purchase it.

Eligibility Conditions

2008-10-04T10:22:00.003+05:30

So now that you have decided to be a PMP and have already become a member of PMI, you are eager to fill in your examination form. But wait! Before you can submit your examination form, you need to ensure that you satisfy the minimum eligibility criteria for the exam. That means you should be able to demonstrate a minimum of 4500 hours of project management experience, if you possess a Bachelor's degree, or a minimum of 7500 hours of experience otherwise. Also, this experience should cover all the 5 process groups. So, you should document your experience in Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, as well as Closing process groups. However, remember that you do not need to have experience in every process group in every project that you have worked on. You might have joined some project in the middle of the execution phase and thus, might not have been involved in Initiating and Planning phases for the same. Or, you might have moved out of some project midway after initiating and planning for it. In this case, you would not have any 'Closing' activity to document for this project. All this is fine, and perfectly acceptable to PMI, provided you have documented experience on all of these process groups in at least one of your projects.

Also, make sure that you have completed at least 35 hours of Project Management education before you fill in the form. You will be required to put in the start date, end date, name of the course provider as well as the name of the training course in your application form. You can go in for training classes conducted by your employer or you might attend some online courses, or else you might attend some classroom based sessions organized by different training institutes or consultants. It is entirely up to you. PMI just wants to know the details of the course you attended and so you should make sure that the course deals with Project Management only.

And remember, you do not need to submit any proofs of your experience or educational qualifications at the time of submitting your examination form. In fact, you might not have to submit these documents at all. The only time you will have to produce documentary proof of your education and experience is if your application is selected for an audit. Ya, the dreaded word, audit! But you need not worry too much about it. In fact, only a very small percentage of the applications submitted to PMI are randomly selected for an audit. And, even if you get selected for an audit, it is not that difficult. We will talk more about it later.

So, get set and be ready to appear in your PMP exam!

How do we get started?

2008-09-29T20:49:00.003+05:30

So friends, how do we start preparing for the PMP exam? The answer is simple: you need to get motivated enough. Think of all the benefits that would accrue to you after you have been crowned a PMP. Think of the recognition you would get, as well as the respect that your peers will have for you. And, apart from all this, you might get a promotion or an extra salary increment (as compared to your colleagues). Think of all these benefits and make your sub-conscious mind strive to attain this credential. In fact, you should start visualizing yourelf as a PMP from the beginning. Think like a PMP, talk like one, and behave like one. All these acts will drive your sub-conscious mind towards this goal and ensure your success.

So, now you have your eyes all set on becoming a PMP? What next? Start preparing hard. Like I mentioned in my last post, treat the entire process as a project from the beginning. First, make sure that you satisfy all the conditions for appearing in the exam. You can find a description of the eligibility conditions at a whole lot of places on the Net. Just Google and you will find lots of relevant results. However, I would advise you to refer to the authoritative source for the correct and the latest information. Just log on to: http://www.pmi.org and download the examination handbook. It contains all the information you need to evaluate your eligibility for appearing in the exam. Make sure that you fulfil all the eligibility criteria before filling in your examination form.

Oh, but wait! You should fill in your examination form after you have attained PMI membership. This makes sense not only considering the fact that you get access to added study materials but also financially. If you apply for the exam without becoming a PMI member first, you need to shell out USD 555. However, if you become a PMI member first (exluding any SIG or local chapter membership), you pay $129 for the membership, in addition to the USD 405 examination fees. The latter amounts to a total of USD 534 and thus, you still save a good USD 21. This might not be a very big amount for US residents, but is still a substantial amount for some candidates from the developing countries, especially from Asia and Africa.

Another fact to remember is that PMI accepts membersip fees only in USD. So, if you are appearing in the exam from a country other than the US, you need to pay the fees using a credit card. The bank, which issued you your card, will charge you the equivalent amount in your local currency, depending on the prevalent rate of exchange.

Also, make sure that you apply for your exam within one year of becoming a PMI member, otherwise your membership would lapse and you would again have to pay the whole amount of USD 555 for apearing in the exam.

This is it for now. Feel free to write to me for any help / query/information related to this certification.

The Fundamentals

2008-09-27T17:37:00.001+05:30

As all of us have noticed, PMP certification is a craze today. Almost all software companies have mandated that their managers attain this certification at the earliest. And, the worsening economic scenario is not helping much, either.

So, how do we go about attaining this certification? I shall share my experiences and advice with you through this blog. In my experience, preparing for this exam itself is like accomplishing a big project. You plan for it, prepare for it, and at all times, ensure that you do not sufer cost or time over runs. Besides, making sure that you do not skip the schedule as well, is the most important.

Keep posted, we shall be successful in our attempt at successfully attaining this certification!