I’m thrilled to say that I lastly earned my PMP certification and achieved above goal in all areas! The examination is a beast, and sadly it took me over two years to grasp the method, apply, and put together. I’m sharing my suggestions in hopes of creating this expertise simpler and faster for others on the identical path. That is Half 1, the place I’m sharing my suggestions for preparation and learning.
Understanding the 35 PDUs
As a way to apply for the PMP, you need to full 35 hours of mission administration coaching (PDUs). This was one of many first factors of confusion for me. PMI has a listing of “approved coaching companions” on their website and a listing of programs they provide. I additionally obtain tons of e mail spam about PMP prep programs that price hundreds of {dollars}. I didn’t notice till a lot later that you just would not have to make use of one in all these approved coaching companions with a purpose to obtain your 35 PDUs for the appliance. Certainly one of my shoppers introduced it to my consideration {that a} Udemy course (which I obtain free of charge via our Perficient enterprise license) would rely for my 35 PDUs. All I needed to do was enroll and full the course!
As for which Udemy programs I like to recommend, the one I accomplished for my 35 PDUs was taught by Joseph Phillips. Nevertheless, trying across the web whereas learning, I noticed an awesome variety of suggestions for this course taught by Andrew Ramdayal.
Hold The whole lot Helpful
OneNote was useful for organizing all PMP data and references I wanted in a single place. I had a be aware for my firm coverage associated to paying for skilled schooling, a timeline of my current tasks with all related data, and notes from the Udemy programs. I additionally stored a be aware with all helpful hyperlinks that I stumbled upon alongside the way in which in order that I may have them useful. Some examples of hyperlinks I stored observe of are the examination content material define, pattern questions, and Udemy programs. Conserving all data in a single place will maintain you from having to hunt for it if you want it (or, in my case, when it’s a must to reactivate your utility once more)!
Contemplate Utilizing Time Off
I assumed I may full my Udemy course in small chunks, utilizing only a few hours at night time per week. I’ve two youngsters – 6 years outdated and three years outdated. Making an attempt to finish this course in my free time was a lot harder than I anticipated. Fortunately, Perficient has a versatile day off coverage that permits us to take day off as wanted all year long. Having began my Udemy course in Might, I made a decision to take a big chunk of my day off over the vacations to energy via the remainder of the course and submit my utility. I spent in all probability 40-50 hours on the course between the movies, assignments, and apply questions. Whichever approach you slice it, getting ready for this examination is a giant dedication that requires some sacrifice.
Make the most of Kindle Sources
Kindle sources had been very useful for me throughout my research interval. If you happen to don’t have a Kindle, you possibly can obtain the Kindle app and skim e-books in your cellphone. I used the Libby app to borrow the PMBOK Information from my native library and skim it on my Kindle. I did find yourself buying the PMBOK Information as a result of I discovered the content material very useful. My Kindle Limitless membership allowed me to obtain a number of free sources, reminiscent of flashcards. It was so handy to have the ability to entry these sources on my cellphone and be capable to flip via just a few flash playing cards at any time.
In Half 2 of my weblog, I’ll go over suggestions for the times main as much as and specifics associated to the examination. See you then!
