Last Post
Though it has been nice being Mad for MBA it is time to move on. I am posting on this blog for the last time, since it has been almost 2 years since i completed my MBA. So Sunset
PMP Certification: Prep: Day 2 – Day N
Since i am the laziest person on the planet, i have been guilty of -
- Not regularly preparing for PMP
- Not planning, neither tracking and nor logging the PMP preparation efforts
- Finally, just going ahead and taking a date for the PMP examination without any preparation effort so as to cajole myself into preparing for the same – if for nothing else than out of sheer shame for failing the PMP
Preparation Collateral
- Read PMBOK Edition 4 from the first page to the last (well not the very last page, but till the appendix)
- Solved each and every question from the Head First PMP free exam @ http://headfirstlabs.com/PMP/free_exam/HeadFirstPMP_PracticePMPExam.pdf (this is a piece of gem. Though i did not read the Head First PMP Book which is supposed to be read before solving the practice test, it would be a safe bet that this book would also be pretty good)
- Re-read my MBA notes for Project Management (especially for project selection – the PMBOK is not very robust in this area)
- Re-read my notes for Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification (For people who are not conversant with Lean Six Sigma – the best option is to read glossary of terms for Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC)
- Brushed up on Organization Behavior/Human Capital stuff for Human Resource Management knowledge area ( Just goto wikipedia and read up on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, XY Theory and other HR frameworks. PMBOK is really weak in this area)
- Read up on Risk Management from Rita Mulcahy’s book. I had too as PMBOK is weak especially in the contract area
Note: I did not like the PMP Prep book by Rita Mulcahy… I would choose PMBOK over it any day as the primary study instrument. I know that Mulcahy’s book is not supposed to a substitute for PMBOK, that said – the book tries to explain things in a manner which for me was not always consistent with the PMBOK (I may be completely wrong in this regard). For me PMBOK (however boring and pedantic) is the best option for PMP preparation.
Time
- End to End Serious Preparation Duration : 4 weeks
- Every Weekday – 3 hours ( 2 sessions of one and a half hour each)
- Every Weekend – 5 hours (3 sessions)
Note: Before i started to study for PMP, I already had a MBA (in which i had a full fledged PM course – which more than satisfied my PMP PM course work requirement), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and CAPM certification – so these times are a bit on the lower side.
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PS. On the exam day – took 2:15 minutes to complete the 4 hr exam. Passed pretty easily. A lot of stress for really nothing.
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PPS. Proud to be a PMP
