How to prepare for PMP exam..

After a long gap I’m writing a blog… last one year was really exciting, challenging … I did my PMP, then ITIL  finally ISEB-ISTQB, it was quite a satisfying year.. 

Since I passed by PMP, all my friends and colleagues keep on asking how did I prepare for my exam, so I thought it would be better if I compile all the information into one place so that I can refer them to this page.... :-)

First and foremost for attempting PMP exam is the eligibility criteria so If you have a Bachelor or global equivalent, then you need minimum 3 years of unique non overlapping professional project management experience during which at least 4500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks, also you require 35 contact hours of formal Project Management education.

Now  let  me tell you how I started  my Journey towards PMP Certification….

First  I became a free member of PMI ( http://www.pmi.org/Default.aspx), then I spend few days understanding what is pmp,what is prerequisite of it bla..bla bla… till I got familiar about in and outs of pmp… 

You can get all the PMP related information from http://www.pmi.org/en/Certification/Project-Management-Professional-PMP.aspx, 

(Please read the PMP Handbook it will give you valuable information.)

Then I started my studies from  “O'Reilly - Head First PMP 2nd Edition ”,  this book is really good for beginners..  After completing this book I felt confident, it makes you familiar with all the basic to advance terms of Project Management in a very easy language, I will highly recommend this book for starters.

Then I started looking for PMI affiliated PMP training providers in my city, (as we are required 35 contact hrs), So I enrolled my self for this PMP workshop, its duration was 4 days (2 week-ends, sat-sun 9 am to 6 pm).

Note:- I will highly suggest you that before going for PMP training you should have basic knowledge and must have studied the above said book, so that you will be able to grasp more in the workshop and will be able to ask your doubts.(This is what I did, and it was quite usefull in my case..)

Now comes the real hard part... just joking.... but for  Cracking PMP one have to study the following books atleast 2-3 times -

PMI’s PMBOK &

Rita Mulcahy’ s “PMP Exam Prep”…

After  my workshop, I studied and completed the above said 2 books, when I felt that I know all the Project Management Concepts… then I started with PMP Exam Simulators..

Below are 2 free simulators for PMP exam…It is good to start with these 2 sample sets..it gives a feel of exam...

http://www.headfirstlabs.com/PMP/pmp_exam/v2/quiz.html

http://www.pmstudy.com/enroll.asp#PMP

 

Then finally I practiced with the PMP Simulators provided by Rita Mulcahy..

See below URL for Rita Mulcahy’s book as well as exam simulator..  

http://www.rmcproject.com/product/pmp-prep.aspx#pmpbook

When I started getting more than 95% in the simulator provided by Rita....then I decided to book my exam.... and gave my exam within a couple of weeks .. (because..filling examination form..approval..fees submit ion and selecting exam venue..takes good amout of time..be careful in this part...it is quite an important step for PMP exam...). 

and finally i cracked my exam..... :-)

Hope this article is going to help you in some way... so best of luck for your exam...and 

welcome to PMP group (in advance.... :-))

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THIS IS HOW WE MISS OUT SOMETHING CALLED "LIFE"

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter. The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.

QUESTIONS :
1. What were the five words ?
2. What is the implication of this story?
 
ANSWER :
The husband just said "I am with you Darling"

The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. " A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.

MORAL OF THE STORY: This story is really worth reading. ..... Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out something called L.I.F.E.

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