I am Nidhi Joshi, Project Management Professional with almost 9 years of experience across, the IT and Publication Industry.
To level up my career, I felt there was a need to get upskilled, and what better PMP Certification could fulfill that need? It was on my milestone list for quite some time. Somehow, I wasn’t getting the confidence of getting into it. Stories of the syllabus being as vast as the Indian Ocean and the difficulty level of the exam horrified me a lot. I decided to go with the best option for coaching and after rigorous research; I got in touch with the ProThoughts team.
Mr. Saurabh Parikh our Trainer at ProThoughts gave us the confidence that PMP is not an exam that we need to be afraid of. He walked us through the study materials in an interactive way and his sessions have helped in clearing the PMP-related concepts.
My Study Plan For PMP Exam:
It took me 3 months to fully prepare and take the exam without taking a break from work.
My concentration was on the quality of the content that I am reading and if I have thoroughly understood the topics rather than the number of hours, I spent reading. I have spent almost 2-3 hours after the office on weekdays and almost 5-6 hours over the weekends.
ProThoughts provides PMI-authorized study materials – PMBOK 6th Edition, Student Manual, Exam Content Online, Agile Practice Guide, and Rita Mulcahy 10th Edition.
I started with reading the Student Manual; followed by PMBOK 6th Edition coupled with Andrew Ramdayal’s Udemy Course.
Once I was thorough with the study materials, I took the ProMock PMP Exam Prep tests in which I scored almost around 70%. I also took mock tests from Andrew Ramdayal’s website. Both these sets of mock tests helped me in simulating the actual exam.
Reflecting upon my weaker areas, I repeatedly went over reading and understanding the concepts.
The Hurdles:
Getting demotivated in the course of preparing for the exam is one of the most common hurdles and I was no exception to it.
During such times, the study group created by ProThoughts wherein Saurabh sir provided his guidance and cleared our doubts, which fuelled my motivation to clear this massive certification exam.
The PMP Exam Day:
My anxiety was at its peak on that day. The first section was the most challenging one. I went on to strike all the odds and chose the best answer for each of the questions. The breaks after each section eased out the exam tension and helped me in taking up the remaining sections.
The majority of the scenarios were Agile/ Hybrid based. The study materials provided by ProThroughts were a perfect blend of the Predictive and Adaptive approaches.
Hence, I was able to think on my toes and finish my exam on time.
I was awestruck when the “Congratulations” screen came up and I was rewarded with the PMP Certification with Above Target in all three sections.
My Take on PMP Exams:
The key is not to stress yourself with the burden of the content. Instead, take it one bite at a time. Take as many PMP Mock Tests as you can; they create a habit of sitting through the main 4-hour exam. Go with a leader’s mindset as it’ll help in choosing the best answer.
Beware of the options that depict harsh or extreme approaches. A leader will always choose a Win-Win situation.
Final Words:
Preparing for PMP has been an inspiring journey for me. It came with many lessons that have not only helped me be a good professional but have also revamped me in many ways.
My Learning Journey with ProThoughts was fantastic. Start yours now!
