I am Pramod Shrivastav and I work at Accenture with a total experience of 11+ years. I did participate in training sessions last year in March 2020 conducted in Mumbai by ProThoughts. A big thanks to ProThoughts for the splendid training on PMP Certification. The group activities & quick quizzes really helped me to understand all the concepts in a clear manner. I have attended several pieces of training before but I recall any of them having such a strong impact. The discussions were truly inspiring.
Why did I opt for PMP certification?
In my current role, I was responsible for playing different roles in different processes which made me realise that I need to learn all the efficient & effectives ways I can pitch myself & adopt the right processes. My main aim to join PMP Certification was to gain a great hand of knowledge to become a better project manager & also to get equipped with the right tools & techniques which are required to successfully complete any project. In order to go ahead with my career growth, PMP Certification seemed the suitable & correct choice.
How did I plan for the PMP exam?
My main focus was to clear my PMP Exam on the first attempt. I finished my first round of reading all Knowledge Areas from the RMC book in 4 weeks after the classroom sessions followed by mock tests.
After that, with the help of ProThoughts I applied for my PMP Exam. My application got approved in five days. At the same time, I finished my 2nd round of reading a RMC book in the next 15 days. So for the first 25 days, I studied 2 hours/day on working days and 4 hours on weekends. I straight away booked the slot on 26 June for the PMP exam as I was confident about my detailed study efforts.
For the next two weeks before the exam, I appeared for 4 Mocks tests from ProThoughts. The scores were average 65%, not enough but still high with spirit. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 , PMI cancelled the exam just one day before the exam. I was sad and unhappy and then was lost in office work. PMI came up with the option of taking an exam from home with some prerequisites. I was a bit doubtful to appear from home as I was fearful in case electricity goes off or internet issues, etc and so it was off.
In 2021, I decided to take the PMP project again but this time with max project duration for 3 months. I started studying again and submitted my application in April 2021. PMP has changed its exam structure with the introduction of Agile and that was a plus for me as I had good hands on with agile methodology and its implementation.
By mid June , I was ready and I scheduled the exam for 26-June. 2 days before the exam , I stopped studying as I wanted to be calm and relaxed and didn’t want to overdo it. On D-day when I was at the last question and after that when I clicked on the ‘Submit ‘ button , that message “Congratulations…” was the expectation and bingo I did it.
Observations
- Preparation: I decided to follow instructions given by the instructor, ProThoughts and as per Rita Mulcahy book. (There are multiple webinars & knowledge videos which can help you tremendously on the internet).
- Highly Acclaimed Study Material: RMC book & few booklets provided by ProThoughts were the study materials I referred to & focused on. I solved each and every exercise in the RMC book which helped me to grasp the knowledge in an easier manner. I appeared for all Mocks and put efforts in their analysis which helped a lot to set the logical flow of the mind.
- Study Pattern: On Working days, I used to complete half a chapter a day and on weekends I tried to finish 2 chapters in 2 days. After studying each knowledge area, I used to prepare a mind map to recollect what I studied in the chapter. I waited a while to solve questions after just reading them. Instead, I used to solve questions the next day to understand how much I could retain. After every mock test I reflected back on my wrong questions & worked on filling the gaps of the pain areas. First 2 readings of the book really matter as it is a bit difficult to grasp all the knowledge and concepts. I slowly picked up confidence from Mock Exams and worked on weak links. Studying right after my training really helped me.
- PMP Exam: Too many questions came based on agile principles and scenarios and overall the exam was easy as I scored ‘Above Target’ in all processes.
Are you planning to do PMP Certification? Check your eligibility here,
About DASSM Exam
While studying for the PMP exam, I heard of disciplined agile toolkit from ProThoughts social networks site and found it to be relevant to my job profile since it helps organizations to decide on the agile framework to be used for their project implementation. I enquired about the course on ProThoughts and on finding that the ProThoughts Expert Mr Ashish Sadekar is conducting the training, I was excited and happy. I enrolled for the course while my PMP exam dates were just after the DASSM course. After clearing PMP, I was highly confident and immediately started preparing for the DASSM Exam but this time I referred only ProThoughts study materials and mock up. That’s it and I cleared the DASSM certification exam.
A big shout out to the ProThoughts Team and especially Mr. Ashish Sadekar, without whom I couldn’t have thought of cracking a tough exam of PMP and DASSM in such a limited time.
All the Best for all PMP and DASSM aspirants!
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