PMP Certification Success Story – by Pradeep Soni

My PMP journey originally started in the year 2016 when as I was working as Assistant Manager-IT in the shipping company. My IT head warned me that PMP certifications are not easy to crack and need a lot of hard work & dedication. I also realised that even though I am an M.B.A in Project Management but clearing PMP is a tough task. In real life, I always tend to be positive and have a strong belief in myself which driven me to move ahead in pursuing PMP.

My next step was to search for the best institute which could teach me PMI’s world-renowned & top-rated Project Management Professional (PMP) course. After thorough research and comparing all other training institutes, I finally landed at Prothoughts located in Andheri East and decided to get myself trained from them as they were the best in the market.

I registered myself to the exclusive PMP SUCCESS ™ Exam Preparatory workshop 5th edition with Rita Mulcahy material, which was conducted at Hotel VITS, Andheri East. The entire Couse duration was four 4 days (2 weekends). The workshop was easily accessible and the setup was excellent and perfect to learn PMP.

Mr Ashish Sadekar was our trainer and we were lucky to get trained from him. His teaching style, methods & Rita Mulcahy material helped me to get a good understanding of PMP concepts, knowledge areas, Process groups, T&T & ITTO.

ProThoughts also helped us in submitting PMP applications which got approved within a 1-week duration. They also provided 4 full-length MOCK tests which also helped to get prepared for the real exam.

I ensured to get fully prepared for the exam but due to some personal reasons, I couldn’t appear for the exam in 2016.

All these years till 2020, I had that grudge of not completing PMP in 2016 but then 2020 gave me that opportunity again. The year 2020 was certainly not the best for most of us because of the COVID-19 pandemic however it created an opportunity for working professionals to pursue their certifications together while working from home. I also discovered that the PMP exam certification last day (based on 6th edition) has also got extended till 31st Dec’2020. This news gave me some confidence and time window to start again to pursue my long back dream of getting magical 3 letter words after my name.

I started with my studies post countrywide lockdown from mid-March’2020. I also found that there were some 10-15% changes from the 5th to 6th edition PMBOK guide however it didn’t trouble me to understand them.

Initially, I started with Rita Mulcahy material and went through it almost 3 times which build my base I also referred to Head First & then the 6th edition PMBOK guide and finally made my notes for quick references and during exam time.. Making self-notes was an important part and will suggest every PMP aspirants spare time in making it.

After all these studies, I was still not confident and so connected with Mr Siddhant Bitla (ProThoughts) and took his guidance for advanced preparation. Siddhant understood my situation and asked me to register for the PMP refresher course which was supposed to held in Sep’20.

Without much thinking, I registered for these 2-day refresher courses which were taken by Mr Ashish Sadekar. This 2-day refresher course proved to be a game-changer for me as I was able to digest the entire syllabus smoothly. It also helped me to learn some new tips and techniques which was a must for the exams

Post clarifying all my doubts and preparing self notes, I went with another challenging task to take on 200 questions – full length 4 hours MOC exams. Solving MOCK exams prepared me to build that strength, stamina and mindset to get ready for a real exam.

I must tell you that all PMP aspirants need to attempt not less than 2500+ questions before they sit for the actual PMP exam. Also, try to score between 75-80% on every attempt.

After 6 months of thorough study and practising around 2500+ MOCK questions from reliable sources, I developed that confidence and started thinking as Project Manager and was scoring above 85% in MOCK exams.

Finally, I scheduled my exam on 28^th Oct’2020 @ 11:30 AM IST. Last night before exam, I managed to get just 4-5 hours sleep as it is obvious that many thoughts were jumbling inside my mind but I still tried to keep my cool.

On the exam day, I took warm bath, had light snacks and after taking all the blessings from my Parents and God, made my way to the exam center.

Reached PearsonVue center @11:00 AM so I had to wait for 20 minutes before they allowed me in. I followed all the formality required before you sit for the exam. Then started my exam @ sharp 11:30 AM IST.

Post 89 questions, I took my 10 minutes break. During the break I had few almonds and water. Started with final session & 111 questions to attempt.

OH GOD!!! I was so nervous while submitting the exam and was not that confident whether I am passing. Submitted the exam and after 10 secs saw that CONGRATULATIONS message which made me emotional and couldn’t control my tears.

Finally, I enjoyed that precious moment with my family and offered special praying and sweets to GOD for making my dream come true.

Thanks ProThoughts & team for all your assistance and support in dire situations. Special thanks to Siddhant Bitla who always motivated and believed in me. You guys are rocking.

Read another PMP certification success story by Mr Raman Nanda