Yes, you can pass the PMP exam in 30 days. This article is a guide for those aspirants who are planning to take the PMP exam and pass it on their first try. Before diving into the exam study, you should get ready with two things.
- Right behaviors
- Best resources
One is related to your demeanor and habits, and the other is about access and availability of appropriate and ample means.
Behavioral commitment to pass the PMP exam
PMP exam is not easy to pass. Therefore, you should acknowledge this and identify the exam preparation as a challenge. Now to meet this challenge, you will have to effectuate a few behavioral approaches.
a) Can-Do mindset
While looking at a glass with water, do not say that you drank half of the water in the glass; how selfish of you? Say, you left half of the water in the glass for me; so kind of you.
So, first, get rid of the following and similar thoughts before proceeding further.
- PMP exam is too difficult
- I don’t think I can pass this exam
- No matter how much I prepare, I just don’t get it
- I’ve heard most candidates fail the exam on their first try
All of the above statements are generated or filtered by your thinking: described well by an excellent article in Forbes magazine. Switch it into forwarding gear and give these thoughts a positive spin by saying something like the following.
- Everything is difficult if we don’t work for it. PMP is no different.
- I am willing to persevere. I can do anything if I commit to it and put up the hard work.
- Failures are the best teachers. When I fail, I probe the reason, fix it, and try again.
- Over 1 million people have passed the PMP exam. If they can, so can I.
b) Compelling motivation to pass the PMP exam
Have you determined what is motivating you to take and pass the PMP exam? In the article ‘Is PMP worth it?’ the first question asks you to identify your motivation. Once you know the answer, then check out the second question to confirm if there is a value at the end. Check out the common reasons and identify yours.
Write down the reason for your motivation. Now, look at it and confirm that it is a compelling motivation for you. Remember, you are willing to persevere.
c) Tunnel vision: Pass the PMP exam
Do you suffer from a loss of focus? Social media eating up your time? You start doing one piece of work, switch to another, to a 3rd one, and now you are lost?
Maybe not the ones above, but many factors can cause us to lose focus. Here is a list of actions we can take to collect our thoughts and become goal-oriented. You can find out more by reading the Fast Company’s article ‘8 ways to improve your focus.’
- Get your brain ready
- Identify what to focus on
- Detach from attention grabbers
- Get tea or coffee
- Check temperature
- Turn on or off the music
- Stroll for a few minutes
You know what works for you, so use those techniques to develop a sustainable focus. Creating a tunnel vision is that you are so focused on your goal that nothing can make you lose it.
So, the can-do mindset, compelling motivation, and tunnel vision need to last at least for the next 30 days. If you ever feel any of these is diminishing, go through the pertinent exercise again.
Overall Planning to pass the PMP exam
The style of how you learn will influence the overall planning. There are four ways we can absorb information. We use all four modes but will be good at one of those. These four styles are:
- Visual: through images, infographics, and diagrams.
- Auditory: lectures, videos, and discussions.
- Kinesthetic: by practicing the concepts, sample questions, and tests.
- Reading/Writing: Writing notes and reading books and other written material.
Which one is your primary style of learning? Look at your past learning experiences to identify what worked best for you. If you do not know, then go through the infographics by Inc magazine to find out your learning style.
With this information discovered, you can now write down your overall plan having the following components.
1) Objective
“I want to pass the PMP exam in ______ days with a maximum cost of $_______ plus the exam fee.”
Write the objective after capturing the rest of the information because time and cost depend on those factors.
2) Stakeholders
Identify people your study plan may impact and those who will play a role in your exam preparation. Following are some of these stakeholders: Your spouse, children, manager, coworkers, PMP mentor, and trainer. Once you know how much your daily study time will impact them, you can discuss and get them on-boarded.
3) Risks
Never expect that the plan will go as planned over the next 30 days. Issues can come up at work, home, or in personal life. It is better to think about what can go wrong. The following are some examples to guide you.
- I may need to work overtime due to project issues that can create time constraints.
- Social media may divert my attention.
- I may get a job offer to join immediately. (Believe us that it has happened), etc.
4) Assumptions
Write down what you are assuming will happen during the next 30 days. If your guess does not occur the way you’ve written down here, it will impact your study plan. Some things could be,
- I will not access my phone, email, and social media during study time.
- I will study in a separate room at home or at the library.
- Mentor will be available at least four times a week, etc.
5) Schedule
You will prepare a detailed study plan. Again, this is an area impacted by your style of learning. You may decide to take a course (classroom, online, or self-paced), get books and notes only, and acquire many sample tests, etc. Read below the section on study planning and the article ‘How to create a realistic PMP study plan?’ and develop your plan accordingly.
6) Materials list
There is abundant material available online, both free and paid. Be very careful using the stuff available free on the internet. Almost all of the things we have reviewed were of bad quality. Even several paid materials were of questionable quality. In essence, you should be looking at a few of the following types of items.
- A PMP exam preparation course. For example, our self-paced or online course.
- A guide to the project management body of knowledge (6th edition.)
- PMP practice tests, like the ones we offer.
- Class notes, if you attended an exam prep class.
- PMP exam prep book, esp. if you prefer reading.
- Infographics on project management concepts, formula sheets, etc.
Initiating activities for passing the PMP exam
If you are happy with the overall plan, then it is time to start your initiating activities.
a) Stakeholder expectations
You will now contact and work with your stakeholders to set the right expectations through discussion and negotiation. Following are a few examples of such activities for the PMP aspirants who are at various stages in their lives.
b) Engage a coach/mentor
Last but not least, you need to find a PMP coach or a mentor. Indeed this person is someone who is already PMP certified and willing to provide you the support and guidance on your journey to pass the PMP exam. Following are some ideas where you can find a coach or mentor.
Local PMI chapter: Become a member of the local PMI chapter and see who has offered to be a mentor. Contact them.
A PMP at your workplace: A coworker can be a great source. Is there anyone in your office who is a PMP and can help you out?
LinkedIn groups: Check out the LinkedIn groups if you have a profile there. Such as the following active LinkedIn groups where you can find people willing to support you.
Social media contact: There might be someone in your social media contact who is a PMP. If you reach out, you may find them accommodating.
Material acquisition for PMP exam prep
We listed earlier the materials you may need for the study. Here we talk about how to get that stuff?
1) PMP exam prep courses
Classroom course
If you plan to take a classroom course, then check various offers in your city. Check who will be the trainer? Also, find out what support they will provide after the training? Where is the training organization located? What are the various ways to contact them? If you find difficulty communicating with them before you register, imagine what it will look like afterward.
Online/Self-paced course
For the online course, ask the same questions. Also, ask about the times the training will happen.
For self-paced, find out how it can be accessed: PC only or both PC and mobile. Do you have to login in every time, does it track your progress automatically, and is there something to motivate you within the course, like badges, stars, levels, etc.
2) PMBOK guide
Get the PMI membership. It is valid for one year, and it gives you access to all the PMI standards and guides. You can download the pdf copy for your use. However, if you wish to keep a physical copy, you can buy one from Amazon or other bookstores.
3) Sample tests
Look for tests that are simulated and realistic. You do not just want a dump of sample questions; you require questions in a full test format that somewhat represents the actual exam. Also, look for questions per chapter so that you can practice one knowledge area and improve your understanding before proceeding to another area.
4) Flashcards
Flashcards can be helpful too. These may be available online though you can also make them yourself while you study. The writing process is an opportunity to remember and memorize the cards. Later, you can review them several times.
5) Infographics
If you are a visual learner, then infographics will be very valuable. You can use the process diagram provided in the PMBOK guide to understand inputs, outputs, and process flow. You can also look for a collection of infographics.
6) Study notes
For the most part, you can source these from the internet as some previous PMP candidates may have posted their notes for free. If you attended or will attend a course, you should receive the class material as part of the package.
7) Other books
Some people recommend PMP exam prep books. Some of our students used a few books, but most have passed the PMP exam using only our material along with the PMBOK guide. In fact, there are many good books out there. Hence check the bestsellers on Amazon, and you will find many. Review the free sample, and you would be able to identify the one that will work for you.
Study planning to pass the PMP exam
Refer to the article ‘How to create a realistic PMP study plan?’ to develop your own customized plan. It includes identifying the time slots when you can study, creating a daily study plan, and tracking your progress against the plan.
Identifying time requirement
You have committed that you will prepare for the PMP exam for the next 30 days. How much effort hours are needed to prepare varies for each individual.
Some of us learn faster, while others learn slowly. There can be many reasons. For example, the difference in brain structure and how it works; cognitive ability like previously retained knowledge; brain train; and other factors like diet, sleep, and physical activity, can be the reasons.
Review the following questions to understand your learning and comprehension rate.
- How much formal project management knowledge you have?
- How long project management experience you have?
- Is this experience diverse across regions, functions, and organizations?
Undoubtedly you will need to devote enough time daily for the next 30 days to learning. In our opinion, it can range anywhere from 3 hours to 10 hours a day.
Finding study time
Identify the dedicated times you will study each day. For example, 6:30am – 8:30am, 8:00pm, 11:00pm, etc. Take inventory of free time on weekdays and weekends. Create a 30-day chart and write down what you will do each day. The article mentioned above about creating a study plan shows a couple of sample plans.
A self-paced course like the one we offer gives you the ability to watch bite-sized videos on the go whenever you have a few minutes to spare. This way, you do not need to set aside large chunks of time to learn.
Tracking the time
Create a milestone for each week. Things may or may not go exactly as per the plan during the week, but you should try to meet your weekly targets.
Establish what you may do if you do not meet your weekly target. In case things are not getting back to normal, you need to identify why? Can you still make the target? Consequently, the worst-case scenario is that you can’t make it. Do not take the test knowing you are unprepared but hoping for a miracle. Postpone it, if you can.
Hence, a part of time management is to track how learning is progressing. Once you have a detailed study plan, follow it, and check if you are on track. If you are falling behind, figure out how you will get back on track and update your plan.
Conclusion
In short (after a comprehensive discussion), if you wish to pass the PMP exam in 30 days, you must develop and bring the supportive behavioral approach that consists of a Can-Do mindset, strong motivation, and focus with a tunnel vision.
Then you are to create an overall plan. This plan will identify the required materials, impacted stakeholders, upcoming challenges, assumptions made, and a mentor to be engaged.
Next, source and acquire the material as well as create your detailed study plan. Finally, follow this plan and track your progress.