one exam and me

The preparation of Project Management Professional exam conducted by PMI gave me a lot of insights than the credential itself as a PMI certified project manager.
Even though I attended the formal training required to sit for the exam before quite some time ago I decided to give the exam recently- precisely in the last weeks of June -2009.

I planned for the 23 of the month ,June-09 but due to some urgency in the office it had to be shifted to 25 of the month.

Learning and Preparation for an exam like PMP which grills you to the core of your understanding are Poles apart. This is my first learning.
I tried to apply the trick which all of us used in our college days .Have a general understanding of the subjects and solve as many previous exam papers and simulated tests available in the market to make you pass. The very second day of practice I realized that this is not going to go anywhere. The guys who are setting the question papers as really brilliant and knows how to differentiate between original and dup.

So I chalked out a new plan.

Specifically go to each knowledge area (of 9) and then step in to each process in that which together makes the 5 process groups of the PMBoK guide.

Even though I read PMBoK earlier now its entirely different game altogether.

Studied all the processes, the 44 of them and I was confident I can reproduce any of them in any order.
Then comes the real challenge; learn the Inputs for each process and the tool and techniques which are used upon each and the out put they are producing out of them. Just by-hearting them will not help rather it was almost impossible to do. For that my approach was logical linking of each of them in a process to recollect them whenever required. This was not completely successful, but you may say near about 85 % of the input, tools& technique and the outputs I was able to recollect. The rest 15 % I took a risk- for which I didn’t have a mitigation plan but decided to respond to it when it occurs.

Once I was comfortable with the learning I wanted to go for a test again- the instinct to be comfortable with yourself once you get a passing score. I went for one and score 63% and I passed. That was a good moral boost even though it was not at all a commendable score in a practice exam. Some of my colleague said that one has to score 90% + and then only go for a real test. Still, that passing score gave me a good pat on the back.

Then I’ve checked al the questions to which I answered wrong and understand the gap in my knowledge with the PMI standards. Again brushed up the points and took some more tests. In all the tests my scores were improving, not remarkably but gradually. Okay, so far so good.
Then I started listening to a pod cast in which the host was PMP and detailing out the each processes and its tools and techniques and the outputs and the “Gyan” around that. It was so good, that it allowed me to do a total review of al the points I learned. Since I find it easy to remember things which I listen this thing was a quite advantage.
In doing all these things my time ran out and tomorrow is the exam.
The evening before exam I went for a jog and tried not to think about the exam and the ‘things’ I‘ve to remember. Came back home had some food watched the Hollywood movie “Bourne Identity” – I don’t know how many times I‘ve seen that movie; Guys Bourne is remarkable …. Then I went through the formulae and some finance problems just to refresh them. Wanted to go early to bed, but I hit the bed by 12: 45 am.

Had a good sleep and got up on the exam day.
My exam was scheduled for the afternoon session and just sat to recollect some points which I noted in the pad to refer. Alas, nothing was coming clearly in the mind. I started doubting what should be the result, rather was sure it will not be good.

Then what I did was just took a nap for 15- 20 minutes to calm me down. That was good decision and after waking up I was not much worried about the formulae or the exam questions. Had brunch and kept all the documents to carry to the exam. By the time mother called from home just wish me good luck. With that I was ready.

It was about rain here so I decided not to take my bike and took a rickshaw to the prometric center which is 15 minutes away. Usually the roads are clear during that hour of the day but I was stuck up in traffic, which made me thinking about the Risk Management of the PMBoK J

So I reached the exam center 20 minutes before the exam where the situation was quite different. There were almost 7-9 people there to give various online test, most of them for PMP. The atmosphere at the waiting area was filled with tension. I had to wait for 15 minutes before starting the verification and body scanning to ensure that you are going inside only with things of primary importance; not even a hanky was allowed. Thank God, I was not having a running nose.

I went in and did my signing of the doc and was taken to the lat seat, all other seats were occupied.


I decided in my mind that I will take 3 breaks and planned accordingly. I sat down @ the cubicle number 8.
The instructor asked me to verify the details shown in the screen; done. Then he asked me go through the steps how to take the exam and all other details. It’s a 15 minutes exercise which I completed in 5 minutes and used the remaining time to make my brain dump- all the processes , formulae etc for future reference and it turned out to a fantastic thing during the exam. I dint have to remember, just to look into it and answer some of the direct questions.
I completed first 50 questions in 1 hour 10 minutes, next in 50 minutes, next in 50 minutes and last 50 in 50 minutes. Got 20 minutes for reviewing .I marked 30 questions for review and just reviewed 10. Couldn’t do a proper review of the remaining 20 ones. So decided not make mistakes in a hurry review and call it as the end of the exam. Sat back and see what happened around and no body was there I was alone in the room. Clicked to end the exam and then a screen cam to evaluate the test center I was not feeling anything good or bad about the center at that point of time, so simply selected the best answer.
I waited for 10 – 20 seconds waiting to see the results of my entire effort of couple of man months. The there came the Congratulation message which literally took me to a zero gravity situation.
That feeling was awesome which I experienced quite some time back.
Came out of the room and got my result sheet along with a congrats from the lady sitting there. She signed and put a seal on the certificate and hand it over to me.
Now I realized that I couldn’t implement the plan of the breaks which I made, even for a biological one.

Took my belongings from the locker and submitted the key back and came out.
I felt quite comfortable and called mother just to share the good news.
I shared the news with my good friends in the office and send Congratss and demanded a party , I did not disagree.
That’s it and I took a ric and went home and saw the Bourne Supremacy.