ExamsPM Review - Arsalan

Okay, thank you for making it today.

No, no, that's okay, that's okay. Actually, yesterday I got some problems with the internet, so I couldn't, you can say, join.

That's okay. First of all, congratulations on passing your PMP exam. That's a huge step, and just want to commend you for all of your efforts. So tell me a bit more, like, how did you, you know, pass it? What was your studying process? And how long did it take you?

Yeah, actually, you know, because I was doing all the things practically, so I had the— means not only the theoretical knowledge, I had the practical implementation of the things. And I actually know that, okay, what's happening in the project means we were going through all the phases. I was actually more involved in all the, you can say, from the initiation till the closing of the projects. So I mean, that was quite easy when I read it through the theory. So it was pretty much easy for me.

So you found the exam pretty easy?

Yeah, my exam was easy actually. In all the 5 sections, I was above the target.

Wow.

So yeah.

Wow. So how long did it take you to study for the exam?

Actually, I was in touch in the study for quite 1 and 2 months. But after watching your videos, the videos were very helpful. Very helpful means it was the whole gist of the whole story. And videos actually make the things very easy for me. Even on the last day when I— before I was going, I was going through your video of the quality steps. So that was— you can say quality assurance was quite, quite, quite helping because they were the gist and you cannot— because PMBOK is actually very you can say, monotonous. When you read it again and again, it becomes— means the saturation becomes very less. But the video was quite interactive and it was the gist. So videos were very helpful. But I keep looking the— you can say, means whenever I— at the start of every day, I just draw the processes and knowledge area myself in 1 to 2 minutes, and then all the main processes, 47 processes, I just go through in my mind, keeping all the major inputs, major outputs, and all this stuff. This was quite, you can say, helpful while doing the exam. Very helpful.

Okay, so you drew out the process chart every single day?

Yes, processes every single day, and you can say the main map on page 63 every day, the main, you can say, table. Every day, every day. Yeah.

Okay, how did you find the math section of the exam?

Yeah, math was very easy. Math was— I was actually expecting a little bit tough, but I had the major formulas in my mind. So when I just started, I just write all the major formulas on my— on one page. It took me just more— not more than 10 minutes. I write all the formulas, the major maps, and the major inputs of all the processes. So because most of the section was, you can say, concerned with SPI and CPI, it was not about the ESE or the BAC or something like this. Means only 2 questions were related to ESE. So they were pretty, you can say, and like I did all of your practice exams and I did at least 1 or 2 of the main timed sections of the exams as well. So what happened, that means it was, it was pretty easy for me over there when I did the real exam. It was pretty easy for me.

Awesome. So how many practice exams did you do before going in?

I did all, all the 10, all the, all the 6, 6 or 7. 6 or 7 the practice exams and 1 major, you can say, timed exam.

1 major time. Okay, got it, got it. So you did, you did 6, so basically you did about 8 full-length exams?

Around 8, yes, around 8, around 8.

And did you do all of them, um, did you also divide it into knowledge areas? Like, did you do the 50 questions from each knowledge area?

Yes, yes, yes, that was, that was, you can say, when Whenever I saw your video, then I do the practice exam, 50 questions from there as well.

Okay, so awesome, by the way. And then so you did the— so you watched the lectures and then you did the practice exams and then in the end you did 8 full-length exams and then you went into your actual exam and found the actual exam actually easier than the practice questions.

Yeah, actually one thing which I did that when I was doing the exams, I made my own notes like Okay, this is like one— I give you a very quick example. Like, okay, I know that, okay, the lessons learned are the part of the organizational processes. So I just write it down. Okay, similar like this, that, okay, like analogous is the most, you can say, easy, but it is less accurate. Just this type of things like Theory X is like this, Theory Y is like this, Theory Z is like this. What is the salience model? I just wrote around 250 notes, like bullet points. So before going to exam, I just go through them and it covered almost, almost my 80 to 90 questions because all of them was from there.

Wow. So is it whenever you get a question wrong, you will write a bullet point or you just write a bullet point regardless?

Yes, yes. No, no. Whenever the question get right, Or even if it gets true, but I was not sure that what was the logic behind it, I just make the point in it that, okay, this was the reason. And when it gets repetitive, then I— you can say, no, that, okay, this is the reason. And then I— you can say, was sure that, okay, it never goes off the mind.

Perfect, perfect. And then how long did it— how long were you studying every single day?

Every single day I was, uh, means around 2 to 3 hours, not more than this. In the last few days I was, means my, in the last 10 days, uh, when I purchased the course from you, uh, what happened that my try was that, okay, as quickly as possible finish the videos and then start doing the actual tests. So from the last, every day I was completing one test, every day completing one test. it was taking 2 to 3 hours. I was doing it, but—

So you actually completed your 4-hour exam in 2 to 3 hours?

Yes, yes. One thing which, which actually your videos helped a lot in a way that, uh, because I was having the basic concept in my mind. So after watching your videos, my basic concepts, my very, you can say, basic principles of the things gets very, uh, clear. So I After, as soon as I read the question, I quickly eliminate the wrong options and I know that this is the first one. So I tried it in like many, 2 to 3 tests, that my first response is always the correct one. Even if I think and start to think on the logic that, okay, this is the logic, I know that my first response was always the correct one, which I just deliberately choose unconsciously is the correct answer actually.

Wow, okay. Yeah, I actually hear that a lot from many students. Usually your first reaction is the— is the— is that right?

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So how did you find the situational questions on the exam? Then how did you approach them?

Yes, situational question was very tricky this time. The situational question was very tricky, means if after reading the situational question you didn't even knew that what exactly he is asking about. And even they change the terminology a little bit as well, like the way they ask the question.

Yeah.

Means, yeah, means they start the question with about the self-esteem, that, okay, self-actualization and self-esteem, and they end it like, but can you tell what is the theory which actually meant that the people are not organized and the people needs to be monitored? Means that they stated theory Y and asked the question about theory X. So this was the the things, and even in some questions they ask that okay means they keep giving you data about the profit rate and the interest and the number of the years, and then they state a little bit that okay the earned value was this and the cost variance was this. Can you tell that what, what was the etc.? So they, they try to, you can say, uh, distract you a little bit.

They try to distract you a little bit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And how did you, you know, um, some of the situational questions are pretty long. How did you manage those questions and still manage your time?

No, actually my reading is good, so that's why I was not having any problem with reading those long questions. But these some long questions were You can say, means in such a way that they give you the data in the start, then in the mid they give you a story, then in the end they give you the, you can say, again some data. So what I did, that in the exam there was an option of highlighting the main items and then underline it. So what I did, I just used that item. I highlighted the main, you can say, data figures. And then I do the analysis that, okay, this is the data given, just quickly calculate the data and pick up the answer.

Oh, okay. That's a good tip. So highlighting the data that you will need and then ignoring the rest of the data that doesn't— correct, not really relevant. Yeah. So PMI does that sometimes when they give you some information that's not relevant to kind of throw you off.

Yeah, yeah, this was quite helpful. And this was quite, you can say, means even this was, I think, maybe a new feature and student might get some benefit in the coming, you can say, exams. But I really got helpful with this one because I quickly grabbed the data and then it was easy to analyze. But most of the questions this time, there was too many questions regarding the scheduling, and there were too many questions from the quality assurance and quality control. Like, yeah.

Yeah, so in terms of that, that would be different for everybody, right? So into your Prometrics exam, the system will just randomly pull the percentages of the questions from each of the 5 process groups. It's not going to just— it won't have any way of distinguishing how many questions are from quality control or how many questions are involving numbers or something like that. The system has no way of knowing that. It's just randomly pulling a number of questions based on the percentage allocation that it's told to pull from. So everyone can have a different exam, even though— or a different experience, even though they're writing the same exam.

Sure.

So someone who's writing the same exam, writing the PMP right beside you, could have a completely different experience than you had. So you may say, I had a lot of questions in quality control. The other person could say, oh, I didn't have any questions in quality control, right? So really, it can really vary from person to person.

No, but you're right. This was quite— means most of the— because I was having more grip on the quality area, I was a little bit reluctant on the procurement because procurement questions were very tricky. But fortunately, when the procurement questions come, they were mostly from the time and material and the fixed cost. So I know that, okay, they are open-ended and these are this type of questions. So they were pretty easy for me, but I was a little bit worried about the procurement section because the initial 1 or 2 questions were very lengthy and they give the situation very, you can say, disguised in a disguised way. So But anyway, they went well as well.

Oh, awesome. Yeah, glad to hear that you passed on every single section.

Yeah.

Do you have any other tips that you used that may help, you know, future students pass their PMP?

Yeah, this tip is also, I think, helpful. Maybe I think you are aware of this, that before you can say starting the exam, just spare 5 to 10 minutes By rewriting all the formulas, because there was a guy who was just sitting beside me, and after the test he was telling me that I got confused that whether the in order to calculate the communication channels, whether this was n into n plus one or whether it was n into n minus one. And he said that my fucking three questions got wrong with this thing. So this was pretty you can say. Good tip that if you— because he, he was in panic, so he just, you can say, mixed up the formula. So I think that it is better to write down the formulas whenever you reach the exam so that you are sure that, okay, this is the formula and you are, you are sure in your calculations.

Okay, so having, having like a quote-unquote cheat sheet before the exam?

Yes, correct. Means major formulas like Means CPI, SPI, CV, SV. These are easy. These are easy. But the four formulas regarding ESC, one formula of two formulas for the TCPI and one for communication channels and one for the you can say the profit and the rate of interest and on this one these should be this should be over on your cheat sheet must be.

Right, right, right. That's a great tip. So have all your formulas on your quote-unquote key.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Any other advice you would, you would give people who are going into—

Yeah, one advice is that also, one advice which I already told you, to make for every wrong question, make your— you can say the— write the logic behind it, that why it gets wrong, so that you know that, okay, This is the get wrong. Then you can see the gradual improvement, like first test, and then when you will be doing your 7th test or 8th test, you will find the difference that, okay, these things will actually help a lot to make your unconscious more, you can say, correct, to get the first response, you can say, correct.

Right.

This was very, very—

Yeah, right, right, right, right. Amazing tips. Congrats again on passing your PMP exam.

Very happy. Thanks. Thanks.

What's, what's next in your career? What's next now? What are you—

Yeah, this actually I want to discuss with you as well, that I was actually thinking to go maybe towards agile. I don't know whether means the Australia market is more towards that because 2 to 3 things are in my mind. I just want to have a chat with you on this one as well so that you can suggest me. One thing is that I might go for the RMP. The other thing which I'm thinking that as I have got the, you can say, agile, you can say, point with your course, maybe it's better to go for agile, something like this.

So you want to go for your ACP or RMP certification next?

Yep, yep. What do you think?

I think it's a great idea. Agile is really expanding in the industry. Even PMP in the 6th edition covers a lot of Agile principles as well. It's definitely a good idea to go into Agile as well. We're also launching our own ACP exam prep as well.

Okay, cool.

Which I'm very excited about.

Part of the application till— means if I was looking at my email chain, it is around 100 emails which we exchanged from the start of the application process till here. But your help was always there. You helped a lot in preparation and the application and everything. Thanks, thanks very much. And yeah, it was also—

It's my pleasure.

Yeah, no, no, thank you very much. Thanks, Helena. For everything.

Yeah, yeah, you're welcome, you're welcome. Thank you so much for the kind—

No problem. Yeah, let me know if I can do anything for you, any reviews or something like this. You can tell me, I can do it for you, or anything. If I— yeah, sure.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.