ExamsPM Success Story - How Cedric Passed His PMP On His First Try
In this interview, Alan talks with Cedric Kazi, a seasoned project coordinator at Schlumberger, about how he prepared for and passed the PMP exam on his first attempt. Cedric explains his motivation to earn the PMP credential for career advancement, his initial intimidation by the PMBOK Guide, and the disciplined study routine he followed using the ExamSPM package with instructor Helena – two hours on weekdays and four on weekends. After low scores on early full‑length practice tests, he adjusted his approach by mastering each process group and knowledge area through targeted 50‑question simulators, achieving 100% scores before returning to full exams. He also leveraged PMI’s sample project descriptions to craft his own application, ensuring all process groups were reflected, which helped his application pass without audit. Cedric’s pre‑exam routine included a focused glossary review, early bedtime, and a positive‑affirmation mindset. On test day he arrived early, spent the first ten minutes filling a cheat‑sheet with formulas, the 49 processes, and knowledge‑area references, then flagged early questions, adjusted his pace, and used the remaining time to review flagged items, finishing with minutes to spare. He describes the emotional release upon seeing the passing result and thanks his support network, including Helena and ExamSPM. The interview concludes with Cedric’s advice to keep practicing, review the glossary, and maintain confidence.
Chapters
Okay, so here we are today with Cedric Kazi. Cedric, you have just passed your PMP exam, so congratulations to you.
Thank you, thank you so much. I feel like you're released, you know, after a few months of hardly working and studying, hiding myself in the closet, reading the PMBOK Guide.
Yes.
Taking all these tests and asking yourself a question, how it's gonna be that day. And then, I mean, it's, it's kind of release, you know, it gives you confidence. And then even now when I'm thinking about the concept of project management, it comes in my mind easily because as, as I have passed the test, now even the knowledge, the concept that I read all those months, like 2, 3 months Now they like stick in my mind.
Yeah, very good, very good. So if I might ask you, like, so obviously you were working in project management before you took the test.
Yeah, yeah, actually I work for Schlumberger, which is an oil and gas company, oil field provider company.
Okay.
So we manage a lot of projects. So since, let's say, I've been working for that company almost now 10 years.
Yes.
So I moved from supervisor, from field supervisor, back to the office, and then I've been project coordinator for so long. So I've been going through managing projects, making sure that we're delivering high-quality operations to the clients. So I have been in project management for kind of quite a bit. Yeah.
Yeah. So you've been working pretty successfully, it sounds, in project management for oil and gas companies. So What made you take the PMP? Like, why did you want to do that?
Oh, I took the PMP because looking at the world, the world is going diverse. There's a lot of things going on in the world. And then I wanted to be certified as a project manager and then direct my career in project management because my next step will be entering a management position. So I wanted to be certified in project management as I deal with projects On a daily basis.
Right, right. Very good. So, so that was— that's important to you for your job and your career moving forward?
Yeah, yeah. And then I remember when I started the journey for PMP, I talked to my boss. She was like, oh, what is PMP? I think she did not know what is PMP. And then I had to explain to her, and then she went to Google it and then get with PMI. And oh no, I understand now what you're trying to do.
Yeah.
I'm trying to be certified. So I'm like worldwide, everywhere I go in the world, I can work as a project manager.
Very good. Very good. So tell me a little bit about your experience. Like, how was it, you know, taking the course and learning to—
Oh yeah.
PMP and how was that?
Yeah. Taking the course was kind of, I started in July, back in July. When I saw the material, I'm like, oh, that's— this is a lot. I mean, and then I look at— I bought the, uh, Pen Book Guide, uh, version 6. I'm like, oh, I have to read all this book. This is a lot. But I mean, uh, first time I was scared. I was like, kind of, no, I cannot read all this book. And then when I took— when I bought the package with, uh, um, Helena, and then I went through the package, I went like sitting there 2 hours per day. On weekdays, I was taking 2 hours, and then on weekends, I was taking 4 hours reading, listening, taking the questions. Sometimes I failed, sometimes I don't fail. I'm kind of, no, I cannot drop off. I have to go until the end.
Yeah.
So I get to the end, and then I was like, okay, now I finished all the course, the 10 knowledge areas. But now I need to start taking this 200-question, the full-length test. So I remember my first full-length test that I took among those 5 that is on the website.
Yeah.
I scored like 78. I was like, ah, 78 is something good, but I wanted to be above 80 so I'm confident and sure that when I go to the real PMP, it's gonna be good. So I start taking one by one. I took all 5. And then I saw that my grade was going down. So I started at 78, and then I went down. The 5th one, I scored like 68. So I'm like, no, this is not good.
Right.
And then I went to the process group test, and then I made sure that those ones, I was passing them like 100%.
Okay.
100%. Those 50 questions for an hour, 50 questions for an hour.
Yes.
I went to the knowledge area, I passed those ones as well, and make sure that I passed them at 100%. And then when— and then I came back to the 5-foot length test, and then I start scoring above 80.
Oh, wow. Wow.
When I see that, I'm like, okay, there's a window of improvement, right? So which means I'm getting somewhere. So, and then I took one of the examples of the description of of the application you guys put on the website. Based on those descriptions, I built my own description, like 3 or 4 projects. And then I started applying for the— I started filling out the application. So I filled out the application, I went through everything, and then I sent the application to PMI.
Yes.
And after a week, I never get a reply from them. I'm like, what's going on? So I went to the website to PMI website, and then I found out that I was— they granted me eligibility saying, oh, you're eligible to take the test. So from there, my application did not go through the audit. It was not audited. So it was— everything was smooth. I paid, and then I scheduled my test.
Right, right. Now, you mentioned a couple of things here that I'm going to highlight a little bit for the people listening at home. The first thing you mentioned was your strategy for going through the the exam simulator, when you noticed that you weren't scoring well on the first full-length, you went back to the knowledge areas and you did those tests first, and that seemed to improve your score. I think that's a really great strategy for people listening, you know, that may not— that may have similar problems. So thanks.
Yeah.
That's really great.
Yeah, that's what I did. I took first the 5— the full-length test, And then I saw my grade was not going up, it was going down. And then I stopped. Once I took the 5, I stopped. And then I went to the project, to the process group. And then I started making sure that those ones before, like, let's say for initiation, right? So if I take the 50 questions for initiation, if I'm not scoring 100%, I'm not giving up. I have to go back.
Yeah.
I have to go back. So I did, I did for 5, for initiation, planning, executing, monitoring, control, and closing. Once I made sure that all those 5 process groups, I can score them in less than an hour for 100% on the simulator, and then I went to the knowledge area, I did the same. And then after that, I went back to the 5 full-length tests.
Great, great. That's, that's excellent. And then the second thing that you mentioned was you used the descriptions for the projects to help you draft your own descriptions when you were applying for your For your PMP exam.
Oh yeah.
Yeah. I think that's, that's helpful for people too who are kind of wondering like, how do I word this? It's—
Yeah.
You found that helpful? Yeah.
I took, I took the way, the way you guys word it on the, on the website. And then I put my own word, but making sure that I mentioned that I was involved in initiating. I was involved in all the process groups until the closing. So my, my application went like through without all the, audit, and then I did not get any question from PMI.
That's amazing.
I scheduled my test like as easy as possible.
Yeah, super, super. So those are really great tips. Are there any other tips that you'd like to give people, like from your experience, that might help them, you know? Yeah, yeah.
The other thing that I did is like, I scheduled my test was in the afternoon at 3:30 PM. So when that day I woke up in the morning, I mean, I made sure that a day before, I think a day before, I was just reading the glossary on the PMBOK.
Okay.
Just to read the definition of each concept, making sure that I'm trying to remember what is a lag, what is a lead, what is those, all those concepts. And then I went to sleep early.
Yeah.
I knew that my test is in the afternoon. I'm not gonna sleep late. I went to sleep like around 9, 9 or 8:30. When I woke up in the morning, what I did that day, I just went through on the 5 full-length tests, the question that I was missing. I just went there to review those questions that I was missing. And then I reviewed the comment, why I missed them, what is the right answer, and then why is it the right answer. I reviewed like 20 of them or on each test I was missing around 20, 25. So I was just reviewing those questions in the morning. I spent like 2, 3 hours reviewing those questions.
Yeah.
And then once I finished, I closed everything and then I turned my mind off thinking about other things. I'm like, okay, the test center is like 30 minutes away from my house. I will leave by 2 o'clock, and then I start playing with my girls. I start talking to my wife. I start doing something different.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, take your mind off it.
So that's, yeah, that's one kind of, as you said, kind of bleeding off everything. Just relax, take it easy. And then one thing that I put in my mind in the morning, I wrote it somewhere. Let me read it for you. It's on my phone.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, while you're doing that, I'll just highlight one thing you said about going to the glossary and triggering— you basically are triggering your memory of the whole course by looking at the glossary and what the definitions are in there. That's a great idea, actually.
Oh yeah.
I never thought of that.
Yeah, the glossary gives you the definition of all those concepts, right? I mean, like, quick definitions so you can remember easily.
Yeah, no, it's a great idea.
Yeah, I remember that morning I had this— when I woke up that morning, I put in my mind that I have to be positive. I'm going there to succeed, not to fail.
Yes.
So I put in my mind this word. I'm gonna read it.
Okay.
Whatever your dream is, it's not too late to— it's not too late to achieve it. You are not a failure because you have not found fame or a fortune. Never tell yourself that you, you're too old to make it. Never tell yourself that you missed your chance. Never tell yourself that you are not good enough. You can do it, whatever it is.
Wow.
So I put all those words in my mind, like I can do this. It's not— people have been doing this, have been done it. They have 2 hands like me, they have a head like me, they have 2 legs like me. They are not, they are not aliens, right? They're not coming from another planet. So if they have done it, I can do it as well.
Yeah.
So I put that positive attitude in my mind saying that I'm going there. Once I start the test, I'm gonna score the test, and then I'm passing the test. There's no excuse, there's no coming out of that room with a failure. No, I'm coming out with a success. And then I put it in my mind. I'm like, okay, that's— I'm gonna pass for sure. I'm passing this test. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's, yeah, that's one of, one of the good things, to be positive. I think that's helped me. It helped me a lot to be positive. Wow.
Wow. Well, Cedric, thank you so much. For sharing all of this. Is there any one last word you might want to give? I mean, you've said so much. Is there some—
Yeah, yeah. The last thing I will say is keep practicing, keep practicing, keep reading, don't give up. And then practice the knowledge area and the process group, filling up the 49 processes. Yeah, that's a good practice. I was doing it like on a daily basis, and then I got to like 5 to— between 5 and 10 minutes to reproduce that table and then have my formula, my earned value formula on the sheet.
Right. So you put all that stuff on the cheat sheet they give you when you go to the test?
Yes. When I went to the test, I mean, I went there, I went through all the checking, everything. They put me in the room. It's kind of— I was kind of scared because there's a camera everywhere. You cannot talk. Yeah, it's kind of— it's, uh, they check you. They told me to pat my hands. Like, yeah, they want to make sure that there's no, you know, you're not gonna cheat.
Yeah, yeah.
So, and then there's a camera everywhere, so they're looking at you like on the big eye. So when I start the test, when I start, like, I click okay, start the test, my my 240 minutes start counting down. I took like, I think it takes me 8 minutes to write down all my formulas.
Yes.
And then write down the process, the 49 processes.
Right.
And then the knowledge area and then process group. So after that, I'm like, okay, I already lost, let's say, 10 minutes because my goal was to resolve, to resolve every minute. I have to resolve one question.
Great.
So yeah, that was like my goal. But, and then once I finished to put the sheet and then my formula, I already passed almost 10 minutes. I did not resolve any question yet. So when I start replying to the question, the first, the first 5 questions, I could not understand what they were talking about. They're like situational questions. I'm like, what is this? I did not see this kind of question. Okay, I start flagging those questions. So I flag 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Once I get to the 6th question, and then I start understanding the way they're asking questions.
Yes.
So they give you a situation and then they say, you as a project manager, what do you do?
Right, exactly. Yeah.
And then from there, my mind opened up and then I start understanding. And then I went fast. I went kind of fast, fast, fast. When I finished the 200 questions, I still have like, like 35 minutes left. And then I went back to all the questions that are flagged and then read them like with attention, with all the knowledge that I had. And then I see, oh, this question was just talking about this. Oh, this is the answer. Oh, this is the answer.
Yeah.
And then I finished all my questions. I don't have any questions flagged. I still have like 15 minutes left. So I went through again, double-check, double-check my— all my questions. I mean, I did not double-check everything, but the question that I was not sure about, I cross-checked them. And then after that, time's up. Okay, you have to submit your answers. I submit the answers. It takes like 2 seconds, I think, to give you the result.
Wow.
And then I just saw— when I just saw the first letter C, I'm like, okay, this is congratulations.
Wow, that's amazing.
Yeah, and then it gives me like, congratulations, you have passed your project management for professionals. I'm like, oh wow, thank you.
I must be correct.
Yeah, and then, you know, I feel like the release. I was like released, you know. Wow, I was not believing. Is this true that I passed? So I have to raise my hand. One lady has to come and then say, oh, you finished? I'm like, yeah, I'm done. Okay. And then she told me, okay, get up and then follow me. So I followed her to the counter and then they print out my result sheet. And then when I'm looking at the result sheet, that's where I'm like, oh, I passed?
Yeah.
And the lady like, oh yeah, if that's what the paper said, you passed, you passed. I'm like, oh wow. Yeah, I had to call my wife and then everybody that was supporting me. I passed.
I'm like, wow. Yeah.
And then I think I called Helena. Oh no, I sent her a WhatsApp because I have her number. So I sent her a WhatsApp. Yeah, I passed the test.
Thank you. Yeah, she was pretty excited to hear that.
Yeah, so that was kind of, yeah, you know, the full story.
Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing your story with everybody. We'll be posting this on our YouTube channel, and thank you very much for choosing ExamSPM. your studies and being a great student and showing people what's possible. Oh yeah, yeah, thank you so much.
Thank you. Can you send me the link to your web— to your YouTube channel, please?
Yeah, as soon as we post it, well, I'll send you the link. Yeah, no problem.
Okay, thank you, Alan. Thank you for your support. You have been very supportive, always answering my questions. That's, that's really, that's really good. Actually, I'm doing the Microsoft 2019 and 2016. And then probably I will get back to you to see what I can take as the next course.
Yeah, super. Thank you so much. I'm just gonna stop the video now. Stop recording.
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