How Brian Passed His 2021 PMP Exam

Hi everyone, thank you for joining us today. Today we have Brian and he is going to share with us his experience on how he passed his PMP. Just as we were getting started, Brian, thank you for being here and tell us a little bit about your story and what motivated you to get your PMP certification.

Sure. Well, you know what, I think it started about a year ago when I first heard about the program. I'm a self-employed individual, so I don't really necessarily have the motivation from, you know, like getting more of a salary because I'm going to get my PMP, or I didn't need it for any sort of like job advancement, but it was just kind of this challenge and knowledge base that I, I kind of wanted to learn more about and take on. It was very applicable to me in my life, like just learning about you know, like managing, how to manage people, how to organize, you know, your day-to-day operations and the projects that you take on. Just having that kind of like background was something that I thought would be kind of an exciting challenge to take on and learn a little bit more about. And yeah, I had some peers of mine that were also looking into their PMP. And so that's how I heard about it. And I'm like, you know what? That sounds really interesting. I'm like, yeah, that would be kind of fun to take on. And, you know, as a self-employed person, just like, you know, what's— it's kind of almost like it's its own project that I could take on. I've been taking on a lot of like physical projects, so this would be nice to maybe just take on something a little bit more mentally challenging for myself. So I kind of like that aspect of it too.

All right. So what kind of field do you work in and how—

Yeah, so I actually have 2 different businesses. So I run a service-based company in London, Ontario. I also, as an aside, I have a holding company that purchases properties and essentially flips them, but hangs onto them and then rents them out. So I've taken a few houses down to the bare bones and acquired all kinds of different trades and had to do my procurements and bring everybody together and Create one beautiful product at the end of it.

That's amazing. That's amazing. It's definitely very applicable.

Yeah, exactly.

For sure. And so, so, you know, what are some of the key things that you learned from the PMP that's, that's relevant in your, in your business and, and that you could implement to grow or run your business more effectively?

I think just having the mindset, you know, like not, not necessarily the agile mindset that you had to keep learning about, but just a project management mindset. Learning about just the organization that's involved with going into a project, you know, before I started to dive into the discipline, I would take on projects and maybe not think about them all the way through. I was sort of like, you know, as things would come up, I would deal with them. And I always thought that that was a bit of a hole in my sort of approach, was not having the focus or sort of the discipline behind it to be able to think all the way through a project as much as I can and to have some sort of organization to it. So I think first and foremost, I just, I grasped, you know, an understanding of just how vast projects really are. Like when you think about it, like learning about procurements and obtaining, you know, subcontracts and, or learning about Just just conflict resolution between employees or between different people that are working with you, and and having to motivate everybody and keep them on on track and inspired to want to do their best work. Like there were just lots of little tips that I picked up as I studied PMP that I'm like, oh wait, I use that, or yeah, I do do that, or that's really important. That is right. Like it's just things that I maybe already did but didn't. have an understanding of how it all fit together. So it was really nice to be able to get that, that focus. Yeah.

Now turning our attention to the PMP, can you walk us through, like, when did you get started? When did you pass? What did your journey look like?

Sure. Well, you know, here we are in, in COVID times, right? So I think that Just being able to work from home and not be like Ontario, where I'm from right now, is on total lockdown. So not having those distractions in life that I normally would have, whether that was weekends with with friends or getting out during the the business day and socializing, or or or being able to take on more projects because because I could because I had that kind of time. It was like you know what? No, now I have. have the time resource available to dedicate to this. And it's kind of like, if not now, then when, you know, am I going to have this kind of time? And so, um, my journey started when I just kind of decided, you know what, like, I'm going to take this on. And I came across your promotional video there where you're like, I think you even mentioned in your video, if, you know, if like, why not try to do this with yourself? And, and if not now, when, like, you know, you're always constantly like putting something off. So I think I just tried to Take that on wholeheartedly right away and, and dive into it. And yeah, I just kind of digested everything at first, you know, what is, what is this really going to take from me? Looking at the material, you know, I love— I'm a very visual person, so being able to see your study plan and kind of like, okay, this will be week 1, I'm going to, you know, need to put in this many hours in week 1 and get through this kind of this, this amount of topic, and this is where it's going to put me for week 2, and just, just somewhere, some sort of a baseline to keep me on schedule, I thought was really helpful. So I could look at it before 2 months and say, okay, if I follow this, I should, I should be ready for the exam in 2 months. So, right, right. So yeah, I think that was a real big part of it.

So our study plan really kept you on track, being like—

Absolutely.

You know, you do this day 1, day 2, and so forth.

Yeah, and I love just like knocking things off too. So if I go grocery shopping, you know, it's like I'll put a strikethrough stuff, you know, as I make my way through the grocery store. Okay, I know I'm done because I've got everything striked off. I don't get distracted by things that maybe aren't a part of my study plan that way either.

Right, right, perfect. Yeah, because it's just, you know, very focused on the things that you need to know to pass the exam. So your entire journey took 2 months. Walk us through more like a day-to-day, like how many hours do you study per day and what did that look like?

Sure. I think at first I honestly had no idea what I was gonna put in and what it was gonna take for me. At first it's really like, okay, I have no idea what this is gonna consist of. There's so much knowledge. Look at this 700-page book, and then we have an agile book that's another 200 pages, as if my brain can cram all this in. I don't even know where to start. But then just as I dived into it, and as I started to get more familiar with the material, I started to really get a grasp of, okay, I'm gonna need to keep this consistent to keep it fresh in my head. I'm gonna need to— oh, I start to, you know, relay it to the, um, the study framework. And it's like, okay, so now I've put in this many hours and I'm on, you know, like day 3, and you're saying I should be at day 2 for this. So I'm, oh, I better step it up.

Do a bit more.

Do a bit more. And then just as I got into it too, I don't know if excited is the right word, but I just kind of really started to get a grasp of everything, right? Because like now I'm starting to take it in. I've got the the whole idea of the framework under control, starting to learn about other parts of project management and kind of get a grasp of the whole discipline and kind of make my way through the book as I go and kind of just seeing, okay, like just having that baseline of knowing where I needed to get to and kind of taking my foot and putting it a little bit more on the pedal as I needed to, to make my way through. I will say this though, it definitely did seem to get a little bit more fun. I don't know if that's the right word, but like— That's a good word. Manageable, manageable, right? Like at first, you know, you're like, I don't know where I'm going with this. And, uh, just, just after a while, you're like, you're really starting to get your head around the knowledge and, and understand everything. And yeah, just as I, as I went through with it, Right. You know, it wasn't a matter of memorizing it and really just starting to like, um, you know, like cram everything and rehearse over and over in my head. Like I did that with formulas. I did that trying to memorize the 49 processes, but believe it or not, just, just reading every day and, and studying every day and, and wherever you can bring that into your life, the knowledge got in there.

Right.

The same way, you know, when milk's gone bad, you know, you don't have to like study to know when milk's gone bad. Like you'll know when it's gone bad. Like, You kind of are learning about project management this way too. It's just kind of subconsciously making its way in there and you're learning about it. You know, you and I are talking English back and forth. We're not thinking about the words. They just come naturally to us.

Right.

Project management started to become just natural to me. I started to learn about it and absorb it. And it wasn't so much of like, oh, I need to study it. It was, it was just becoming a knowledge base that I was absorbing.

Right, perfect. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what we want. Like, we don't just want you to study for the exam and then forget all about it, you know. We actually want you to retain that information.

Exactly. And I thought that that was what really prepared me going into the exam too. Not like, oh, where— what was this? It was like, okay, no, like, let's have that project management framework in our minds, look at the questions, what are they asking me, and kind of be able to just you know, trust my gut instincts that are there now because I've just learned so much.

So turning our attention to the exam, I assume you took it online. So what was that experience like?

No, actually I went into a testing facility.

Okay, so what was that like going into that during COVID It was one of the most intimidating things I've ever done.

I'm going to be totally honest. I studied in Canada, so we even— I think if you're in the U.S., you'll Do your SATs from what I've heard this route. Um, so maybe people down in the South are a little bit more used to this kind of process, but for me it was new. I felt like I was— I don't want to use the word jail, but I felt like I was kind of going in and out of jail because, you know, they would like check your pockets, you had to put everything away. I think I even had to get a— I don't know if it was a fingerprint or what, but they were just like— they were used to taking my ID and everywhere. If I need to go to the bathroom, you had to raise your hand, somebody would come and escort you. So it was very intimidating of a process, but the exam itself was— it was, it was, it was— when I look back on it, it was very intimidating. You know, there were questions where some of them were long, some of them were straight to the point, but what I found very beneficial was having that mental Endurance, being able to sit through 4 hours of these questions, look at each question with a fresh mind, and absorb what they're asking me and feel confident about the answer that I'm choosing. So again, just having all that knowledge that I started to accumulate over the last 2 months, and then that in addition to the practice exams. I really encourage people to take the practice exams, Because that's what's going to help you in your mental endurance. It's like going for a 5K run without ever stepping foot on a track. You know, you think, okay, it's a 5K run, I can do it. But no, you need to feel it. And when you go and you run that race, things are familiar to you. You know that with a kilometer left, you know, it's going to take you this much time and to give this much energy because your body's used to it. Your mind, I think, is going to work the same way. Um, yeah, so just having that mental endurance was important also. Being conscious of the time and what it's going to take to make your way through 180 questions in 230 minutes. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist, so at first, you know, I would read everything twice, make sure I really understood. And then, so after 60 minutes— after 60 questions, sorry. I guess it was— yeah, after 60 questions, they give you your first break.

Yeah.

I had used up 95 minutes of my time. So I was down to like 135— sorry, quick math— 125 minutes left to do 120 questions. So I had to put my foot on the gas, right, to really kind of make sure that I was going to make it my way through. No, I did have it right. It was 135 minutes with 120 questions left.

So you have 2 breaks of 10 minutes during your exam. Can you choose not to take those? Great.

And you choose not to? Yeah, you can choose not to, but I certainly recommend it because you're giving so much of your mind to these questions that it's nice to just sit back and just rest. Just rest. Be able to have— give yourself that peace in between.

You can take it whenever you want, right? You can take it whenever you want or only at certain—

I believe it's actually in intervals. So after 60 questions, Then you can take your first break, and then after the next 60 questions, you can take your second break.

Okay, got it. The reason I say you can choose to skip— if you choose to skip your break, can you still have access to the 60 questions you saw prior to the break in there?

That I can't comment on because I did take my breaks, but I do believe that it did acknowledge that I was at that point, and at that break time. I think when they say— correct me if I'm wrong— but I think that when you have the op— when you complete your first 60 questions, you can take the 10-minute break or you cannot take it and go back into 60 more questions. Now, I don't know if you can go back because I think that they came in 3 chunks. At least that was the way it was kind of presented to me, but it all happened really quickly.

Right, so it's just better to do it in the 60-question chunks and then get it all— get it done.

Yeah, it was kind of the way that I went through it, and I don't think there was an option to go back Because it kind of happened in 3 separate chunks of tests with the same clock ticking down.

Got it, got it. And then you got to know your scores right away, right, after walking out?

Oh yeah, it's funny you asked me that because like with the last— so I started to really improve on my like time per question, and by the end of it I had about a minute and a half to rush through 3 questions, but I I was at that point where I'm like, okay, I've done so many questions, I can read it really quickly. And then I was down to 15 seconds for the last question, and I just quickly picked an answer without reading it first. And then I'm like, okay, now with my other 14 seconds, I'm going to read the question and then understand if I had the right answer. And it was really quick. I actually felt confident about that final answer.

Yeah.

And as soon as it was done, it was like, okay, you've run out of time. I used every second in my exam. And I'm like sitting back because I'm like, okay, I just did that. I'm done. I answered every question. I feel good about that. And then instantly the next screen came up and it was like, congratulations, you're now a project management professional. And as soon as I started to get my breath back, like, and my heart rate starts to slow down, like actually it was still going pretty fast. I got hit with that, right? There was no time period to just sort of absorb what it was I went through and then no time to like, oh my gosh, how did I do? It kind of all happened really quickly. So it was funny because the test examiner came in. And he went to get me to like, you know, because he could tell I was leaning back and I was done. And I'm like, I can't move right now. Let me— there's so much stimulus.

Just—

I just finished this with like every second I could, and now I just got hit with the fact that I passed. I'm like, I need to just enjoy this moment.

Give me a second to enjoy my 2 months of hard work, right?

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

And then during your exam, did you get 2 pieces of paper, or did Did you still have to use the online whiteboard?

Yep. So it was actually like 2 pieces of paper, but it was like a quick dry erase type of paper, dry erase marker. So I could write out my formulas really quickly. But again, at that point, they were in my head. I don't think I was going to forget them. But it's nice to still have them out there so that you can quickly reference it if a question came up.

Did you write a study sheet or cheat sheet for yourself using a computer? Couple minutes where you just dive right into the question?

So at first I was starting to prepare a study sheet. Like if I was going into studying, I was like, okay, now I'm going to write out the processes, or now I'm going to write— I'm going to, you know, I was having dreams of formulas and waking up in the morning. I'm like, I got to get these on paper and see how they did. And yeah, so I mean, at first I was studying to write a cheat sheet, but by the end of the 2 months, like I was saying, it's just so ingrained in your head, you almost don't need it. Because you just, you know, the material so well.

And then how did you find the actual test questions on the exam? The kind of questions you got, difficult, not difficult, more in one area, less than one area?

So they were requiring you to really understand the question. You know, there was a mental capacity that was needed. you know, you couldn't just like read it and understand it right away. You have to really kind of understand what they're asking of you. Like I was saying at the beginning, I'd have to read the questions twice to really make sure of it. So that's why I think you never know what they're going to ask you. So just being used to these questions and the types of questions that they're going to ask you. So do lots of practice exams. Those, those 4-hour practice exams that you have, the 6 of them, if you can, if you can do that. And give yourself like a week to do that, you're going to be in that mindset to absorb a complicated question and understand it. And I think that was, I think, more of a challenge than the type of question it was, if that makes sense.

Yeah, so it's, it's about like being able to read like paragraph kind of questions that are long and wordy and wordy my way. Um, they're kind of like the pinball. You know, but in question format in a way, like they don't make it the most straightforward type of questions, right? And did you notice like, you know, any particular topic that stood out to you that—

Yeah, they were very focused on people and, you know, like how are you as a project manager going to look at Situations that come up in your project and, and how are you going to find solutions for the kinds of conflicts that you're going to have or disputes or proper ways to approach things if there's like something that's kind of not going perfect in your company, you know, what's the right mindset to have to handle that question. So—

Right, so a lot of situational questions. If this happened, what would Do you do this and this, right? Like lots of situational questions. So it's like knowing the material in the PMBOK, but being able to apply it in situations is not straightforward in terms of just here's the definition. That's right.

Very situational. Having the right mindset will be the golden key to knowing what answer is right when you approach those questions.

Was it, you know, when you saw the actual exam, was it surprising, or you were like, I felt prepared for it because of, you know, the prep that you did with us at ExamSPM?

So sorry, the question was again?

So when you saw the actual exam, did you feel prepared for it? Because you were like, okay, this is a breeze going through it.

No, I never felt it was a breeze, to be honest with you. I don't think I knew what my final outcome was until I saw that screen. Most people don't. So yeah, because you've got the new Dragon Drops, right? And then that itself is kind of 4 questions in 1. And they're not so black and white. You know, you kind of have to use your processing skills to really understand what probably went best with what. Yeah, and I think, I think you probably could tie your head in a knot Thinking about alternatives, right? So even when you do the practice exams, you'll think, you're like, I don't think I got any wrong. Boom. And you got like a quarter of them wrong. How is that possible? Like, so when you're into your actual exam, you still have that same confidence, you know, like, oh, I gave it my best effort, but I don't know how many I got wrong. Did I get too many wrong?

Right.

So I don't know. It's just, you never really know, I think.

Yeah, I totally can understand that kind of feeling. I think a lot of test candidates do go through that. But how— that you actually brought up a really interesting point, the new exam question formats. So with those formats, how, you know, roughly, like, how many— was it a big, big part of the exam that were the new formats?

No, I'd say maybe 5%.

Okay, so majority were still just multiple choice.

That's right. Yeah.

Okay. Okay. And just wrapping up, wrapping up this interview, what did you find beneficial about the Exam PM program and how do you think it really helped you pass in 2 weeks?

So I found the program very beneficial because I just feel so accomplished right now. I took on this project, again, like I said, that didn't necessarily have a, I don't know, monetary benefit at the end of it, right? There's no like, okay, you've now, you're now going to be receiving this much additional pay or anything like that. It was kind of like a self-accomplishment, you know, something that I just put on myself. So just knowing that, you know, it was something that I wanted to take on, knowing that I dedicated myself for 2 months, to this program and being able to, you know, have this at the end of it, like giving it my all, I just walk away feeling very accomplished. And not to mention, like, it wasn't like I just took anything on, like I learned to, you know, speak a language I'll never speak again, you know, it was— this is something that's going to be useful in my life. So who knows where this is going to take me, or what kind of benefits it's going to have. But I just, I feel very accomplished. And I think that feeling of knowing like, Hey, you know what? I kind of thought that I could do this and it was something I wanted to do and I went out and I did that. That is priceless.

Amazing. And any— if you could rewind time and give yourself some advice from where you were 2 months ago, what would you have said?

So the new— it's funny you say that. The new material is focused heavily on agile. So I was very focused on the PMBOK to begin with, the 49 processes.

Sorry. That's okay.

I don't know if you could see me, but I just had a call come through there. I was very focused on that, and then all of a sudden, with, I don't know, not as much time as I probably would have liked, I started diving into Agile. So I think if I could go back, I would probably try to get an understanding of agile sooner. I don't know if that's really the way I would have done it. Maybe I wouldn't have spent as much time, or I would have really factored in a good couple weeks prior to starting my practice exams that I'd want to be starting agile just to get a grip of it.

Um, definitely.

Learn everything there is to do with Agile, really get a grasp of it. Like, for me, I would go through it. If I didn't understand something, I was, I was following the book, you know, like, as I was going along with your notes, right? So I'd learn something, I'd read a— or I'd listen to a presentation and I'd take notes down, but I was also like going through the textbook. If on your practice exams as well, like, it would source the answer. So if I got something wrong, I was giving myself enough time to read over my wrong answers as well as my right ones, because you never know. Even the right ones, just because you got them right doesn't mean you knew that. You might have been guessing on that one and got it right. That's all. So give yourself enough time to really go over your exams afterwards. Learn what you've done right. Learn what you've done wrong. Like, look it up in the textbook, kind of understand it, follow along through. Give yourself enough time for Agile and have confidence in yourself. Know that you can do it. For me, I think there's always— you never know, right? I'm like, oh, am I going to do this? But I think that if you can give yourself to it, it's possible and it was a great feeling. I think I definitely wasn't sure at first. I'm like, look at all this material. Look at the size of this book. Am I really going to know it? Having patience. You're not going to absorb this book in a week. You're not going to absorb it in 2 weeks. It's going to take time. So just, just being consistent with it, um, is important and just giving it the time that it needs, having the patience to know that you're gonna absorb everything that's in there, but it's just, it's gonna take time.

Perfect. Well, thank you so much, Brian, for coming on and sharing your lessons learned with everyone, and congratulations Huge accomplishment, and hats off to you on passing your PMP.

Thanks very much, Helena. This was great. And you know what, I feel like we're friends now. I've been hearing your voice for the last like 2 to 3 months. So now being able to have a face-to-face conversation with you, it's a nice little icing on the cake.

Right. Amazing. Amazing. Thank you again.

You're very welcome.