How Phil Passed His PMP Exam in only 3 Weeks with ExamsPM

All right. Okay.

Hello guys. So today we have Phil with us and he is going to share his story on how he passed his PMP. So welcome, Phil. So before we get started, can you tell us a little bit about your background and what motivated you to start to get your PMP certification?

Okay. Well, my job is I'm a project manager. So I've been in this role since 2005. So when I took this role, and the first thing that my manager asked me is to learn more about project management. So back in 2008, I think, and then I attended the Project Management. It's a certificate program. So I took different classes from planning, costing, and budgeting, risk management, all aspects of project management. And actually, I used those classes as the prerequisites for PMP, the 32 credits, I think. So I used— it qualifies for that. So, and then that was back in 2008. And then I didn't— let me see, about 4 years ago, so that's 2014, that's when one of the other project managers said, Let's make this as a personal goal. So my manager put the— added to my personal goal to obtain PMP. So, okay, now it's in my personal goal. So I went ahead and took a preparation class. So that was my— it's a mistake. The sequence of— it should be take the classes, you know, credit, And then learn as much as you can, and then submit your application, make sure it's accepted and approved, and then you have 12 months to prepare. And then, and then take the class right after you finish class, and then immediately take the, take the—

AP.

The test. Oh, instead, I took the— 4 years ago, I took the preparation class. It's not online. It's here in town. So it was a week class, went over all the 5th edition of PIM book. So the whole thing. That was 4 years ago.

Yeah.

Always my problem Is I cannot convince myself, you know, I can't study, you know, in my mind, I cannot study, I cannot memorize things. I'm getting older and then I cannot study anymore. That was my mental block. So, and then, but I went ahead and because it's in my goal, I started the process of the applications, and it was 4 years ago, and then I didn't do anything. So every year I missed my personal goal. I don't know how many percents I— so I missed it, I missed it. And finally last year I said I have to get this done. So November last year, I submitted the application. It was rejected. So I fixed it, submitted again. It was rejected again, so twice. And then finally I fixed it, submitted, and finally it's approved. So then I said, okay, you have until November 2018 to take the PMP. Okay, my plan this year was in March. I missed it. And then, okay, August.

I missed it.

And finally, In September, August, end of August, I said, okay, I'm gonna take the— I signed up for an online class. Not you, not your class, an online class. So that was— this was September. I start taking the classes, the online self-paced, and then the guy— It was very discouraging. So what he said is for every process, it showed that he was just reading the slides. So that's one thing I said, I can't read, you know, just give me the slide. I can read it myself. You have to— he said, I have to memorize the inputs, the output, and look at the pictures. And if I don't memorize, he said, you will fail. Every process, he— it was very discouraging. So after, until October, mid-October, and I came across your class, the free 1.5-hour class.

Right.

So I said, hey, it's free. So I just, I need all the help I can get. So I took it. So I listened to your class, that hour and a half. I said, my goodness. And I mean, it's just very encouraging. And you said you do not— you need to understand the process and look at the input, make sure that it makes sense for every input, every output at the tool. Make sure you understand the process, what it does, and then try to understand why the input, that input. Why do you need a— the Charter? Why do you need the, you know, the baseline? And then study the tools. And that thing, what you said, it makes a big difference. And then I said, because that's me. I cannot memorize, but if I understand, it will stay.

Right.

So that's what I said. And then it says, uh, it's— this is a 6-week course and I have only 3 weeks left.

Oh, wow.

I said, what do I do? Uh, and then I waited the next day. I didn't sign up right away. And the next day I got an email again from, from ExamPM. It said, do you still want to sign up?

Yeah.

I said, I will sign up. I just go ahead and sign up. And then I told myself, I'm not going to reimburse this, the fee. I'm going to pay. If I fail, I will pay the fee. But if I pass, then I will submit reimbursement to company. So 3 weeks, in 3 weeks, I set aside, my boss said, just close your office, set 2 hours every day, just block. So I block my calendar 2 hours a day. And then at home, I block 2 hours at night, 7 to 9 or 9 to 11 every night. So I went through your course.

Yeah.

2 times going forward. And then the last time I go backward from, from the, from the last go going backward. And then so I did that. Every process, I try to understand what they are and the input, make sure it makes sense, and it is just clear. I mean, it is very easy, and you repeat every time you go to the next process. You start over. You start from the identifying stakeholder. You know, you start— no, start from the beginning.

Repeat.

Repeat every time you repeat, and that just stays, and it's logical. And then, like, a week before the exam, I talked to a few of us here at work. I said, here, I'm going to explain to you all 49 processes. And then so I did. I explained. I have a whiteboard. I explained In sequence from the beginning to end. It was great. I took only one, the practice test. You have like 5 or 6 available.

Yeah.

I took the first one and I got, I don't know, 75%, but that's all I did, one time, and then that's it. So And then I took the test. It was, it was great. So first thing, when I sit down, I do— I did a memory dump, you know, recreate the flow, the process area, process group. I recreate that. That's all I need to solve all the 200 problems. That's all you need. Just, I read carefully, I read it, and then knowing where we are, what process group, process area, and then from there go down to which process, and then start set your mind, you know, where you are, and then solve the problem. That's what I did. So thank you, thank you, thank you. That's why I had to write something. That's why the next day I I sent an email to, you know, to you, and then there's not enough space online, and then I sent a separate email. Just want to thank you.

Oh, thank you so much for saying that. We really appreciate it. We're so glad that this course actually made such a big difference to you. So, wow, I think you pretty much answered all my questions. So if you were to give some advice maybe to someone who is going through this journey right now, What kind of advice would you give them?

Well, I already have one of my direct reports. I asked him, I said, are you interested in taking— getting a PMP certification? So he said, yeah. So I'm grooming him. I know exactly now the sequence, you know, start with Gather— you have, you have your spreadsheets on how to gather all your projects the past 6 years.

Yeah.

Start with that and then think about all those projects and then identifying the initiation, the planning, the execution, you know, how many, how much, how many hours you spend. So start with that first. And then at the same time, you look at the prerequisite. Do you have the 32 hours or I think 35 now is the requirement.

It's 35 hours.

So do we have that? So I'm going to send him to take those classes. And then from that, start reading the PMBOK, the book. Just read. Just go ahead and read that. Study on your own. And once it is approved, submit the application. Once approved, sign up for your class. Like a week or two. No, no, no.

Maybe not 1 to 2 weeks.

3 weeks or 6 weeks before the— and then set the testing date. You have to set the testing date. Then it forces you that you need, you know, you have the date in mind, the goal. Set the date and then sign up for your class. Go back 6 weeks, sign up for your class, do your class 2, 3, 4 times, go over back and forth, you know, do that and then practice every day. Practice, practice.

What did you practice every day? Because you said you did do a lot of—

Oh, see, the practice— I downloaded the an app, but those tests, it helps. It helps every day. But the discouraging thing is when I, you know, I said, okay, I'm gonna do 20 questions test, I got 40%. And then I— So it's— you wanted to shoot for a 70 and above, maybe 80 or 90. I never— if you look at my history, the highest I got is maybe 80%. Usually it's 40%, 50%, you know. It's— but it helps you by reading the explanation. You make mistakes and then you see the explanation and say, oh, okay, that makes sense, you know. But how you teach the class and the way you teach the class, and that's the thing that makes a difference. Make sure you understand. Make sure you repeat, you repeat, you always repeat. Repetition, repetition, that makes a big difference.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I tried to design the course at Exam PM to really help people understand how PMI wants you to manage a project from beginning to end. The study plan we give people is how they can pass in 6 weeks, but it's really customized. So like, you know, in your case, you passed in 3 weeks. You can also use the course to pass in 3 months, and people have done that. So, you know, it's getting access to the course for a very long time. So it's not like, you know, you have to take your exam by the end of the 6 weeks. That's a common question.

Right. No, no, no. But I was— I have no other choice.

Yeah.

When I saw your class, when I signed up for your class, it was already 3 weeks. Away from the test.

The deadline that you set.

Yep.

That makes sense. Yeah. You got a call there. Cool, cool. All right, well, thank you, Paul, for sharing your feedback with us. This was really, really helpful, and I'm sure a lot of people would have benefited from all of your experiences. So thank you again for sharing all your feedback with us.

Wow, thank you. Thank you. No, thank you. Thank you for your clap. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Really appreciate it.