PMP Success Story - Amanda Carrol

All right, so today we are here with Amanda Carroll, who is a recent graduate of Exam's PM, and successfully you've passed your PMP. Congratulations.

Thank you.

And I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your experience and how you found it. And, you know, we share a lot of these videos with our, with our students so that they understand You know, what's entailed in the exam and how the study went and, you know, any useful tips and that kind of stuff. So I'll just ask you a few questions and we'll go from there.

All right.

All right. So, Amanda, the first thing I'll ask you is, like, what made you take the PMP?

Well, I'd actually been thinking about it for over a year. So, you know, last year, and when I was doing my goals for the beginning of the year, that was, you know, I had it on there as a tentative goal, you know, because I was starting to feel a little bit stagnated, you know, in my career and felt like I needed to, you know, get some— something that would be beneficial to me for other directions, you know.

Yeah.

I knew, like, I kind of figured out from just from reading about the PMP that it's like, wait a minute, I'm already doing projects. Like, yeah, I didn't really— it didn't really occur to me till then. Like, well, I've been doing for years, those are projects.

Mm-hmm.

You know, so I thought, okay, well, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this. And but then I never, I never got around to it that year. It got busy. I didn't commit to it. You know, I kept reading up on it a little bit here and there. And I kept— but I had it in my head that I needed to take like a boot camp or something.

Okay.

You know, just from like what I'd read, you know. But I knew I wanted to eventually do it. But I never got around to it that first year. And then, you know, the beginning of this year, I had already— by the end of the year, I had already determined that That was going to be a goal. You know, I wanted to take a next step in my career and I'm definitely going to do this.

So at that point, I was, again, I was still looking for a boot camp. Right, right, right. Very good. So if I might ask you, like, so it seems like you decided fairly quickly, like you were thinking about it for a long time, but when you decided, you got right down to it.

Yes.

Yeah. And did you end up taking our boot camp or did you take, did you take I took the 6-week course. Okay, okay, very good. So what made you decide on the 6 weeks versus a boot camp sort of training?

So I was— I had actually honed in on an in-person boot camp that was going to be— I didn't know about you guys yet at this point. I was— I had not found you, so I was— I had honed in on another company that was going to do one here in town.

Right.

And I was, you know, I had already told my family, okay, here's what I want for Christmas. You know, I want money to put towards this boot camp, you know, because it was expensive, really expensive. It was like over, gonna be over $1,000 for the—

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's a lot.

Yeah. And so in, you know, I had already picked the date and everything. And when I was, you know, looking at my calendar and thinking, okay, well, what am I gonna do in the meantime? I need to be getting ready for this boot camp, I guess. So, you know, and I was planning to take the boot camp. Actually, funny, it was actually last week. It was on my calendar for last week. And I was, you know, I was going to sign up for it, like at the first of the year.

Yeah.

And as I'm looking online, trying to figure out like, okay, I need to be studying some stuff before this boot camp. I came across Helena's, one of her YouTube videos.

Okay.

And I, it was, I think it was, it was the one for the knowledge areas.

Okay.

And I watched that video and I was so impressed with her teaching style.

Yeah.

And just the way she, you know, laid out the information and I was really, I felt really comfortable with it. And so from there, I signed up for the hour and a half free course that she Yeah, yeah. And that, that led me into, you know, looking at the timeline and what my goal was, what I had determined my goal was, you know, for first quarter was to take a course, be ready to, you know, take the exam in second quarter. So prepare in the first quarter, right? So yeah, like I said, at that point, I thought it was going to be some sort of In-person boot camp.

Yeah.

But then when I discovered Helena's course, I thought, well, you know what, I've got, got all of first quarter. This is a 6-week program that'll give me plenty of time to, you know, get ready to take the exam. Yet, you know, obviously still hadn't gotten my application by that point. So I still had to do all of that. So the 6-week course, and because I, I was hesitant in looking at other courses online. Because I was— I didn't feel comfortable with them. But after, like, doing her— seeing her YouTube video and doing the hour and a half course, I felt really comfortable with that style.

Yeah.

Then I didn't think I would be. Yeah, I thought I would be— I thought I would benefit more from an in-person course.

Right.

But then I was like, no, I think I, I think I really liked this. I like her teaching style. I really like, you know, so that's kind of what swayed me towards the 6-week course versus a boot camp style course, you know.

Okay, okay, now that's really great. And so you got this 6-week course. So what was your experience doing the course like? I understand that you really liked Helena's teaching style, and I can agree. Like, I've done that course as well, and I find her teaching style very, very good, very comfortable. So, you know, tell me about your experience doing the course and, you know, any tips that you might give people when they're studying You know, the 6-week course.

So I, I started the course. Let's say I purchased it on the 2nd and immediately jumped in, you know.

Yeah.

And I, I had, you know, read like the timeline, you know, that is laid out, you know, in the course.

Yeah, the study guide.

Yeah, yeah. And I just, I found it such an easy flow for me. And that I probably, I sped it up a little bit, like that part of it, you know, I tended to cram more into one day than, you know, or into a week than what was laid out. Because I, it was just depending on when I had time.

Right.

So I would cram more in and then I would, you know, I would not have time because of work, you know, and then I'd cram some more in. So I didn't follow it exactly the way it was laid out, but it— this— the way that the information is, a lot of it's kind of repetitive, you know. It's different, but it's the same for the different, you know, for the different areas. And it was— I found that to be— normally I would find that—

You're okay.

In this case, it kind of solidified the information in my brain, you know, it really made it stick, you know. So when I would get to a new module, you know, I would kind of— I would know how it was going to go, you know. And then it would just be like getting that particular one to stick in my head. It just— I don't know, it just made it really easy to learn it.

Yeah, that's a good point. I did a little bit of training, well, a lot of training in my career, and one of the things that we were taught is that we have to— you have to have some repetition because that's the way our mind works.

Yeah.

You know, we hear it once, it kind of goes in, and then we hear it twice, it goes in a little more. And so some of the key points that are repeated actually can be very helpful. So yeah, actually, thanks for pointing that out. I know what you mean. It's like, didn't I hear this already? Yep. But it's a good thing.

What is it they say? You got to hear it 7 times before it sticks?

Yeah, that's it. That's actually quite true. Well, I'm curious, did you take like— we have— you can download the actual slides. Did you actually print those and take notes? Because I get that question a lot from people like, How do I take notes or should I take notes? Did you do any note-taking?

So I did do note-taking, but I didn't print all the slides. I did download all the slides.

Okay.

But I didn't print, you know, all the material. I printed key material and I would take notes on like, obviously on the, you know, the—

Yes. That's a good one. Yeah, that's a good one to take notes on.

Yeah. So I took a lot of notes there and I have, you know, I took a lot of notes in a notebook. So, and then it was also key for me to, after I would finish a module, was to go back and take the exams and take it until I really understood what I missed and why I missed it.

Yes.

Yes.

Very good. Very good. So then you took some exams and then you went back to those areas, I guess.

I would go back to those, any modules that I didn't do well in, I would go back and listen to it again.

Yeah.

And retake, you know, the test. And then I would even, like, even after I'd been through the whole, all the modules, I had notes from which ones I was weak in, you know. And I would then go back after, because, you know, if you do it immediately, yeah, you're going to do better because you just took it, you know. You're going to basically just remember what you missed and you're going to pick the right answer. But if you wait a week or two and then go back to the modules that you were weak in, then you really see if you— if that stuck or not.

Mm-hmm.

That information stuck or not.

Right.

And that was really key when I started doing the full-length exams too. And the full-length exams were— they were really helpful in, I think, in helping me pass the Yeah, the PMI exam.

Yeah, yeah.

You don't realize, man, that 4 hours is a long time.

That's really intense, and I've heard that from a lot of people. Yeah, you really have to, you know, when you, when you get stuck somewhere, don't just— don't hang out there for too long. Like, go on to the next, next one. Try to get as many done as you can.

Well, and it's amazing too, because like what I started doing too, what I realized is, um, I would take notes on ones that I wasn't sure about. Yeah, write down the number, you know, and what the question was about. Just a little blurb, you know, even a word, you know. And, and then as the test would go along, often you come to another question that helps you answer that question.

Right. Yeah, right. That's very good. Did you— and did you try that during the exam as well? Like, when you're— very good. Very good. All right, so that's really great. Is there anything, any key other tips or anything you want to give to people who are, you know, either studying or preparing to write for the exam, something that you found particularly helpful?

Um, I did find it really helpful to, to literally write out the knowledge areas and the process groups. Every day, every day, take a blank piece of paper and draw because I used— that was, that was really the only brain dump I did for the exam.

Yeah.

Was, you know, was the, you know, her, you know, was this, that was my brain dump. And I, every single day I would, because that it was hard. Like I remembered the knowledge areas and the process groups. I remembered those pretty quickly. You know, I was able to, using a lot of her tips, you know, was able to kind of put it in a, you know, whatever, a sing-song, a poem, or, you know, something, you know, to help me remember them.

Oh, good.

But remembering the 49 areas, I really had to make sure every day I drew out that diagram. Because what I found is, you know, I think I mentioned, you know, that last week I found out I was out of a job. Well, it wasn't last week I found out. I actually found out they were going to be closing our office in Charlotte. I found out on February 7th.

Okay.

And so it was at that point, because I wasn't even planning on sitting for the exam until second quarter. Like, literally, I was like, I'm going to prepare for the exam and then I'm going to sit for it in second quarter. And then when I found out our office was closing, it gave I had literally about a month left for that position. So I thought, you know what, I need to get my act together here. I really need to go ahead and have this under my belt completely. I need to go ahead and take the exam before then. No more dilly-dallying, let's get it done.

Right.

So it was at that point that I really stepped up my studying. I went, but I did because of, I managed a team there. So I was really concerned about them. So I took a couple of weeks to try to help them find new positions, you know, and got off course a little bit, even though I knew I needed to get, you know, get this done.

Right.

And when I went back and started writing out my, doing the, writing out the knowledge areas in the process group template every day, I realized that, oh my goodness, I've forgotten some of the knowledge, some of the 49 areas.

Process groups.

And, you know, it took me a couple of days to really get it solidified back in my brain, you know? So from that point on, I didn't miss a day. So I would say that that is key. And for me, that was the biggest thing. I was really concerned about not knowing all the formulas.

Yes.

And, you know, at some point I just said, you know what, I know that, that, that is not one of my strong suits. I, you know, based on, you know, what I'd read about how many questions there may be, you know, on the exam, I thought, you know what, I'm not going to focus on that as much. I made a conscious decision to focus on making sure I knew the 49 groups and their, you know, the sequence of them. That's the biggest thing is understanding the sequence.

Yes.

Understanding what comes before what. And then also understanding too, which is, I think, maybe something that a lot of people get tripped up on is that a lot of them are happening at the same— well, most of them are happening at the same time.

Yeah.

It's not that you finish one and then you go to the next one. They overlap, you know, and understanding that was key. But yeah, if you can do a dump with the, with the process groups, the knowledge areas, the 49 processes, then you would be well on your way to doing well on the exam if you have that down.

Fantastic, fantastic. So a lot of people ask me, you know, like, how long does this take? You know, like, how long does— end to end, how long does it take to get your PMP? And, you know, there's all kinds of information and misinformation all over the web about how long this takes. We believe very strongly that 6 weeks is enough end to end to do your PMP. How long did it take you?

So I signed up for the course on January 2nd, and I passed my exam on March 12th.

Right.

Now, part of that, I think for me, a lot of it was it took me a bit of time to finish my application.

Yes.

Because I had to have 7,500 hours.

Okay.

On my application. And that's another— that's another kind of a key thing, I think, because I was initially— I was I was logging all my projects for, you know, years back. And, and then when I got word that our office was closing, I realized, I, you know what, I really have to speed this up. So I figured out that like, yes, I could break it down into, into all these different projects. But I could also make it, make some of my projects longer projects. It just depends on your perspective and how you look at it. Because it could be viewed as 10 separate little projects, or it could be viewed as one large project.

Sure.

You know, so figuring that out really helped me because I was really— that was where probably my biggest stumbling block was, you know, just logging all of my time.

Yes.

To get the application in. So that hung me up a little bit. But so overall, I mean, it took me more than 6 weeks and But it's definitely doable in 6 weeks, especially if you already know your projects, because I had to, I had to do a lot of remembering. I had to go back and look at files. I had to go back and, you know, make sure I had a contact person for particular things, you know, for my application. But, um, so that was a big part of it for me why it took me a little bit longer. But 6 weeks, I think it's definitely doable for sure.

Yeah, yeah, no, that's great. And it's great to hear from people who actually did it. Like, from what I'm hearing, you could have, you could have done the 6 weeks with no, no problem. And really, it doesn't matter that much if it takes you 6 or 8 or a year, you know. It's just I want people to understand that if you're— if you do want to fast-track it, it is possible. And, and, uh, and, you know, you don't have to wait for years. You don't have to study for years to get—

Yeah, absolutely. Well, and after I— after my application was accepted, I then made a— I then made a conscious decision too of when I would sit for the exam. So I— so technically, like, my application, I signed up on January 2nd. My application was accepted at PMI on February 12th.

Right.

So I could have sat for it right away.

There you go. Yeah.

So that would have been within that timeline. But I made a decision to wait until, you know, until March 12th because of everything that was going on at work with my team and everything. So I knew I needed— was going to need to have some time to, you know, take some more full-length exams and, you know, help them get squared away, help close down the office, you know, those kinds of things. So, so yeah, it was a conscious decision on my part also to go beyond the, you know, the 6 weeks. It's definitely doable. Yeah.

Awesome. Well, I'm, I'm so happy that you joined us today. Is there anything, any last thing that you'd like to share?

I just think it's such a, you know, being able to have all this information at your fingertips, you know, online.

Yeah.

It's in today's world, you know, when I was growing up, you didn't have access to any of this, you know, and to be able to advance your learning and your career sitting in the comfort of your home, you know. I don't— I hope people don't take it for granted because it's a wonderful thing.

Oh, that's for sure. That's for sure. I totally agree with you. Like, we live sort of in a miraculous time for this kind of learning. And, you know, I think it's— for me, sort of the smartest thing to do. You know, whether you're doing a live online or you're doing, you know, like a prerecorded sort of course like we have. I think it's really great. It's a great option. It gives people a lot of flexibility, especially if they're working long hours at work and stuff like that and they don't really have the time to go to a classroom. I think it's great.

Well, and then, you know what, then there's no excuses.

Yeah, yeah.

There's no excuses. If you want to do it, if you want to do it bad enough, it's out there. You can do it.

Yeah, super. Thanks so much. Thanks so much, Amanda. Like, it's, it's been, it's been a pleasure speaking with you.

Thanks, Alan.

I hope to get this posted on YouTube real soon. I'm just gonna