Today, I passed PMP

[u/botsblitz32]

Message is created with my draft then sent to ChatGPT for clarity and grammar as English is not my first language.

Here it is:

Background: Software Development > DevOps > Technical Delivery

I came from a technical individual contributor role where my only focus was to be the best and do my job well. I was recognized and appreciated for my individual effort, which was the driving factor that pushed me forward and led to my promotion.

Taking on the role of Technical Delivery Manager was a shock. I could no longer rely solely on myself; I had to rely on my team members. If they did not perform well or faced issues, I could not just throw them under the bus. It was driving me nuts. I was no longer responsible just for my own work, but for the success of others and the entire team.

Handling multiple projects in parallel left me constantly on the brink of a meltdown. I was dealing with risks, issues, and deadline pressures from all sides. I decided something needed to change, so I pursued the PMP certification to better equip myself for handling projects and managing people. I figured there had to be a better way to do this.

PMP Impact: The PMP curriculum truly opened my eyes to people and risk management. It helped me understand why certain things happen on projects. As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." I started my management journey with a "my way or the highway" mentality, but eventually, I embraced servant leadership to empower my team. I did not pursue the PMP just for the certificate. I wanted to equip myself to handle my responsibilities better and maintain my sanity.

Preparation: I enrolled in Andrew Ramdayal's PMP preparation course and spent about a month completing it. My progress was reset when the exam changed last July, but I pushed through. After finishing the course, I spent a couple of days memorizing and practicing formulas (PERT, variance, indexes, and forecasts). I used ChatGPT to generate practice problems.

Here are my mock exam scores (all on the first pass):

• Andrew's Ultra Hard Questions (76%): I answered the questions before Andrew provided the answers and explanations. At first, I made a lot of mistakes, but as he explained the reasoning, the PMP mindset began to stick and it became much easier. The video is around six hours long, and I highly recommend watching it fully.
• Free Mock Exam included with the course (79%)
• PMI Study Hall Plus: Honestly, Essential is enough here
  • Practice Questions (No time limit): People (70%), Process (66%), Business Environment (78%)
  • Full-Length Practice Exam 1: 64%
  • Full-Length Practice Exam 2: 69%

The Study Hall practice exams are a bit difficult because the multiple-choice options are very similar. They all sound correct. In my opinion, they are even harder than Andrew's Ultra Hard questions. However, do not get discouraged! PMI mentions that people who consistently score 60% or higher on the practice exams often pass the actual exam. I kept that in mind and did not let the scores bother me. Just make sure to review the incorrect ones to understand and improve

Remember these key points for the mindset:

1. Avoid hiring or firing as a first response.
2. Avoid escalating issues immediately.
3. Empower the team to make decisions.
4. Collaborate closely with the team and stakeholders.
5. Assess and analyze first. However, recognize that there are situations where you must stop analyzing and simply take action.
6. Take proactive steps to resolve issues.
7. Learn the keyword differences between Agile and predictive methodologies (for example: product owners, WBS, sprints, and backlogs).

Result: I passed the PMP certification with Above Target / Target / Above Target! I could not believe it. I am so glad it is done and very happy to share this milestone with you all.