16 Sep 5 TOP Tips To Pass PMP® 2021 Exam On Fast Track
Get up early/Plan/Track/Pomodoro/Use short bursts
“I want to pass the PMP® Exam in 3 weeks” is something most of the PMP® Certification aspirants I meet ask me. The only difference is someone says “3 weeks” while others would say “4 weeks” or “6 weeks”.
Is it possible? The answer lies in your hands! This is an examination which you can clear only and only if you are prepared. Again, the preparation is about knowing how you can solve project issues, problems or how you can use the standards and best practices to manage a project more effectively. No amount of memorizing is going to help you pass the exam with full confidence. Read our tip that tells you how to read the PMBOK for the examination (Link to Tip 008), to understand what you need to do.
The PMP® certification aspirants are senior executives who have a lot of experience. If they relate their work experience to the PMBOK® Guide, they would be ready for the PMP® exam easily. For relating the experience to the PMBOK® Guide, you need to spend some time reading it carefully. This is where many people get worried. When the PMP® certification aspirants realize that they need to take out some dedicated time for preparation, their very first reaction is “How do we find out time?”
In a project’s busy schedule, finding out dedicated time can be quite challenging.
TIP 01
If you do not get any time throughout the day (If I’m right, no one does get it!), just get up 30 minutes earlier. Yes, that would be sufficient. And, you do not have to do it your whole life. It is just a question of maybe two months. Anyway, if that is a habit that you form, it would be good for you!
Just waking up a little early will help you get that elusive time.
TIP 02
Plan your studies the day before. If you start thinking about what you are going to study once you take the book in your hands, you will never finish studying on time. This just gives an illusion of studying. Read more about why you should plan in our tip (If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail)(Link)
You will spend your time fruitfully only if you have planned what you want to study on the previous day
TIP 03
As a project manager, you know very well that no amount of planning will be useful if it is not executed. A wise manager always plans carefully, gets the plan executed meticulously, and tracks if everything is good or something needs to be changed. Tracking your progress against the plan is extremely important. It tells you your recent position and what you need to do so that you are ready for the exam on time
TIP 04
When did you spend your time studying with full focus last? Many of my students say that they really find it difficult to study for two hours continuously. They are not used to it anymore. “It has been a long time since they studied with that kind of focus and it is very difficult to get back into that mode now!” is what they would say. How do you find a way out?
It is not as difficult as you think. There is a very simple trick to it. Do not study at a time for more than 20 minutes. Set an alarm for 20 minutes and read with full focus only for 20 minutes. Once the alarm goes, stop reading. Get up, take a stroll or complete some small task and then decide whether you can continue for 20 minutes more.
Trust me, this works. It is not tiring. Your mind is able to focus well for 20 minutes and absorbs whatever is read very well. When you get back to studying after a short break, your mind is fresh and easily absorbs what is being read.
TIP 05
The last tip is being consistent. Any activity consistently done transforms into a habit. If you study at the same time, same place every day, before you know it, you get into the habit of studying. Forming a new habit is all about consistency. To make it easier to follow, attach your plan to study to one of your daily routines. For example, as soon as I finish taking my morning coffee, I will study for 20 minutes.
As soon as I get up, the first thing I always look forward to is my cup of coffee. I just cannot miss it. Anything I piggyback to this habit will always get translated inconsistency. So, find out such habits that you follow consistently and attach something that you want to do consistently to it. It is easier to get into a new habit this way.
Remember to keep things small. Instead of saying “As soon as I finish my morning coffee, I will start studying”, it might be better if I say “As soon as I finish my morning coffee, I will study for 10 minutes”. This way it does not sound like a big burden and you are more likely to actually do it. Try it.
Follow these 5 tips and get ready for the pmp® exam on the fast track
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