How to prepare for your PMP exam

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So you've decided to go for PMP certification. You've checked PMI’s official site to see if you meet the pre requisites (if not we’ll cover them in more detail later on) and you’re ready to start thinking about exam preparation. A PMP (Project Management Professional) certification from PMI can open the door to excellent career opportunities, bigger salaries and the achievement of lifelong business goals. But taking the exam is not a quick and easy process.

The PMP certification ensures that all project managers can communicate very precisely, using uniform accepted terminology; and also ensures that project managers are able to work together, understanding goals and objectives. Other benefits of gaining a PMP certification include an enhanced understanding of project management and many uncertified project managers find that their skills, knowledge and understanding is boosted simply by studying for the exam. Having a PMP certification is also a validation of skills learned, reassuring potential employers that you have a verifiable and useful skill set that will help you make money for the company.

Do you meet the pre requisites?

The project management experience that you bring to the table must be fresh and relevant, having taken place in the last six to eight years or so. If you already have a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent diploma, then you must have at least 4500 hours of project management experience. If you have no qualifications akin to a degree, then you must have 7500 hours of experience.

It is in this arena that many candidates fall short, having only limited or unsuitable experience of project management. It can be something of tricky situation, needing the qualification to get the job, but needing the experience to take the examination. Keep your eyes peeled, not all jobs require a project management certification, you must be prepared to start at the bottom and work up.

Are you exam ready?

A very quick and easy way of checking your readiness for the examination is to navigate to the official PMI website and have a look at the first 20 pages of the PMP Handbook. This will give you a solid understanding of any gaps in your knowledge. The PMP certification is accepted world-wide and represents the definitive standard against which project, programme and portfolio management is measured. The certification is highly desirable to a seasoned project management professional in IT, or any other sector looking to rise above fellow workers.

Before you can take the examination, you must meet two criteria: knowledge from tuition, and experience of managing projects.

Time for some formal tuition – classroom, self-study or study groups?

No matter how you gain the hours, you must be able to prove that you have logged at least 35 hours of training in project management to be sure that you have a solid base of knowledge to apply to the examination and your future career. According to PMI’s section on exam prep for PMP, it is highlighted that successful candidates typically use multiple study aids including courses, self-study and study groups, which we’ve covered in more detail below:

Structured Classroom Learning – relay the benefits to your boss or raid the piggy bank and get yourself back in the classroom of an official course. Classroom learning provides a structured learning environment with a qualified instructor on hand to teach and support. To find out more about Firebrand's official and accelerated 4 day PMP course, click here
Study groups – often tough to organise, but if you can find the time and organise or join a study group they are great environment in which to learn and bounce ideas off fellow professionals.
Self-Study – if you’re self-motivated, require a flexible learning environment or lack the funds for alternate study forms of training, then self study os the option. Firebrand's Learn platform (which you're currently on), is a free self-study platform currently containing all the PMP course material and a series of practice exercises.

Don’t assume knowledge

It would be unwise for a project manager to assume that, as they have the necessary hours invested in their certification, they are automatically ready to ace the examination. Many successful candidates advocate diligent study, starting at least one month, and preferably three months before the exam even when attending a training course. Spending one hour per night, going over concepts, vocabulary and learning the principles and rules of project management are what will stand you in good stead before taking the exam.

Closer to the exam, it is advisable to start taking timed 'mock' exams to make sure that you can perform under the clock. It may be the first time you've taken an exam since school? Use Learn to work through the exercises or find an instructor that is prepared to give feedback on wrong questions or spend time going over any incorrect answers. This can all be covered in classroom learning, study groups or distance learning offering online instructor interaction and is vital, especially if the results show deficiencies in particular areas of the course.

Be willing to invest a little in purchasing the correct study information or course, you are certain to get a good return on your investment. In the UK, project managers with PMP on average earn a salary of £57,500 per annum a 15% increase against uncertified counterparts.

Get going

So what are you waiting for? You should now have the knowledge and tools at your disposal to assess readiness, consider training methods to fill your knowledge gap and set yourself on the way to PMP certification and an improved salary.