Studying for PMI Certification: Follow This Project Manager on the Path to Certification

Studying for PMI Certification: Follow This Project Manager on the Path to Certification Donna Boyette January 28, 2002

Project Management Career Development

With seven full days of certification training under my belt, and one year of official PM experience, I am ready to take the exam. After I study, that is. The trouble is, I have no deadline. The company paid for the training, and they will reimburse me for the exam cost if I pass, but certification is not required...I am left to motivate myself.

One reason I enjoy project management is the many built-in deadlines with very visible consequences if they are missed. You guessed it--I work best under pressure. Basically, I will have to scare myself into studying, or I will never be ready to take the exam.

I am sold on the benefits of having the Project Management Professional designation after my name, and I am grateful to my company for paying to train me for the exam. (To answer the "Is it worth it?" question for yourself, read gantthead's, "Are You Certifiable?" and "Certifiably IT.") One big motivator for me comes from applying PM wisdom to my life...specifically, risk management. In this economic environment, it would be irresponsible to ignore the risk of being caught in a layoff. That PMP after my name could mean the difference between weeks and months (and mortgage payments) when searching for a new job.

There are two parts to gaining that PMP designation: administration and study. Let's look at study first. (We'll talk about paperwork and the application in the next article.)

Making Time to Study
If I start with just these two basic study tips: 1. Set goals, 2. Set a schedule; let's see where that takes me. I would like to take the exam in March. It is now almost February. Okay...I would like to take the exam in April or May. How's that for firm goal-setting?

Realistically, my goal is to pass the first time I take the exam, and I know that means some serious study time. With a houseful of responsibilities, a more-than-full-time career, and freelance writing on the side, I will have to use all of the spare time I can make (please notice I didn't say "find").

To take the exam in May, I will have to master all nine knowledge areas, plus the new subject of "Professional Responsibility" in just 10 weeks. Now for the schedule...should I start with the first knowledge area, "Project Integration Management"?

Setting the Schedule
One study tip I just found suggests that I should study the difficult parts first. For me, that would mean the "M" word: Math, and formulas. Ugh. I would have to fear quite a bit of pain, such as the loss of the exam fee, before I could bend my brain around numbers I might never need to use. I'm not good with numbers, and I don't have to account for a budget on my current projects.

However, the danger of leaving the fourth knowledge area, "Project Cost Management," until the end is that I won't have enough time for a subject which will require more mental effort than some other areas. So I will start by scheduling cost management right where it belongs...as number four in the sequence. I think studying the areas in the order they are presented might help me in the exam. We will find out if I am right in May.

The first three chapters of PMI's "A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge," on which the exam is based, discuss "The Project Management Framework, Context, and Processes." These three chapters will be vital to truly learning the concepts in the following chapters, which cover the knowledge areas. So my schedule looks like this:

Week 1 (Feb. 4): Chapters 1, 2, & 3 mentioned above, with a lot of flipping forward to the knowledge areas referenced, just to get a feel for the flow of the text.

Week 2 (Feb. 11): Chapters 4 & 5, "Project Integration Management" which includes project plan development, execution and change control, and "Project Scope Management," which includes the planning, definition and verification of the project scope, as well as "Scope Change Control."

Week 3 (Feb. 18): Chapter 6, "Project Time Management," which includes activity definition and sequencing, and schedule development and control. (This chapter includes math that I enjoy for some reason. The forward pass and backward pass used with the Project Network Diagram are fun math--very simple formulas--plus and minus.)

Week 4 (Feb. 25): Chapter 7, "Project Cost Management," which includes the painful math (though the engineers in our training course found this part fun), for cost estimating, budgeting and control, as well as resource planning. (I will plan to begin this chapter in Week 3, since I am already fairly comfortable with time management. I might also plan to ask a coworker to study with me, so someone will notice if I don't show up. I need that motivating pain!)

Weeks 5 through 10 will be scheduled for chapters 8 through 12, which cover quality, human resources, communication, risk and procurement, plus a quick review of professional responsibility, which is covered on PMI's website at http://www.pmi.org .

This schedule takes me through the week of April 8. I have just noted the chapters in the appropriate weeks in my planner, and I will add them to my Outlook calendar in the morning, with reminders. Penciling this in has made it seem do-able, so I do highly recommend those first two tips: Set your goal and make a schedule. It could have a big impact on your income, and on how you answer this question at an interview, "Do you have your PMP?"

Next week, I will be adding the paperwork part to my schedule, to be sure I don't miss a self-imposed deadline for submitting my application--and I will look at PMI's "Certification Handbook." Wish me luck!

Donna Boyette is a (not yet certified) Project Manager at a major telecommunications company, a freelance writer, the mother of two young children, and a brand new grandmother.

Related Content

Are You Certifiable? - by Deborah Stadtler,Francine Meidhof (Aug 21, 2000)

Certifiably IT? - by Amber Nelson (Oct 29, 2001)

How to Apply: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 2 - by Donna Boyette (Feb 5, 2002)

Am I Really a Project Manager?: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 3 - by Donna Boyette (Feb 11, 2002)

Control or Be Controlled: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 4 - by Donna Boyette (Feb 21, 2002)

Brother Can You Spare Some Time?: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 5 - by Donna Boyette (Feb 27, 2002)

Cost Management and Study Guides: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 6 - by Donna Boyette (Mar 11, 2002)

Problems with Quality? Try This: Follow this PM on the Path to Certification, Part 7 - by Donna Boyette (Mar 25, 2002)

Real Life Hits Hard...To Be or Not To Be a PMP: Follow this PM on the Path to Certification, Part 8 - by Donna Boyette (Apr 8, 2002)

How the PMP Impacts Fellow PMs: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 9 - by Donna Boyette (Apr 22, 2002)

Bare Bones Project Management: Follow this Project Manager on the Path to Certification, Part 10 - by Donna Boyette (May 6, 2002)