Passed the PMP (ATx3) Yesterday After 2 Weeks of Hard Core Studying

I have been doing Project / Program Management work for over 15 years but never got the PMP because it cost too much. Then I got laid off in 2022 due to a merger and cost-cutting. I decided that I would finally take the test since the job market didn't care about my years of experience as much as they cared about me having three initials after my name. I took an online live course... and never filled out the application cause I was just too daunted by it. I got a job in 2023 starting up a PMO and the immediacy to do the test simply vanished.

Got laid off again in August 2024 due to yet another merger and downsizing of senior roles, so I bought AR's Udemy course and book last September as a refresher, filled out the application and scheduled a December test date.

Then I pushed out the date. In the meantime, I got my SAFE 6.0 cert. I got two Six Sigma minor belts. I studied Python and AWS Cloud. I got AI certs. I did a Certified Medical Assistant course as a backup in case I couldn't get back into the corporate world... And I kept kicking the PMP can down the road cause I was afraid.

I was about to push it out AGAIN when I found out that I couldn't or I would need to pay the fee and do the application ALL OVER again. That's when I got serious. I took a sample test to see how much I "knew" and to see how what I needed to study.

Next I downloaded AR's 30 day plan and condensed it to 15 days because that is all the time I literally had before test day. For the first 5 days I reviewed AR's full Udemy course AND his briefer review course. The parts I knew well, I did at 1.5 speed. The parts I didn't know as well I listened to at normal speed even though it felt torturous. (I usually listen to videos at 1.25 because I'm a New Yorker and people always seem to talk too slowly for me.) Once I felt I had refreshed myself enough, I signed up for Study Hall and the TIA Exam Simulator and used both daily. I went through every single question in study hall twice and did all the tests in simulator. I did 5 full exams in test mode spaced out over 10 days.

I also reviewed AR's mindset and 200 most difficult videos on YouTube. I threw in a little Andrew McLachlan because he believes in me (LOL) and a little Ricardo Vargas. I used PMP Aspirant for supplemental questions.

I'm unemployed, so I studied like it was my job. I started at 7 AM and ended around 4 or 5 PM most days. I took two 15 minute breaks and gave myself an hour lunch. When I felt my brain was fried, I was done. I would crochet, knit, watch science videos, take my EMT continuing stuff (I'm a volunteer), do my duolingo, play NYT puzzles. Anything but study the PMP material. I will admit that some nights I would get restless and listen to some of the study question tapes but I would fall asleep and wake up with Andrew telling me why something was wrong.

On Thursday, the day before the test... I did a few mini tests and listened to videos but I gave myself a break so I wouldn't burn out. I felt guilty about not studying but I was pretty done at that point.

Yesterday I was nervous. I was even more nervous when a lot of the questions felt easy. I was using the mindset, recalling the videos but I was still worried because I wasn't prepared for the possibility that I was, well, prepared... You know?

When I left the testing center, I didn't look at the paper the Pearson Vue person gave me until I was nearly out the door. I let out this huge sigh of relieve and the woman said, congratulation on passing!

5 comments