Dear All

I am not new for this forum.

It has been a longer gap; I could not write any topic or reply over any query.

Now It’s time to write LL as generally every passed or failure guy should write for sharing his/her happiness and realties.

I have passed my PMP exam on 28th from KOLKATA with 2ps (Planning and Monitoring)+3mps. I think it is my optimum achievement.

Well it is long journey of about 8 months with a duck on July 22nd.

In July end I realised that exam - is not an easy task.

As all others do - I did the same -Reading Rita, PMBOK, then mock tests, in 3-4 iterations and Questions almost 5000. While taking mock test you should not count the %age of your second or third trial. Review is the essence of mock test, and result is your tolerance.

In between this many other books I read and referred either online or hard copies.  – Andy Crowe was my start point; I could not read HF, because it is like a novel. And by BOON or SIN, I could never complete any novel in my life. This is reason my English as on average is not considered good. My comprehensive reading is also quite at bottom 100wpm.But my analytical and root cause simulation is outstanding.

In this exam I was prepared for overcoming my weaknesses, I could remember the scenario of T20 matches - if in your first spell you could go ahead with a safe lead then it will be almost possible to win the match. In last one test I had been lagged behind in first hour by 20minutes (1q /1 minute). So for slower candidates it is compulsion that you have to come out in first hour from this pressure otherwise you will lose your confidence and later workaround will never be beneficial.

More over I formed a big friend circle as part of my study - more than 300 of this forum, by reading their queries answers, asking replying and personal mailing, Daily interacting.

It was a great experience and new way of e-learning and group studies.

As per my exposure at forum, people assess me a very top class PMP successor.

But I want to clear here, to write or answering on forum is quite different art than taking an exam.

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Few thoughts:

1.     PMP exam is a blend of KNOWLEDGE+MEMORY RECALL+ANALYTIC SKILL+READING SKILL + ENGLISH COMMAND+ RESPONSE TIME + QUICK DECISIONS.

Knowledge means – Grasp how much you can, its first requirement.

Memory Recall – it’s a second compulsory aspect, how fast and how correct without forgetting, is the criteria of your geniuses.

Analytic Skill – After reading or during reading, how fast you can analyse the things correctly and to combine them for real outcome, is your analytical skill. Maths ability is part of this skill.

Reading Skill – Comprehensive reading means how fast you can read and understand, for guy like me it has a great importance. Even I search on internet how to improve this skill, and definitely benefited.

English Language – Now a day it’s not challenge, everyone is good at English. But few folks, who feel difficulty in this ability, should enhance their skill. Read all related stuff all the time, rather to watch TV or read News Paper. It will give you two benefits, first your reading skill will more fast and second your vocabulary and grammar will improve.

I personally always faced this problem, many times I had been failed to get what is being asked or what is being narrated there in contents. I many time asked at forum, and to  my mentor, MR KRANTIKUMAR aka KK. PMP real exam, previously I biased that they should always use simple and international scenario based language. But in test I observed they follow always, spin language, like of PMBOK or Rita’s wordy and tricky question. It is not exactly easy as PMSTUDY and also not exactly as deceiving as PMFORSURE.

Response Time – while after reading your mind takes time to analyse the quiz, and it is your skill.

Decision Power – many a times questions comes with 2 equal possible answers and there is little period with every question that mind get stuck with no decision, it’s a very bad scenario. Be aware, and follow a very simple and short tip – mark any one without losing any time, and go ahead, your mind still working parallel with that question observe this thing, if any clue clicked , go back immediate and do correct it.

2.     If I can pass, I can accept challenge that everyone who is reading this LL could sure pass the exam. Why, because in spite of so many draw backs in me, I could succeed to resolve them, and made myself able to of that level, then why can’t you. I am above of 50 and could sit ahead of screen for 10hrs to gain something, and make possible then why you can’t.

3.     AS you know - same type of effort (time devotion), is not a criteria of success. it depends on person to person, with their calibre and labour. It’s not necessary if I could pass in 8 month, with this much study, everybody has to devote this time-period or if somebody can pass in 40 days, it’s not necessary you can do it like that. You assess yourself - what is your past matrix. What was your performance in your past for such competitive exams? Act according to your historical backgrounds and of course first get confidence from every corner and cleared the exam at home, then go for real battle field.

4.     Mock test - keep continue till your results not comes to a satisfactory level. Review them see them in PMBOK, confirm your concepts.

5.     If you have a long term planning - start memorizing ITTOS by making own mnemonics. In this subject, I experience that, you can’t follow others mnemonics, rather self made will be much effective. For example I will write here all 42 processes - tools& techniques. You can refer, if you find it convenient.

6.     Do study PMBOK till you can feel that you are understanding and almost can understand the process flow Diagrams of PMBOK (not of RITA).

7.     Maths --- if you have less command over, you may skip those questions till review. For weak maths it’s a very good formula -practice-practice-n-practice.

8.     Saturation Point – I observed that, I was performing in mock test average – 72%- 75%, not moving ahead. Because there are many reason that we clicked wrong answers- human psycho- around 5% questions, You find while reviewing has been wrong on because of carelessness – it is psychometric. It varies person to person. There are other psychometric reasons are as elaborated in a point –PMP is blend of --- Memory recall, analysing response and decision, and of course comprehensive reading. These all are, apart from your knowledge and experience – you can say like this -Knowledge and experience is OPA and Psychometric – is EEF. And you are a organization to perform a project called PMP.

9.     Group Study – I almost read every LL, but one weakness I found, people forget to put stress on group study, I personally feel, we enjoy it a lot, we learn a lot, we grasp a lot, we share and enhance a lot. If I say my success is only was possible because of this group, it will be a reality. KK a nice fellow, what a tremendous energy and enthuse, really enormous. He is as a powerhouse, all the time he mentors me.

I spend my 12hours of most of last 2 months with my study group. We mail and mail – lots of everywhere -  on the  way , at terminals, ports, offices, sites, home, canteen, hotel, talkies, restaurants, sometimes late nights. In my study group we are 5. 1 KK, 2 ME, 3 PL – PRASHANT, 4 SK – SENDIL KUMAR, 5 POON.  Oh god – its great adventurous part of my Life, really fiends are ahead of all relations. I was planning to appear in October, But KK suggested me to get in late Nov or Early Dec, looking my status. While My office warned me to finish exam in NOV. So I scheduled 28^th NOV. KK and I were almost equally performing, his weakness was maths, and mine was speed and English. Sometimes I scored less. At one instance, he advised me to postpone the schedule and to appear in Dec as his and SK date is falling – on 18 and 22. But everything was optimized and many constraints were at threshold, and I had to appear for.

10.   Forum -Though this forum was my PMIS to study PMP, I was reading PMBOK and other material and writing on forum, I posted almost 100 self made questions. It was appriciated by top scorer ROHIT PANDEY and SHWETA AHUJA. One guy from Pakistan, Muhammad Ali KIYANI, also encouraged me. I completed 200q of farndales on his advise.Ravi Datt and Jayant Maudgil have also helped me a lot. RD's tenners was termendous.Notes of Maudgil was really, i find better equivelant of ABRNN.One boy Karthik from chennai who also shared many things with me till the last day. I completed PMZILLA tough275 too. ANAND KL how i can forget his support.My hearty thanks to all of you.

I observed one question from this 100 series, was in different mode. Not only this questions I posted various topics and replied many –many questions/queries. Even I started a separate blog in GMAIL for PMP (http://er-sspawar.blogspot.in/). By this way I learned too much and get learned to many. While studying, when get bored, I advise to come on PMZILLA and to read its all valuable topics.

11.   Regular bloggers- In this forum many friends participates their views regularly, it’s very good trend and culture of this forum, Conflict is a team issue. Conflict resolution should focus on issues, not personalities, and Conflict resolution should focus on the present, not the past.

One day I felt a lot, one Chinese or Japanese guy was on site wanted to share his/her sentiments and views, but we forgot all our lessons studies of PMP ethics and behave. I could not said anything that day, later I sent him apology that I offered him to come back, I told him, Language is not a barrier, knowledge is not barrier, and Cultural difference is not a barrier, we are now at global level, we respect and respond all who want to join us share to us and want to interact with us.

Recently I received a SMS from a friend – If you avoid people, for their mistakes, U will be alone in this world------! Because no one is complete. So judge less at persons, and put resolutions against problems, by this way – You could reduce your repulsions.

Three – four days Before Exam – Since my HQ is four hours journey from exam centre KOLKATA, so I took 4 days leaves, and stationed at KOLKATA, office guest house, there environment was very calm and clean. I was far better than my site, I took dinner and lunch with all varities, in night before exam day I took normal meal, without any restrictions. I went to bed at normal time around 11.00pm and woke up with alarm on 3.30am. Though I had taken rest in day time also for one and half hour. I did this every day. At 6.30am I took breakfast – 3 Lachha-Paratha and cabbage, as cook was very lenient and cooperative.

At 8.00 am I again had a bite of hot chocolate cake. For exam time break, I arranged one hot chocolate drink from Coffee Day, poured in flask and kept with me.  Exam centre, all examiners and service agents were female, and were strict but very cooperative, with one security. I felt palms little swatting, so I asked for handkerchief, but not allowed, little later they gave me tissue papers.

I didn’t write any formulas, I didn’t write p 43, I tried to write mnemonics of TTs and Quality Guru Tables and could succeed on before starting exam.

As I was full of thoughts that at 1^st hour I have to bat like SAHWAG or KOHLI, otherwise no one can save me. So I put my full efforts and concentration, it’s a psychometric spell; I follow the strategy not to leave half done or unread and marked, as I attempted all 200questions sequentially in complete read. In first hour I got the lead of 20minutes, it was not enough. So tried to accelerate but suddenly questions have been lengthy and more maths. Around 20qestions were mathematical. I guess 2 questions were having no correct options; ultimately I had to choose wrong but nearest answers. My energy had been draining out, instead of going up my graph was falling down at 2hours ending, my lead was only 7 minutes, and I was feeling for a stretch and a energy boost. I gave signal at examiner cabin, gone out and poured hot chocolate in glass and found pretty warm, and I drank it all. Washed hand after a one number. You can’t believe, in 3 minutes difference I was signing in register to come back. But over all 5minutes had been gone, Now what was the score – 100 q 102 minutes. It was trigger for me, I moved fast, questions were mixture of 2 liners to 5liners, one or two questions was in 3 para but only of one and half  or 2lines each. But my energy was been sync with questions. Language and sentence constructions were very uncomfortable to me, though I managed. If questions were lengthy, I read only once and go to last line and many times I found if do not read above paras though I could answer. Where 2 liner or 3 liner were there, I remember, I always read twice. As per fast reading methods – it’s a bad practice. Now Parkinson Law was working, sometimes lead sometimes lag at last I could save only 2minutes for review. I saw I had marked only 12 questions, but after attending only 2, without any change, time was over.

Question pattern – no questions on ethics, some where it was mixed. No NPV PV IRR. Motivations –yes, conflicts management – yes. ITTO based, I judged 12 questions. Around 150questions were situation based, where you are or what is next or how or choose correct one. No negative or except question. Overall 33% moderate 33 % tough and 33% very tough. Sometimes 2 options are so closed that I was unable decide one. On project Closure sequence many questions, but without team release concept it is silent concept for PMBOK.

Rest, I didn’t attend survey, I skipped it quickly, congratulation word not popped up, direct score card popped out with PASS in bold latters. I feel relaxed said thanks to all behind this success.

Regards