The Project Management Institute (PMI) administers the Professional Management Professional (PMP). Although it is a challenging exam, adequate preparation, especially attending a well-crafted course, can make the exam seem like a breeze; that is what our students have told us. And this is because our instructors use the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) and case studies and “real life” projects to present the domains, processes, tools, and techniques set forth by PMI. Also, our instructors currently work in project management and are experts in their fields.
PMI PMP Certification Exam Prep Course Professional Development Goals
Although the main goal of PMP exam courses is to help you to pass the test and become certified, it is also crucial to use the time and energy spent in the classroom or online to learn new skills, hone in your existing ones, and gain knowledge from other management professionals on how to run a project best, lead their teams, engage stakeholders, and effectively create and adhere to a project’s baselines. As the case may be, proactively monitor and control changes affecting the baselines and torpedo any project.
The PMP exam courses are just one step in becoming certified. Assuming you already know and possess the requirements to apply for the exam, including a four-year university degree and 36 months of experience leading projects or 60 months, if you only possess a high school diploma. The only thing missing is obtaining a passing score on the exam. However, just answering enough questions correctly on the exam will get you certified, but it will not make you a better project manager, which is the PMP’s main goal. You can pass the exam, for example, if you treat it as a drill to get through, but eventually, if you do not understand and effectively put into practice what you have learned, the certificate will not save you. Sooner or later, your lack of skills and capabilities will come through. Therefore, try and use the time, energy, and expense spent on preparing for the exam to improve your management skills, which includes:
- Not just memorizing the tools and techniques but also understanding how to apply them
- Tackling the sample exam questions to learn new skills
- Reviewing and studying the PMBOK as a new guideline for your current and future projects
- Taking advantage of your instructor’s expertise to learn new approaches from them, as well as using your current experiences to understand the material
In my 10+ years of training people to take and pass the PMP exam, as well as a few others, I have learned that if you understand the material, you will handily pass the exam on your first try, and the certificate will be more than just a piece of paper; it will be proof that you are a management professional capable of leading teams of professionals, satisfying your customers’ needs and expectations, and achieving project success each time you run the project.
