There is no secret that passing the PMP exam requires hard work in preparation but beyond undergoing the arduous task are very important details that those that fail the exam ignore. First, it is important to note that the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) credential is the most widely adopted Project Management credentials in the world and commands global salary of 5-6 figures USD hence the difficulty.
The common sentence you hear from people who fail the PMP exam is this; “It is simple and I don’t know why I failed it”. In my successful years of coaching delegates to take the PMP exams, I have noticed some crucial reasons for failing the exam. Please, see some of the reasons below:
Precision in the use of Terminology and Notation – Precision is not accuracy hence cramming is not needed. The use of words and the ability to differentiate similarities between words is one of the most vital skills to passing the exam. For example: The Project Management team is not the same as the Project team or confusing float for Lag or worst still, regarding the plan as the baseline. These simple assumptions can be deadly during the exam and I believe is one of the reasons for failing the exam.
Attention to Details: The discipline of Project Management requires “Attention to Details” skill. The exam truly tests for this by using verbose fluff to throw you away from the real deal. There is truly no short cut to this issue – the best way to eliminate this is by engaging in a lot of different questions with a metric mindset. Putting yourself in a simulation position and defining metrics like speed and accuracy to guide you.
No Strategy – All battles and war are won with strategy. A proper SWOT analysis is very important. Understanding your Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat towards the PMI Body of Knowledge is vital in how you tackle the exam. I have personally categorized this PMP exam into 3 categories:
- Numeric Word Problems: These are basic calculation problems and those in the Science and Engineering background don’t have difficulty with this type of logical problems. Some of the knowledge areas include Time, Cost and Procurement
- Process Problems: Understanding the flow of the process is very vial and finding a pattern regarding the ITTOs; this is a very vital knowledge to passing the exam and most students find this part very difficult but it is actually very easy.
- Precise Definition Problems: This will test your ability to understand the key terms and notation using scenario-based evaluation. The use of “NOT” in the question structure is mostly missed by the students when answering this type of questions.
Agile and Enduring Mind: The PMP exam questions are lengthy and verbose forcing applicants to lose concentration most of the time. Job Routine has forced most minds to be lethargic. The solution is to do timed lengthy questions at a stretch. Solve about eight 200 questions in 4 hours on weekends before going for the exams. This would build up your mental muscles and will help you during the exam to know when to pause and understanding your “hitting the wall period”.
Avoid Rushing to Conclusion: The race is not to the swift but to the accurate. You do NOT need to finish the exam; you only need to get 131 out of 200 questions. Confidence is good but cockiness is bad – no matter your accuracy result or endurance practice before the exam, please, do not rush to conclusion during the exam. Don’t get bogged down with any particular question – know when to mark questions review and be sure to get back to them if you are through with the exam.
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