- Start with the Fundamentals
- Analyze Your Results
- Your "Pass the Exam" Project Scenarios
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Your “Pass the Exam” Project Scenarios
I now present a few study plan project scenarios. Look these over and determine if there is anything that you can reuse for your study project schedule.
Scenario 1
This first scenario, depicted in Figure 4-1, is a person who can schedule the exam when he feels that he is ready to pass it. This schedule is also built for a person with the primary learning mode of kinesthetic. First, the person starts with the self-study activities of reviewing the video mentor, reading the PMBOK® Guide, researching unknown terms, and taking a mock exam. He analyzes his exam results and determines where he needs additional work. Because he is kinesthetic, he creates flash cards and a card game where he matches terms with processes. He then begins his concentrated study activities, such as reading the PMBOK® Guide sections while pacing, playing his card game, and listening to and watching the video mentor PMP prep lessons while writing process names in the air. When he feels more comfortable with the material, this person takes another mock exam and again determines where he is in the process. He continues doing the concentrated study activities until he has a passing score of at least 80%. Then, he schedules the exam for 6 weeks out. From there, he does more self-study and concentrated study activities until 1 week before the exam.
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Figure 4-1. Schedule for Scenario 1
Scenario 2
This next scenario is for the person who wants to schedule the exam to coincide with her vacation, which is scheduled for the week of June 15. This procrastinator knows she won’t get enough studying done beforehand, and she will cram for the last two weeks. This person is also auditory. Her schedule is depicted in Figure 4-2. She starts her project schedule by securing the final day of her vacation as the exam test date. She goes through the study on her own activities, and then takes a mock exam. When she starts into the concentrated study activities, she makes a tape of herself talking through the points that have turned out to be her weaknesses. She also joins a study group that meets three times a week to discuss the processes of the PMBOK® Guide. She does her concentrated study activities, including listening to the video mentor and repeating what she hears. She also reads the PMBOK® Guide out loud and listens to the tapes. When she feels comfortable with her understanding, she takes another mock exam. She reanalyzes her weaknesses, does the study on her own, and completes the concentrated activities until she reaches the last week before the exam.
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Figure 4-2. Schedule for Scenario 2
Scenario 3
The last scenario, which is depicted in Figure 4-3, is the person who has a 3-month time period to get the exam taken because her employer made it mandatory that all the project managers be PMP before April 1. This person also has a primary learning mode of visual. The first thing this person does is set the date for the exam. She doesn’t have much time and needs to start studying quickly. She will go through the usual routine of self-study, taking the mock exam and analyzing her strengths and weaknesses. In the area of concentrated study, because she is visual, she creates study aids that consist of diagramming and other visual aids, like mind maps, to help focus her study time. She reads the PMBOK® Guide, listens to the PMP prep video mentors, and takes notes. She continues with the self-study and concentrated study activities until the week before the exam. Note that this person will spend as many hours as she finds every week to study for the exam. It looks like she will only have one chance to get the exam right in this scenario.
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Figure 4-3. Schedule for Scenario 3
By the way, you probably noticed that each plan goes as far as the week before the exam. Lesson 16, “The Week of the Exam,” covers that week in detail.