While preparing for my PMP exam I stumbled upon the promising reviews of the book titled ” Winning Plan for PMP” by Vidyesh Alve and Ms.Vidhi Raj. I was impressed by the reviews and could not resist myself from buying this book. Being an Amazon prime member , I received the book immediately. The Authors have shared their advice very well. Their urge to help others in passing this exam is reflected in the words and the language. The plan provided in the book is very detailed and is really helpful for a novice who is struggling to earn this credential. I followed the plan and the recommendations provided.

The wonderful part was the Whatsapp group created by the Authors. A lot of stimulating questions are poured in and equally stimulating discussions take place in the forum. The Authors themselves participate , at times challenge the reasoning thereby correcting one’s reasoning or strengthening it. I really appreciate the efforts these guys take, they even assign a mentor to help one deal confidently with the exam preparation.

The forum helped me to correct my reasoning and in a real way it taught me to think and solve the questions.

As a result , I passed my PMP with AT score.

Sharing my study plan:-

I had prepared a very detailed plan.
I devoted 3 hours daily for my study. On weekends I devoted 6-8 hours .I listened to the relevant videos while driving. I ensured that I solve min 50 questions from various sources everyday.
Overall I solved 6000 questions and 5 mock tests prior to exam . I took my mock exam at my exam scheduled time so that I am accustomed to it. The mock tests helped a lot in relieving the stress as I got accustomed to the 4 hour test.
At the test centre I was fortunate to get a seat 1 hour ahead of time . I did my brain dump of 49 processes in 3.5 min. I had practised a lot and had been doing this exercise daily. The questions were tricky but not too lengthy. The brain dump helped a lot while answering the questions.
There were a lot of varied questions on change management. No question on Agile .

My preparation sources :-

1. PMBOK- though a lot of trainers advise against using this , I found it to be the best resource. I read it 3 times and took notes. I also prepared my own handwritten notes on each process.
2. Rita – I used this book alongwith PMBOK and test the knowledge by solving questions. I could achieve a score of 85-90 before the exams. I thoroughly checked my reasoning with the book
3. I also referred “Read and Pass PMP notes “ by Maneesh Vijaya. This book was very good to understand the subject. It’s available in kindle version only.
4. I solved all questions from Kim Hidelman , Headfirst.
5. I also referred to videos of Ricardo Vargas , Izenbridge, Praizion and Joseph Philips to improve understanding of key concepts
6. I also referred following apps :- PMP Exam mentor, EZPM. They were excellent.
7. Mock tests – Elsayed Mohsen on Udemy, Andre on Udemy, PMAspire , PM Prepcast – free version, OpenPM, Joseph Philips, Scordo , Oliver Lehman

A few additional points :-
I started this journey to learn and apply PM knowledge to my project. I wanted to manage it professionally. So I also designed forms and templates alongwith various processes tailored for my project. For me , the exam was a by-product. I am from a non-IT background, heading Plant Utilities, EHS and new projects in an US Multinational.
Another point is that many aspirants sacrifice sleep. I ensured that I sleep 6-8 hours at least a week before the exam. I stopped reading material a day before. The material shared in this group was immensely useful.
I had also prepared a diet plan for myself to handle exam better.

Thanks to Vidhi and Vidhyesh !! Best wishes !!

Regards

Srinivas Patil, PMP