In this post I’ll delve into study materials, tips and tricks that can help you pass the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. This certification doubled my salary, and I highly recommend it to boost your understanding of best practices as a project manager.
Should a Non-Project Manager take the PMP exam?
I first heard about the PMP® certification when I was an Assistant Project Manager (APM). I knew of plenty other certifications boosting some of my peers into new or higher positions.
Given that I had earned a degree in HR Management, I knew some certifications, like several from SHRM® (Society of Human Resources Management), required candidates to have held HR titles for years before even applying.
The Project Management Institute (PMI)® exams are similar, except their definition of experience is more fluid. For example, you do not need to have held the title of project manager to take the PMP exam.
Can support staff earn a PMP?
As mentioned previously, I was not a Project Manager when I was approved to take the PMP® test. My project management experience was a part of my roles as a project coordinator for a non-profit company that offered legal continued education, an installation coordinator for a residential and commercial HVAC company, and an operations manager for a hospitality temporary staffing company.
In essence, they have the same requirements, just different paths to get there. What matters is whether you know the craft.
PMI® Guide likely does this to show employers that while the path to success on a project uses proven components and techniques (e.g. risk management, quality control, etc.), the combinations of expertise, and soft skills can come from casting a wider net than you’d think.
In essence, they have the same requirements, just different paths to get there. What matters is whether you know the craft.
Crazy Wall Casey
PMP® Exam Requirements
To sit for the PMP® exam you must have a minimum of the following:
You can learn more about these criteria here.
Can you cram for the PMP?
The short answer is yes, you can cram for the PMP® exam and pass. For how long is up to how you study and how good you are at test taking in general.
Besides here’s my cautionary tale as to why you shouldn’t cram to pass the PMP®. Followed by when you should cram for it.
Tip # 1: Why you Shouldn’t Cram to Study for the PMP exam
I found several resources to be helpful while studying for the test. Books, online seminars, and practice tests are recommended by PMI® and other authors of study resources.
In true millennial fashion, I had a lot of anxiety about which one was the right one. Off to Reddit I went to find people who had taken the exam already.
A subreddit with 70K members had countless examples of people conquering the exam. Instantly, I was connected to the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good were the number of honest posts sharing how challenging it was to study for and pass a 4-hour proctored exam, the bad were those who were not good test takers warning others to take it seriously, and the ugly were the people who paid $1000+ in fees, resources, and retakes, only to fail.
Enough to know that cramming is extremely risky.
You shouldn’t cram if you have limited funds for the $595 exam.
Or if your employer limits the number of times they will pay for you to take the test.
You shouldn’t cram if you have a stressful life that cramming would disrupt (e.g. young kids, planning a wedding, recent promotion etc.)
You SHOULD cram for the PMP® exam if you have a block of time to devote to studying. According to Reddit test takers —and honestly me— three months is the sweet spot to feel prepared and to not forget the material.
Tip # 2 Resources to help you pass the PMP exam
The PMP subreddit devoted to helping people pass the PMP® is a goldmine! There’s a shared document provided and updated by user third3rock. To show gratitude and access more study help, many users make a small donation.
In addition to the study guide I highly recommend you do the following to save money on test prep.
Step 1: Find out if your local library offers Udemy access for free—mine did.
If not, see my post about getting multiple library cards.
Step 2: Once you have Udemy, get Andrew Ramdayal’s course.
I used Andrew Ramdayal’s (AR as the group calls him) course to learn the official names for processes and documents I’d already used as a PM. I played it as an extra window on my 2nd monitor while I worked or via the Udemy app when I had time at home.
Mind you it’s 35 hours of material (see education requirements above) but his legendary (per Reddit) Mindest is what I credit for helping me stay calm when I got to a tough question during the exam. He also offers PMP practice exams that were very similar to the exam’s phrasing and are the cheapest I’ve found.
Step 3: Purchase a (USED) copy of the PMI PMBOK ® Guide
My third most important piece of advice, next to the subreddit group, and AR’s test prep materials, is to avoid thinking you need brand new materials. I found the 5th or 6th edition PMBOK ® Guide (Project Management Book of Knowledge) to be the most well explained of the versions. Surprisingly it was more helpful than the recent thinner 7th edition!
I found out that Everand (formerly Scribd) has ebooks from the PMI®. I used it to read the Agile Practice Guide by PMI®. Honestly, I didn’t feel that I got more from this book than I did from the Udemy class and a couple of Youtube videos. You can get the book included in PMI® membership, but again I don’t think the cost-benefit is quite there. Plus you can get ton of other books from going the Everand route.
Tip # 3 Set a schedule and add buffers
The study process mirrors project management at it’s core. The process requires the 6 constraints of time (schedule), cost (budget), scope, risk, benefits, and quality.
The schedule and budget are what you have the most control of, the risks and benefits are the least.
The quality, or usefulness, you will get out of this certification is directly impacted by how you use your time and resources.
My Planned Schedule
| *Max 6 hrs/day | Weeks 1-4 | Weeks 5-8 | Weeks 9-10 | Weeks 11-12 |
| Integration Management | 2 hrs/day | 30 min/day | Review | Review |
| Scope Management | 30 mins/day | Review | – | Light Review |
| Time (Schedule) Management | 1 hr/day | 1.5 hrs/day | – | Review |
| Cost (Budget) Management | 1.5 hrs/day | 1.5 hrs/day | 2 hrs/day | Heavy Review |
| Quality Management | 30 mins/day | 2 hrs/day | Heavy Review | |
| Resources Management | – | – | – | Light Review |
| Communications Management | – | – | – | Light Review |
| Risk Management | 1 hr/day | 2 hr/day | 2/hr/day | Probably Panic & Cry |
| Procurement Management | 30 min/day | – | 30 min/day | Moderate Review |
| Stakeholder Management | – | – | 30 min/day | Moderate Review |
| Agile Methodology | – | 1 hr/day | Light Review |
My Actual Schedule
| *Max 10 hrs/day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
| Integration Management | 2 hrs/day | – | Light Review |
| Scope Management | 2 hrs/day | – | Light Review |
| Time (Schedule) Management | 2 hrs/day | – | HEAVY REVIEW |
| Cost (Budget) Management | 1 hr/day | – | HEAVY REVIEW |
| Quality Management | 30 min/day | Lean Six Sigma Crossover | Light Review |
| Resources Management | 1 hr/day | 2 hrs/day | Moderate Review |
| Communications Management | 30 min/day | 30 min/day | Very Light Review |
| Risk Management | 1 hr/day | 5 hrs/day | HEAVY REVIEW Definitely Cried |
| Procurement Management | – | 1 hr/day | Moderate Review |
| Stakeholder Management | – | 1 hr/day | Heavier than expected Review |
| Agile Methodology | – | Listened to audiobook during commute |
Yes, I got busy and I crammed. I compressed my schedule. Anything’s possible when you pay the right price (in $$ or sense), and go the way of the minimum viable product!
Final Thoughts
So there you have it folks, it’s possible to pass your PMP exam in a pinch. You’re more than capable with the abundance of help above.
If you’ve found this post helpful bookmark it and share it with someone just as determined.
Comment below if you have any questions or struggles. I’ll do my best to help!
