08. Mastering Project Management: Passing the PMP After 7 Years

Welcome to Project Management Masterclass with Brittany Wilkins. In this episode, Brittany opens up about her 7-year journey to finally passing the PMP exam after multiple setbacks. She shares how she transformed failure into a learning experience, sought support, refined her skills, and created a clear roadmap for success. Most importantly she reveals how she built resilience and mindset needed to over imposter syndrome to persevere.


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Welcome to Project Management Masterclass hosted by Brittany Wilkins. Whether you're a seasoned project manager looking to sharpen your skills or a newcomer eager to learn the ropes, this podcast is your ultimate guide to mastering the art and science of project management.  In each episode, we dive deep into the world of project management, bringing you insights, practical tips, and real-life success stories. Get ready to elevate your project management game.

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Transcript

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, & Good Evening from wherever you may be listening to Project Management masterclass with Brittany Wilkins. Whether you are a new or frequent listener of the show I appreciate tuning into today. 

My career in project management has been quite the adventure. I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in my profession.

One of the lows in my career was failing the PMP exam  7 years ago. Looking at my accomplishments and recognition I received for leading some of the top strategic initiatives you will never know it, as our successes speak louder than our failures. Failing PMP the first time really shook my confidence as I scored below target and didn’t even attempt to retake it. 

That was my first mistake not  capitalizing on retaking the exam with two additional attempts. PMI has evolved with it’s standards so therefore the test has changed. Meaning I had to start the process all over again. 

My second mistake was believing that just because I do project management I am guaranteed to pass the exam. 

I was telling myself I don’t need an exam to validate me.  It was really fear and self doubt that got in my way.

This was something that was haunting me. I even felt like a hypocrite as I working with our engineering teams I would preach to them the importance of project management in mastering the basics. There was a new product development project for a ultra low nox furnace. This project was being co Led by product management and Gas furnace engineer. I got assigned to the project as a supporting PM to provide guidance on PDP process. In a few team meetings I noticed the product manager or engineer never presented anything or after the meeting there were never any minutes of the meeting. So I asked the product manager  where is the RAID log. How are we keeping track of tasks and milestones. Crickets…..

Come to find out this was the first project he had ever led and had no clue what he was doing. This is when I took on even a more greater role  and  began coaching him and the engineer. Having learned PM trial by fire I felt I still had gaps and couldn’t teach what I did not know. 

•  Get  Formal PM Training

I made the decision to get formal project management training so I enrolled in a graduate certificate program for project management and project leadership. 

This was the beginning of my journey to obtaining a PMP. Within the program I gained a better understanding of network diagrams and earned value management. It helped me to look within myself in first understanding my own emotional intelligence and how my EQ impacts the projects I lead. But this program had a PMP study group component. The instructor of the Study group was PMP certified so he taught us tricks of trade, would answer our questions about Project management, and even gave the group a  cheat sheet. 

But even after completing the graduate certificate program. I decide not to take the PMP. I first wanted to ensure I understand the fundamentals so I applied and took the CAPM exam. Passing the CAPM exam was confidence booster for me. The areas where I did not score above target I focus on sharpening my knowledge further in preparation. 

•  Invest in PM study materials & Develop a  Study Plan 

In addition to getting formal pm training. I invested in RMC learning solutions products. I bought PMP exam prep study guide, flash cards, . Many have the opinion PMBOK is very dry read. What I liked about RMC learning products it not only tells you what to study, but how to study and think your way through the exam. Every chapter has exercises and multiple choice questions. Flash cards come in handy for when you are on the go. Whether you are stuck in traffic, on a long flight, or sitting in the beauty salon you could be utilizing that time to study for PMP.

•  Evolve Your Experience  

Like any organization there are dozens of PMs. From a career prospective I wanted to elevate my career and begin to stand out from my peers. There was a role that open in my organization for a Sustainability PMO. I had no experience and the job qualifications preferred someone with a PMP. I decided to take the leap of faith and apply and utilize what I have done as PM to sell my skillset and willingness to learn  sustainability, but I also used my CAPM credential as selling point as having mastered the fundamentals. Betting on myself paid off as I got the role. It was challenging and I felt insecure in the beginning. It was the team experts around me that gave me the confidence to successfully lead our initiative. Up until I joined the sustainability team I had primarily led waterfall projects. This project required me to partner with our digital organization where I was introduced to Agile. From learning the roles of a scrum master , to prioritizing backlog in Jira, product demos, and retrospective. This was on the job training for agile methodology that served me well.

 This was my breakout moment. Where people begin to see me separate myself from the pack. In fact I was pulled from sustainability and was put on to lead another strategic initiative innovation vitality. While each of the project were unique the one thing that helped me to execute was always leaning on pm fundamentals and processes. 

As I was pondering my next career challenge the PMP kept coming to mind. In a sense I was feeling unfulfilled as this was the only giant that I had not slayed. 

On June 19 of this year…I applied to take the PMP exam. In preparation for PMP exam I utilize RMC learning solutions materials.  I studied on my lunch break for 30 mins. Then after I wrapped up my workday I would stay over an extra 30 mins to study each day. On Sundays I would read for a couple PMBOK for a couple hours.  As I was traveling a lot for work I took my flashcards with me on the go. 

•  Establish a Mindset of Success 

What got the best of me on first PMP attempt, I knew I had to overcome it. I changed my perspective about PMP. For me it was not just about passing an exam, it was continuing to find ways to grow as pm and study my craft. I put the PMP exam into perspective this was not the hardest thing I set out to achieve in my life. A year ago I ran my first half marathon. That was hard as I didn’t have much to time prepare as My colleague asked me to run with her on 14 weeks notice

It was mentally and physically grueling but I did it. So I told myself I can sit and take an exam for  four hours. 

 As you establish mindset for success ask yourself what are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals. When you are not working what is thing that occupies your time. For me it’s YouTube I love binge watching NPR tiny desk concerts. I decided to give that up for 30 days. Instead got myself in testing taking mode by watching David McLachlan(mclockin) 150 PMBOK 7 Scenario based PMP exam questions and  videos. In addition to that instead of pursuing through my personal emails looking at deals. I subscribed to PM newsletter on LinkedIn, which they send out daily so I read those emails to stay in PM universe. 

Commit but don’t burnout. Take breaks if you need but I recommend being strategic about your breaks so you are not cramming a bunch of information leading up to the exam. 

Roadmap for Success 

Let your actions show how committed you are. 

Two days leading up to the exam I decided to drive to test center. This helped to alleviate a bit of the anxiety in trying to find the test center. There is an option to take the exam online from the comforts of your home. I read horror stories, but ask yourself does growth or success come from a place of comfort. Minimize the distractions you never your internet could go out, Depending on where you live warm weather climate is your neighbor mowing lawn,. 

Speak it into Existence 

One things I strongly believe in is the power of affirmations speak things into existence. 

The day before the exam I kept repeating I am going to pass. In fact I even prepared an email to my leadership team in advance letting them know I had passed. So once I passed all I had to do was hit send. Speak your dreams and goals into existence. 

The day of exam came I showed up hour early to exam center to relax and shake off of the nerves. Time management is key have right balance in taking your time not rush but being mindful of the clock and ensuring you answer all the questions. There are two breaks offered. Entirely up to you. I took the first break and went outside to go walk getting some fresh air to reset my mind and to take second half of the exam. 

I finished the exam at 12:30 p.m. On August 21, 2024 I passed the PMP exam scoring above targets in two out of the three domains and Target in the other domain.

I literally sat in my car for 30 min. I was in shocked I had did it. Still didn’t really quite sink in until I got the official results from PMI with my certificate. It still so surreal. 

Celebrate

Pass or Fail I recommend you celebrate. I booked a an appointment at the spa. If I did fail I was still going to the spa for just having the courage to go after it again. 

Wrap up:

What does it take to pass PMP exam? A strategy, as there are 1.2 million PMP professionals who strategies are different. Visit project management institute website read the requirements for PMP and exam outline content. I think each of us know are blindspots, or those areas in PM where we are just not that strong.  You have to define what best works for you. It may not be getting formal PM education, utilizing RMC solutions study materials, there are hundreds of resources out there, you may feel you don’t need to evolve your experience like I did that is okay too. You may not struggle with imposter syndrome like I do at times and have to cultivate that mindset of success, or sacrifice anything. Maybe you can still do mindless social media scrolling and go take the test.  Whatever your strategy I wish you well on your PMP journey. Thanks for listening today's show. Take care.