Submitted by: John Reiling(57) PMcrunch Log in to become a member of John Reiling's Fan Club!
There are many methods for preparing for the Project Manage Professional (PMP) Exam. In all cases, it is very helpful for candidates to have a PMP Mentor, or someone who is PMP certified and can assist on a moment's notice with nagging problems. A mentor can provide a higher level of comfort and assurance that a candidate is on the right path to passing the PMP certification exam.
There are many resources that a PMP candidate can use to study for the exam. One of the decisions that candidates need to make early in the process is whether they will take a classroom course, or whether they will study on their own. Options include taking a classroom course, studying PMP Prep books, purchasing PMP exam simulations, taking online project management training, purchasing audio programs, taking refresher courses, joining study groups, and in most cases, using combinations of these options. The choice is based on the individual's experience, knowledge of project management, financial resources, time available, and tendencies toward self motivation.
Many PMP candidates opt to take a fast track or bootcamp course, and mentoring very much comes into play. PMP bootcamp courses typically put the student through an immersion process for a week, at the end of which they often take the exam while the material is fresh in their minds. To a large extent, this is the ultimate in mentoring, as the student is essentially surrounded by mentors, not to mention other PMP aspirants, for the week. Thus, the guidance provided is maximized, and the student can measure their preparedness well along the way and gain a level of confidence from this highly mentored approach. The only negative about such training is that it is the ultimate in cramming, and retention for the longer term is not necessarily guaranteed. Of course, it also is the most expensive training in terms of raw cost as well as time away from work.
Many other PMP candidates combine training opportunities into a personalized or customized program, where maybe they attend a class for a couple of days, perhaps join a study group, network with others in online groups, read some books, and do exam PMP exam simulations. They might also add some online training and audio to their mix. This is a viable alternative for many, and it generally is much less expensive than the bootcamp courses. The downside is that, from a mentoring standpoint, the candidate is on his/her own during most of the process. The classroom, and possibly review sessions, if they attend, are great opportunities to access strong mentors, but these also are for limited times, and when they are over, the student is again on his./her own. While for many this is enough, others can find themselves getting stuck on problems on their own too often, with nowhere to turn, and a PMP mentor could help.
Another viable option also involves multiple sources of training materials, but includes some sort of online PMP prep training that incorporates mentoring. Due to time and money constraints, it may also exclude any classroom or course review sessions. In these "self-sufficient" programs, the students get the benefit from training on their own schedule, with little lost time away from work. They also can receive the benefit of as needed, on demand access to mentors as their questions occur. PMP mentors can be a valuable and indispensable part of a such program of study, with the goal of PMP certification in mind.
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