How hard is the PMP Certification?

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How hard is the PMP Certification?

• It's normal to ask questions when you start your
  PMP Certification preparation.
• Is it difficult to pass the PMP Exam?
• What is the minimum score I can get?
• What are the top reasons candidates fail to pass
  the exam?
• These are common questions for PMP candidates in
  the early stages. Not having this information can
  make it difficult to kick-start your PMP
  preparation journey.

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This article will explain everything you need to
know about the difficulty of the PMP
Certification Exam. It also explains the main
reasons why PMP Certification takers find it
difficult. We will discuss many things that are
crucial for your PMP exam preparation. The PMI
has not yet released the PMP Certification actual
passing score. However, you might want to read
this article where we discuss the PMP
Certification passing score. It is undisputed
that the PMP Certification remains the most
difficult exam in project management. Let's now
discuss the top four reasons PMP Certification
candidates find it difficult. What makes the PMP
Certification hard? Candidates struggle with this
exam mostly because they don't comprehend the
PMBOK method of project management. As a
candidate for the PMP Certification, the first
thing you must keep in mind is that the PMBOKs
(6th and 7th Edition) are the most crucial exam
standards, and it is sacred that you always
adhere to PMBOK doctrines and principles when
responding to questions. It is irrelevant how
YOU think a project should be run or what YOU
think a specific activity's next step should be.
You must always follow the PMBOK frameworks
concepts. For instance, while discussing which
activity in Schedule Management should follow
"Estimate Activity Durations," we should refer to
the 49 processes from the PMBOK 6th edition.
These processes must be followed in the order
shown on Table 1.4 on page 25. (Watch my YouTube
Video to learn how to memorise the PMBOK-6's
49-Process Chart using logic and
pattern.) Another thing to keep in mind is that
projects in the real world frequently omit stages
or procedures that the PMBOK deems essential.
For instance, your company may fund projects
without ever writing a project charter. Or
perhaps during the early stages of a project,
your organisation doesn't place enough emphasis
on stakeholder analysis or stakeholder
engagement. Similar to this, some businesses
might not place enough emphasis on scope
confirmation before closeout! The fact that
various firms manage projects differently means
that applicants frequently answer questions wrong
if they believe that, in their own organization,
they would have completed Step C after Step D.
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What's wrong with that, exactly?
Of course, in the real world, not all of the
PMBOK methodologies and processes must be
followed. No one can bring a lawsuit against you
or your business for working on a project
without a project charter, right? Similar to
this, you are not required to update the lessons
learned register while delivering the project's
success criterion. In the industry, there are
several instances of projects being completed
without a properly written charter and being
closed out without updating the lessons learned
register.
The issue in practice is that failing to create a
project charter, obtain approval for it, or
conduct a stakeholder analysis may result in
later project risks and challenges that are more
difficult to manage. The PMBOK promotes best
practises, but it is not a requirement
therefore, you are free to carry out the project
in a manner that you deem to be the most
effective. However, by adhering to the steps and
order of the processes outlined in the PMBOK, you
can deliver a project in a way that is far more
dependable and effective. On this, the PMP
Certification assesses you. As a result, you
should always approach questions on your PMP
Certification using the PMBOK method of project
management. As a result, anytime you respond to
a question on the PMP Certification, you must
first recall what the PMBOK states about the
specific procedure/method that an activity must
be carried out. Please don't apply your own
judgement or professional experience here. Lack
of work experience of leading projects as a
project manager The absence of relevant project
management or project leading job experience is
the second factor contributing to candidates'
difficulty in the PMP Certification.
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Experience in project management is required for
the PMP Certification. Because of this, a sizable
chunk of time (36 or 60 months, depending on the
category you're looking for) needs to be reserved
in your PMP application for managing and
supervising projects. For additional information
on the eligibility requirements for the PMP
Certification, see my post on the subject. As a
result, whenever you respond to a question on the
PMP Certification, you must put yourself in the
position of the project manager or senior
project manager. In your capacity as a student,
intern, apprentice, or project support officer,
you are not permitted to answer questions. Keep
in mind that the PMP test may not be the best
option for you if you are a less experienced
project manager and lack sufficient expertise in
those five process groups and knowledge
areas. Instead, you may take the CAPM exam, which
is designed for project managers who are just
starting out. Candidates frequently give
incorrect information when completing their PMP
Certification applications. They claim to have
"done" projects and "directed" projects from
start to finish, but in reality, they have only
served as a team member or possibly even
shadowed or piggybacked a project manager. Be
aware that you can manipulate the application
process by crafting polished, expert-looking
essays. By chance, your application might even
be accepted. The exam is extremely intelligent,
and in traditional PMP-style questions, the
incorrect answers will be subtly presented and
worded in such a way that you will
unintentionally select the incorrect response if
you haven't completed projects in the real world
or haven't read the PMBOK in its entirety. In
conclusion, having solid hands-on project
management experience is usually beneficial while
taking the PMP Certification. When applying for
the PMP Certification, it doesn't mean that you
have to be a "Project Management Maestro," but
you should have led and supervised projects on
your own. Even if you were working on a project
as a "project coordinator" or "project engineer,"
you should have been as involved in all phases of
the project as a project manager.
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Lack of Project Manager Way of Thinking
Aspirants who are not project managers find the
PMP Certification challenging because they don't
think or analyze like project managers, but
rather respond like project engineers or project
executives while answering questions on the PMP
Certification. Your ability to manage projects
will be evaluated continuously by the PMP
Certification. You will often find yourself stuck
between two very similar answer options. This is
when you need to think more like a manager than a
project executive or project engineer. Let's
look at an example to show you how you can think
like a Project Engineer or Project Manager. Let's
say you're a Project manager and you have a
conflict with two members of your team. They then
come to you for help. What will you do as project
manager? Two options are available Option 1 -
You escalate the matter to your project sponsor,
and get his direction on how to solve
it. Option2 You use conflict management
techniques such as team building, open
discussions, root cause analysis, and team
building to help the two parties talk with each
other and reach a solution. If you are a project
associate, or project executive, you might choose
Option 1. You will have a project manger in your
team, and you can escalate the issue through
them. If you're a project manager, you will need
to deal with this situation more proactive and
holistically based on your knowledge of conflict
management techniques. Remember to respond and
think like a project manager when answering
questions on your PMP Certification. Inability
to handle scenario based question solving The
fourth and last reason why candidates find the
PMP Certification challenging is their inability
to appropriately handle a scenario-based
question and their confusion about comparable
alternatives.
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About 90 of the PMP exam's question types are
situational or scenario-based. Here, the question
presents a project scenario and instructs you to
choose wisely on behalf of the project. The
response options to these questions are
frequently close together and not quite
clear-cut. You must carefully study these
questions and comprehend their main points since
the PMP test frequently includes supplemental
material in these questions in an effort to
distract your focus and induce you to select the
incorrect response. When responding to such
inquiries, it is crucial to cut through the
noise and concentrate on the specific matter at
hand. in order to properly respond to these
inquiries. To accept or reject an option, you
must have a very good reason. You must always be
extremely analytical and very careful when
choosing an answer when you observe that the
possibilities are fairly near to each other in
such queries.