I spent $1000 on my PMP Exam Prep Course.
That’s right. One thousand dollars. A grand.
OK, really, my boss spent that $1000. But it was still $1000.
And it was good and helpful enough. I spent a week in class. The instructor provided his company’s study guide to the PMBOK, which provided some summarization and explanation of key concepts, Inputs-Tools&Techniques-Outputs (ITTO) summaries, example key formulas, tips on study, etc. But I expected more.
I spent the next couple of months studying, memorizing, highlighting, reading the PMBOK (yes, you should read it, too), etc. I built my own cheat sheets. I ran sample exams.
And I passed on my first try. (Yeah, that’s just a little pride showing through.)
PM Prepcast – A Great Self-Study Solution?
Some time after certifying, I was introduced to the PM Prepcast. Man, I wish I’d had that tool when I was preparing for the exam! Cornelius, the instructor, is very thorough. These portable video presentations teach you all the key concepts for the exam. More videos coach you through the exam application process and give you all you need to know to succeed.
You’ll still spend the study time. No way around it. But you’ll get through it more quickly and with more confidence with PM Prepcast.
What you get with the $129.99 PM Prepcast package:
PM Prepcast has helped more than 9000 students! Here’s what you’ll get:
- 112 video and audio lessons (average 26 minutes each) in plain, down-to-earth English. More than 47 hours of instruction!
- All PMBOK version 4.
- Full explanations of the necessary models, theories and formulas not covered in PMBOK.
- Help understanding the concepts, not just memorizing them.
- Certificate for 35 Contact Hours – required for taking the PMP exam!
- Bonus - 60 tough sample exam questions
- Bonus – Email course – 10 steps to becoming PMP – demystify the whole process
- Bonus – Exam study checklist
- Bonus – Access to Exam Discussion Forums.
- Unconditional Money Back Guarantee from the publisher
While I did not use this for my own exam prep since I didn’t know about it, I’ve spent some time with it. Here are my own personal observations.
- Electronic delivery is stunningly smooth, even if you don’t use iTunes.
- The lessons are just the right length to be consumable and useful, but not overwhelming.
- The videos are clear and uncluttered. The “slideware” supports the “lecture,” making it easy to follow. “Lecture” is really the wrong word. Cornelius is easy to listen to!
- You can use your portable device (see the web site for lists of supported devices), or simply view the lessons on your computer — that’s how I prefer to use it.
- Cornelius provides both high- and low-resolution versions, depending on what’s supported by your device.
- The course includes video presentations to help you through your entire study and preparation process, of which PM Prepcast is one part. Cornelius gives some great advice on how to prepare fully and completely for the exam.
I recommend PM Prepcast. It’s a solid, economical way to approach your exam prep.
More help with memorization
PM Prepcast provides excellent instruction to help you both understand and prepare to memorize the needed concepts. Memorization alone would be a terrible waste of time and effort. But memorizatino is an unavoidable fact for the PMP exam. Therefore, depending on your comfort level with rote memorizatino, may I suggest a few add-on packages to help with that part of your preparation:
Help getting PDUs after you’ve certified
Then, when you’ve finally completed your exam, consider the following package to help you get your required PDUs:
