Project Management Certification: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success
A comprehensive guide to passing your certification exam
Some benefits of getting a project management certification are the potential of getting a salary increase or get more job opportunities.
However, getting a certification does not guarantee that you will be a good project manager. There are many other factors that contribute to a project’s success.
Project management certification organizations are also businesses. They need to make money, so they have an interest in selling certifications. This can lead to some organizations being more interested in making money than in ensuring that their certifications are meaningful and applicable to the real life.
So, why bother getting certified?
Humans have a natural desire for recognition, they are competitive by nature and like to show off their achievements.
I used this as a motivator to obtain a certification when I started my career as a project manager.
I heard that the PMP® certification was challenging to obtain. It has a lot of prerequisites, such as project management experience and education. The studying and exam is very rigorous, and not all the people are able pass it on the first attempt.
Getting certified can be a motivator, but you will realize that:
The theory without the practice is useless.
Whenever I study for a new certification my main motivator is to learn how to apply the acquired knowledge, how it will help me do a better job and help others.
After obtaining my first certification, I became more cautious about selecting future certifications by applying the following criteria:
What is the content they have to offer?
How is the quality of the material and the certification process?
What knowledge gaps do I have to fill?
How applicable is that knowledge to my day-to-day job?
I recommend doing extensive research online (e.g., Reddit, Quora) and asking your colleagues before choosing a certification path.
But once you have chosen a certification, what steps should you follow to be successful?
Here some recommendations that worked for me:
The Planning and Organization Skills
One of the things that made me successful was investing time in planning.
Here is a list of steps that I follow every time:
1. An Exhaustive Research About The Certification
Go to the official site and read carefully the pre-requisites, the costs and the steps that certifier the organization recommends you to follow.
Get all the tips you can get from different sources. There are many people that have already passed through this experience and they have shared it to the world also ask your colleagues.
2. If Possible, Join a Study Group or Find a Mentor.
Some certifications are harder than others. Sometimes you may need the support and motivation from others to keep going.
I have participated in a couple of study groups where everyone committed to read a chapter of a particular book every week. Someone presented a summary of a chapter at the end of the week and we had some Q&As, discussions and answered quizzes.
If it is not possible to find a study group, you could find a mentor who you can meet regularly.
3. Create a Plan and Find the Right Materials
Looks ironic, but as project managers, we should lead by example and create a plan. Here some things that should be considered in your plan:
Ask yourself how much time you have to study and be realistic:
It is not the same being a parent than a person that does not have too many commitments.
Make sure to consider resting time. You will be more productive in the long run.
Divide the material by weeks or days based on your research:
Assign longer study periods to more complicated topics.
Sometimes the certifiers assign a % of exam questions to the different topics. Therefore, use this as a base to divide your study time.
Make sure to stick to your plan, as much as you can:
Even if nobody asks you, update your plan.
Adjust your plan:
Sometimes you will find that some chapters or topics are more complicated than others.
Or sometimes you may face an unexpected event. Don’t stop your attempts, go back to your plan and make the proper adjustments.
Here are a couple of templates that I will share with you that I hope can help:
Use a variety of study materials, such as books, articles, online courses, and practice exams.
4. The Practice Exams
Once you have studied all the materials, you need a way practice what you have learned under an environment that is closest as possible as the real exam.
Practice exams are typically created using the same materials you used to study but in the format of exam questions.
Be careful on buying practice exams without doing research. There are many scams out there. They are full of typos, bad grammar and the material does not match to what you studied. They will do more harm than good.
Take the practice exams as you would do the in a real exam. In a quiet environment without external interruptions.
Some practice exams have an explanation on why certain answers were right or wrong.
Make sure to take time to study all the questions and answers and understand why you were wrong or right? You will be surprised that sometimes your answer was correct but not for the right reasons.
5. Use AI as Your Study Tool
During my last certification I used Bard and ChatGPT to:
Create quizzes.
Explain complicated terms or concepts.
When taking the practice exams,
Sometimes they did not have any explanations on why certain answers where right or wrong.
Or it was difficult for me to understand why an answer was the right one vs. the one I chose I asked the AI to explain why.
You may explore the option for the AI to generate flashcards that you could print and use to reinforce your study. By using the following prompt: "Bard, generate 10 flashcards on Scrum SAFe 6 Certification."
AI was surprisingly helpful. It boosted my ability to study by being faster and more effective.
How do I know when I am ready? Typically, you are ready when you consistently pass the practice exams with a score of more than 80% of correct answers.
6. The Day of the Exam
I do not recommend studying the day before. Make sure your mind takes a break.
Make sure you are physically well rested too. Sleep well the day before.
Do not eat or drink too much, or you may need to take a break to go to the restroom, which will reduce your focus.
Answering the Exam:
Make sure to read all the questions and answers carefully.
The majority of the exams are multiple choice:
Some questions require just one answer.
Some require more than one answer. For example, Choose Three.
Some others specify: All of the Above, None of the Above.
Try to take not more than 1.5 Minutes on each question. This is a general rule that will help you complete the exams on time.
If you are not sure about an answer, just select the best choice, flag it and come back later if there is time. You will be penalized for unanswered questions.
Even if I finalize the exam before the time limit, I like to spend that extra time reviewing the flagged questions.
I really liked this page that gives you some tips to pass the SAFe exams that could be applied to other certifications.
If you are not sure which certification to choose, I recommend reading this article:
How Do I Start a Career As a Project Manager?
One of the regular questions I am asked is “what do I need to do or study to become a Project Manager?” or “what is the best path?” This is a tricky question as each person has a different background, circumstances and learning styles so there is not a unique path or a “one size fits all” approach.
I wish you the best on your study efforts and I hope you will get that certification soon!
Share your own experience and tips on the comments section:
If you liked this article, share it with your colleagues:
Thank you for reading me!
Edgar Magaña