Our PMP Certification Exam Preparation course alumni Michelle Herbert (PMP) details her experience of going through the PMP Certification training. She delves into the benefits and gives advice for anyone joining a PMP course learning environment.

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About Michelle Herbert (PMP)

I am an Environmental Scientist with a BSc and Hons. in Zoology and Evolutionary Biology. I have 15 years of experience in environmental management in local and international companies.

It is rare for someone in the environmental field to go for the PMP certification. But, I had always enjoyed the project management aspect of my work. Unlike many in the project management space who get bogged down in the technical aspects and often overlook sound project management practices. But I saw that when projects are well managed, you get support from clients, even when there are delays. It was part of several benefits I saw in getting project management training.

Benefits of Professional project management training

• It helps you develop the tools to make more informed decisions which that benefit your client and the organization.
• It enhances your company’s reputation and trust from clients when each project is well managed
• It opens your eyes to the bigger picture of project management
• It helps build confidence and removes the self-doubt about the tools and processes you apply.

Hence, I set out to attain my PMP certification. Because I wanted to: stand out from my peers, bring knowledgeable benefits to the companies I worked for, and because I enjoyed the challenge of it.

PMP Training Experience

I took a fast-track 40-hour PMP training in a week and thought myself ready to write the PMP Exam. It was an epic fail. It took me some time to recover from that, but in that time, I got to hear about Classic Seminars. I can now say from experience that their PMP course’s structure and in-depth insight are quite unlike anything else for PMP Exam preparation. Right from the first few classes, I was able to see how the complex journey of project management all comes together. Much of what I was missing in my first PMP Exam attempt. The ‘perfect world’ application of the PMP Exam scenarios is well taught in the Classic Seminars course.

Classic Seminars’ PMP Learning Environment

My time on the Classic Seminars course was for me a great learning experience. Not just in preparing for the PMP Exam but also in the benefits I got from being in that environment including:

• Learning from folks from other industries who were much more experienced in specific areas of project management. Some in risk management, cost management, time management, and so on. Getting to interact with them rubbed off on me and I learned much from my coursemates.
  
• Besides learning from each other we also supported each other. This was an amazing experience as it came during the lockdown. We each motivated and pushed one another in that difficult time to get the work done and achieve the pmp certification.
  
• My PMP training took place right at the beginning of lockdown 2021. It was of special note to me the quick adaptation the CS lecturers had to take the course from in-person to distance learning. It was a testament to how much they cared and their adept ability at teaching that we did not feel the sting of learning online all of a sudden.
  
• The mock exams where we got simulated PMP Exam questions were stressful but most beneficial because of the feedback received. The input was not sugar-coated it was factual and real. From the results, you can see your strengths and weaknesses and the lecturers do not sugar-coat things, they guide you on how to improve in your weak areas.

PMP Training & Certification Outcomes

Becoming the first PMP trained andcourse registered person in my international organization was empowering. Thanks to the course with Classic Seminars I was exposed to the rapidly changing project management domain. I was able to see that though project management is based on fundamentals it does develop over time. New concepts like agile management and the project manager talent triangle are now taking centre stage in recent years. I could now see the big picture like a bird’s eye view of each project I worked on. This exposed me to the understanding of how the many moving parts affected one another, which facilitated my decision-making.

Advice for PMP Aspirants taking the PMP Certification – Exam Preparation Course

If you are considering taking the PMP Exam Course with Classic Seminars here are my tips for you:

1. READ the lever-arch file you receive from Classic Seminars. The structured material is your best buddy for passing the exam,
   
2. COMMIT to doing all the homework and assignments, this will build your work ethic which you need to see the course and exam through,
   
3. ENGAGE in the class conversations, there’s much you will learn from the nuggets shared by the PMP lecturers and your fellow coursemates,
   
4. MANAGE your time well, in fact, be stingy with it. If you have committed to 1 hour a day for studying make sure you stick to it and cut out any distractions during this time especially your cell phone,
   
5. CONCENTRATE on getting certified, do not drag out the process. There’s lots of info being shared and you don’t want to lose it so as soon as you are given the go-ahead to write by Classic Seminars do so ASAP.
   
6. PRACTICE with the many tests and simulation exams and take the final mock exam they offer very seriously. This will show you just how ready you are to write the exam and as I mentioned, the feedback from the lecturer will be most helpful on areas to improve.