Step-by-Step Inch-by-Inch

I have completely typed PMI BA Practice Guide’s chapter. This is the biggest chapter and I am happy that I have overcome this obstacle. Tomorrow I will start typing chapter 5. My original goal is to complete chapter 5 by Saturday but starting tomorrow is even better because I’ll have a head start and will be able to take the Rita Mulachy PBA online domain exam on Saturday instead of Sunday. The online simulator is based on the BA Practice Guide so I know that my test results will mirror my actual performance. Scoring at least 75% on the simulations is my goal because it gives me significant wiggle room (61% is the minimum passage rate. The PMI-PBA exam has 200 questions just like the PMP. I know that I am more than capable of answering 150 questions correctly.). I have one month and I know that with Rita, I will pass the exam.

                I have also caught up on my Ed2Go Intro to Business Analysis course by finishing quiz 11. Quiz 12 and the final exam will be posted Friday. I will print them completing quiz 12 then highlighting the final exam. I will complete the final Saturday. Next I have completed Achieving Success with Difficult People quizzes 6 and 7. Tomorrow I will complete quizzes 8 through 12 and highlight the final. During Memorial Day weekend, I will finish these two finals putting me 2 steps closer towards renewing my PMP certification. PMI requires 60 personal development units (PDUs). Each Ed2Go course gives me 24 PDUs so when I complete these two courses, I will have 48 PDUs. High-Speed Project Management will be my only outstanding course. I will work on it after Saturday’s two finals completing my final exam on Sunday. When Memorial Day rolls around, I will have 72 PDUs completed and be able to use my PMP all the way until June 2019!

Keeping At It Through and Through

I am thankful for enrolling in the Udemy Learn to Become a Professional Business Analyst course because it has explained all of the business concepts to me. This course perfectly follows the BABOK. Though I have read the BABOK by myself, this is the first time that everything has clicked for me.  I am 50% done and after completing the two lessons and two quizzes, I’ll be 75% done.  I make it a practice to watch the lesson video twice before taking the quiz to absorb everything that I have been learning. 

The Benefits of Having Like Minds

                 I am thankful for joining the PMI-PBA certification LinkedIn groups because I’ve received a wealth of resources and study tips. Today while reading a string, I’ve learned about the January 2014 PMI Pulse on Requirements Management. Requirements are huge for business analysis so reading this 20-page booklet would increase my chances of passing the PMI-PBA. Furthermore, on the same string a person who has sit for the exam opines that the business analysis practice guide will overtake the PMI reference list (I believe this too since it is a practice guide and authored by PMI.). What has astounded me is that it has only taken this commenter 2 days to read through the entire practice guide. May I should do the same dry run and just skim through it the first time to see how much I can comprehend. I have an extra week to work with so why not? At least I can say that I have gotten through it. Who knows? If I score over 75% on my second PMI-PBA online practice exam, I just might take the PMI-PBA next week instead of early January.

Getting All of the Fear of Failure Out of the Way

                 I scored 72.72% (16 out of 22) on the RMC CBAP/CCBA exam prep chapter 3 today. I took it cold without reading the chapter. I just wanted a baseline to see how well I would do. There was so much overlap between project management and business analysis. Although they had different terminologies, I understood most of the concepts. Given that 61% was the PMI-PBA passage rate (I was using the CBAP exam prep book since the PMI-PBA certification exam was new and there weren’t any prep materials), I knew that I would pass the exam the first time.   I also stopped fearing failing the exam because it was unknown. I just took a stab at it and what did I know: I scored 72%! Scoring that high also helped me decide that earning my PMI-PBA first ahead of my PMI-ACP would had been a way better move. 

PMI-PBA Certification Pilot Exam Update

This is the final weekend of the PMI-PBA certification pilot exam and I haven’t taken it because it has been chaotic as of lately. I do feel that I will get it done this year regardless of what has been happening to me.  What I have done in the meantime is improving my Excel 2010 and SQL programming skills. I scored 92% on the advanced Excel 2010 final exam and 86% on the Introduction to SQL final exam.  So my time hasn’t been wasted but the PMI-PBA certification has not materialized.  What I have learned is to centralize my focus and write down to do one thing every single day towards the goal.  I know that practicing this will put me farther ahead than now. 

Breaking Out of My PMI-ACP Certification Inertia

I have received my second Rita Mulachy PMI-ACP Exam Prep study guide today because I cannot find my first one.  I have completed the first chapter. This is a big step in the right direction towards earning my PMI-ACP certification, and, more importantly eradicating inertia. I have sit on the PMI-ACP certification for two years. My Program Analyst job and PMP certification consume these two years so this time is productively spent; however, clearing this hurdle liberates my time and gives me another marketing tool.  Getting the first chapter out of the way helps me off of my duff.  Chapter 2 is over 40 pages so it will take a week.  It will also be the first chapter test and exercises that I take.  I am ready for this opportunity because it will create my baseline. I think that I can complete one chapter per week so I will finish the study guide by mid-June.  Even though right now, I am fretting that it might take so long and the 2 months might obliterate my timeline, at least I have gotten started so I will be farther along than procrastinating. The one thing is for certain: Now that I have started, I am on my way!

Getting My COTR

            I am happy that I have helped my coworker pass her COTR exam. When I return to the office, I will ask management about taking the training because I want this certification.  As a GS-14 I see GS-15 managing contracts so earning my COTR is the pathway towards that reality. I’ve already purchased the ebook and will read 20 pages per day until next pay when I buy the paper book. My goals are to finish reading the COTR prep book by November and earn my certification before year’s end. Regarding her COTR, I hope that she receives her GS-14 promotion especially since all of the COTR in our office are that grade.  I just want her to get her fair share.

Confessions of an Over-Studied PMP Person

            Confession: Receiving my GS-14 promotion has made me lax about my PMP certification study and logistics regression analysis class.  I have the $100,000. I don’t have to work as hard to get there.  Besides I have a whole year at GS-14 before qualifying for GS-15. I know that I have what it takes to get there. I refuse to be stuck at GS-14 like a whole lot of people.  I know that I am capable of being at the top of the food chain. 

            In 6 more days, I will be PMP-certified.  Saturday I will take my second SuperPMP. This is the harder exam than the regular PMP.  I want the hardest questions available because this means that I will pass the PMP exam. Last time I receive 46% which is the worst that I can do.  My goal is to get to 61%.  When I get to this level, I know that I will pass the PMP.  Tomorrow I will also write down the PMBOK page 43 and write down all of the project management process definitions and the earned value management formulae. After passing my PMP exam, I will go home, shower and rest (maybe order some ice cream!) then rest for a couple of weeks.  It has been nearly 2 years in the making. I just want it over with!

Taking PMP Preparation to the Next Level

            I have completely written down all of the project management process definitions to improve my PMP score.  Doing this has helped me learn what each process does.  It’s truly a learning experience because there are some things that I’ve forgotten.  I have seen these definitions while taking the practice tests.  Monday I will write down all of the project management subsidiary plans and baselines because I know that these will also improve my score.  Furthermore, I will create my own practice tests. I might even do something with the flashcards because I have not used them.  Even though tomorrow is Memorial Day, I will spend my holiday working on career improvement. No days off because June 27^th will be here before I know; and, I will be prepared.

Moving Forward Faster

            I refused to let someone’s monkey see, monkey do behavior get to me! First thing this morning I took my second PMP practice exam scoring 62% (passing). These haters weren’t going to hold back! Later tonight I will write down all of the project management process’ definitions to increase my score to above 70%.  I know that by next Friday, May 31th, I will achieve that score. Getting over 70% positions me to pass the actual test. I am ready to tackle the challenge because the MBA/PMP combination raises my competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Haters Are Going to Hate. Don’t Fall for the Bait!

Today I learn from our office secretary that another person in our office has asked the quality manager for a PMP exam application reference.  This is the very same person who has taken project management training money before my arrival to the agency but now nearly 14 months later he decides that he needs to get serious and apply for the PMP July 31^st exam change deadline.  All this time I submitted my application, secured my references, and already scheduled my test.  Instead of fretting, I have been studying since May 3^rd. I’ve made substantial progress scoring over a passing 61% on the last two knowledge area practice exams.  Thursday I will review my practice study guide chapter 7 and complete cost management practice exam. This weekend I will take my second PMP practice exam scoring over 70%.  I don’t sweat the competitors because I’m on my A game all of the time. Furthermore, with less than 2 months before the PMP change, there is no room for error.  

Off to a Running Start with PMP Exam Prep Study

            I’ve scored 63.81% on the Rita Mulachy PMP practice exams.  Though it’s enough to pass the real PMP exam, I need to reread chapters 6,7,9,11 and 12.  Just answering 5 more correctly for each chapter buoys my score up to 70%.  My ultimate goal is to score 80% by June 1^st which is quite realistic.  Later this afternoon I’ve completed Ed2Go PMP Certification 1 quiz 7 covering sections 5.1 and 5.2. After passing the quiz, an idea pops into my mind: start writing down the corresponding PMBOK sections with every lesson then my notebook will be in chronological order. Brilliant I know!  After completing this class, writing down all of the RMC practice exam wrong answers, and completing the Wiley company book PMP practice D exam, I will submit my PMP certification application.  By then I will have one year on the job, assigned at least three projects and read ½ of the PMBOK.