What do you think about PMP bootcamps?

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    • #4851
      Ever attended one? How well prepared were you already and what did it provide that you couldn’t provide for yourself?
    • #6038
      I have taught many PMP Exam Boot Camps and find them to have served the purpose for the vast majority of my students. For a few of my attendees, especially those who either had not yet registered for the exam or who were in the early stages of applying, decided that they didn’t "really" want to take the exam after all but, they did enjoy the course and learned a great deal. For those students that I considered to be "serious" about passing, they put a great deal of time, energy and effort into my 5 day course and were rewarded by passing the exam on their first attempt. I typically have two versions of my Boot Camp course. One version runs for 5 straight days, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. For those who just simply can not do 5 consecutive days, I also have a version which runs on 5 consecutive Fridays (or Saturdays when necessary) to accomodate my students schedules. Either way, for those that were serious in their studies, I have been fortunate enough to have a 100% pass rate on their first attempt at the PMP exam.

      Michael Martel
    • #6056
      Michael, thanks for the response. How experienced were your students with project management? Also, what company do you train under?
      Thanks!
      — Di
    • #6073
      PMP boot camps have their place, but I wouldn’t use them as your source of learning about project management in the real world.  They are designed specifically to help you identify what will be on the test and help you with identifying techniques for learning the information in order to pass the exam.  If you are looking for project management training in general, that type of class is probably not for you.
      I attended a PMP boot camp and there were some ways that the information was taught that made it much easier to remember, but I had prepped myself quite a bit before hand.  I had originally scheduled for a "Real-World Project Management" class, but it had been canceled and wasn’t going to be rescheduled for 6 months, so I opted for the PMP prep class instead since it was free through our partner company.  I don’t think that it was a waste of time as usually you gain some knowledge from every class you take.

      Ginger Drehmel-Leland
    • #6074
      After being a Project Manager for ~30 years before ever hearing about PMI, I found the boot camp extremely useful for a quick study guide before taking the Certification Exam. It’s important to review the Processes & Process Groups & especially to learn PMBOKese. A common vocabulary is probably the best thing that standardization has brought. Aside from that, most boot camps also provide access to online practice tests, which are a great help in seeing how PMI designs their tests.
      Ray Almonte
    • #6082

      I took a boot camp class that was 5 Saturdays in a row.  This was good for me because it gave me a chance to study the materials between classes.  I passed the PMP on the first try after this.   The only negative thing was the people in the class who had no previous project management education or experience.  These people came to the class expecting to learn project management and then take the PMP in order to get a better paying job.  These people had a very hard time in class and as far as I know the few you actually took the test failed.   I think the boot camps are great for those who have prior experience and some project management formal training/education to prepare for the PMP test.  I do not think the boot camps are good for those trying to break into project management for the first time.

      Steve Rozanske

    • #6083

      Boot camps are great for exam prep, but if you want to drive more value into your professional development then you really need the foundational knowledge before you step into that arena.I used a 2 day exam prep course, along with cd based exam simulator and I spanked that exam!”

      Michael Connolly

    • #6088

      I have taken an online course, prior to taking the PMP exam, with positve results.  The ability to review material, and retake exams over and over, was quite helpful.  Also, having the ability to go through course content at my own pace, was also helpful.

       

      Daniel Terestenyi

    • #6095
      To prepare for the exam, I attended a 5-day boot camp. If I took another week or two to study, I would have been prepared for the exam. However, without having it scheduled, and weeks turned into months, I didn’t take the exam until 5 months later. Regardless, the material I received was helpful for studying.
      I have the opportunity to teach sessions as part of a ten-week prep course (one night a week). In hindsight, I feel this is a valuable approach, providing the student with one week to imerse themselves in the topic before proceeding to the next area. Still, there is a place for the five-day consecutive classes.  I don’t think we could have one replace the other.
      Stacey Stein
    • #6096

      They can be very useful, but I assume some are probably better than others. I attended a 5-day camp in the Poconos that was very good at teaching the PMBOK view of the world. However, I was disappointed at the way the exercises were conducted. The course author seemed to think that ‘buying a house’ was an appropriate theme on which to base exercises illustrating project management principles – I think they could have done much better than that and used a better model. "Constructing a building" may be the most overused scenario in explaining project management, but it would have served us better in this case.

      Nevertheless, I did gain a good understanding of how to apply PMBOK principles (and what to expect in the exam). I also read as many books as I could get my hands on and used a couple of computer-based practice tests. Finally, I took a week off before the exam to settle down and clear my mind, and passed it on my first try.

       

      Miguel Villasin

    • #6102
      I attended one.  I studied the materials provided in advance and reviewed the PMBOK.  It was a boot camp – the instructor was not there to make us feel good about ourselves – he was there to help us pass the exam.  I think the biggest thing it provided that I would not have gotten just by studying is the "PMBOK" way of doing things – which is not always what you would do in real life.  Lots of practice question and a detailed walk through of how to take the actual exam.  It was a 4 day class and then I took the exam on Friday.  A painful week but then it was all done!

      Pat Crossland-Smith
    • #6109
      I took the RMC 2 day exam prep class the week before my exam and was able to pass the test and felt cconfident in my answers throughout the exam.
      Without the prep class I never would have thought about the question wording in the depth which it is required and I would not have had anyway to know the items that are not in the PMBOK… and what the right answer was. As an experienced PM, the course helped me to not think "real world" but instead think "PMI world".
      I do not think though that these courses should be used to just get your education and to pass the test. I went into the course having already read the PMBOK, worked in project management for 7 years, and took PM classes as part of my undergraduate degree. I was well prepared before taking the class and the class was there to give me the confidence and teach me the "PMI-isms".

      Daniel Sheppard
    • #6117
      We  used Learning Tree, and I found it to be a good review of everything you need to know for the test.  The instructor is critical to a good class.  If he keeps you engaged you will learn and remember things.
      But, I would not recommend that a boot camp is not the only thing someone does to prepare for the test.  You should already have a good understanding of project management, and you should be prepared to do additional review and practice tests before taking the exam.
      One key thing is to schedule your exam within a month of the boot camp, otherwise you’ll forget a lot.  I did my boot camp in the beginning of December, and there was no way I was going to get to the exam within a month.  Then other things came up, and I finally took it at the end of June.  I could have eliminated a lot of extra studying if I took it within that month window.
      William Bringman
    • #9903
      Performance tests are the only way to truly measure knowledge.  I’ve worked in the certification industry and believe there is a losing struggle between the certification exam business and the training business.  It is ironic that to make an exam requires extensive psychometric effort (both time and money) yet as soon as the exams are published, ‘training’ material and courses appear that obviate all that exam development effort.
      Andy Johnson
    • #414932
      AlexP
      Guest

      PMTI has developed a new tool to check the eligibility for PMP certification. Use to determine your eligibility in less than 2 mins. here is the link https://www.4pmti.com/PMP-Eligibility-Assessment.aspx

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