Failed the PMP exam today...

[SimpleLife]

It was a loooong test; more than four hours. As I was going through the test, I was surprised by how subjective the questions were. This wasn't like the 12 technical certification exams from Microsoft and others I had taken for years and passed, where 2+2=4 and so forth.

It was subjective with the questions really being about what THEY think is the "first thing you should do in scenario X", not some scientific formula. The test has a 40% failure rate.

While I was just looking to get the cert because corporations seem to love these types of admin support certs, I was disappointed that I spent 7 hours of my day on this endeavor including drive time, not to mention several weeks of practice tests that did little to prepare me for what turned out to be 90% subjective opinion questions.

I passed three out of the five areas, only failing the first two areas, initiating and planning. Kind of funny, I have a 700K net worth, adding about 200K a year and counting to it. I've delivered hundreds of projects despite obstacles/project managers in the way as an IT Lead. But according to PMI I am not qualified to manage a project.

I don't even know if I want to sit for the test again. I spent the last year making it through tough graduate level microeconomics courses and Managerial Accounting where the average grade is a C. Yet this exam I failed? Part of me feels like one more try is warranted, but part of me feels I should focus on other things like finishing my MBA or investing in more real estate, stocks, etc. Either way I'm out the $405 I paid for the exam.

Then there's the part of me that says I'm FI and I can just say to hell with it and quit working rather than jumping through these hoops. It just really sucks to sit there taking an exam for four hours while you're starving and have the computer tell you that you failed. And be out the $405 for the exam. Just not used to failing. And something like this at that...

[JamesR]

Whatever man, it was only 7 hours.

Time is cheap, you can afford to burn it!

[daylen]

@JamesR

Time is priceless!

[BRUTE]

sounds like a BS test, brute suggests to give way fewer procreational activities about it.

[SimpleLife]

sounds like a BS test, brute suggests to give way fewer procreational activities about it.

It actually is in the opinion of most technical folks. During my test, even before I got the results, I couldn't help but to be more convinced of how much BS it really is. I'm not qualified to be a PM according to the PMI yet I've managed and delivered hundreds of enterprise projects. I make more money than the CIO where I work for the love of...

And that's just from my job, not counting my investments. Sigh.

I really would be better served by focusing on finishing my MBA or getting a real estate license. I could have pocketed 40K just from the real estate license buying all the properties I own now instead of using a realtor who get's the money instead...

Plus I find it astounding that the Barista can go and spend a few months and pass the test and make nearly as much money as some MBA's. I've had to pass four DIFFICULT exams, quantitative exams in EVERY class. Each exam being 4+ hours. Yet the PMI says I'm not fit to PM based on their subjective opinion of what the answer to every scenario that is literally a matter of subjective opinion...

To take the test again or not....At least right now one of my classes is a PM class and I can use that time to study for a re-test. Ugh...

[BRUTE]

in terms of diversification, if this test is part of SimpleLife's main career path, maybe MBA/real estate makes sense?

is the MBA more for personal reasons or for career advancement? sounds like SimpleLife is doing pretty well in his existing career and wouldn't need to get an MBA just for the money.

[Riggerjack]

Why give a bad certification company more market share?

Let the baristas with certificates destroy the brand.

In my experience, PMs with a clue are wasted as PMs. The job is best done by baristas. But then I'm in a highly siloed industry.

[fiby41]

What does PMP stand for? Project Management P...?

[fiby41]

Project management practice ??

[C40]

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=c ... pmp%20exam

(I didn't know either)

[SimpleLife]

in terms of diversification, if this test is part of SimpleLife's main career path, maybe MBA/real estate makes sense?

is the MBA more for personal reasons or for career advancement? sounds like SimpleLife is doing pretty well in his existing career and wouldn't need to get an MBA just for the money.

Yeah, I'm already doing well, I'm just getting certs and education like I always do so I have more options. It is costing me very little and I have time to do it now, so I figured why not. When I retire, it can only help me get back into the workforce if I elect to out of boredom.

Education is one of those things that can't be taken from you in a divorce, theft, fire, or natural disaster. It really is a great investment.

PMP stands for Project Management Professional...

What's funny is I have another PM credential of similar difficulty. Perhaps I shouldn't care too much. After all an MBA trumps a PMP, and I already have one PM cert (that incidentally also would have the acronym PMP except PMP is trademarked by the PMI). Maybe I just put MC-PMP instead of the (PMI) PMP. Alas, maybe I will study the areas I was weak in and try it again. Ugh. Get's expensive. If it was a cert I actually cared about maybe, but it's just a meh cert for me, though one that many employers desire.

[Scott 2]

PMP here, passed the test about ten years ago. Don't worry, I'll tell you what to do, then take credit for it when you ignore me

I took it in my early twenties, so people would take me seriously as a PM. You can guess how well it worked.

IMO all the certs are BS intended to sell continuing education. Turns out the need for PDUs to keep the cert current makes it easier to justify training budget, so I still have mine.

I wouldn't want to work someplace that places high value on the PMP. It's all about memorizing and regurgitating their jargon from the PMBOK, hardly applicable to real world. I suppose it could predict success at certain organizations.

[inchicago]

Scott 2 is 1000% correct. I've worked in associations for many, many, many years, and I too have a PMP.

Associations simply create "continuing education" as another revenue stream. It's not about "protecting the public" or "making sure your skills are up-to-date". Nope, it's all about, how can we make money? I know! The association creates a test, that a committee makes the questions to, that they decide what you should be tested on, and then once you are certified, you have to pay for continuing education to keep that certification valid. But...if you pay for membership in our organization, guess what?....we will give you a discount on all that education. And that my friends is what keeps them in business.

So unless you current employer is demanding that you get this certification and is willing to pay it for you or wiling to give you some incentive to get it (pay raise, promotion) or you have found your dream job, and they demand that certification, and you are sure you can get the job with the certification, then go for it. If not, probably not worth the time. Of course, if you want it just to say you have it (like I did-and I got it paid for), then why not?

[SimpleLife]

PMP here, passed the test about ten years ago. Don't worry, I'll tell you what to do, then take credit for it when you ignore me

I took it in my early twenties, so people would take me seriously as a PM. You can guess how well it worked.

IMO all the certs are BS intended to sell continuing education. Turns out the need for PDUs to keep the cert current makes it easier to justify training budget, so I still have mine.

I wouldn't want to work someplace that places high value on the PMP. It's all about memorizing and regurgitating their jargon from the PMBOK, hardly applicable to real world. I suppose it could predict success at certain organizations.

Yeah, a good point I thought about. Any place that places such emphasis on this has got to be a BS place to work. I'm sure it's helpful in the Big4 for their management consultants resumes, included in the response to the RFP...But yeah, hardly found anything on the exam at all practical in the real world.

[Tyler9000]

I never bothered with PMP, as it's completely irrelevant in my industry and I'd be laughed out of the room if I brought it up. DW either got it or at least took a bit of training, as it was more important in the medical industry with all of the record keeping and documentation involved.

All I know for sure is that the #1 most common email automatically flagged in my work spam folder is advertising PMP certification.

[vexed87]

I did a UK equivalent a few years back, PRINCE2 I think it was called? My workplace had some surpluss budget to spend before year end, mine was a two day course with a further day of examinations, I got the certs but haven't referred back to my notes/training since!

Sucks to fail anything, but as you say, it's just a cert and the course is there only for squeezing money out of employers and gullible job seekers. On job experience wins 9 times out of 10 in interview, and you have to think, do you really want to work for an org that demands certs to make their hiring process easier...?

[George the original one]

I'll be more diplomatic and say that earning a PMP certification means you'll have a common language for discussing projects.

Like other certifications, however, it means diddly-squat on ability to perform.

[Sclass]

I passed three out of the five areas, only failing the first two areas, initiating and planning. Kind of funny, I have a 700K net worth, adding about 200K a year and counting to it. I've delivered hundreds of projects despite obstacles/project managers in the way as an IT Lead. But according to PMI I am not qualified to manage a project.
..

Wow, you're doing pretty well in the real world (why do I feel I've told you this before). Why beat up on yourself about missing a hoop in the fake one? I'd just go back and keep making money on my own. You've passed that test in the field.

This reminds me of how I was in agony at Hewlett Packard in my early career as my peers got promoted into engineering management around me. Now I look back and laugh at those clowns. Not a game I wanted to win. After leaving the protective realm of HP I realized those guys would not survive in the wild. As in, they could never spin up a small tech business out of thin air. They still desperately hang on as their kingdom is divided and sold off. I am happy to have failed. I bumped into my retired manager at a farmers market (on a workday !) and he delightfully told me I didn't fit and HP just spit me out. I smirked like a feral pig. Yup, good.

You're much better off than the baristas. Be happy with your test result and get back to winning in the real world.