I'll update this post with testimonials as they come in.
The latest ones will be at the top.
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I took and passed my PMP on December 18, 2013. I was a user of your podcast talks and presentation on PM Lessons learned so I wanted to thank you for your ongoing support to this initiative.
In particular your cheat sheet was excellent especially the last page which I reckon got me over the pass grade when I went back.
So again many thanks,
Liam Chambers
Dublin, Ireland
Posted 4 FEB 2014
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Background
I have approximately five years experience as an IT project manager and passed the CAPM exam in 2008.
I sat for and successfully passed the PMP Exam August 22, 2011, in New Castle, Delaware. I'd like to thank all of those who contribute to the PM Lessons Learned site. I can honestly say the group played a huge part in my passing the exam on my first attempt. I used Andy Crowe's book, the PMBOK, and www.pmlessonslearned.com for preparation. The podcasts and associated presentations explain all of the key areas and concepts in a way that makes it very easy for the listener to understand. I found the test challenging but manageable at the same time. The following are a few takeaways that I have as lessons learned from my experience:
1. Understand concepts clearly, especially tools and techniques.
Knowing the tools and techniques proved to be most important in all of the ITTO questions.
2. If you can follow the EVM podcast and answer the questions in the presentation you should be fine for the Exam. F.Y.I., I did not spend a lot of time on a brain dump, but knowing the formulas made answering these questions very easy.
3. Taking numerous practice exams varying from as little as 10 questions in one sitting to 200 should get you used to what PMI is looking for.
4. I was surprised to see only one question related to critical path where performing a calculation was necessary. I was kind of expecting a question or questions that would make you calculate the ES, EF, LS, and LF.
5. The term Force Majeure appeared at least twice. I don't recall in what context but I know it had me stumped. Know that Force majeure is a powerful and unexpected event, such as a hurricane or other disaster.
I only found the PM lessons learned site about a month before taking the exam. Listening to the podcasts by Dana Safford during my daily commute and then re-reading the presentations proved to be a tremendous asset. Great site, all for free! Thanks again.
Matt, Newark Delaware USA, September 1, 2011
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Just a note of appreciation to tell you how much I appreciate all your work on this great podcast.
As I do my ironing on Saturday's I listed to 1 or two lessons. I feel that by March 30th I will be ready for the PMP exam.
Reading several book now, and listening to this podcasts make the studying much easier since I feel lke I'm already familar with what I read.
Really appreciate it.
Ana, Moorpark California USA, January 29, 2011
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Re: the PMBest Practice call on the Future of Project Management on Sept. 14, 2009
Thanks for hosting this most informative and value add presentation. Both Tom and Frank are great resources to the PM profession with their expertise, experience and subject area knowledge, a genuine treat to attend their presentations. Look forward to having them back anytime soon.
Regards
Roger R. , Herndon, VA, USA, Sept. 2009
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June 11, 2009:
Re: I passed the PMP
Henry,
Just want to pass on a quick note advising the good news, feels great!
Also want to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to the PMLL team who contributed to my success. I believe the efforts put forth by the folks I have encountered while attending the conference calls and virtual webinars are second to none. The folks volunteering their time and selfless energy to help others in a supporting and value add manner is a super testimony of what can happen if we come together with a common mission and positive interest for the PMP profession.
Big Thanks to PMLL and it's affiliates for their Outstanding contributions to the profession and taking the art of online professional networking to the next level.
Regards Roger R. PMP
P.S. I certainly plan to continue participating in the PMLL groups in hopes of giving back a fraction of what you all do daily for it's members. Thanks, it works both ways: effort and opportunity; I created the effort, you all offer the opportunity.
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Hello Henry,
I am originally from London UK and have been living in Brooklyn, NY for the past few years. I work in a PMO in Banking.
I took my PMP mid May 2009 and passed first time. As I did not take a formal prep class I relied heavily on the information provided by PMLessonsLearned for every step of my preparation and took all the advice in your podcast. I listened to them over and over again - I especially liked the tips given by Dana's December 08 presentation and David's EVM presentation. Many of the analogies were great! The concept of washing/drying dishes and waiting for paint to dry clarified my understanding leads and lags when performing calculations. 12 days before my scheduled PMP exam, I left work early to join the PMP Lessons Learned conference call for the first time earlier in May 2009. The topic was 'brain dump' and at the time my head was exploding with PM material. However, as I had not done a practice test I was wondering if I was focusing on the right things. I had not even considered a brain dump before this session. After the session I memorized the 44 processes using the mnemonics and all the formulas from Dana's sheet and practiced this to perfection. I was already confident about the other 'brain dump' concepts and felt prepared enough. With my PMP exam less than a week away I practiced my first 4 hour exam. The results were unfavourable and made me nervous. It took me 5 1/2 hours to finish it so I put in extra effort and focused on learning specific things to more detail. (for example, I did as many CPM calculations as possible!) I took another practice test and got a more favourable result (68%), however it still took me too long (4hrs 20mins). At this point I was running out of time so I just reviewed the PMBOK concepts again relaying them to real life experiences.
During the real exam I began by writing all the formulas and drawing out the grid of 44 processes. This actually relaxed me and gave me a little confidence before before I hit start!
Every formula was directly on the exam. I would not have been able to answer the questions if I had not listened to Dana's session as I did not even consider learning the formulas to memory. I also needed to know where the processes were used and specifically which process group. Again, I only had a general idea of this and had not considered putting this in a grid.
I finished the exam with only 15 seconds left, I did not have time to review the questions I marked for review. I put in a great deal of effort and dedication for my PMP preparation and certainly did the work therefore, however without Dana's 'brain dump' and the concise, clear direction of PM Lessons Learned, my results would not have been so favourable. I passed the exam and know that the 'brain dump' directly contributed to my success. It was the perfect companion to sheer determination!
Thank you so much for the great work you are doing with this site and giving back to others. I am so glad I found PM Lessons Learned!
Regards,
Natasha, Brooklyn NY, USA 20 May 2009
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Thanks Henry! I passed the PMP Exam today!
Just wanted you to know that I passed the PMP exam today, and a HUGE part of my success can be contributed to the PMP Exam prep podcasts you and David have put together. I listened to ALL of the PMP Exam prep ones, and each of them gave me new insight into Project Management and helped prepare me for the exam. I've told lots of poeple that there's no need to pay for other podcasts, yours are better and free! With that being said, I would like to be able to repay all of you for what I gained form the podcasts. Not sure I want to present on one, but if you have another suggestion I would be open to it! Maybe I could dial in to one and take questions????
Thanks Henry!
Lynn, Charlotte, NC USA - April 7, 2009
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Dear Henry,
I passed PMP on Feb-28. I really thank you for the conference calls and presentations which also helped for my success towards PMP exam.
Thanks for giving the great group for PMP aspirants.
Thanks and Regards,
Satya, PMP
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA March 2009
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Henry,
You are doing a wonderful service to the PM community. Thank you.
Bet Shemesh, Israel 11Feb2009
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Henry, David,
I just wanted to thank-you for your podcasts. I just wrote my PMP and passed it a couple days ago, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help. The podcasts were extremely helpful and David's explanations were fantastic.
Much appreciated and keep up the good work.
Thanks
Dan J from Tokyo Japan 24Nov2008
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21Oct2008:
From a recent posting on itoolbox:
... i was able to clear the PMP exams on October 14th , i extend many thanks to ... ,David R (pmlessonslearned.com) and Mithun whose inputs assisted me leading to the certification exam.
Regards
Bhasker ...
Benin - Nigeria
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20Jun08
Excellent session!
Kevin was "dead on" with his presentation and the challenges that face the Virtual Project Manager.
Pat S. PMlessonsLearned.com member
[Regarding 18Jun08 Session with Kevin R. Wegryn, PMP; Vice-President, Senior Project Manager, for Bank of New York Mellon on the topic "How to be an effective Virtual Project Manager"]
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Hi Henry,
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05Feb2008
Hi Henry,
At the end of November I sat my PMP exam and passed on my first go.
I found my notes from the PMLL conference calls a great help during my exam study, as well as the comments from other callers who had recently sat the exam.
For geographical reasons I had to sit the paper based exam, but found the method of estimating my score suggested by one of your callers (I forget who, sorry) was quite accurate. having an estimate based on a believable model significantly reduced my stress during the results waiting time.
So thank YOU very much for running PMLL and providing such good PM resources for those of us in remote areas. AND thanks to all the other callers who participated in the teleconferences and provided insights, comments and help.
best regards, Annette G. (New Zealand)
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