I am very excited to write about how much I gained from Brian Rabon’s instruction during the PMP Exam Preparation course that I completed in May, 2010. It was taught at the New Horizons Facility in Houston, Texas. I have traditionally worked in functional organizations performing IT and Supply Chain roles and was often assigned activities on projects to complete and eventually to manage projects. I decided to move my career in into the exciting world of project management fulltime and wanted to obtain the PMP certification. I knew that the PMP credential would show employers my dedication to project management as well as a documented history of my commitment to continuing to improve of my skills and knowledge.
Brian’s instruction was exactly what I needed to help me fill in my knowledge gaps as well as identify the most important elements to be successful in passing the PMP exam on the first try. I realized during the class where my weaknesses were and was able to develop a learning plan to fill those gaps. Even though the class clearly was preparing me for the PMP exam, I was also gaining knowledge in what it would take for me to improve the quality and success of managing projects.
When I went to take the exam I was quite nervous, but when I completed the exam I had a great feeling that I had passed. I answered all questions the first time I went through them, but marked the ones I didn’t know or wanted to review again for accuracy. I reviewed the marked questions twice but made very few changes. Closing the exam and submitting answers for evaluation was a nervous couple of minutes for me, but finally it confirmed that I had passed the exam.
I would recommend this class to anyone who is serious about making the commitment to obtaining their PMP credential. Even for folks that have several years of project experience a class like this will help ensure successful completion of the exam. After I completed the class I created a learning plan with Brian as my accountability partner. I took 45 days after the class to focus on continued individual learning and exam preparation. I used only the materials distributed in the class and completed the exam successfully exactly as planned. I believe that experience, a proper PMP exam course and a learning plan are what is required to pass the PMP Exam.
Since completion of the class and exam I have been working on large projects for my company in the oil and gas industry and have been asked to consult on other projects. I can truly say that a few doors opened very quickly for me and I believe that many more will open in the future. I am very grateful to Brian and his motivating style of instruction for helping me reach my career goals and I look forward to a future in Project Management.
