Background
I was preparing for the PMP exam starting Jan 20, and was scheduled to take the exam on 3rd April. Lockdown gave me the option to change the date and move it to 4th of May. This was all before Prothoughts refresher course. After Prothoughts refresher course on 11-12 April, I felt confident about my ability to study but was skeptical about the exam actually taking place on 4 May due to extended lockdown. I applied for a refund on 15 April. The next day, I found out about the PMP online proctored examination. I was able to switch to online examination mode thanks to prompt advice and cancel my refund request.
I had 19 days to complete my exams that day. (Yes, I am aware that you are doing risk analysis and consider me a Fool. It was possible, but I was lazy and spent 2 more days planning how to get started. My enthusiasm and planning were not enough to match my belief. I decided to just read 1 chapter per day and keep revising my plan (Rolling wave Planning). I actually started studying on the 18th of April. Only 17 days of effective learning (Fast Tracking).
On Paper, the plan was “A chapter per day, keeps anxiety away”. It seemed feasible, considering that it meant I was leaving 4 days of revision at the end. Everything felt new except for my Rita book. My old study memory was gone. (No analogous estimation, no lessons learned) Maybe Corona effect. I decided to try and negate this effect by going back to school. I started taking notes (I didn’t do it earlier, I told you I was lazy).
Plan was still working well until the end of the first week. 1 chapter per day, notes in good shape, happy mind. I have other questions. Then there is the unidentified risk event “Weekend”. You lose your daily routine, and suddenly you’re binge watching and sleeping thinking that you have a busy week at work. Let’s just relax. I didn’t study for two days. (Told you about being lazy and that you can add procrastinator to it)
I took the setback positively and began next week with more energy and determination. I was able to complete all chapters by Sunday morning 3 May, and I was back on track for the remaining course. Now I had 30 hours to revise and take mock tests. I had originally planned to give at least 4 mock tests, but only one was given on Sunday. ProThoughts Mock Test Scored a mediocre 135. Okay, now it was time to toss. But there was no other choice. To clear PMP, I had to devise a 24-hour plan. I was filmy and believed in 3 idiots dialogues “KABIL BANO and KAMYABI TOH ” So, I stopped solving mock tests or answering questions and entered Hyper mode to review Rita book and fine tune my notes. This was the best decision I ever made in PMP preparation. It took me 8 hours for each of the 12 chapters to be completed in phases. I glanced over the notes and important topics once more. I felt like I was going to war without any bulletproof armour. (It was a reality that I was overoptimistic and underprepared)
Finally, I said “Be positive” and began the exam.
Pre-Exam Preparations For Online Proctoring
1. To check compatibility issues, test your laptop with Webcam three days in advance. (Preventive Action)
2. You can use your personal laptop to grant certain permissions. Thank goodness I used my personal laptop. My office laptop passed the test software, but it asked me for firewall permission on exam day. This was not requested in test mode. If admin access is not available, don’t take the risk of your office laptop. (Identify risk and mitigate)
3. Clear your desk and adjacent walls of any type of information. Clear your exam hall. (EEF)
4. Only a laptop, water bottle, and personal ID can be kept on your desk. You are not allowed to keep any paper, pen, or other electronic devices on your desk.
5. You can choose from online worksheets, calculators, highlighters, and many other options. available.
Image Source: Google
When is Exam Time
1. LOGIN for 30 minutes Before exam time.
2. Before you can actually start an exam, there are steps you should take.
3. They will ask for your ID, picture and room photos. Everything can be uploaded from your mobile. You can upload everything from your mobile device.
4. Wait for 5-10 min. For verification of upload. It will ask you to remove your mobile device and begin the exam.
5. The system will allow you to view a small interactive guide about the tools available for taking online exams. Don’t skip this.
6. Do not panic if you encounter any errors during the exam. Simply go to the chat box and type your problem. They will respond quickly. It happened to me, and I had to restart the test according to the instructions. They gave me full time after I restarted. It happened in the very first question.
7. Most important question “Can we take break(s)?” PMI has set aside a 10-minute bio bre