Why Haitham Al-Kahlani Feels the PMP Exam is Scary?

Haitham Al-Kahlani feels the PMP examination is “Scary”.

I met Haitham at PM Master Prep’s discussion forum. We had no personal interaction before. When I saw Haitham posted the message claiming his success in the PMP examination, I congratulated him.

I also politely asked him whether he could share a few words about his exam preparation, his experience during the examination and the lessons learned through this project. I thank him for accepting my request and sharing the valuable lessons learned.

We will see below his feedback and let us see why he felt the exam was scary …

Start of Interview

Personal Details

1. Your name
Haitham Al-Kahlani

2. Your Qualification
MBA

3. Your Industry
Health Care

4. Years of Experience
10-15 years of experience

Details of Training Attended

5. What is the mode of your training?
Class room based

Details of Exam Preparation

6. How long did you prepare for the exam?
90-180 days

7. In your opinion, which is the best book for PMP exam preparation?
Studied Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book

8. Did you take part in any online forum during the preparation?
No

9. How did you prepare for the exam? What would you like to change if you would revisit the exam preparation period?
Prepared a 3 months daily study plan excluding the weekends, but ended up studying almost every weekend.
My biggest mistake was delaying the simulator exam to the very end.

During the Exam

10. Time taken to complete the exam?
Terrible, I could not finish the exam in time

11. Can you share few words about your experience going through the actual PMP exam?
Scary! But felt very proud when i got the result.

Final Word

12. One last piece of advice for candidates preparing for the exam?
Prepare well, it is not an exam that you can pass using shortcuts.

13. Do you have anything else to say?
Answer short questions first.
NEVER waste your time on long or calculation questions unless you have finished all the short ones.
Drink, eat, and use the toilet before you enter the exam. A trip to the toilet cost me 7 valuable minutes!

End of Interview

Conclusion

I thank Haitham Al-Kahlani for sharing the lessons learned during his exam preparation and his experience during the actual PMP exam.

His feedback emphasizes the importance of preparing well for the exam. I have seen candidates failing the exam by taking it very lightly. It could be disastrous to take the exam without adequate preparation.

One important lesson we all can learn from Haitham’s statement “My biggest mistake was delaying the simulator exam to the very end“. You should not repeat this.

Practice, practice and practice! Practice is going to be the key for your success. PMP not only stands for Project Management Professional; it also stands for Practice Makes Perfect. Try practice questions after completing each chapter from either PMBOK Guide and/ or your preferred reference book.

You should also try timed full-length mock exams (200 questions), so that you can get a feel of the actual exam. You can look at my realistic study plan to have a systematic preparation towards the PMP exam.

PMP exam is not a difficult exam. But, it might be scary if you do not have adequate preparation, particularly adequate hands-on practice with mock exams. Haitham probably escaped with a scare, his late stage preparation with mock exams might have been just enough to escape without damage. Learn the lessons. If you learn lessons from others, you should be able to achieve the PMP credential in your first attempt.

If you are already a PMP Credential holder, please share your success story. You can use the PMP Lessons Learned form to share your lessons learned. It should take less than 5 minutes, but has the potential to motivate thousands of PMP aspirants.