The time has come for your project management exam. It is daunting, but these useful tips will help you feel more confident in the task in hand.
You have devoted thousands of hours to working on projects and have sat through hour upon hour of PM training courses. You have studied for hours, completed many practise questions and tasks, and you have successfully completed for application for the PMP exam. You have paid, been accepted, and now you have a scheduled exam day. GULP. You have invested so much in this one exam, talk about pressure!
If this is what you are facing, don’t panic, these tips for the day of your exam will help you feel much more confident about the task in hand:
- Investigate the test location before the actual test day, so you know the route and any potential ‘traffic hot spots’ and building works.
- Get to the test location early on the day, so you don’t have to enter the exam in a rush
- Have a coffee, but only one! A coffee an hour or so before your exam is a great idea, as it will give you a temporary brain boost. Don’t have loads of cups though, or you’ll be jittery!
- Have all the paperwork ready and make that your top priority on the day – you’ll be told what you need to take (usually your acceptance letter and 2 forms of ID) so set a reminder to take those with you.
- Make the most of your prep time – you have 15 minutes with instructions for how to complete the exam, before a 60 second gap where you can start the online test. Make the most of this time, reading the instructions properly, not rushing them.
- Remember although the clock doesn’t stop if you take a break, you can still schedule breaks in for yourself. Answer a set amount of questions before having a small break.
- Practise concentration – it can be difficult not to notice all the people coming and going, and any other distractions, but use focus techniques (which you can master as part of your prep) and you will be fine.
- If you are unsure about any of the questions, don’t panic and guess. Leave the questions for review and come back to it.
You can also watch some PMP Exam success videos here.
The Day Before
It is also worth completing these things the day before, so the day of the exam goes smoothly:
- Set several alarms so you are certain you will be up on time
- Fill the car up with petrol so you know it is good to get you to the place of the exam
- Check again that any childcare or other necessary bookings are made, so you won’t have to worry about anything during the exam
- Relax – try to have a long bubble bath, watch something that makes you happy and go to bed early. You might struggle to sleep well, but you must try and be well rested to give yourself the best chance of a good night’s sleep
Good Luck!
These are extremely useful tips for Project Managers and people who are currently training for the PMP Examinations. The day of the examination can make one feel very nervous and anxious , the tips here should help a lot in focusing and performing better at the exam!