Nothing is more special to a team of instructors than learning your student passed the PMP exam. We sat down with Patti M. to hear what she had to say about the PMP exam, her preparation process, and more.
Patti M.
PMP Certification Holder, Former Peak Student
Before pursuing my PMP, I was working for Lockheed Martin as a Senior Staff Systems Engineer in a project management role and learned I truly enjoy being in a leadership position: helping engineers, identifying gaps, and aligning multifunctional teams to collectively deliver space systems to our customers. After retiring, I again found myself gravitating to those “Big Picture” PM roles. After my contract ended I wanted to sharpen my skills, return to the industry with confidence, and transition from a strong systems integration engineer to a trusted technical program leader who can deliver outcomes in complex, mission-critical environments – this is the value I can bring, and this is what I’m good at. Therefore, I chose to pursue my PMP certification to achieve that goal.
I researched different institutions online. At that time, I didn’t have anyone to ask which course I should take. I even thought of earning a degree in Project Management, but I wasn’t sure just how much training I was going to need to pass the test. Once I started making calls, what stood out about Peak Business Management was how clearly they explained what they teach. Their message, “Everything you need to pass the PMP,” really resonated with me. When I spoke with Barb, she helped me determine the level of training I needed and explained that Peak’s main goal is to support students not only on the path to the PMP but also afterward, and that truly made a difference.
I really liked Ashley, our instructor. She is not only an amazing instructor but has so many years of PM experience. I took their an online “PMP Boot Camp” class and she and the Peak team helped me throughout the entire journey. It wasn’t the type of help you get from other institutions; Peak supported me every step of the way. After finishing my classes, I took a few of the free practice tests they provided, and it was at that point that I realized the PMP exam was going to be much harder than I expected. I called Peak to share my worries, and Barb quickly connected me with a coach, Orlando. They enrolled me in Peak Management’s own PMP study tool, Exam Simulator, and also suggested PMI’s Study Hall as another key resource. I studied hard for two months and I passed the PMP certification exam on the first try – and scored “Above Target” in 2 out of the 3 areas! After my test I couldn’t wait to call Barb and Orlando to tell them I passed- “You guys are just awesome!” Everyone at Peak truly walked beside me throughout the entire process and genuinely cared about helping me succeed.
My advice would be to have a coach and take lots of practice tests in the Exam Simulator. My coach told me, “You have to do thousands of practice questions.” I ended up completing 2,800 practice questions and over 100 hours of study time. All of these strategies and support helped me to achieve my goals.
