About the course:
- Dates: January 27-30, 2020
- Duration: 4-days (35-hours)
- Location: San Diego, CA (Little Italy)
- Instructor: Joe D
- Organization: Project Management Academy (PMA)
- About: https://projectmanagementacademy.net/pmp-certification
Background & Motivation
Pursuing the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification has been a long-standing goal of mine since getting my bachelors. For nearly a decade in the making and after earning my Professional Scrum Master (PSM) and Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) certifications, I felt a growing need to formalize and expand my project management expertise beyond Agile frameworks.
This motivation led me to purchase the PMBOK® Guide, Sixth Edition, which immediately revealed the depth and rigor of the PMP exam content. Recognizing the complexity of the material, I joined PMI.org to align myself with the standards and resources of the profession. I also attempted a couple self-paced online video courses on YouTube. The results were underwhelming, as after taking them my practice exam scores actually declined.
Then I found a full, in-person course available on Groupon. Realizing that a more immersive and structured learning experience was necessary, I enrolled in the PMP Bootcamp offered by Project Management Academy. I would rate the course 8 out of 9 for its effectiveness, relevance, and delivery.
Course Experience
The course was held just one mile from my condo at the time—a fortunate coincidence that made attending logistically seamless. The classroom environment was lively, with 15 participants from diverse backgrounds. Some had years of experience in traditional project management roles, while others were new to the discipline. Interestingly, one participant had taken the same course with the same instructor years prior but hadn’t scheduled the exam, and returned for a refresher.
Among the group, I brought a unique perspective with extensive Agile experience, which complemented the traditional methodologies covered in the PMBOK. This diversity of experience enriched the discussions and peer learning throughout the course.
Instructional Quality
Our instructor, Joe D., brought the material to life by integrating real-world examples from his own project portfolio. His ability to contextualize each Knowledge Area and Process Group helped bridge the gap between theory and practice. He also emphasized that while the PMBOK provides a comprehensive framework, not all organizations implement every process or tool… an important insight for practitioners navigating varied organizational cultures.
Joe’s pragmatic approach reinforced a key lesson: methodology is only as effective as the organizational buy-in behind it. From my own experience, project success often hinges on executive sponsorship and stakeholder alignment, even when the methodology itself has limitations.
Practice Exam Insights
During the course, I completed a practice exam and scored better than I had previously, though not as high as I’d hoped. Joe reassured me that my performance was on track and recommended taking 2–3 additional practice exams before attempting the real PMP exam. He advised scheduling the exam within four weeks post-course to maintain momentum and retention.
Key takeaways from my practice exam experience:
- Read the last sentence of each question first – This helps identify what the question is truly asking and filters out extraneous information.
- Watch for critical keywords – Words like “only”, “not”, or “except” can drastically change the meaning of a question.
- Memorize Earned Value formulas – Tools like Microsoft Project automate these calculations, but manual recall is essential for the exam.
- Master the TLAs (Three-Letter Acronyms) – Acronyms like CPI, SPI, and EAC are foundational to PMP vocabulary and must be second nature.
Final Thoughts
This bootcamp was more than just a certification prep, it was a strategic investment in professional development. It helped me consolidate years of practical experience into a structured framework aligned with global standards. The course also reinforced the importance of continuous learning and adaptability in project management.
Whether you’re an Agile practitioner looking to broaden your toolkit or a seasoned PM seeking formal recognition, I highly recommend the PMP Bootcamp from Project Management Academy. It’s a rigorous, well-supported path to certification and a valuable milestone in any project manager’s career journey.