May 27, 2025 • 31 mins
We’re joined live by Crystal Richards, PMP trainer and founder of MindsparQ, to dive into everything you need to know about passing the challenging Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. With its high failure rate and tough reputation, the PMP remains a highly respected certification that can open significant career doors—but balancing exam prep with work and life can be daunting.
Crystal shares practical strategies to help candidates navigate the exam process with clarity and confidence, drawing on her experience training project managers and her new book, PMP Exam Prep For Dummies. Whether you’re just starting your PMP journey or feeling overwhelmed, this conversation offers valuable tips to help you succeed.
Resources from this episode:
- Join DPM Membership
- Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
- Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn
- Check out MindsparQ
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kelsey Alpaio (00:05):
Hey! I'm Kelsey.
And welcome back to The Retroon The Digital Project Manager
podcast—where we dig into pastlessons, future trends, and
what they mean for your career.
We're live in the studiotoday with our DPM members,
and we're here to talkabout the Project Management
Professional exam—aka the PMP.
So if you're thinking aboutgetting your PMP, you've
(00:26):
probably already heardall of the horror stories.
It's hard.
The failure rate is high.
And there's all sorts ofmistakes you can make that can
contribute up along the way.
But the PMP is still oneof the most recognized,
respected certifications inthe project management world.
And if you can pass it,it can unlock all sorts of
career opportunities for you.
(00:47):
But that's the question, right?
How do you actually passit—especially if you're doing
this while juggling work,life, and everything else.
So today we're talking toCrystal Richards, a PMP trainer
and the founder of MindsparQ—atraining organization that helps
teams improve their projectmanagement skills so they can
lead projects with clarity,courage, and confidence.
(01:09):
She's also the author ofa new book that came out
earlier this year calledPMP Exam Prep For Dummies.
Crystal, welcome to the show!
Crystal Richards (01:16):
Thank you so much, Kelsey.
I'm excited to be here.
Yes, and the book is Outand already getting a buzz
and excitement around it.
So yeah, I'm excited.
Kelsey Alpaio (01:25):
So exciting.
Congrats again on releasingthat book this year.
But yeah, why don't you getus started by telling us a
little bit more about yourselfand the work that you do?
Crystal Richards (01:33):
Kelsey, you did a fantastic job.
I'm based in the WashingtonDC area in the US.
And I train people to be betterproject managers, and the
flagship service that I provideis PMP Bootcamp training.
And then from there peoplehave a great experience and if
the opportunity arises, I'llgo in and teach foundational
(01:54):
project management for the restof their team so that they can
all talk the same language.
So I really am immersedin helping people become
better project managers and.
I love that teaching.
I love, and especially withmy book now, I'm excited, I
teach to the book so peopleare really excited about it
and all my humor and sarcasm,but the truth bombs are all
(02:16):
in the book, so I love it.
Kelsey Alpaio (02:19):
Gotta include those truth bombs.
Crystal Richards (02:20):
Exactly.
Kelsey Alpaio (02:22):
I wanna get right into things by asking
you about failure and the PMP.
I think it's something a lot offolks who are taking it for the
first time really worry about,and the stats that you can find
online, like really don't help.
I saw a few different examprep sites saying that
80% of people fail it thefirst time they take it.
(02:43):
Does that sound like anaccurate number to you?
Is it basically a giventhat you're going to fail
this thing the first time?
Crystal Richards (02:48):
No, I think that's maybe prior to 2021.
Maybe that was more accurate.
The challenge is thatit's between you and PMI.
So we don't know as instructors,we don't get stats on that,
and PMI is a little bit moreguarded, understandably and
PMI, for those of you who don'tknow as Project Management
(03:10):
Institute, who's over the PMPcredential, they're very guarded
because if the news gets out,this is not a possible test.
Nobody's gonna wanna take it.
And then if it's also oh, thisis so easy, then employers
might not see the value of ifeveryone can pass this exam.
So it's at catch 22,they've made it much more
(03:30):
straightforward, I will say,after 2021 when everybody was
in the, their houses, theirdwellings and you couldn't go
to a testing center and so theyopened up being able to take
it online, so in the comfort ofyour home, if that's what you
choose, and it's not as tricky.
So you didn't feel the bait andswitch the way that we used to.
(03:53):
But what makes it painful isthat there's a lot of content.
It's a lot of the vocabulary.
It really, I literally startmy classes in Spanish just
to emphasize the point.
It is like learninga new language.
Some people do talk back to mein Spanish, but for the most
part it is really learning thisnew language and all of this
(04:14):
information that you have toput back out there in the exam.
And I would say peopleare taken aback by that.
So if the struggle is thatyou're not successful with
the exam, it's probably acouple of things that aren't
related to what it used to be.
And I don't wanna spoilit 'cause I'm sure you
(04:34):
have specific questionsfor me around that.
But that 80%, I thinkit's a bit inflated.
I think it is part ofpeople's marketing tactics.
That's not my choice togo at people, honestly.
I'm like, if you'reself-sufficient and you're
disciplined, just go by my book.
That's all you need.
You don't need a bootcamp.
But for those folkswho are like, I need
(04:56):
structure, I need focus,I need someone in my face.
Oh, that's totally me.
Kelsey Alpaio (05:01):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So let's get into it.
What are some of the commonreasons that people do
actually fail the exam?
Crystal Richards (05:06):
They wing it.
They think that, oh, I've beendoing project management for a
long time, so I know what it is.
And so they don't study and theydon't realize the vocabulary.
That is PMI is versus whatwe call it in real life,
because for a lot of us we'reaccidental project managers.
I don't know very many peoplewho went to school specifically
(05:31):
for project management.
And if they did, it was atthe graduate school level.
So you were alreadyimmersed in it.
But for a lot of us,it was baptism by fire.
And you were told work on thisGantt chart with no explanation
of what a Gantt chart is.
You're just like, okay, I justknow it's called a Gantt chart.
Work on this spreadsheet orthis report, and it's got our
(05:51):
own flavor of naming, but PMIhas its own naming convention.
And the funny part is, anddevious I would say too, is
that they know what we callit in the real world and
that shows up on the exam.
So you're like, oh yeah,that's what I call it.
And that's not thePMI terminology.
So that's point number one isthat you're just, you just go
in and wing it and don't study.
(06:11):
The other big thing is thatpeople don't do practice
exams and get you into a testtaking mode because I would
suspect for a lot of folks likemyself, it's been a long time
since I've taken a, an exam,a standardized test, and you
do five or 10 question exams.
(06:31):
You're like, oh, I did it.
It's great.
You are not prepared fornearly four hours of just
all this information thatyou have to figure out and.
Keep saying to yourself the bestPMI answer, those are primarily
the ones that really stick out.
Winging it, not takinga practice exam and
(06:52):
then thinking you'resupposed to read the book.
Do not read thatbook cover to cover.
Read my book cover tocover 'cause it's meant
for you to do that.
But there's the what'scalled the Project Management
Body of Knowledge, or whatwe call the PMBOK guide.
And it is so dry.
If you have insomnia, it isthe best book in the world.
But if you want someone to giveyou an example, and that's what
(07:14):
I found when I wrote the book.
I wanted to give people thecontext, especially when I
would come across the samequestions in my classes.
I brought that into this bookwhere, for instance, if here's
the situation of using thistool, here's what it looks
like from an exam perspective,and then also from real life.
(07:36):
One of my favorite sections wastalking about scope creeping,
gold plating, to really solidifythose concepts and people found
that helpful because even thoughit's I need to teach you to
pass the exam, they're likegimme a real world example.
And I'm like real world is notgonna help you pass the exam,
but I understand what you need.
You need that real world ofhow PMI is would be applied.
(08:00):
And now it helps youunderstand from a scenario
based question on the exam.
Oh, I remember Crystalprovided a scenario like that.
I get it now and this ishow I need to answer this
question, the PMI way.
So those are the top three.
Don't wing it.
Take practice exams.
Do not read that PMBOKguide cover to cover.
Kelsey Alpa (08:22):
Great advice there.
So like during the testitself, you talked about it a
little bit where like, we'renot really used to taking
three, four hour tests.
So what are some of the mistakesthat people might make while
they're actually taking the examand what do you see successful
test takers doing differently?
Crystal Richards (08:40):
It's the time management.
You have, it's a total of 180questions and it's three hours
and 50 minutes, so 230 minutesand everybody, I have them
do the math and they're like,okay, that's about a minute
and some change on a question.
And, what PMI has done isthat of those 180 questions,
(09:00):
they break them apartinto 60 question blocks.
And so you have time withinthe first 60 questions to
skip around and answer allthose questions, and the
moment you hit, I'm done withthose first 60 questions.
Then they say, Hey, wouldyou like to take a break?
Take it.
Don't take the break.
It doesn't matter.
You don't get the additional 10minutes if you don't take it.
(09:22):
But once you go into question60, one through one 20.
You can't go back to thefirst set of questions.
And here's the thing, theexam is not gonna say, Hey,
you've spent two hours,maybe you should move on.
That clock is still ticking.
So when I tell studentsthey break it into those
three blocks, 60 questionssegments, and I say, split
(09:43):
it in threes, and peopleare like, that's roughly 75
minutes per 60 questions.
And so what they understandis that, oh my gosh, if I
am spending 90 minutes juston questions one through
60, I'm going to run out oftime, and that's the time
management that I reallywant people to understand.
When they take a full lengthpractice exam, you are
(10:05):
going to see how your bodyreacts from the stressors
to the tiredness becauseit's a different experience.
People say they have comeout of that exam exhausted.
Also the exam's verywordy and scenario based.
And so you have to siftthrough that noise.
And I always joke with peoplelike, be careful you're in
(10:27):
that question and you startbringing in your own life story.
Yeah, that happened to me.
Now you're like wasting 30seconds on the exam reliving,
a project management path.
So it's, and that's wherethe practice exam questions
are really good ones.
They help you through that.
And especially too, if thetendency to wanna change
your answer nine timesoutta 10, your first answer
(10:50):
was the correct answer.
So that is why it's alsohelpful to do practice exams
so you can catch yourselffrom changing your answer.
I'll do it in my classes andwe'll do the letters and show
our letters of questions.
And it's so funny 'cause Ihave them folded in fours.
It's like you remember thatlittle game with the paper
(11:11):
where we're like, my mom saidyou should, and like they're
all like folding their papers.
It's so funny.
I'm like, I'vechanged my answer.
I'm sticking to my, oh my gosh.
And so they get to seeI changed my answer.
My first answer was right.
Yes.
The cookie catchers,I, that's why I didn't
say the name yet.
Kelsey Alpaio (11:30):
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
I forgot the name of those.
What a throwback.
Yeah.
So going back a littlebit to the studying
piece of all of this.
So if someone is studyingfor the PMP while working
full-time, like what shouldthey prioritize in their prep?
Is there a framework or aroutine you recommend that
can help them stay on track?
Crystal Richards (11:52):
I do, especially when you take
a bootcamp class, I reallyemphasize because you spent
the time and money for abootcamp, it's 35 hours
usually, a hefty price.
It is, then it's game time.
Try to really make this afour to six week timeframe.
So that is something that ifyou're gonna take that route
(12:15):
and it's still somethingthat's possible if you
just do self-study, it'sjust that you don't have
that motivation per se.
Man, I spent all this money,you gotta take time out from
work versus oh, I'll get to it,I'll get to it, I'll get to it.
It is, I'll start fromthe bootcamp perspective
after the bootcamp.
I want you to think about forthe next three to four weekends,
(12:38):
you're doing a practice exam.
So in between work, if you cansneak in maybe 30 minutes before
you have your Wheaties, right?
30 minutes of doing practicequestions, and then an hour
after you put the kids tobed or have your dinner,
just reviewing the practicequestions that you did at lunch.
(13:02):
And reviewing those areasthat were a struggle for you.
So going back, that's where ifyou're referencing the PMBOK
guide for instance, you gothere as like an encyclopedia
to just, now that you have thecontext of missing a question,
you're going in, you're like,oh, that's why I missed it.
If you try to read itcold, you are like, I don't
(13:22):
know what I'm reading.
And this is where I alsosay to people, don't worry
about having taken a class.
Or done prior reading, just doa practice exam so you can get
a feel of the way that theyask questions, and then the
material will really connectand resonate with you when
you actually review it andyou're like, I saw a question.
(13:44):
Now I see why that's theanswer because that's the
PMI way of doing things.
And if it's hard during theweekdays, if you can't do
30 minutes in the morning,30 minutes in the afternoon,
maybe it's, the back end ofthe week, like your Thursday,
Friday, you might pump itup a little bit of, maybe
an hour and a half at night.
But it's really that Saturday,maybe some parts of Sunday.
(14:07):
Obviously you wanna make timefor your life and family.
But I also think, if this isyour personal and professional
goal, just like any other goalwe have, think about those
times that for some of you thatmay have gone back to school,
you just made that commitment.
You just carved outthat time, and that's my
encouragement for you isjust to carve out the time.
(14:28):
And trust me, if you get thisdone sooner rather than later,
your family will love you for.
They will like it's PMPand you'll stop cursing
my name or Crystal,let's just take the exam.
It is definitely worth it.
Just as a quick anecdote, Ihad a student some years ago
and she was dragging her feetand it was like two weeks
(14:52):
out to go on her family hugefamily reunion on a cruise.
And she's I'lljust take my book.
And I was like,no, you will not.
I was like, you are nottaking that material
on a family cruise.
You're gonna ruin your time.
Everyone's gonna hate you.
No, let's put together a plan.
I put together a plan.
I said, schedule thisexam on this date.
She's okay.
She passed.
(15:12):
Her whole family like sentme messages like, thank you.
She was a terror.
And she still to thisday says, I bullied her.
I was like, I didn't bully you.
She's would you bullyme to take this exam?
And I'm like, and you passed.
Oh my God.
And your family likesyou and me for it.
So it's really.
I had a student just recentlythat said to me, he's got,
(15:35):
I think two little kids hiswife is expecting, and he's
I'm gonna tell her if youwanna continue to stay at home
and me to make more money,I need to pass this exam.
I'm like, okay.
We were like,okay, if that's me.
Apparently that wasmusic to her ears,
Kelsey Alpaio (15:51):
oh my gosh.
I love it.
There's a fine line betweencoaching and bullying.
Crystal Richards (15:56):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So maybe next time I'll, butI was like, you are not taking
this material on a cruise.
That's just not fun.
You are not gonna have funand you're not gonna study.
Kelsey Alpaio (16:08):
Amazing.
But yeah.
So you've mentioned the PMBOKa couple times, and I know
that there is a new edition,the seventh edition is out.
I know the exam has changeda little bit as well over
the last few years, as youmentioned, and it's including
elements from beyond the PMBOK.
So how can people make surethey are studying the right
material and not wastingtime on those outdated
(16:30):
resources or outdated practicequestions or practice exams?
Crystal Richards (16:34):
Start with the source pmi.org, and then
go to their section that sayscertifications and go to the
PMP, and that's where it willlist their exam content outline.
So the exam is no longer justbased on one resource, which
used to be the PMBOK guide.
It's now based on severalresources that are reflected
(16:54):
in what we call the ECO,the exam content outline.
And I would say it isa matter of, right now
it's still accurate.
It says, exam update since 2021.
Here we are in 2025, so it'sstill true, still accurate.
We are suspecting, since youmentioned the seventh edition,
(17:16):
so I got wind of the eighthedition that is expected to
come out and what we have, Ithink seen in some publications
from, or correspondence fromPMI that it'll probably come
out in the fall of this year.
And usually PMI cadenceis that they will change
(17:39):
into the next year.
So if they're going to beaggressive, it might be
that the new updated examwill be January 1st, 2026.
Depending on how longit takes them to release
the eighth edition.
If they don't release the eighthedition until like December,
then usually their cadence isthat okay, we'll give people
(17:59):
that first quarter of the yearand then just expect like end
of March, April that there'sa new update to the exam.
So they usually givepeople some time, sometimes
a couple of months.
In general, for those ofyou that are considering
the PMP, it's always anend of year mad dash.
Everyone's trying to meettheir end of year goals, but
(18:23):
it is going to the source and,people will ask, so I'm, you
might like my presence and mypersonality and some of you're
like, Uhuh, she's too much.
And that's fine.
Definitely go to peoplethat you know who you trust.
What was your process?
Did you do a bootcamp?
Tell me why youdidn't do a bootcamp.
(18:44):
And just know thyself.
I know for me.
I have purchased so many onlinecourses and never finished them.
So yes, they're budgetfriendly, but you have to
think about what your goal is.
Is it that I want this becausejob prospects say you need the
PMP and there's someone willingto give me an offer right now
if I have my PMP within 30days, just do the bootcamp and
(19:07):
then work to negotiate thatbonus or in your salary that to
cover the costs, if you will.
If you are disciplined,you know that you can make
the time, purchase a book,purchase an exam simulator,
you should be good to go.
But either way, certificationsare just expensive anyway.
(19:29):
Even if you were to go theself-paced route, whether it's
a book or online, you stillhave to pay for the exam.
Then you have to maintainthe credential, and this is
a case of every three years.
So I, be, I forgot thesaying, but what is it,
like a pound and a fleshand all this other stuff.
I, I really need to readbooks more, but I've
(19:49):
been writing one, so.
Kelsey Alpaio (19:52):
Do you have time to read them
if you're writing them?
Crystal Richards (19:54):
I know, I'm just like, but I really am, I'm
trying to get better at that.
But it's, if you're tryingto like, be Pennywise end up
being like you spend more moneyanyway, just really have a heart
to heart with yourself about.
Is this going to give me thebiggest benefit, whether it
is investing in a bootcampwhere it's one and done and
(20:14):
I, they give me a study plan,they give me resources, check
out their websites, make surethat they're not some fly by
night website, that they'rereputable and that there's.
References and, check them outon, Reddit is the underground,
like they know it all right?
They're like, they'retruth bombs in there.
And then go to LinkedIn orsomething to see if they're
(20:37):
posting consistently and thatthis is their messaging and that
they're not just like showingup and then just appearing
and then showing up again.
You want someone that's gonnabe there for you if you decide
to do the bootcamp route.
Then as far as a book, Ithink we all know whatever
your resources from abook, purchasing, check
out the reviews, likejust not just the stars.
(20:58):
Check out the actual reviews ofpeople 'cause people are honest.
Some people are, hateful.
Everyone that gives them afour star, five star, and then
there's just the one, one star.
But you can still bediscerning about the
right resources for you.
Kelsey Alpaio (21:12):
So a couple more questions here for you.
So if someone is listening toall of this and being like, wow,
that seems like a lot of work.
Maybe this isn't worth the timeand the money and the stress,
what would you say to them?
Is the PMP stillworth it in 2025?
Should they go for it?
Crystal Richar (21:30):
I would say yes.
If you are seeing positionsthat really interest you or
people who you admire andfrom their roles and their
backgrounds, they have jobsthat you're like, oh my gosh,
I totally would love that.
And that they have a PMP.
I would say those aresignals that yes, it probably
(21:50):
is a credential that youmay want to consider.
Now I'm always a bigadvocate of getting your
company to pay for it.
I know that can be controversialbecause people are like, oh, if
they pay for it, I've gotta staythere, longer in this market.
Okay with that right now.
And then, like I said,everything's negotiable.
If you find an opportunityand they want you, it's
(22:14):
like this is what I need tonegotiate for me to jump ship.
Like some type of sign onbonus that you will pay
back the company for it.
I think it's a win-win whenyour company pays for it
or somebody pays for it.
PMI has scholarshipsall the time.
They have a foundation.
There can be some opportunitiesand you don't always have to
(22:34):
be in an academic setting.
I just find that so valuable.
I just had someone ask methe other day via LinkedIn,
should they go afterthis change management
credential or the PMP?
Which is wild to me 'cause Iwas like, those are two totally
different certifications.
Like I'm a project managementtrainer and I said it just
(22:55):
depends on what you see yourselffrom a career standpoint.
I am a person, which whatI'm getting ready to say
may maybe controversial.
I am a person of be strategicabout your certification chase.
And sometimes the signal iswhen you have this alphabet soup
(23:16):
of all these credentials, it'slike now they're too expensive.
Or and it's expensive foryou because you now have
to maintain all of thosecredentials for the very point
that I brought up earlier, youhave to do a recertification
and a recertification fee.
And sometimes thecourses will overlap and
(23:36):
there's reciprocation.
Like I'm a certifiedscrum master.
The courses that I take withthe Scrum Alliance, they
translate over to PMI and inmost cases, my PMI courses
will translate in some cases.
But that's where it's definitelyPMI is super like giving.
(23:57):
That's something that I doappreciate and I do recommend
that anybody listening seriouslyconsider being a member just
because of the added perks andthe ease that they make for you.
And it's a, it costs less torecertify as a member to, but
PMI is incentivize for youto maintain your credential.
(24:18):
So once you have it, itis super easy to maintain
it and they are very okaywith you getting training.
If you're a CISSP, you knowthe cybersecurity, if you have
a health resource managementcertification, those are
added benefits to you beingan effective project manager
(24:39):
because you need to know thatto be able to walk the talk,
especially if you're thatsubject matter expert along
with managing those projects.
So they're like,yeah you read books.
Yeah.
If they're leadership books,if they're, it's because
you signed or check the boxthat you will be ethical.
And so they're gonna believeyou if you said, I read this
book, or I read these seriesof books to help me be a better
(25:00):
HR expert, along with beinga better project manager.
So that's, for those ofyou who are considering the
PMP, to circle back to youroriginal question, Kelsey.
I think it's valuable ifproject management is the
career field that you see.
Everybody says that they're aproject manager, so having the
credentials is just a way foremployers to just filter out
people to say, okay, this personis truly serious and committed
(25:24):
to the field, if you can getsomeone else to pay for it, I
love other people's money, so.
Kelsey Alpaio (25:30):
Who doesn't?
Crystal Richards (25:31):
Exactly.
I love that.
Kelsey Alpaio (25:34):
I guess follow up to that question, once you
land one of these roles thatlike the PMP certification
has helped you get.
How often should you expectto actually use, what you
learned while preparingfor the exam in the role?
Crystal Richards (25:47):
Oh, that's a great question.
So I got the credential whenI was working on a federal
contract, and my boss saidto me, you need to have this
credential to be listed as keypersonnel on this contract.
Once you pass the exam,forget everything you learn.
And I was like, what?
And at the timeI'm like, whatever.
Okay.
Now that I'm in it andteaching it, I see so much
(26:10):
benefit because they'reteaching you better practice.
I see so much benefit inthe things that you learn
to be applied in the work.
So I've worked with oneproject management organization
and it was hilarious.
There's a tool that we teachcalled the RACI chart, or
RACI Matrix, which tellsyou who's responsible, who's
(26:32):
accountable, who do youconsult, and who is informed.
And during this planningmeeting of other certified
project managers.
They were like who'ssupposed to be doing this?
I don't understand who's doingthis, and I didn't wanna be that
person, but in my head I waslike, where is your RACI Matrix?
Like where is this?
So it is, if you decide totake my boss's advice and
(26:54):
not use any of it, I think,that's a disservice for you
and the credential choir'cause I think there are
things that you can bring in.
It's not required thatyou bring in everything.
I think that's therub for people is that
there's so much stuff.
Nobody has time to do all that.
Even PMI says, don't nobodygot time to do all that.
It's called tailoring.
Bring in the pieces thatmake sense given the
(27:17):
environment and the contextof your project work.
And sometimes even, I'm carefulabout the use of the PMI
language in the organizationif they call it a certain form.
I just wanna get clarificationon, okay, they mean this.
I'm not gonna go and say,oh, you mean the RACI chart?
This is what it's called.
That's not gonnawin you friends.
(27:38):
I'm gonna use the name that theycall it, apply it from a project
management and I think, thesmall wins can help you as well
of I see a challenge with this.
I'm gonna ease and use thistool and get them acclimated.
And when they see that there'ssuccess, that there's better
communication, hopefullybetter understanding about
(27:58):
the project, I might startintegrating another tool.
So I think there is a hugebenefit in really thinking
about the tools and once again,since I'm here and I wrote a
book like that is really what,that is really what I've put
that focus on is that I wastrying to strike that balance.
(28:19):
But while you're in mypages, here's how it
can add value to you.
And I think that's somethingthat's been missing in a
lot of the books 'causepeople are like, that's
why you get into that.
I'm gonna forget everythingthat I learned anyway because I
don't see how it's applicable.
And that was somethingthat I really was adamant
about bringing in, so.
Kelsey Alpaio (28:38):
That's awesome.
We're just about out of timehere, so can you leave us with
one thing every listener cando to set themselves up for
success with the PMP exam?
Crystal Richards (28:49):
PM yourself into that exam.
It is honestly, set a dateand then just all of our
other projects and then workbackwards and communicate
with the people in your lives.
So if your friends, your family.
Tell them, Hey, for 30 daysI'm gonna be a terror, but
(29:09):
I promise there is goingto be a absolutely your
team members, your boss.
Like Hey, for the next threeFridays, if you can get the
whole Friday off, take it off.
If they're like, we can'tlet you have a whole like ask
and negotiate for half days.
It is really project managingthat experience and think, if
(29:31):
you are more of a, an agile typeof person, do it in sprints.
And at the end of eachweek, your deliverable is
a practice exam and youget to see your results.
And now that is the feedbacknow of what you need to
do into your next sprintof getting through this.
And setting up the schedule.
(29:52):
If you lightly use a projectmanagement tool now, like
actually use Asana for whatit can do for your monday.com
and get the joy of seeingthe unicorn or whatever
flies across the screen thatyou are meeting your goal.
Because I've had a ton ofpeople say that this was their
personal and professionaldevelopment goal for years.
(30:12):
And do yourself a favorand project manage yourself
around passing this exam.
Kelsey Alpaio (30:19):
That's great.
Crystal, thank you so much forspending time with me today.
Crystal Richards (30:23):
Absolutely.
Thank you for inviting me.
Kelsey Alpaio (30:31):
That's it for today's Retro.
Be sure to follow the showso you never miss an episode.
And if you wanna keep theconversation going with
a crew of a thousand plusproject management pros
who get it, come join usat thedpm.com/membership.
Thanks for listening.
Hey! I'm Kelsey.
And welcome back to The Retroon The Digital Project Manager
podcast—where we dig into pastlessons, future trends, and
what they mean for your career.
We're live in the studiotoday with our DPM members,
and we're here to talkabout the Project Management
Professional exam—aka the PMP.
So if you're thinking aboutgetting your PMP, you've
(00:26):
probably already heardall of the horror stories.
It's hard.
The failure rate is high.
And there's all sorts ofmistakes you can make that can
contribute up along the way.
But the PMP is still oneof the most recognized,
respected certifications inthe project management world.
And if you can pass it,it can unlock all sorts of
career opportunities for you.
(00:47):
But that's the question, right?
How do you actually passit—especially if you're doing
this while juggling work,life, and everything else.
So today we're talking toCrystal Richards, a PMP trainer
and the founder of MindsparQ—atraining organization that helps
teams improve their projectmanagement skills so they can
lead projects with clarity,courage, and confidence.
(01:09):
She's also the author ofa new book that came out
earlier this year calledPMP Exam Prep For Dummies.
Crystal, welcome to the show!
Crystal Richards (01:16):
Thank you so much, Kelsey.
I'm excited to be here.
Yes, and the book is Outand already getting a buzz
and excitement around it.
So yeah, I'm excited.
Kelsey Alpaio (01:25):
So exciting.
Congrats again on releasingthat book this year.
But yeah, why don't you getus started by telling us a
little bit more about yourselfand the work that you do?
Crystal Richards (01:33):
Kelsey, you did a fantastic job.
I'm based in the WashingtonDC area in the US.
And I train people to be betterproject managers, and the
flagship service that I provideis PMP Bootcamp training.
And then from there peoplehave a great experience and if
the opportunity arises, I'llgo in and teach foundational
(01:54):
project management for the restof their team so that they can
all talk the same language.
So I really am immersedin helping people become
better project managers and.
I love that teaching.
I love, and especially withmy book now, I'm excited, I
teach to the book so peopleare really excited about it
and all my humor and sarcasm,but the truth bombs are all
(02:16):
in the book, so I love it.
Kelsey Alpaio (02:19):
Gotta include those truth bombs.
Crystal Richards (02:20):
Exactly.
Kelsey Alpaio (02:22):
I wanna get right into things by asking
you about failure and the PMP.
I think it's something a lot offolks who are taking it for the
first time really worry about,and the stats that you can find
online, like really don't help.
I saw a few different examprep sites saying that
80% of people fail it thefirst time they take it.
(02:43):
Does that sound like anaccurate number to you?
Is it basically a giventhat you're going to fail
this thing the first time?
Crystal Richards (02:48):
No, I think that's maybe prior to 2021.
Maybe that was more accurate.
The challenge is thatit's between you and PMI.
So we don't know as instructors,we don't get stats on that,
and PMI is a little bit moreguarded, understandably and
PMI, for those of you who don'tknow as Project Management
(03:10):
Institute, who's over the PMPcredential, they're very guarded
because if the news gets out,this is not a possible test.
Nobody's gonna wanna take it.
And then if it's also oh, thisis so easy, then employers
might not see the value of ifeveryone can pass this exam.
So it's at catch 22,they've made it much more
(03:30):
straightforward, I will say,after 2021 when everybody was
in the, their houses, theirdwellings and you couldn't go
to a testing center and so theyopened up being able to take
it online, so in the comfort ofyour home, if that's what you
choose, and it's not as tricky.
So you didn't feel the bait andswitch the way that we used to.
(03:53):
But what makes it painful isthat there's a lot of content.
It's a lot of the vocabulary.
It really, I literally startmy classes in Spanish just
to emphasize the point.
It is like learninga new language.
Some people do talk back to mein Spanish, but for the most
part it is really learning thisnew language and all of this
(04:14):
information that you have toput back out there in the exam.
And I would say peopleare taken aback by that.
So if the struggle is thatyou're not successful with
the exam, it's probably acouple of things that aren't
related to what it used to be.
And I don't wanna spoilit 'cause I'm sure you
(04:34):
have specific questionsfor me around that.
But that 80%, I thinkit's a bit inflated.
I think it is part ofpeople's marketing tactics.
That's not my choice togo at people, honestly.
I'm like, if you'reself-sufficient and you're
disciplined, just go by my book.
That's all you need.
You don't need a bootcamp.
But for those folkswho are like, I need
(04:56):
structure, I need focus,I need someone in my face.
Oh, that's totally me.
Kelsey Alpaio (05:01):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So let's get into it.
What are some of the commonreasons that people do
actually fail the exam?
Crystal Richards (05:06):
They wing it.
They think that, oh, I've beendoing project management for a
long time, so I know what it is.
And so they don't study and theydon't realize the vocabulary.
That is PMI is versus whatwe call it in real life,
because for a lot of us we'reaccidental project managers.
I don't know very many peoplewho went to school specifically
(05:31):
for project management.
And if they did, it was atthe graduate school level.
So you were alreadyimmersed in it.
But for a lot of us,it was baptism by fire.
And you were told work on thisGantt chart with no explanation
of what a Gantt chart is.
You're just like, okay, I justknow it's called a Gantt chart.
Work on this spreadsheet orthis report, and it's got our
(05:51):
own flavor of naming, but PMIhas its own naming convention.
And the funny part is, anddevious I would say too, is
that they know what we callit in the real world and
that shows up on the exam.
So you're like, oh yeah,that's what I call it.
And that's not thePMI terminology.
So that's point number one isthat you're just, you just go
in and wing it and don't study.
(06:11):
The other big thing is thatpeople don't do practice
exams and get you into a testtaking mode because I would
suspect for a lot of folks likemyself, it's been a long time
since I've taken a, an exam,a standardized test, and you
do five or 10 question exams.
(06:31):
You're like, oh, I did it.
It's great.
You are not prepared fornearly four hours of just
all this information thatyou have to figure out and.
Keep saying to yourself the bestPMI answer, those are primarily
the ones that really stick out.
Winging it, not takinga practice exam and
(06:52):
then thinking you'resupposed to read the book.
Do not read thatbook cover to cover.
Read my book cover tocover 'cause it's meant
for you to do that.
But there's the what'scalled the Project Management
Body of Knowledge, or whatwe call the PMBOK guide.
And it is so dry.
If you have insomnia, it isthe best book in the world.
But if you want someone to giveyou an example, and that's what
(07:14):
I found when I wrote the book.
I wanted to give people thecontext, especially when I
would come across the samequestions in my classes.
I brought that into this bookwhere, for instance, if here's
the situation of using thistool, here's what it looks
like from an exam perspective,and then also from real life.
(07:36):
One of my favorite sections wastalking about scope creeping,
gold plating, to really solidifythose concepts and people found
that helpful because even thoughit's I need to teach you to
pass the exam, they're likegimme a real world example.
And I'm like real world is notgonna help you pass the exam,
but I understand what you need.
You need that real world ofhow PMI is would be applied.
(08:00):
And now it helps youunderstand from a scenario
based question on the exam.
Oh, I remember Crystalprovided a scenario like that.
I get it now and this ishow I need to answer this
question, the PMI way.
So those are the top three.
Don't wing it.
Take practice exams.
Do not read that PMBOKguide cover to cover.
Kelsey Alpa (08:22):
Great advice there.
So like during the testitself, you talked about it a
little bit where like, we'renot really used to taking
three, four hour tests.
So what are some of the mistakesthat people might make while
they're actually taking the examand what do you see successful
test takers doing differently?
Crystal Richards (08:40):
It's the time management.
You have, it's a total of 180questions and it's three hours
and 50 minutes, so 230 minutesand everybody, I have them
do the math and they're like,okay, that's about a minute
and some change on a question.
And, what PMI has done isthat of those 180 questions,
(09:00):
they break them apartinto 60 question blocks.
And so you have time withinthe first 60 questions to
skip around and answer allthose questions, and the
moment you hit, I'm done withthose first 60 questions.
Then they say, Hey, wouldyou like to take a break?
Take it.
Don't take the break.
It doesn't matter.
You don't get the additional 10minutes if you don't take it.
(09:22):
But once you go into question60, one through one 20.
You can't go back to thefirst set of questions.
And here's the thing, theexam is not gonna say, Hey,
you've spent two hours,maybe you should move on.
That clock is still ticking.
So when I tell studentsthey break it into those
three blocks, 60 questionssegments, and I say, split
(09:43):
it in threes, and peopleare like, that's roughly 75
minutes per 60 questions.
And so what they understandis that, oh my gosh, if I
am spending 90 minutes juston questions one through
60, I'm going to run out oftime, and that's the time
management that I reallywant people to understand.
When they take a full lengthpractice exam, you are
(10:05):
going to see how your bodyreacts from the stressors
to the tiredness becauseit's a different experience.
People say they have comeout of that exam exhausted.
Also the exam's verywordy and scenario based.
And so you have to siftthrough that noise.
And I always joke with peoplelike, be careful you're in
(10:27):
that question and you startbringing in your own life story.
Yeah, that happened to me.
Now you're like wasting 30seconds on the exam reliving,
a project management path.
So it's, and that's wherethe practice exam questions
are really good ones.
They help you through that.
And especially too, if thetendency to wanna change
your answer nine timesoutta 10, your first answer
(10:50):
was the correct answer.
So that is why it's alsohelpful to do practice exams
so you can catch yourselffrom changing your answer.
I'll do it in my classes andwe'll do the letters and show
our letters of questions.
And it's so funny 'cause Ihave them folded in fours.
It's like you remember thatlittle game with the paper
(11:11):
where we're like, my mom saidyou should, and like they're
all like folding their papers.
It's so funny.
I'm like, I'vechanged my answer.
I'm sticking to my, oh my gosh.
And so they get to seeI changed my answer.
My first answer was right.
Yes.
The cookie catchers,I, that's why I didn't
say the name yet.
Kelsey Alpaio (11:30):
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
I forgot the name of those.
What a throwback.
Yeah.
So going back a littlebit to the studying
piece of all of this.
So if someone is studyingfor the PMP while working
full-time, like what shouldthey prioritize in their prep?
Is there a framework or aroutine you recommend that
can help them stay on track?
Crystal Richards (11:52):
I do, especially when you take
a bootcamp class, I reallyemphasize because you spent
the time and money for abootcamp, it's 35 hours
usually, a hefty price.
It is, then it's game time.
Try to really make this afour to six week timeframe.
So that is something that ifyou're gonna take that route
(12:15):
and it's still somethingthat's possible if you
just do self-study, it'sjust that you don't have
that motivation per se.
Man, I spent all this money,you gotta take time out from
work versus oh, I'll get to it,I'll get to it, I'll get to it.
It is, I'll start fromthe bootcamp perspective
after the bootcamp.
I want you to think about forthe next three to four weekends,
(12:38):
you're doing a practice exam.
So in between work, if you cansneak in maybe 30 minutes before
you have your Wheaties, right?
30 minutes of doing practicequestions, and then an hour
after you put the kids tobed or have your dinner,
just reviewing the practicequestions that you did at lunch.
(13:02):
And reviewing those areasthat were a struggle for you.
So going back, that's where ifyou're referencing the PMBOK
guide for instance, you gothere as like an encyclopedia
to just, now that you have thecontext of missing a question,
you're going in, you're like,oh, that's why I missed it.
If you try to read itcold, you are like, I don't
(13:22):
know what I'm reading.
And this is where I alsosay to people, don't worry
about having taken a class.
Or done prior reading, just doa practice exam so you can get
a feel of the way that theyask questions, and then the
material will really connectand resonate with you when
you actually review it andyou're like, I saw a question.
(13:44):
Now I see why that's theanswer because that's the
PMI way of doing things.
And if it's hard during theweekdays, if you can't do
30 minutes in the morning,30 minutes in the afternoon,
maybe it's, the back end ofthe week, like your Thursday,
Friday, you might pump itup a little bit of, maybe
an hour and a half at night.
But it's really that Saturday,maybe some parts of Sunday.
(14:07):
Obviously you wanna make timefor your life and family.
But I also think, if this isyour personal and professional
goal, just like any other goalwe have, think about those
times that for some of you thatmay have gone back to school,
you just made that commitment.
You just carved outthat time, and that's my
encouragement for you isjust to carve out the time.
(14:28):
And trust me, if you get thisdone sooner rather than later,
your family will love you for.
They will like it's PMPand you'll stop cursing
my name or Crystal,let's just take the exam.
It is definitely worth it.
Just as a quick anecdote, Ihad a student some years ago
and she was dragging her feetand it was like two weeks
(14:52):
out to go on her family hugefamily reunion on a cruise.
And she's I'lljust take my book.
And I was like,no, you will not.
I was like, you are nottaking that material
on a family cruise.
You're gonna ruin your time.
Everyone's gonna hate you.
No, let's put together a plan.
I put together a plan.
I said, schedule thisexam on this date.
She's okay.
She passed.
(15:12):
Her whole family like sentme messages like, thank you.
She was a terror.
And she still to thisday says, I bullied her.
I was like, I didn't bully you.
She's would you bullyme to take this exam?
And I'm like, and you passed.
Oh my God.
And your family likesyou and me for it.
So it's really.
I had a student just recentlythat said to me, he's got,
(15:35):
I think two little kids hiswife is expecting, and he's
I'm gonna tell her if youwanna continue to stay at home
and me to make more money,I need to pass this exam.
I'm like, okay.
We were like,okay, if that's me.
Apparently that wasmusic to her ears,
Kelsey Alpaio (15:51):
oh my gosh.
I love it.
There's a fine line betweencoaching and bullying.
Crystal Richards (15:56):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So maybe next time I'll, butI was like, you are not taking
this material on a cruise.
That's just not fun.
You are not gonna have funand you're not gonna study.
Kelsey Alpaio (16:08):
Amazing.
But yeah.
So you've mentioned the PMBOKa couple times, and I know
that there is a new edition,the seventh edition is out.
I know the exam has changeda little bit as well over
the last few years, as youmentioned, and it's including
elements from beyond the PMBOK.
So how can people make surethey are studying the right
material and not wastingtime on those outdated
(16:30):
resources or outdated practicequestions or practice exams?
Crystal Richards (16:34):
Start with the source pmi.org, and then
go to their section that sayscertifications and go to the
PMP, and that's where it willlist their exam content outline.
So the exam is no longer justbased on one resource, which
used to be the PMBOK guide.
It's now based on severalresources that are reflected
(16:54):
in what we call the ECO,the exam content outline.
And I would say it isa matter of, right now
it's still accurate.
It says, exam update since 2021.
Here we are in 2025, so it'sstill true, still accurate.
We are suspecting, since youmentioned the seventh edition,
(17:16):
so I got wind of the eighthedition that is expected to
come out and what we have, Ithink seen in some publications
from, or correspondence fromPMI that it'll probably come
out in the fall of this year.
And usually PMI cadenceis that they will change
(17:39):
into the next year.
So if they're going to beaggressive, it might be
that the new updated examwill be January 1st, 2026.
Depending on how longit takes them to release
the eighth edition.
If they don't release the eighthedition until like December,
then usually their cadence isthat okay, we'll give people
(17:59):
that first quarter of the yearand then just expect like end
of March, April that there'sa new update to the exam.
So they usually givepeople some time, sometimes
a couple of months.
In general, for those ofyou that are considering
the PMP, it's always anend of year mad dash.
Everyone's trying to meettheir end of year goals, but
(18:23):
it is going to the source and,people will ask, so I'm, you
might like my presence and mypersonality and some of you're
like, Uhuh, she's too much.
And that's fine.
Definitely go to peoplethat you know who you trust.
What was your process?
Did you do a bootcamp?
Tell me why youdidn't do a bootcamp.
(18:44):
And just know thyself.
I know for me.
I have purchased so many onlinecourses and never finished them.
So yes, they're budgetfriendly, but you have to
think about what your goal is.
Is it that I want this becausejob prospects say you need the
PMP and there's someone willingto give me an offer right now
if I have my PMP within 30days, just do the bootcamp and
(19:07):
then work to negotiate thatbonus or in your salary that to
cover the costs, if you will.
If you are disciplined,you know that you can make
the time, purchase a book,purchase an exam simulator,
you should be good to go.
But either way, certificationsare just expensive anyway.
(19:29):
Even if you were to go theself-paced route, whether it's
a book or online, you stillhave to pay for the exam.
Then you have to maintainthe credential, and this is
a case of every three years.
So I, be, I forgot thesaying, but what is it,
like a pound and a fleshand all this other stuff.
I, I really need to readbooks more, but I've
(19:49):
been writing one, so.
Kelsey Alpaio (19:52):
Do you have time to read them
if you're writing them?
Crystal Richards (19:54):
I know, I'm just like, but I really am, I'm
trying to get better at that.
But it's, if you're tryingto like, be Pennywise end up
being like you spend more moneyanyway, just really have a heart
to heart with yourself about.
Is this going to give me thebiggest benefit, whether it
is investing in a bootcampwhere it's one and done and
(20:14):
I, they give me a study plan,they give me resources, check
out their websites, make surethat they're not some fly by
night website, that they'rereputable and that there's.
References and, check them outon, Reddit is the underground,
like they know it all right?
They're like, they'retruth bombs in there.
And then go to LinkedIn orsomething to see if they're
(20:37):
posting consistently and thatthis is their messaging and that
they're not just like showingup and then just appearing
and then showing up again.
You want someone that's gonnabe there for you if you decide
to do the bootcamp route.
Then as far as a book, Ithink we all know whatever
your resources from abook, purchasing, check
out the reviews, likejust not just the stars.
(20:58):
Check out the actual reviews ofpeople 'cause people are honest.
Some people are, hateful.
Everyone that gives them afour star, five star, and then
there's just the one, one star.
But you can still bediscerning about the
right resources for you.
Kelsey Alpaio (21:12):
So a couple more questions here for you.
So if someone is listening toall of this and being like, wow,
that seems like a lot of work.
Maybe this isn't worth the timeand the money and the stress,
what would you say to them?
Is the PMP stillworth it in 2025?
Should they go for it?
Crystal Richar (21:30):
I would say yes.
If you are seeing positionsthat really interest you or
people who you admire andfrom their roles and their
backgrounds, they have jobsthat you're like, oh my gosh,
I totally would love that.
And that they have a PMP.
I would say those aresignals that yes, it probably
(21:50):
is a credential that youmay want to consider.
Now I'm always a bigadvocate of getting your
company to pay for it.
I know that can be controversialbecause people are like, oh, if
they pay for it, I've gotta staythere, longer in this market.
Okay with that right now.
And then, like I said,everything's negotiable.
If you find an opportunityand they want you, it's
(22:14):
like this is what I need tonegotiate for me to jump ship.
Like some type of sign onbonus that you will pay
back the company for it.
I think it's a win-win whenyour company pays for it
or somebody pays for it.
PMI has scholarshipsall the time.
They have a foundation.
There can be some opportunitiesand you don't always have to
(22:34):
be in an academic setting.
I just find that so valuable.
I just had someone ask methe other day via LinkedIn,
should they go afterthis change management
credential or the PMP?
Which is wild to me 'cause Iwas like, those are two totally
different certifications.
Like I'm a project managementtrainer and I said it just
(22:55):
depends on what you see yourselffrom a career standpoint.
I am a person, which whatI'm getting ready to say
may maybe controversial.
I am a person of be strategicabout your certification chase.
And sometimes the signal iswhen you have this alphabet soup
(23:16):
of all these credentials, it'slike now they're too expensive.
Or and it's expensive foryou because you now have
to maintain all of thosecredentials for the very point
that I brought up earlier, youhave to do a recertification
and a recertification fee.
And sometimes thecourses will overlap and
(23:36):
there's reciprocation.
Like I'm a certifiedscrum master.
The courses that I take withthe Scrum Alliance, they
translate over to PMI and inmost cases, my PMI courses
will translate in some cases.
But that's where it's definitelyPMI is super like giving.
(23:57):
That's something that I doappreciate and I do recommend
that anybody listening seriouslyconsider being a member just
because of the added perks andthe ease that they make for you.
And it's a, it costs less torecertify as a member to, but
PMI is incentivize for youto maintain your credential.
(24:18):
So once you have it, itis super easy to maintain
it and they are very okaywith you getting training.
If you're a CISSP, you knowthe cybersecurity, if you have
a health resource managementcertification, those are
added benefits to you beingan effective project manager
(24:39):
because you need to know thatto be able to walk the talk,
especially if you're thatsubject matter expert along
with managing those projects.
So they're like,yeah you read books.
Yeah.
If they're leadership books,if they're, it's because
you signed or check the boxthat you will be ethical.
And so they're gonna believeyou if you said, I read this
book, or I read these seriesof books to help me be a better
(25:00):
HR expert, along with beinga better project manager.
So that's, for those ofyou who are considering the
PMP, to circle back to youroriginal question, Kelsey.
I think it's valuable ifproject management is the
career field that you see.
Everybody says that they're aproject manager, so having the
credentials is just a way foremployers to just filter out
people to say, okay, this personis truly serious and committed
(25:24):
to the field, if you can getsomeone else to pay for it, I
love other people's money, so.
Kelsey Alpaio (25:30):
Who doesn't?
Crystal Richards (25:31):
Exactly.
I love that.
Kelsey Alpaio (25:34):
I guess follow up to that question, once you
land one of these roles thatlike the PMP certification
has helped you get.
How often should you expectto actually use, what you
learned while preparingfor the exam in the role?
Crystal Richards (25:47):
Oh, that's a great question.
So I got the credential whenI was working on a federal
contract, and my boss saidto me, you need to have this
credential to be listed as keypersonnel on this contract.
Once you pass the exam,forget everything you learn.
And I was like, what?
And at the timeI'm like, whatever.
Okay.
Now that I'm in it andteaching it, I see so much
(26:10):
benefit because they'reteaching you better practice.
I see so much benefit inthe things that you learn
to be applied in the work.
So I've worked with oneproject management organization
and it was hilarious.
There's a tool that we teachcalled the RACI chart, or
RACI Matrix, which tellsyou who's responsible, who's
(26:32):
accountable, who do youconsult, and who is informed.
And during this planningmeeting of other certified
project managers.
They were like who'ssupposed to be doing this?
I don't understand who's doingthis, and I didn't wanna be that
person, but in my head I waslike, where is your RACI Matrix?
Like where is this?
So it is, if you decide totake my boss's advice and
(26:54):
not use any of it, I think,that's a disservice for you
and the credential choir'cause I think there are
things that you can bring in.
It's not required thatyou bring in everything.
I think that's therub for people is that
there's so much stuff.
Nobody has time to do all that.
Even PMI says, don't nobodygot time to do all that.
It's called tailoring.
Bring in the pieces thatmake sense given the
(27:17):
environment and the contextof your project work.
And sometimes even, I'm carefulabout the use of the PMI
language in the organizationif they call it a certain form.
I just wanna get clarificationon, okay, they mean this.
I'm not gonna go and say,oh, you mean the RACI chart?
This is what it's called.
That's not gonnawin you friends.
(27:38):
I'm gonna use the name that theycall it, apply it from a project
management and I think, thesmall wins can help you as well
of I see a challenge with this.
I'm gonna ease and use thistool and get them acclimated.
And when they see that there'ssuccess, that there's better
communication, hopefullybetter understanding about
(27:58):
the project, I might startintegrating another tool.
So I think there is a hugebenefit in really thinking
about the tools and once again,since I'm here and I wrote a
book like that is really what,that is really what I've put
that focus on is that I wastrying to strike that balance.
(28:19):
But while you're in mypages, here's how it
can add value to you.
And I think that's somethingthat's been missing in a
lot of the books 'causepeople are like, that's
why you get into that.
I'm gonna forget everythingthat I learned anyway because I
don't see how it's applicable.
And that was somethingthat I really was adamant
about bringing in, so.
Kelsey Alpaio (28:38):
That's awesome.
We're just about out of timehere, so can you leave us with
one thing every listener cando to set themselves up for
success with the PMP exam?
Crystal Richards (28:49):
PM yourself into that exam.
It is honestly, set a dateand then just all of our
other projects and then workbackwards and communicate
with the people in your lives.
So if your friends, your family.
Tell them, Hey, for 30 daysI'm gonna be a terror, but
(29:09):
I promise there is goingto be a absolutely your
team members, your boss.
Like Hey, for the next threeFridays, if you can get the
whole Friday off, take it off.
If they're like, we can'tlet you have a whole like ask
and negotiate for half days.
It is really project managingthat experience and think, if
(29:31):
you are more of a, an agile typeof person, do it in sprints.
And at the end of eachweek, your deliverable is
a practice exam and youget to see your results.
And now that is the feedbacknow of what you need to
do into your next sprintof getting through this.
And setting up the schedule.
(29:52):
If you lightly use a projectmanagement tool now, like
actually use Asana for whatit can do for your monday.com
and get the joy of seeingthe unicorn or whatever
flies across the screen thatyou are meeting your goal.
Because I've had a ton ofpeople say that this was their
personal and professionaldevelopment goal for years.
(30:12):
And do yourself a favorand project manage yourself
around passing this exam.
Kelsey Alpaio (30:19):
That's great.
Crystal, thank you so much forspending time with me today.
Crystal Richards (30:23):
Absolutely.
Thank you for inviting me.
Kelsey Alpaio (30:31):
That's it for today's Retro.
Be sure to follow the showso you never miss an episode.
And if you wanna keep theconversation going with
a crew of a thousand plusproject management pros
who get it, come join usat thedpm.com/membership.
Thanks for listening.
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