Time to Study, Study, Study

I have been wanting to get my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification for a few years now.  I originally started my application back when I was still in the Registrar's Office, but never quite finished it.  You see, the application is a big part of the process - you have to document 4500 hours of project management work, dividing each project out into the different phases of project management (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing).  You also have to document 35 hours of professional training courses certified by the Project Management Institute.  Anyway, it takes quite some time to put all that together.  And back then, I was taking a bunch of courses to try and get up to my 35 hours.

I started up seriously again in Fall of 2011.  In September or October, I had scheduled a November PMP bootcamp class through work, which would get my my 35 hours of training.  I had intended to complete everything by the end of the year, or early 2012 at the latest.  Well, as you know, I ended up getting engaged the end of October, and then life got in the way.  Wedding planning, getting married, becoming a wife and a mom, getting super busy with my project at work, building a house... it was hard to fit in the time to work toward my PMP!

Life is finally at a point where I am starting back up again!  I completed my PMP application a couple weeks ago and heard back last Monday that it was accepted!  Hooray!  One part of the equation is out of the way.  Now I have a ton of studying to do for the exam.  I have talked to many people who say it is the worst test they have ever taken.  I have also heard that only 43% pass the exam the first time they take it.  Ugh.  I really don't want to have to take the test more than once, but that means I need to really kick it in gear and dedicate the time necessary to studying.  Anyway, if we're in the middle of a conversation and I start muttering equations or definitions or whatever, bear with me :-)  I'm planning to take the test next month!