The document provides a comprehensive overview of PMP® and CAPM® certifications, detailing the author's extensive experience in project management and the value of these certifications for career advancement. It offers practical advice on preparing for the exams, including study materials, test-taking strategies, and the importance of mentorship. Additionally, it discusses the benefits of Agile methodologies in project management and highlights upcoming training sessions for prospective candidates.

1. Everything You Should Know About
PMP® & CAPM® Certifications
Seshne Govender
vCare Project Management Session - 5
www.vcareprojectmanagement.com

2. I am the Founder and Director of Fundamental Project Management, having over 15 years of
experience as a Program and Project Manager managing numerous large successful deliveries
with complex IT components in the Financial Services, Telecommunications, and Retail Sectors
of South Africa. This journey has provided me with invaluable experience in the Project
Management career path.
Started my career as an Engineer, studied Chemical Engineering in South Africa. Within a short
time, found my passion in projects in the Banking Industry. I have worked in diverse roles such
as Process Engineer, Business Analyst, Project Manager, and finally, Program Manager: A
career that provided joy to me for many years.
A certified Program Management Professional (PgMP)® and Project Management Professional
(PMP)®, which were invaluable in my Project Management Journey.
I am passionate about training, coaching, and mentoring people along the Project Management
career path.
Successful Program Manager, Project Manager & Trainer
Seshne Govender
Project Management Expert

3. PMP® & C
APM® Certifications
How to clear CAPM® & PMP® Exam in First Attempt?
Session - 5

4. Key Takeaways
Upcoming Session Roadmap
Session - 4 Recap Refresher
What you need to do to earn the CAPM® & PMP®
Credential?
How to check if you are ready for the exam?
Test Taking Suggestions
How to stay positive and pass your exam in your
first attempt?
Sample Exam Like Questions
Frequently Asked Questions

5. PMP® & C
APM® Certifications
Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid, Benefits, Principles
Session - 4 Recap

6. Waterfall vs. Agile
"This project has got so big,
I'm not sure I'll be able to
deliver it!"
"It's so much better
delivering this project in
bite-sized sections"

7. Release Release
Waterfall
Define
Build
Release
Risk
Define
Build
Release
Define
Build
Define
Build
Risk
Agile
Hybrid

8. Benefits of PMP® in International Market
YOU WILL ENHANCE
YOUR CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
YOU WILL BE RECOGNIZED
AS AN EXPERIENCED
PROFESSIONAL
YOU WILL SPEAK THE
RIGHT LANGUAGE
YOU WILL LEARN
NEW SKILLS
YOU WILL (PROBABLY)
EARN MORE MONEY
YOU WILL
DEMONSTRATE YOUR
DEDICATION

9. Benefits of Agile in Project Management
Agile is also a mindset that influences how we choose to think and act. As agilists, we choose to:
Accelerate our value
realization by embracing
worthwhile changes.
Delight customers by
taking a customer-centric
view to our work.
Improve group capability by proactively
collaborating instead of working in
functional silos.
Improve predictably by refining our
understanding of what is needed through
regularly showing our work and acting on
feedback.
Optimize flow by working on small
items instead of big items. Big things
are accomplished incrementally as a
series of small things.
Limiting the amount of work in
progress makes it easier to
identify inefficiency in a
team's workflow.
Improve continuously by frequently
learning from our experience and
evolving our practices based on what
we learned.
Source: PMI
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

10. Understand the format –
The CAPM® exam comprises 160 questions, and 230 minutes are allocated.
The PMP® exam comprises 180 questions, and 230 minutes are allocated.
The CAPM® & PMP® exam requires significant time
and effort, so be prepared for the journey
The main material (books) that are important
Process Groups
A Practical Guide
PMBOK®
Seventh Edition
The Agile
Practice Guide
PMBOK® Seventh
Edition
Business Analysis for
Practitioners: A Practice
Guide PMI
The Agile Practice
Guide
The PMI Guide to
Business Analysis
(December 2017) PMI

11. PMP® Domains
42% 50% 8%
People Process
Business
Environment
Start with the Process
Domain and ensure
thorough understanding of
the content before moving
on to the People and
Business Environment.
What you need to do to
earn the CAPM® & PMP®
Credential?
Reach out to accomplished SMEs and professionals in
project management on LinkedIn. Clarify all doubts.
Watch and read the Lessons learned and success
stories from existing CAPM®s & PMP®s.
Choose the Right Trainer & Mentor.
Engage with right study group for exam prep.
Walk into the exam center with confidence.

12. How to check if you are ready for the exam?
Do the mock/practice
exam in exam like
conditions
Use only the reputed
Question Banks
Don’t just use free
content
Consistency in score of
mock exam (70%-80%)
1 2 3 4

13. Use your time wisely.
Answer questions ahead of time.
Read each question carefully and thoroughly.
Read all answers, even if you think that your first choice is correct.
Confirm your answer.
Do not spend too much time on any one question.
If you are stumped by a question, you should guess, mark it for later and move on.
Remember you have only 4 hours i.e. 240 mins and you have under 1.5 mins per question.
If you do not know the answer, guess and review it later.
Make sure you answer each question in the 4 hour time period.
Once all questions are done, you should go back and review your marked questions.
Test Taking Suggestions

14. How to stay positive and pass
your exam in your first attempt?
Read PMBOK 7th – word-by-word
and key reference books
Build your exam strategy
Mock exam
Don’t panic, keep focus and work
hard
On exam Day: Stay Calm, keep
focused, and read the questions
carefully.
Study hard and prepare
Enough rest before the exam day
Select good mentor, preferably
Understand your strength and
weaknesses - work on your week
areas
Maintaining work-study-life balance
Understand the tasks from ECO
PMI-REP (Now it is PMI-ATP)
Self-Care: Ensure that you take some time to rest, exercise, and eat healthily during this stressful time.

15. Sample Exam Like Questions

16. A project has an Earned Value (EV) of $130,000
and Actual Cost(AC) of $120,000.
What is Cost Variance (CV)?
$20,000
$10,000
-$10,000
Cannot be determined from the given information
a.
b.
c.
d.

17. A project has an Earned Value (EV) of $130,000
and Actual Cost(AC) of $120,000.
What is Cost Variance (CV)?
$20,000
$10,000
-$10,000
Cannot be determined from the given information
a.
b.
c.
d.

18. A project manager notices a software engineer
has added a new feature without prior approval,
believing it will enchance the product.
This is an example of:
Proactive risk mitigation.
Gold-plating.
Approved scope alteration.
Contingency planning.
a.
b.
c.
d.

19. A project manager notices a software engineer
has added a new feature without prior approval,
believing it will enchance the product.
This is an example of:
Proactive risk mitigation.
Gold-plating.
Approved scope alteration.
Contingency planning.
a.
b.
c.
d.

20. A business analyst is facilitating discussions with
stakeholders to negotiate and confirm which requirements
should be incorporated within an iteration, release, or
project. Which process does this typically represent?
Establish Relationships and Dependencies
Determine Traceability and Monitoring Approach
Select and Approve Requirements.
Manage Changes to Requirements and Other Product
Information.
a.
b.
c.
d.

21. A business analyst is facilitating discussions with
stakeholders to negotiate and confirm which requirements
should be incorporated within an iteration, release, or
project. Which process does this typically represent?
Establish Relationships and Dependencies
Determine Traceability and Monitoring Approach
Select and Approve Requirements.
Manage Changes to Requirements and Other Product
Information.
a.
b.
c.
d.

22. A project manager is estimating costs for a new project. They
decide to use historical data from a similar activity or project
to make their estimates. Which of the following techniques is
the project manager using?
Analogous estimating
Parametric estimating
Single-point estimating
Story point estimating
a.
b.
c.
d.

23. A project manager is estimating costs for a new project. They
decide to use historical data from a similar activity or project
to make their estimates. Which of the following techniques is
the project manager using?
Analogous estimating
Parametric estimating
Single-point estimating
Story point estimating
a.
b.
c.
d.

24. A trend of stories is INCOMPLETE, and this becomes
apparent at the end of iterations. Several team members
worked on these stories and NO blockers were
identified. How can the agile team resolve the situation?
Put the stories back into the product backlog and wait for a
less intensive iteration to work on them
Use the next iteration for a team spike to
determine feasibility of completing the stories.
Put the stories in the blocked column and work with
the product owner to remove impediments.
Work with the product owner to further break down the
stories in the backlog and update the Definition of Ready.
a.
b.
c.
d.

25. A trend of stories is INCOMPLETE, and this becomes
apparent at the end of iterations. Several team members
worked on these stories and NO blockers were
identified. How can the agile team resolve the situation?
Put the stories back into the product backlog and wait for a
less intensive iteration to work on them
Use the next iteration for a team spike to
determine feasibility of completing the stories.
Put the stories in the blocked column and work with
the product owner to remove impediments.
Work with the product owner to further break down the
stories in the backlog and update the Definition of Ready.
a.
b.
c.
d.

26. A project manager is visiting a software supplier's office. Some
of the sights are surprising: two people per workstation,
estimations based on a deck of cards, developers forcing their
tests to fail, and routines with names such as "traffic cop" and
"ringleader". What could explain these practices?
The servant leader has granted the team a bit
too much freedom.
The supplier has adopted eXtreme Programming
methods.
The supplier appears to be conducting “gaming”
training sessions.
The project manager happened to visit during a
team building exercise.
a.
b.
c.
d.

27. A project manager is visiting a software supplier's office. Some
of the sights are surprising: two people per workstation,
estimations based on a deck of cards, developers forcing their
tests to fail, and routines with names such as "traffic cop" and
"ringleader". What could explain these practices?
The servant leader has granted the team a bit
too much freedom.
The supplier has adopted eXtreme Programming
methods.
The supplier appears to be conducting “gaming”
training sessions.
The project manager happened to visit during a
team building exercise.
a.
b.
c.
d.

28. A project is in the execution stage. Based on the originally
approved blueprint, 1,000 products were developed. The
project team randomly chooses 100 products to evaluate
against the quality plan. What is the project team undertaking?
Control procurement
Statistical sampling
Process audit
Quality assurance
a.
b.
c.
d.

29. A project is in the execution stage. Based on the originally
approved blueprint, 1,000 products were developed. The
project team randomly chooses 100 products to evaluate
against the quality plan. What is the project team undertaking?
Control procurement
Statistical sampling
Process audit
Quality assurance
a.
b.
c.
d.

30. A project’s workload is increasing significantly, and the
resource level is NOT sufficient. In response, management
outsources some major tasks to keep the project on schedule.
What should the project manager do in this scenario?
Review the communications management plan.
Escalate to the project sponsor.
Revise the procurement management plan.
Revise the organizational chart.
a.
b.
c.
d.

31. A project’s workload is increasing significantly, and the
resource level is NOT sufficient. In response, management
outsources some major tasks to keep the project on schedule.
What should the project manager do in this scenario?
Review the communications management plan.
Escalate to the project sponsor.
Revise the procurement management plan.
Revise the organizational chart.
a.
b.
c.
d.

33. What's Changing
in PMP® last Exam
Update

34. Then:
Now:
Then:
Now:
Enhanced protocols with security failures
leading to score cancellation.
In-person retakes at your own expense
after a security failure.
Free retakes, both in-person and online.
Result Notification
Data Forensics &
Security
Exam Retake
Policy
Then:
Now:
Instant preliminary results.
Results delivered to your inbox within
five business days.
Immediate invalidation for detected misconduct.
From 25th Sept’23

35. How to build project
management experience?

36. You would need to ensure your goals are
documented in your personal development
plan.
Look for opportunities that you can assist
with, even if they are stretch assignments
to prove yourself.
Do a good job at whatever lands on your plate
and opportunities will open for you and with
every opportunity, you will be gaining the
necessary experience.

37. How to land opportunities in
Agile roles?

38. Seek to gain knowledge in
Agile. Agile certifications can
be pursued to demonstrate
your knowledge and
commitment to Agile
methodologies
Seek to also develop
your skills in Agile by
contributing to Agile projects.
Once you have gained the
necessary knowledge and
skills, use your CV to
highlight your agile abilities.
to network and learn from
Agile professionals.
You can join Agile
community groups
and conferences

39. What velocity is, how to track it,
and how velocity points are
determined

40. Source: Graph taken from PMP® exam Prep course material.

41. What other certificates,
badges or qualifications
complement the PMP® award?

42. In addition to the PMP® certificate, there are various agile
certifications that can be pursued namely:
There are also certifications that can be pursued if there is
a particular area that you would like to focus on namely:

43. Differentiating the
Project Manager from
the PMO

44. The Project Manager and the Project Management Office (PMO) are
two roles in the project management team.
The project manager focuses on planning, executing, and
delivering projects on time, within budget, according to scope,
and to the right level of quality.
The PMO maintains the organization's project management
standards, processes, and governance. This role also focuses
on the standardization of these processes across projects.

45. Audience
Questions

46. PMP® & C
APM® Certifications
What you need to Study? | PMBOK® Based Questions
Session - 6

47. Frequently Asked Questions
Upcoming Session Roadmap
Session - 5 Recap Refresher
What you need to Study?
PMBOK® Based Questions - What to Focus?
Agile, Hybrid - Q&A Approach
Predictive, Agnostic - Q&A Approach
Business Analysis - Q&A Approach
Sample Exam Like Questions
Session - 6
Agenda
15 November'23
th

48. UPCOMING
SESSIONS
09:30 AM - 10:30 AM (BST)
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (CEST/SAST)
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (EAT/AST)
12:30 PM - 01:30 PM (GST)
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (IST)
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM (ICT/WIB)
04:30 PM - 05:30 PM (SGT/PHST)
07:30 PM - 08:30 PM (AEDT)
Time:
Session 6: 15 November'23
Session 7: 20 December'23
Session 8: 17 January'24
th
th
th

49. C vCare Project Management
seshne@vcareprojectmanagement.com
+27 722997173
Registered Address:
325 N. Saint Paul St, Suite 3100, Dallas, TX 75201, USA
www.vcareprojectmanagement.com
EIN: 35-2657414
Disclaimer
• PMP, PMI, PMBOK, CAPM, PgMP, PfMP, PBA, RMP, ACP, SP, DA, DASM, DASSM, ATP and OPM3 are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

50. C vCare Project Management
dharam@vcareprojectmanagement.com
+1 6502830123
Registered Address:
325 N. Saint Paul St, Suite 3100, Dallas, TX 75201, USA
www.vcareprojectmanagement.com
EIN: 35-2657414
Disclaimer
• PMP, PMI, PMBOK, CAPM, PgMP, PfMP, PBA, RMP, ACP, SP, DA, DASM, DASSM, ATP and OPM3 are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.