Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Prep Course Review

I recently took the 4 day Project Management Professional (PMP) preparation course offered by Cheetah Learning. They guarantee that you will pass the PMP exam after taking their course. If you do fail, you can re-take the course for free. The course costs $3350.00 which does not include the actual PMP testing fee. You'll have to register for the exam with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and find a local testing center that will administer the exam. Luckily for me, my company was able to cover both expenses. (Hint: do a google search for a course discount code.)

Overall, they did a great job of preparing me for taking the exam. They apply cutting edge learning concepts and testing techniques to help you retain as much information as possible from the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK). I must warn you - the course is designed to get you to score as high as possible on the PMP exam and to learn project management the PMI way. Many of my fellow classmates had preconceived notions that they would actually learn practical project management skills in this course. This is not the case. In fact, some of the more seasoned project managers became frustrated as they insisted on debating the validity of the PMI way (waste of energy). You are taking this course to beat the system, not to actually learn to apply project management techniques.

The teachers are very experienced and use various techniques (some unorthodox) to help you learn the material. These techniques range from annotating flash cards and listening to subliminal advertising tapes, to doing yoga and breathing techniques, and changing your diet. The menus and snacks are carefully crafted to be high protein and low carb. Keep an open mind!

I found the Thursday final exam to be a good predictor of how you score on the actual exam and I recommend taking the PMP Certification Exam on the Friday of the week you take the course. Cheetah recommends staying at the hotel that the course is hosted to minimize distractions. I chose not to, and was still able to pass with flying colors.