Just Get PMP

What is PMI-RMP® Certification? How did I prepare for PMI-RMP® Certification? You will find answers to these questions in this article.

PMI-RMP® Certification is the prestigious Risk Management Professional Certification from PMI (Project Management Institute). It demonstrates your ability to identify and analyze project risks, avoid/ transfer/ mitigate threats and capitalize on opportunities. PMI states that

83% of organizations that are high performers in project management practice risk management frequently while just 49 percent of low performers do so (Pulse of the Profession®: Capturing the Value of Project Management, February 2015)

How did I prepare for PMI-RMP Certification?

I became a Certified Risk Management Professional and earned my PMI-RMP® Credential about two years back. In this article, I would like to share the various mock exams I tried and the scores I obtained in those. I am just jotting down the journey towards obtaining PMI-RMP® Certification.

	Date of the Mock Test	Service Provider	Description	No. of questions	Score Obtained
1	24-06-2013	SimpliLearn	Free PMP test	175	78.9 %
2	15-07-2013	Ucertify	Free RMP Test	15	73 %
3	16-07-2013	Ucertify	Chapter Quiz	26	77 %
4	17-07-2013	The PM Instructors	Free PMI-RMP Questions	20	85 %
5	22-07-2013	Rita Mulcahy	Pretest	25	84 %
6	28-07-2013	Abdulla J. Alkuwaiti	Practice Questions	65	87.1 %
7	29-07-2013	PMXCEL.com	Sample Quiz	25	92 %
8	02-08-2013	Head First PMP	Risk Management Chapter Questions	20	95 %
9	03-08-2013	VTC	RMP Part 1	40	95 %
10	04-08-2013	VTC	RMP Part 2	50	88 %
11	05-08-2013	Scordo	Risk Management Questions	10	80 %
12	06-08-2013	Oliver Lehmann	PMP Test	75	80 %
13	06-08-2013	VTC	RMP Part 3	125	89 %
14	07-08-2013	VTC	PMI-SP Part 1	40	85 %
15	10-08-2013	Rita Mulcahy	Human Resource Chapter	34	76 %
16	10-08-2013	Rita Mulcahy	Quality Chapter	35	91 %
17	12-08-2013	Rita Mulcahy	Time Chapter	38	94.7 %
18	14-08-2013	Edwel	Free PMP Exam	200	79 %
19	12-08-2013	Rita Mulcahy	Cost Chapter	38	94.7 %
20	15-08-2013	Rita Mulcahy	Procurement Chapter	40	92.5 %

I believe that only practice can help you. I believe that most of the candidates who prepare for the risk management exam are already certified PMPs. So, they have the knowledge and basic understanding of how the risks are identified, assessed, risk responses planned, monitored and controlled. So, all they need is to practice more and more mock tests/ practice questions to get it right. Please go ahead and successfully obtain your PMI-RMP Credential!

I am proud to say that I am successful in my effort to obtain my second PMI credential. Yes, I am a Certified Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP).


The thought of taking up the RMP exam crossed me sometime in early June. But, I didn't pursue that because of the change in examination syllabus from PMBOK 4 to PMBOK 5. I thought that the time was too short to achieve the goal.

Then, sometime in June itself, I came to know that only PMP exam changes by end of July 2013 whereas RMP exam changes only by end of August. So, I wanted to give it a try. Even though I know that there were insignificant changes from PMBOK4 to PMBOK5, I was reluctant to wait. (A known devil is better than unknown angel, right?).


I did some research to find the contact hours required to fulfil PMI's requirements. I purchased one month of online access to VTC. They have several online courses, which you can access during the period of subscription. If you complete watching the videos for a course, you will get the certificate of completion for that course.

Resources used for RMP exam preparation

1. VTC.com: PMI-RMP Risk Management Professional bundle (Author: Vanina Mangano)
2. Risk Management Tricks of the Trade for Project Managers + PMI-RMP Exam Prep Guide by Rita Mulcahy
3. Study Guide For the PMI Risk Management Professional Exam by Abdulla J. Alkuwaiti
4. PMBOK 4
5. PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam by Rita Mulcahy
6. Risk Management chapter from Head First Pmp: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam by Andrew Stellman
7. Several free online resources, some of which are listed below:
7a. PMXCEL: PMI-RMP Sample Questions
7b. uCertify.com: Trial Copy of PMI-RMP Course
7c. SimpliLearn: Free PMI-RMP Practice Test

Advice for PMI-RMP aspirants

Even though I have listed lot of resources above, I didn't use all of them to the full extent. Here is how I have used them:

• I listened to most of the video content from VTC.com; they were quite useful and informative. I answered all the practice questions and mock test given by VTC.com and compared those answers with the author's answers.
• I used Rita's Risk Management book and Alkuwaiti's risk management book only to try the end of the chapter questions; I did not find it necessary to go through the entire book.
• I went through PMBOK's risk management chapter (in my opinion, this is the most useful exercise you should do); and a quick review of other chapters like quality, communication, human resources, time, cost and procurement.
• I used Head First PMP book also for only trying end of the chapter questions in risk management
• I find most of the online resources not that useful for PMI-RMP exam

Conclusion

If you are a PMP credential holder, you will not find PMI-RMP exam too difficult. The approach is similar; but get ready for a barrage of questions primarily around risk management. You should be thorough with all the risk management processes, the tools and techniques, and concepts like secondary risk, residual risk, contingency plans, work arounds and so on. Wishes for your success in PMI-RMP exam. If you need any advice/ suggestions/ feedback, please leave a comment below.