If you are interested in becoming CAPM or PMP certified, I implore you to register for the 4-day PMP boot camp offered by Project Management Academy (PMA). I took it this past February in Burlington, MA with Anand Pulchan, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about both my learning experience with Anand, and my overall experience with PMA.
First, Anand was not only extremely knowledgeable about all of the training material and the expectations and standards held by PMI, but was able to relate the training material in a fun and engaging way. He offered a lot of real-world examples from his career and called upon participants to do the same, which helped cement the learning material and make it relatable for everyone - a difficult task for even the most experienced trainers. I found this to be quite impressive, given the varied level of PM experience, industry experience, and professional status within our training class. When presented with questions or alternative points of view on the material, and challenges to some of the practice test questions, Anand consistently demonstrated patience and managed those discussions with poise and professionalism. He respectfully listened to the alternative viewpoints, honored all needs for clarification (sometimes multiple times over), and was able to explain why PMBOK would put forth a different expectation or answer. Finally, Anand was able to support and encourage all of us to persevere through the more difficult portions of PMBOK. He even offered his own time post-course to provide additional help with learning the material if needed. This demonstrated his sense of pride and ownership in his own work, and his commitment to doing excellent work for PMA, which I greatly appreciated. I took the CAPM exam on 2/28 and passed with high marks, and am now working on completing my PMP application so that I may sit for that exam. Thanks to Anand, I feel well-prepared for that endeavor! I would relish any opportunity to work with Anand again in the future!
Second, the folks at PMA were extremely responsive and helpful in answering all of my questions via email and phone about the course, the certification requirements, and general advice on pursuing both. Literally, my emails were returned within an hour at most, and the responses were all very thorough, insightful, and professional; the PMA customer support team made me feel very welcomed and encouraged. When I called to inquire about a potential cancellation due to a blizzard, they reliably called back when they said they would. I would highly recommend PMA to anyone looking for CAPM/PMP training! read more
