PM PrepCast Review – Online PMP Course + 35 PMP Contact Hours

Important UPDATE：The PM PrepCast™ Company has withdrawn from the Authorized Trianing Partner (ATP) of PMI. That’s a GOOD news indeed as PMP Students will again be able to make use of the much acclaimed PM PrepCast™ online course for the 35 Contact Hours as well as PMP Exam preparation (NO need to enrol in the instructor-led PMP courses which are much more expensive). 

PM PrepCast™ Review — The PM PrepCast™ is my choice for PMP Exam Prep course. It can help busy young working professionals in the field of project management to get PMP certified with tight budgets and limited time. It has been thoroughly updated to the latest PMP Exam syllabus to help Aspirants to be well prepared for the new PMP Exam in 2021. The course can really help PMP aspirants (including me) to succeed in the PMP Exam (I got 4 Above Target and 1 Target in my PMP Exam in the first attempt) as over 45,000+ PMP students have made use of the PM PrepCast™ for their PMP Exam preparation.

Originally, I purchased the online PMP training course Project Management PrepCast (PM PrepCast™) PMP Exam Prep Course originally as THE way to obtain the required 35 contact hours for the PMP Exam application ….. but this downloadable PMP video course exceeded my expectations — the PM PrepCast™ did help me to pass the PMP Certification exam with 4 Proficient and 1 Moderately Proficient!

Just the unique benefit of enabling me to earn the 35 Contact Hours anywhere I go alone justifies the cost of PM PrepCast™ Standard — I can download all the lessons onto my smartphone and watch the lessons while I am waiting for the train, sitting in the train, walking, jogging …… I do not need to spare extra time for face-to-face lectures and transportation! In fact, one can even earn the 35 contact hour certificate recognised by PMI in as short as 2 weeks’ time by passing the PM PrepCast™ final exam which is quite short and easy!

Note: There is a bundle offer of PM PrepCast™ plus 1800 PMP practice questions (PMP mock exams). Practicing mock exams is the second most important contributing factor to passing the PMP Exam (the first is taking the PMP Exam Prep course). The bundle will provide one with enough questions to try.

Over 42,000 PMP aspirants have made use of PM PrepCast™ for their PMP Exam Prep…… And I am one of those who pass the PMP Exam on the first attempt.

For peace of mind, PM PrepCast™ offers no-question 90 days FULL refund. The only condition is that you have not taken the final exam and generated the 35 Contact Hour/PDU Certificate. I made up my mind to purchase PM PrepCast™ immediately after knowing that I could get a full refund without any questions!

However, I never took advantage of the refund as I am satisfied with the PM PrepCast™, read my PM PrepCast™ below to understand why.

Limited Sale: Please click here for the PM PrepCast™ coupon code

How PM PrepCast™ helps me pass the PMP Exam in the first try

My name is Edward Chung, PMP, PMI-ACP®, ITIL® Foundation and I am a full-stack web developer/designer/project manager working in the education sector in Hong Kong. I passed the PMP examination with the equivalent of ‘Above Target’ in Initiation, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and ‘Targett’ in Closing.

The PM PrepCast™ gives my the required 35 contact hours for the PMP Exam and helped me to pass the PMP Certification exam.
Since I was too busy to set aside the time for full-day PMP boot camps owing to professional and family obligations (I have 3 young kids… ), online PMP training courses deemed to be the obvious choice. After searching Google for several days, I have established my criteria for selecting the online PMP training course:

1. Can be watched without time limit (or, for a long period of time) in case I need to reschedule my exam date
2. Can be downloaded to my iPhone / iPod and watched on the go without requiring an internet connection
3. Can give me the PMI required 35 contact hours certificate in order to apply for the PMP exam
4. Can help me to pass the PMP exam
5. Guaranteed refund in case I am not satisfied with the quality

The PM PrepCast™ fulfils all my requirements and needs! Read below for the detailed descriptions.

Hope this PM PrepCast™ review will help you to make an informed choice of your PMP prep course. If you find PM PrepCast™ suitable and if you enjoy my PMP articles, please consider buying it through the links on this page. I will earn a small commission (at NO extra cost to you) to sustain my website running. This PM PrepCast™ review is a sharing of my experience of using the PMP training course to help me pass PMP Certification exam in one try. However, even if you do not purchase through the links, you are still most welcome to make use of my PMP study notes and other resources to help you with your PMP Exam — that’s my way to contribute back to the project management community!

Thank you and wish you PMP success!

The PM PrepCast™ – PMP Training Overview

The PM PrepCast™ is a downloadable PMP training course which can be synced to iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android or any mobile phones capable of playing videos. All the video lessons can be downloaded to your computer. One can keep and watch the videos without any time limit. To use with iOS devices, the PM PrepCast™ can be added as a webcast and automatically be synced between the iOS device and iTunes without the need of installing extra software. Below are some screen captures of the video lessons:

Throughout the PM PrepCast™, the instructor, Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM, will guide students all the way and teach everything one will ever need to know before (i.e. how to apply for the exam, pass audits and prepare for the exam), during (i.e. plan exam time, braindump, when to take rest), and after the exam (i.e. earn PDUs at low cost). There are 15 review questions after each chapter for students to check whether the course materials have been correctly understood.

Unlike other PMP exam prep training courses, the ambition of Cornelius does not stop at equipping students with enough knowledge to pass the PMP exam. He tries to add ample real-life examples and cutting-edge knowledge into the course to assist project managers to apply newly gained knowledge in everyday work.

The PM PrepCast™ is updated in March 2018. That means the current version is based on the 6th edition of the PMBOK® Guide and the latest PMP Exam Content Outline. The latest edition of PM PrepCast™ is created using the Agile/Scrum methodology and thus one can get first-hand knowledge of Agile, which is one of the focuses of the latest PMBOK® Guide.

According to a recent survey, PM PrepCast™ is among the most popular online PMP training of the successful PMPs (source: 100 lessons learned by successful PMP exam-takers).

What You’ll Get by Purchasing PM PrepCast™

1. Over 50 hours of high-quality video PMP training lectures, covering all the knowledge areas of PMBOK® Guide with additional lectures on examination skills, cross-cutting skills and applied concepts. The content is more than enough for PMP exam and will also benefit everyday work. A Student Workbook is also included to help track your progress through the lessons.
2. Certificate for 35 contact hours after passing the Final Exam (a 25 question online quiz which students can try unlimited time for free until a pass is achieved).
3. 300 sample exam PMP questions (15 questions for each knowledge area)
4. Subscription to a 10-part “Learn from the Experts” email course and weekly newsletter, detailing the examination taking strategies of successful PMP exam takers, their lessons learned and updated exam tips and news.
5. The PMP Exam Study Checklist. This checklist is a great resource to find additional exam study materials and exam preparation tips to boost exam prep studies. And students will learn to know whether they are ready for the PMP exam.
6. Access to a PMP discussion forum where experienced PMP instructors including Cornelius will discuss and answer exam related questions.

PM PrepCast™ Review: Pros

1. Cornelius is a seasoned PMP and a professional radio station host. His sense of humour is intertwined throughout the whole course giving students a bit of surprise here and there. One will always look forward to the ending farewell message of each episode. In one episode, he even appeared in the video to say hello to his listeners.
2. Unlike other online PMP training courses which would present the course materials for each chapter of PMBOK® Guide as one video, Cornelius has digested the PMBOK® Guide into small chunks of videos ranging from 10 – 30 minutes each, which can serve as ‘attainable‘ goals for each listening session. I printed out the video index, set the goal for each day and crossed out the video titles after listening.
3. The whole course is professionally recorded in a studio. The voice quality is superb. There is no annoying background noise common to amateur online videos.
4. After passing the online examination (called Final Exam) of 25 questions, one will get the Certificate for 35 Contact Hours which fulfils the requirements of 35 contact hours for the PMP exam. The Final Exam can be taken for an infinite number of times until one has passed.
5. The powerpoint slides showing in the video lessons are beautifully illustrated with related photos.
6. More than 50,000 students have taken this PMP training course for PMP Exam preparation, which is one of the largest student population among similar online PMP training courses.
7. In case you are not satisfied with PM PrepCast™, you can ask for a FULL refund within 90 days of purchase with no questions asked. The only condition is that you must not have taken the Final Exam.

PM PrepCast™ Review: Cons

1. Only 15 review questions are provided for each chapter (a total of 300 for the whole course). Students will need to search for free PMP exam questions or purchase PMP exam simulators for better preparation. Or one may purchase the bundle of PM PrepCast™ + PM Exam Simulator (a.k.a. PM PrepCast™ Elite package).
2. If you would listen to every episode of the PM PrepCast™, it would take you more than 50 hours. However, only 35 contact hours are needed by the PMP exam.
3. Students will need to take notes by pen or on the computer as the PM PrepCast™ does not include downloadable powerpoint files (or the lecture slide notes) which appear in the video lessons. I did make my own PMP study notes which you may find useful.
   
4. Self-study requires a lot of discipline and determination. If you do not thrive on self-study, maybe online PMP Exam prep courses are not for you.
5. The PM PrepCast™ does not include an in-depth discussion on PMP Formulas and provides enough training on how to tackle PMP Maths questions. (Note: I have to read several other books and create my own PMP formulas study notes.)

Edward’s Tips for Getting the Most out of PM PrepCast™

As I have personally made use of the PM PrepCast™ online video training course to help me pass the PMP Exam (and also the Agile PrepCast™ from the same author for my PMI-ACP® Exam), below are my two cents on how to make the best use of PM PrepCast™:

1. Course Outline Table as Progress Check
   As there is none an automatic progress check for PM PrepCast™ (unlike other online training courses which feature a course dashboard), you are highly advised to print the course outline (which is included as a PDF download from the course material download) and put it in a prominent place. Once you have finished a lecture, cross it out on the course outline table. This will give you the badly needed tracking of your progress and a sense of accomplishment to move you forward (it is a bit lonely taking the course online on one’s self only).
2. Make Full Use of Idle Time
   One of the most celebrated features of the PM PrepCast™ is that it can be downloaded to your mobile phone and you can listen to the lectures even without an internet connection. One can virtually prepare for the PMP Exam anywhere. I did make full use of the time I was walking and taking the train to and from work. Almost all the PM PrepCast™ lessons were finished this way.
3. Take the PM PrepCast™ Final Exam Midway through the Course
   Don’t get me wrong, I am not asking you to shortcut the courses. But as the final exam can be taken any number of times for free, it is a great tool to access your understanding of the PMP subject matters. I wrote the final exam midway through my progress on the course out of curiosity and got around 90%. This boosted my confidence, which in turns helped to accelerate my progress through the entire course.
4. Take Study Notes by Capturing the Lecture Screens
   As I went through the PM PrepCast™ on the go, I did not have notebooks with me. I made my study notes through capturing any screens that I thought useful at the time of viewing the course lectures. Afterwards, I would review those screen captures and wrote my own PMP study notes once I got hold of a computer. To me, that was quite an effective way to study for the PMP Exam.
5. No Need to Go Through Each and Every Lecture of the PM PrepCast™
   Modules 30 or above in the PM PrepCast™ are auxiliary PMP study materials that are helpful for Aspirants to understand and apply the PMBOK® Guide concepts. There is no need for one to go through all these lectures in order to be well prepared for the final exam. It is highly recommended to attempt the final exam after you have finished Module 13 to accelerate your PMP application process (as you need to have got the 35 Contact Hour certificate at the time of applying for taking the PMP Exam). You can go through Modules 30 or above later on when you have time.
6. Read the PMBOK® Guide Alongside the Course Lectures
   As the lectures are organised into the content structure of the PMBOK® Guide (i.e. for every chapter of the PMBOK® Guide, there is a corresponding chapter on the PM PrepCast™), it is highly advised to finish a lecture from the PM PrepCast™ first and read the same chapter of PMBOK® Guide closely after. The PM PrepCast™ aids Aspirants to understand the PMBOK® Guide while reading the latter will help one to remember the key concepts in their heads. However, it is not recommended to work the other way round (i.e. reading PMBOK® Guide first) as the PMBOK® Guide is a dry read which is quite difficult to understand — if you read it the first time.
7. Purchase also the PM Exam Simulator 2.0
   The PM Exam Simulator allows Aspirants to take mock exams in the full 4-hour 200-question format or project management domain by domain. If one has also bought the PM Exam Simulator, they will be able to do some practice questions after they have finished studying the course lecture and read the PMBOK® Guide of the same chapter. The mock questions will be able to offer some progress check on whether you have already got all the required knowledge/concepts from the chapter content. Aspirants will also enjoy a special discount when purchasing the PM PrepCast™ and PM Exam Simulator together in a bundle (a.k.a. PM PrepCast™ Elite).

Online PMP Training Market Competition

The PM PrepCast™ is among the cheapest means to obtain the required 35 contact hours for PMP exam (though there are still some cheaper options like the GreyCampus online PMP course in the market they do not provide the “downloadable course” feature and the quality if not as good as the PM PrepCast™).

It helps me to understand and memorize the knowledge required to pass the PMP exam. It is not just the average PMP certification training. I considered the PM PrepCast™ is of very high quality as I have used it in my PMP preparation myself.

Best of all once purchased the PM PrepCast™ is yours forever. Who knows one would really need to defer the PMP exam for urgent matters? If you get hold of PM PrepCast™, it is not a matter if you need three months more to complete the PMP training. There is none PMP training on the market that allows you this kind of flexibility (often, there is an access period of 180 days only). In addition, one can always refer back to it for reference in daily work.

My Recommendation for PMP Certification Aspirants

If you are looking for a PMP examination training material that provides you with both the required 35 contact hours, help you to study well for the PMP exam as well as the practical information that will benefit your everyday work, I highly recommend the Project Management PrepCast (PM PrepCast™). I got 4 Proficient and 1 Moderately Proficient in my PMP Exam with the help of PM PrepCast™. It is the best investment for my PMP examination training and preparation.

Saving tips: PM PrepCast™ may release discount coupons from time to time, do check out this page: discount code page for PM PrepCast™.

It is good to know that you can get a FULL refund within 90 days of purchase with no questions asked. The only string is that you have not taken the final exam of the PM PrepCast™.

If you are considering whether PM PrepCast™ is for you and you have some queries about PM PrepCast™, you may read the post on PM PrepCast™ FAQ to see if your questions have already been answered. Hope this PMP training review can help you select the best online project management course for the PMP Certification exam.

Should you have any queries over PMP certification preparation, I am more than happy to answer them at [email protected] or you may leave a comment below. Wish you PMP success!

Appendix: How to download all the lecture videos via iTunes?

One of the big pluses of PM PrepCast™ is that all the lecture videos of the PM PrepCast™ can be downloaded and kept by you forever. And PM PrepCast™ has made it easy to download all the videos via iTunes (which should be the most popular podcast subscription app).

But if you are in a hurry, just skip to around 4.15 of the video which would show you to select “Feed” in the “Show:” drop-down menu (please refer to the screen capture below):

Download all PM PrepCast™ lectures via itunes

* If you find PM PrepCast™ suitable and if you enjoy my PM PrepCast™ Review and other PMP study articles, please consider buying it through the links on this page. I will earn a small commission (at NO extra cost to you) to sustain my website costs. Thank you. You are most welcome to make use of my free PMP study notes and other resources on this website whether you make purchases or not. This is my way to contribute to the project management community.