Good Decisions: PMP and PrepLogic

Posted 06-23-2009 at 11:06 PM by pereb
Updated 09-15-2009 at 08:33 AM by pereb

Tags 2009, audio, certification, monitor, pmp, preplogic, preplogic review, preplogic.com, training

Last month I wrote about the crossroads I was at in my career. Well, I decided it was time to take some action. Since I’m new to certifications, I talked to some friends in the field and did some looking around online, and decided to pick up PMP video training from PrepLogic.com (here: http://www.preplogic.com/products/vi...s.aspx?eid=391). I love it. I bought the PMP practice exam from PrepLogic, too but I’ve really just started looking at that.

I looked into two project management certification routes, the PMP and Project+ from CompTIA. I’m familiar with CompTIA, but it seems that the PMP is simply what is in demand right now. The required background for the PMP is much more demanding than for Project+, but I definitely have enough experience and hands-on training in project management to feel comfortable. So I chose the PMP.

Anyway, I watched a sample of the video on PrepLogic.com before I bought it, and since I liked what I saw I picked it up. I’ve had it about three weeks now, and I love it so far. I’ve been working late a lot, and by time I get home I just want to veg out on the couch and watch tv, not study for my PMP certification. So I’ve just been taking about an hour at a time a couple nights each week to watch the PrepLogic PMP video, and got through it all at my own pace. I had a little trouble getting started because the license key that came with the discs didn’t work, but I called PrepLogic’s customer service and they got everything taken care of really quickly. Since then, everything’s been perfect. I’ve used video training for other things in the past, and the instructors always fall on the extreme sides of the spectrum: they either use so much jargon that you have no idea what they’re talking about, or they dumb it down and talk to you like an idiot. The guy in the PrepLogic PMP video manages to find a pretty good balance between the two.

Bottom line: I’m really happy with PrepLogic’s video training. I hope the practice exam is just as good. I’ve also been using their free study guide (here) and another free one I got from cramsession.com (over here) , and reading around on message boards for tips.

I wish PrepLogic had more training for Linux. They have a few things for the LPIC1 and LPIC2 exams, but I guess I'll have to go somewhere else for anything more than that. Maybe that will be next. I’m an enthusiast, but it might be good for me to get some official training. I’d love to hear thoughts on those LPIC certs. Many folks out there have them? Are they worth the time, if they’re not essential for my job?

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I agree, I've been very happy with Preplogic. I bought their unlimited access program back in January for my ccna. Top notch stuff. The preplogic sales guys are nice, very informed. A little pushy at times but I guess everyone has quotas. I had a little trouble with my DVDs not getting to me so I called them up. The preplogic customer service was the best part of it all. I expected to have to pay to have them reshipped or at least to have to put up a fight. But they handled everything was tons of professionalism. I think my rep's name was Scott. Very nice guy. I'm 6 months in and very happy with Preplogic so far. Glad you had a similar experience.

I used Preplogic for my CCNA and for the first two exams of my Microsoft MCSE (70-290 & 70-291). All three training programs from these guys was solid. Can't say anything about their PMP training though. Haven't tried it. Used CBT nuggets for my A+. No good there. Looks like the filmed their stuff in their mom's garage.

Posted 06-24-2009 at 09:16 PM by pomo56 pomo56 is offline

Preplogic and CCNA

Yeah, I agree with you about them. I used Preplogic for my Net+ and CCNA last year. You're right about the video training being really good and you should check out their practice exams too. The Preplogic tests are a little harder than the real test but that pushed me to study even more, so I really knew what I was doing and aced the real test. Other than being a little harder the practice test was pretty much just like the real one. I'm going to go back to Preplogic again for Vmware pretty soon.

To answer your question... Do you plan on working with Linux in your job or just for personal use? If it's for a job then I say definitely go for it.

Posted 07-22-2009 at 04:13 PM by tscra tscra is offline

Updated 09-17-2009 at 10:17 AM by tscra

	I agree with the guy above me. If it's relevant for your job, go for the Linux certifications. If it's not relevant, then you should probably focus on certs that you actually need. Good choice with PrepLogic, too. I used PrepLogic's videos and practice tests for my MCSE and I'd definitely use them again.
	Posted 07-31-2009 at 12:20 PM by bucks367

Preplogic.com is excellent training

Our company has used Preplogic.com for Microsoft training for over 3 years now. Most recently we purchased three of their Unlimited Access licenses, two of them for two of my guys. The thing I like best about PrepLogic is their video training.

If you haven't see it, it really is great. We previously used CBT Nuggets but the gripe with them is that I felt like I was watching my family's vacations movies. It's decent enough content but it's just terrible to watch. The training from Preplogic.com is expertly developed and feels like a top notch quality presentation. Plus the stuff from PrepLogic is done with well known instructors. Many of these guys have written books so they know what they're talking about. These two things make the experience of Preplogic training worth our patronage.

Bottom line is right now we're only hiring people who have kept up with their training. The luxury of this recession economy is that we get to choose who we want and only hire the best. As for our current employees, Preplogic has helped us keep those guys sharp as well. We just want the best. It's how we've made it the past 18 months in a recession without having to fire anyone. You either come to us with the skills we want or we don't hire you.

So if you're looking for a job, get certified and we recommend Preplogic.

Posted 08-27-2009 at 07:46 PM by BigEd BigEd is offline

VMWare Preplogic Training

As I said above, I am now using Preplogic to prepare for my VMware certification. Once again I'm very pleased with the quality of the training and the overall product. I've been on the Preplogic unlimited access plan. The only downside to the plan is you can only switch exams every 2 weeks or so, therefore I could see how someone studying for a lot of exams at the same time might find it a little frustrating. But overall Preplogic's program is the most convenient one that I have found because the audio training can be downloaded to your IPod and you can study wherever you go. Also the price of Preplogic's unlimited access program is tough to beat if you're planning on going for more than just 1 certification.

One other thing that is great about Preplogic is that they don't just teach to the exam. That's a big difference from a lot of companies that just show you actual live exam questions (which may or may not be up to date) and expect you to memorize the answers. Preplogic actually makes sure you know the material. If you don't know the material, you shouldn't bother getting certified, because your employer will find you out pretty quickly. This is why it's so important to select a good certification training company and for me Preplogic is the way to go.

Posted 09-11-2009 at 08:39 AM by tscra tscra is offline

Updated 09-17-2009 at 10:17 AM by tscra

Anyone use Preplogic for A+?

It's nice to hear good things in general about Preplogic but does anyone have experience using their A+ program? I'm just starting down the cert road and I'm looking to obtain my A+ and Preplogic looks to be a good certification company but I would just like the opportunity to speak with someone who has actually done Preplogic's A+ program before I spend money on it. I made a blog entry about Preplogic. I don't know which products to buy if I do use them, can anyone tell me if the Preplogic mega guides are any good? Please comment if you can tell me more about the A+ program.

Posted 09-16-2009 at 09:22 AM by lnarea lnarea is offline

Updated 09-17-2009 at 03:26 PM by lnarea

	Bought Preplogic A+ Just wanted to update. I did go ahead and order Preplogic's video training course for A+. I still hadn't found anyone who had done it yet but the reviews on Preplogic's other products were great so I decided to give it a try. I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes. Hoping to start with A+ and move into CCNA and up from there. I'm tired of being a level 1 help desk lol.
	Posted 09-18-2009 at 08:49 AM by lnarea

So far so good with Preplogic

I went ahead and gave Preplogic a try, thanks to some of the good things I read about them here. I ordered last week and it took a few days to get the materials. I was able to play around with the practice exams while I was waiting and finally everything got here on friday night. This allowed me to get started over the weekend. I won't have as much time to play with it during the week but Preplogic does make it easy to do portable training so I'm thankful for that.

The Preplogic A+ program has been really helpful for me so far. It's really a no-brainer when I compared this training regimen to going to my local college or reading a huge book. The training instructor in the video is a real pro. He's not a teacher, he's a real industry expert, apparently that's the norm for Preplogic videos. Now the downside is the video is long but I'll take that over a big study book any day I guess. I can bookmark the video. I didn't realize that at first and it took me forever to find my spot again. So my biggest tip here is be sure to bookmark!

The instructor teaches you using real-world situations and teaches shortcuts that IT pros use. It's great that the Preplogic instruction is focused, so it teaches techniques needed to be successful in the real world, rather than just reading out of some textbook.

Now the Preplogic mega guide is going to be a good resource for me when I'm away from the computer. This will be nice during the day whenever I have a few minutes to spare. I'm planning on also listening to the "quiz me" audio Preplogic training in my car.

I've feel like I'm learning some new tricks with Preplogic. It's a good first step and I feel good about taking it.

Posted 09-21-2009 at 09:46 AM by lnarea lnarea is offline

Thanks for all of the responses. I haven't had much time to blog lately between studying and work but I'm getting really close here. I think I'll be ready to sit for the PMP by Christmas. That's my goal anyway. I just wanted to say that at this phase in my training I'm really making good use of the Preplogic PMP practice exam. It's got over 400 questions. I was really impressed with how comprehensive it is. I read somewhere that the Preplogic practice exams are actually just a little harder than the real exams. I hope this is true because I'm doing pretty well on the practice tests at this point. Will keep you guys updated on whether or not I achieve my goal of being PMP by the holidays.

Posted 11-04-2009 at 02:09 PM by pereb pereb is offline

Updated 12-03-2009 at 03:44 PM by pereb

Good luck on your PMP!

Posted 11-12-2009 at 02:48 PM by lnarea

	Quote: Originally Posted by lnarea Good luck on your PMP! Hey thanks. I was just going to post a new blog entry and I noticed this comment. Still studying hard. At this point it's mostly just testing once or so a week with the Preplogic practice exams then tracking my progress.
	Posted 11-17-2009 at 01:27 PM by pereb