Most PMP candidates don't fail because they lack knowledge.

They fail because of something far more subtle—and far more dangerous: negative self-talk and second-guessing under pressure.

In this episode, Scott Payne breaks down why even smart, well-prepared PMP candidates sabotage themselves during studying, quizzes, and the exam itself. Drawing from Agile thinking, Scott reframes negative self-talk as a mental anti-pattern—an action that feels helpful in the moment but actually hurts performance.

You'll learn:

• Why fear and imposter syndrome show up specifically during PMP prep

• How stress hijacks decision-making, even when you know the material

• The difference between the threat voice and the operator voice in your head

• Why confidence is built during the study process—not after

• How to interrupt negative self-talk in real time

• The four pillars of the All-In PMP Success Mantra System: Control, Confidence, Consistency, and Support

This isn't a motivational pep talk.
It's a practical mental framework for staying steady, confident, and focused while preparing for—and taking—the PMP exam.

If you've ever frozen on a question, changed an answer you originally knew, or walked away from a quiz feeling worse than when you started, this episode is for you.

🎯 Text or Call me and I will give you my All-In PMP Success Mantra System PDF so you can start replacing mental anti-patterns with habits that actually help you pass.

In this episode, I'm taking you inside a real All In PM Prep Accountability Call — a full 56-minute live coaching session where Waterfall finally clicked for a group of new PMP students.

We break down Agile vs Predictive in plain English, simplify the entire Waterfall process, teach students how to read questions the right way, and walk through several PMP exam scenarios step-by-step. If you've ever felt confused about charters, business cases, stakeholders, matching questions, or baselines — this session will clear the fog fast.

Here's what you'll hear:

I walk students through simple, real-world examples (apps vs bridges) to help them finally understand when to use Agile and when a predictive approach is the only smart choice.

We break down the entire predictive lifecycle:

• Why charters matter

• How stakeholder analysis actually works

• What the triple constraints really represent

• Why detailed planning gives you control

• How executing & monitoring go hand-in-hand

This is the version of Waterfall every new PMP student wishes they had first.

I teach students a faster, cleaner method for matching questions using a "long-to-short" approach that eliminates 80% of the reading.
We solve a real matching set live so you can see the method in action.

We work through multiple PMP-style questions together:

• Handling concerns raised mid-execution

• Managing a new team member with "rumor-based" performance issues

• Responding to new compliance requirements after the charter is signed

• Understanding business case vs charter

• Applying servant leadership and escalation correctly

You'll hear new students reason through their answers — and how I coach them toward exam-ready thinking.

I close the session by showing students how to use:

• The glossary

• The video library

• The course structure

• And how to stay confident as you hit the natural learning curve dips

If you want to understand PMP foundations in a deeper, more intuitive way — this coaching call will accelerate your learning.

If you've failed the PMP exam, feel "blocked" by test anxiety, or keep getting passed over for roles because you don't have those three letters, this episode is for you.

Reach out to me personally - I will help you - Scott@allinpmprep.com or 757-759-5282

In this powerful PMP success interview, Scott talks with Kader (Dr. G), a seasoned federal government program director with 20+ years of project and program management experience—who still couldn't get past the PMP exam.

Despite leading 8 programs and multiple IT projects in the Washington, D.C. government contracting world, Kader:

• Failed the PMP exam twice

• Struggled through high-pressure bootcamps while juggling toddlers and a parent in heart surgery

• Had a boss who was blowing up her phone during class because work was falling apart

• Watched colleagues walk around like they were in an "exclusive PMP club" she didn't belong to

• Carried deep exam trauma, anxiety, and the shame of people using her failures against her

Oh… and English is her fifth language.

This was supposed to be her "last attempt". She told Scott,

"If I don't pass this time, I'm done. I'm walking away from the PMP."

Instead, Kader completely changed her relationship with the exam.

Using the All In PM Prep 10-week, incremental, community-based approach, she stopped cramming and started building endurance, confidence, and self-trust:

• She realized her problem wasn't knowledge—it was four-hour exam stamina.

• She used 20-question, 45-question, and 60-question practice blocks to train like a marathon.

• She integrated self-care: nature walks with audio lessons, better mental space, and intentional rest.

• She leaned on coaching calls and classmates so she didn't feel alone in the anxiety.

• She applied her doctoral research in post-traumatic growth to exam trauma—recognizing fight/flight/freeze/fawn/flop patterns and working through them.

When she finally walked out of the test center, holding that sheet of paper, she couldn't even find the result at first. Then she saw it, in tiny print:

"Passed."

She broke down in tears. Years of fear, shame, and feeling "less than" in her career lifted in a moment.

• How someone with two decades of PM leadership still struggled to pass the PMP

• Why bootcamps failed her twice—and why cramming is the worst fit if life is already chaotic

• How exam trauma shows up (fight, flight, freeze, fawn, flop) and what it feels like in real life

• The difference between knowing PM and having the endurance and mindset to survive a 4-hour exam

• How incremental learning, repetition, and community helped her break through anxiety

• Why failing the PMP is not the end—and how to reframe your "failures" as stepping stones

• The emotional release of finally joining that "exclusive club" and how it changed her confidence

If you work in government contracting, IT, or program management and feel stuck because you keep hearing "PMP required," this conversation will hit home. If you've failed before or feel like this exam is your last shot, you'll see yourself in Kader's story.

This episode is especially for you if:

• You've failed the PMP exam once or more and are scared to try again

• You feel paralyzed by exam anxiety or past test failures

• You're in government contracting where PMP is a "basic requirement" for leadership roles

• You're exhausted by bootcamps that cram everything into 4–5 days

• You're tired of feeling like everyone else can do it but you

You're not broken. You're not alone. You just need a different plan—and a different kind of support.