THE PROACTIVE RISK PM WEEKLY

Failure to Adapt = Failing the Exam

Issue #006

Date: 9 February 2026

Hey there, Reader,

My friend is a damn good project manager.

I've seen his work. I've seen him navigate impossible stakeholder conflicts. He's led all types of projects and he's been successful in his field.

And he failed the PMP exam. Twice.

The second time he failed, he called me. I could hear it in his voice, he was done. Defeated. He hasn't tried again since.

Here's what kills me about it: He didn't fail because he's bad at project management. He failed because he's good at it.

Let me explain.

Lets Get Proactive Over Reactive!

Quote of the Week

“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”

- Arnold Glasow

Story of the Week

He walked into that exam with 20+ years of real-world experience. He knew how to handle scope creep, manage difficult sponsors, negotiate with vendors, motivate teams. He had lived this stuff.

But PMI doesn't test how YOU run projects. They test how projects should be run, doctrinally.

And my friend couldn't separate the two.

I Almost Made the Same Mistake

When I was leaving the Marine Corps and started my PMP journey, I jumped into some practice exams feeling pretty confident.

I got destroyed.

I'm talking scores so bad I genuinely wondered if there was more to project management than I thought. Turns out, there wasn't more to the material—there was more to the mindset I needed when approaching exam questions.

The Marine Corps taught me doctrine. We drill it. We know it cold. But in combat zones? We adapt. We use that doctrine as a foundation, but we adjust to the chaos around us.

Project management is the same way. You learn the frameworks, and then you adapt them to your industry, your organization, your team, your reality.

But the exam? The exam doesn't care about your reality.

It tests whether you know the doctrine.

The Mind Game PMI Is Playing

Here's what tripped up my friend—and what I see trip up experienced PMs all the time:

Action bias.

It's the tendency to favor doing something over doing nothing, even when waiting or analyzing is the better choice.

You're a go-getter. Something goes wrong on your project? You jump into action. You fix it. That's what good PMs do.

But PMI is testing whether you can override that instinct.

On the exam, when a question asks "What should you do FIRST?" the correct answer is almost never "take immediate action."

It's "review the risk register." Or "assess the situation." Or "consult the stakeholder engagement plan."

Your brain sees a crisis in the question—project three weeks behind, $50,000 over budget, sponsor furious—and wants to DO SOMETHING NOW.

But PMI wants you to stop. Think. Follow the process.

And if you can't separate your real-world instincts from PMI's doctrine? You fail. Even if you're a phenomenal project manager.

The Battle Plan

I recorded this week's YouTube video breaking down the three cognitive biases PMI exploits most: action bias, anchoring, and authority bias.

And I walk through my six-step process for fighting back on exam day.

It's the same process I taught my friend before he... well, before he gave up. (I wish he'd come back and try again. I know he could pass.)

But here's the quick version:

Read the last sentence first (tells you what's actually being asked)
Identify the question type (process? stakeholder? risk? ethics?)
Answer before looking at choices (use your training)
Eliminate with purpose (know WHY each wrong answer is wrong)
Check your gut (if it feels obviously right, it might be a trap)
When stuck, choose process over action

This isn't about memorizing more. It's about rewiring how you think under pressure.

The Bearded PM on YouTube

I go deep on this—all three cognitive biases, the full six-step battle plan, and real example questions that show you exactly how PMI is messing with your head.

👉 Watch: PMI Exam Secrets: How to Beat the Mind Games and Pass

Please don't forget to "Like" the video and Comment any residual or secondary risks you've have in your projects!

44Risk PM Courses and More!

Join the FREE Community

If you've been thinking about getting your PMP® or PMI-RMP® in 2026 (and you should - the market demand is only growing right now), below are your next chances: