How much time do I need to prepare well for the Six Sigma Certification exam?
Can I pass a Six Sigma Green Belt exam if I have only two years of experience?
What can I do if I study for the Lean Six Sigma test?
These are the questions that many people – including you since you’re here – are asking before taking the Six Sigma certification test. Indeed, the exam is difficult and rigorous, and many people who studied for months had failed to pass.
But that doesn’t mean that the task is impossible to achieve. In fact, many of those who failed the Six Sigma belt exam simply didn’t have the time to prepare well.
The fact that you’re reading this article means you’ve taken a step in the right direction.
Preparation is essential to crack the exam, so if you’re looking for the best tips for making it happen, these three ones should be very useful (plus two pro tips!)
1. Decide on Studying Time Early
“How much time do I need to prepare for the Six Sigma certification exam?”
This is one of the most common questions that Six Sigma certification seekers have. Indeed, the exam is pretty difficult, so allocating enough time is important.
Okay, so to answer that question, the preparation time depends on:
● your current level of Six Sigma training
● years of professional experience.
For someone with more than a few years of experience and decent training, I’d suggest preparing at least four weeks. This means studying for at least a couple of hours every day.
That’s about 40 hours in total learning time.
If you’re an entry-level specialist with basic training, then you might want to extend your preparation time. Anywhere between five and eight weeks should be enough, as it gives you 50+ hours of studying.
If you’re sure about your knowledge of the material, it might be okay to set the preparation time at less than three weeks. Still, be careful and go through every topic!
Pro Tip: study during your most productive time of the day.
According to science, each of us has a unique productive time.
Learning, for example, is the most effective between 10 am and 2 pm and then again between 4pm and 10 pm. These are the times when the brain is in acquisition mode.
2. Go Through the Course Syllabus
To know what to prepare for, you need to take a good look at the exam syllabus.
Marta Lawrowska, a senior education writer at TopEssayWriting: “Go through the syllabus of an exam and plan your study schedule in a way that allows you to cover all topics. You’ll be taking one thing at a time, which helps with reducing anxiety.”
In the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, for example, some of the normally covered topics are:
● Change Management
● Measurement System Analysis
● Process capability
● Sampling strategy
● Fishbone Diagram
● Run chart
● Mistake-proofing.
You will be studying each topic with a dedicated study guide, so make sure to have all the materials you need, too.
Pro Tip: relate every topic to a real business scenario.
Note that you’ll have to solve a lot of scenario-based logical questions during the exam. That’s why try to relate every concept in the syllabus to a real-life business situation during the preparation.
3. Write a Self-Paced Learning Plan
Let’s be honest, the best way to learn is to choose the time when to do it. This is called self-paced learning.
In colleges and universities, many students who can’t organize their learning sessions according to their own learning pace are more stressed and end up looking for custom dissertation help to have someone assist with their studies.
Self-paced learning, on the other hand, doesn’t require you to follow the pace of the course.
Instead, you can learn and review learning materials over and over again at your own pace without any pressure.
Still, you need to be organized and focused to avoid losing the focus and end up not forgetting to learn as in the traditional setting.
One way to do it is with a self-paced learning plan.
Put simply, it’s your plan for learning where you describe how you want to achieve your learning goals, and it’s an expert-recommended strategy.
According to self-help writers from ClassyEssay, for example, having a written plan with clearly defined goals and milestones for learning is critical. It dramatically improves organization and even adds to the feeling of accountability of the learner.
Here’s a self-paced learning plan template for you to see how to structure your learning.
| Your Personal Self-Paced Learning Plan Template |
| Why am I learning Six Sigma?: [here, describe the main reasons why you decided to take the Six Sigma certification exam, e.g. to get a better job or get ahead in your career] Why do I want to achieve [Reason for learning Six Sigma]? [describe how your life will improve if you achieve the goal of learning. For example, if your reason is to get ahead in your career, you might write: I want to get ahead in my career because I’d like to feel more fulfilled, respected, and make a difference in the company I work in. |
| My Learning Goals and Milestones [Outline the most important course topics and sections and set the milestones for mastering them. “Try to be as specific as possible,” recommends Clea Moss, a career writer at GrabMyEssay. “If the deadlines for learning are vague, you might end up moving through your plan much slower]. Example Course Topics: ● Change Management: 03/01/2020 – 03/03/2020 ● Measurement System Analysis: 03/03/2020 – 03/05/2020 ● Process capability: 03/05/2020 – 03/07/2020. |
Having such a template will help you be more organized about your learning effort. But keep in mind that the Six Sigma course you choose also needs to be self-paced.
The courses at the Six Sigma Global Institute, for example, broken down into smaller modules. The learners are given lifetime access to log in at a convenient time and study whenever they need to be able to attend to other commitments.
Choosing a self-paced course also helps with studying during a productive time of the day, so you’ll be more efficient when learning Six Sigma.
Preparation is the Biggest Enemy of Fear and a Friend of
Success
Hopefully, this article answered some of the questions you had about the Six Sigma Certification exam. As you can see, preparation and organization of your learning effort are essential to your success, so please plan everything ahead and stick to the schedule you defined.
That’s it, over to you now. Good luck on your exam day!