Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Exam Experience and Passing Strategy

I passed Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) in June!! This was one of my biggest accomplished in 2017 and one of my list of credentials to get after MBA. My hard work paid off. I look forward to advancing my career and better future. 


What is Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB)? It is a professional who is well versed in the core to advanced elements of Lean Six Sigma Methodology, who leads improvement projects and/ or serves as a team member as a part of more complex improvement projects.


Source: https://www.iassc.org/six-sigma-certification/green-belt-certification/



1. Do NOT underestimate that it is an "open-book" exam: I failed on my first try because I underestimated the difficulty of the exam, so I did not manage my time well (2) and practice enough (4). Even though it is an "open-book" exam, it is important to study as a "closed-book" exam. We can only look up at the numbers of the equations and tables, but we don't have time to actually read and understand the material during the exam. 

2. Manage Your Time During the Exam: The exam is four and half hours, and there are 110 problems to solve (only 100 are graded). I try to solve 30 questions per hour, which is two minutes per question. If you are spending more than two minutes per question and still cannot figure out, move on. I flagged ones I did not know and saved last half hour to go back and solve flagged questions. Some statistical questions would take more than 2 minutes, so it is better to answer as many nonstatistical questions under 2 minutes as possible. 

3. List Out all the Acronyms: Many acronyms associated with the materials, such as DMAIC, DFSS, SIPOC, DOE, etc. We could not (we don't have to) memorize all. I recommend creating a cheat sheet with all the acronyms. 

4. Use the Appendix on the Back: Appendix was my life saver!! Just find a keyword from the question and look up the appendix then it will lead to the right page with the correct answer. I was able to find the right answer to almost every question. 

5. Practice, Practice, and PRACTICE!! Once again do not discourage, if you study, you CAN pass. I recommend taking 3-4 practice tests (until you reach 80%-90%), and keep practice your weak part. 

Good Luck to Everybody who is planning to take the test in the future.