Congrats to you too, Sheryl! Thanks for sharing your exam approach with us.

I passed the exam on my first try yesterday Above Target

Approach:
- I signed up for the Prep Cast Elite Package which comes with the Exam Simulator
- I dedicated 2 to 3 hours per day for 5 weeks to study.
- I found the guidebooks and course index helpful

Exam Prep:
- I initially started doing timed quizzes with 30 to 50 random questions and would barely pass. Then I did the same approach by domain and was able to identify the specific area I was weak, and I went back and rewatched the videos in those areas. Once I passed all of those, I moved on to the full exam simulator and passed on my first try but continued to review the questions I missed and retake the exam so I could be used to sitting still for at least 2 hours.

Actual exam -
The actual exam was very similar to the questions in the simulator. Primarily situational. I made sure not to look at the timer and made sure to read each question twice. Although I was done in a little over 2 hours I continued to review the answers from the entire test until the clock ran down. I was so excited when the Congratulations Sheryl You passed message flashed on the screen.
My advice would be to take the practice exams as many times as you can not so much for studying but so you get comfortable sitting and confident about the content.

Congratulations, Jennifer!

Passed the exam on my first try 3 Weeks back. Above Target.
Note: I'm on a career break so I invest ~3hrs per day on learning.

Learning Content:
- I signed up for the Prep Cast Elite Package which comes with the Exam Simulator
- I found the guidebooks and course index helpful, because I like some structure to help stay disciplined.
- I kept to the proposed daily & weekly learning schedules , as well as the deliverables for each week as mentioned in the guidebooks (including when to submit experience) - it helped maintain momentum
- However, from exam readiness perspective i found the Mike Griffiths Exam Prep Book the most helpful ( I did this in parallel with the prep cast videos), the chapters are aligned to the exam outline so its easy to follow. ( I did not go to any other books)
- Google search, was my go to for quick reference and reads
- The prep cast videos and podcast are still good for those who want a little extra knowledge and we can listen to them on the go. (which I did for some of the optional podcasts)
- My 'brain dump' was set of slides made of random notes, pictures but they worked for me.

Exam Test:
- I did the quizzes by domain. Atleast one each week from week 2 onwards, once I finished a domain.
- The quizzes are aligned by exam outline so the prepcast week 1 lessons don't address all the Qs. I started the quizzes from week 2.
- Overall it's better to take the quizzes once we're through atleast 3-4 domains. I felt this was a more productive challenge, the 'results', statistics were encouraging,
- Final exam Qs are mostly inline with the actual PMI exam, I found the actual exam a little harder but I scored better in the domains than I did on the simulations. (My overall simulations scores averaged at 81% at first try).

Actual exam - One feedback, if you are doing this at a test center, which I did, be prepared for distractions. (the prepcast exam video talks about this).
- My test center was a small sound proof room, every entry and exit, every loud yawn, every cough from someone who had a bad cold distracted me!
- Suggestion - try to take 1-2 simulation exams in a more noisy setting. I did mine in the absolute silence of my home, so staying focussed on the exam was a HUGE challenge.

And that's all! The exam is actually quiet achievable if we just go with learning material and simulations and keep to schedule. Don't drag out the exam date once you finish learning. Get it over with