I passed my PMP Certification exam yesterday on the 1st attempt.
I did it and I did it well passing all the categories ‘Above Target’!
I spent 2.5 months of fully dedicated time (with 8-10 hr/day) for the preparation. Despite my 20+ yrs of overall IT experience including 12 yrs in Project Management, I felt it was not sufficient and I'll need at least 10 days more. But, decided to take a chance and it worked.
In the end, I think the hard work paid off, and it’s worth the time & effort!
For the preparation - I followed a simple study plan which is: I read all the chapters of Rita Mulcahy and Headfirst back to back twice, and a quick read of PMBOK, followed it with Prepcast simulator practice in the last 10 days.
Now, looking in the hindsight the slight modifications I'd make to that plan is: After reading each chapter from the different reference guides including PMBOK, practice that topic on Prepcast simulator, and finally after completing all the chapters then go for the full Prepcast tests.
One secret mantra besides the sheer hard work is Practice, practice, and some more practice! Just follow the approach Cornelius Fichtner recommends (do the prep test, review, continue that for each of knowledge areas/process groups or topics, and follow that same cycle for exams as well).
Now speaking about the actual exam.
I think there were more than 50% of questions from Hybrid & Agile-related topics.
During the exam, I took just 1 quick break (about 5 mins) after submitting the 1st set of 60 questions and skipped the 2nd break just to continue with the momentum. However, I think taking a break at each of the opportunities helps. But again see what works best for you.
One point to note is — I’m not sure if I missed some instruction during the initial pre-exam instructions on the exam process i.e., you’ll have to submit each set of 60 questions in order to advance to the next set.
I thought if you don’t take a break, you are not required to submit the set of 60 questions and can continue with the next set. That way you'll be able to review all the questions marked for review at once to help manage the time better.
In any case, my advice would be — time just flies during the exam and you don't even realize that and you may suddenly end up in a pressure situation with running out of time. Hence, it's very important to maintain the speed across each of the 3 sets.
One other point to keep in mind is — in the 1st & 2nd sets, mark questions for review only those which you are absolutely not sure of (keep the number limited).
Overall, personally, for me, the primary objective of preparing for this exam was not just to pass it, but to pick up and cover some gaps in my knowledge & experience.
Last but not least, I think taking the Prepcast Simulator subscription was all worth it! Kudos to Cornelius Fichtner & his team for the fantastic work.
