Hi all.
I passed my PMP exam yesterday and I thought I’d share here my study plan if it can help more students.
I started preparing for the exam about 4 months ago, after getting the premium prep cast subscription. Like many of you, I have a full-time job so I really appreciated having a weekly study plan, as I was studying every day after studying after work - for maybe 2 hours. I tried to stick to a strict plan: 2-3 days of watching videos and making notes, 1-2 days of making flashcards based on the notes and a few hours during the weekend tu read the associated chapters in the PMBOK 6th ed book. I started studying at the end of February thanks to the « old » Prep Cast training. By the end of April I was done with the official training so I moved on to the Practice tests. I did one each weekend, and spent a few days (2-3 days) reviewing all (correct + incorrect)questions and answers. At the same time I read the the PMBOK 7th edition. The practice tests were SO helpful in improving my knowledge and learning how to manage the time. I was taking 2 breaks (after questions 60 and 120).
The PMI ECO was also a VERY precious tool. I’ve read it at least 15 times and highlighted keys words. When a key word was in a question (or an answer!), it guided my response. Last week (so a few days before the exam), I spent more time learning about the different diagrams/tools/activities and techniques used for Agile. I also read this forum to get tips about the Online protocol (thanks to those who’ve shared their experience here). I was really worried about having the exam revoked, so knowing what to expect was good to defuse the stress. The exam itself was harder than the practice tests. I found it more situational, the intent behind questions was sometimes harder to spot. Having said that I’m sure that it was also the stress of taking it. I tried to stick to the rule of 80/80/70 minutes for the 3 parts. That was really helpful. When doing the practice test I was usually done 20 minutes before the end but yesterday I finished 4 minutes before the end. Managing time was quite stressful so it was good to keep an eye on the clock.
Having a good knowledge of the PMBOK 6th Edition was very helpful. I found it « easy » to understand all the concepts presented in the PMBOK 7th edition guide because they were much more detailed in the 6th edition. At the end I would say that the exam definitely requires a good understanding of all approaches: predictive, adaptive and hybrid… The PMBOK 7th edition guide is slim but it contains a lot of information.
Anyway, this is a long post but I thought I’d share my experience while studying and passing the exam. It was definitely a journey but I’m glad I chose Prep cast.
Best of luck to future candidates!
