TOPIC: Passed PMP Exam - 1 Month of Studying

Started a study plan on April 15th and passed PMP Exam on May 13th. It was kind of difficult to fit in all the prep time needed in that timeframe, so I would suggest spreading it out over 2-3 months, at least.

Plan:
1. 3 weeks of watching PM PrepCast. I did skip over the interviews (Due to time contraint), but all the other episodes were very helpful.

2. Did some Fas Tracking, after about 1 week into the prep casts I began reading the PMBOK guide. Since it was the first pass, I did read through it fairly quickly. It took about 2-1/2 weeks.

3. After I had completed both the PM PrepCast and the PMBOK guide, I took the 2 free exams provided in the PMP Project Management Professional Bundle. I reviewed the study guide answers that were provided on the exam questions that I had got wrong (Exam 1 - 91%, Exam 2 - 90%). If I needed more clarification I referred back to the PMBOK guide.

4. The week leading up until the exam, I reviewed the PrepCasts in the Executing and Monitoring/Control sections again (Largest percentage of questions on exam). I also went over Chapters 4-12 in the PMBOK guide again.


Lessons Learned:
I did memorize all the Earned Value equations and that was the first thing that I wrote down when I sat down for the actual exam. Also, wrote down the process groups and knowledge groups matrix for a reference to the order of processes as I thought about scenarios laid out in the exam questions.

There were many instances in the exam where I would see a couple of answers that may be correct, but had to decide which one was the "most" correct (According to the PMBOK). That is where doing the 2 full practice exams helped prepare me for that thought process.

When reading the PMBOK Guide focus on understanding the inputs and outputs of each process. Also, need to have a clear understanding of the tool/techniques and where and how they are applied.

The four hour exam is long, but you have to keep moving to complete it and leave a few minutes to go back to questions that you may have marked for review.

I found that listening to the PrepsCasts provided me with insights I needed to thoroughly understand what I was reading in the PMBOK. A straight reading of just the PMBOK guide would not have prepared me for the exam quesitons.

Congratulations on passing! Can you please answer the following question.

You indicated you wrote down some formulas before starting the exam.

I assume you took the exam at a Prometheus test center.

How long did you have to write formulas before the computer started ticking down the 4 hours.

I took the exam at a Prometric test center in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

The clock started counting down right when I sat down and clicked start. It took about 4 minutes to write down 12 Earned Value equations and the Process Group/Knowledge Areas Matrix, so it didn't cut into my actual exam time too much.

Aren't you allowed like 15 minutes to go thru a prep for the computer setup screen?

You indicated you did a brain dump on formulas when you first Sat. I see you indicated it took 4 minutes.

I have timed myself on a brain dump and it took me 8 minutes.

This included, earned values, project selection, math basic, pert, communication, probability, depreciation, values including sigma and r.o.m. estimates.


how did you do all that in four minutes? Or maybe I am doing too much.

Was your set of formulas less than what I have indicated?

Any thought?


Cornelius or anyone can you weigh in on this please?

Richard, yes they do give you time for a 15 minute tutorial on how the computer based test will work that isn't included in the 4 hours exam time. Not knowing for sure if it was ethical to use tutorial time for the brain dump, I felt doing the brain dump was part of the test, so I didn't feel right about doing it during the tutorial time. No one would have really know, but I didn't feel right about it.

Also, on some of those formulas, depreciation, communications channels, rom, six sigma and depreciation, I have used them many times before or was comfortable enough to recall them off the top of my head, so I didn't write them on the brain dump. If I would felt nervous about the test where I would have thought I might freeze on the test I would have written them down also. But I felt fairly confident on those formulas.

Dear Daniel,

Congratulations for the great achievement!

Could you please advise which Episodes numbers you watched again before one week of the exam?
Executing/Monitoring & Controlling Process Group, which E#?.

My exam is in one week as well

Thank you and regards,

/Charbel.

Charbel, I went through episodes E04.XX through E10.XX again. I didn't necessarily listen to whole episode, but would skim through them to go over bullet points and listen to Cornelius only if I needed more clarification on a bullet point. If I would have had the time I would have listened through all of them again, but didn't really have enough time to devote to listening to all of them again.