TOPIC: Exam Simulator Level of Difficulty vs. PM Perfect

Hi Cornelius,

I'm afraid of the test at the end of this month for many reasons as many people are.

Yet, one reason seems to be valid at this point. When I take the PM Exam Simulator tests, I test around 70 or so (lower with 3 below proficients). I only made 76 once I believe.

But with PM Perfect, I am scoring an average of 80. So, I emailed them and asked them if they believe their tests are easier just so I don't set myself up with false confidence. They wrote back and said their questions are just like the test. Yet, I notice they are a lot less complicated and easier questions than the PM Exam Simulator. Of course everyone wants to take practice tests that are accurately difficult.

I've read on our forum that people think that PM Exam Simulator and PM Perfect are most like the test (along with PM Study). Yet, I get totally different scores.

I'm not sure if I can write a lot of detail here on the tests but is there any way you can give me an idea of whether the simulator is harder in order to get us "students" really prepared?

This worry originally comes from a posting that I saw where you had someone read the article on Deep Fried Brain about how the "score" determined (each question weighted) and the fact that when I studied the article's graph it looked like people who get 3 below proficients don't pass the test. I get that on your tests, but not on the others.

I'm studying night and day; but I know I can only do so much more in about a week.

Thanks so much for your help,
Kim M.

P.S.

I'm not working now; and looking for a remote position since we don't have very many professional jobs where I live and moved to (due to marriage). I also have a 7 month old now. I figured having my PMP credential will increase my marketability while looking for jobs that I can do remote.

So, if I fail, I already know I won't be able to afford the new set of books, new Prepcast, and new test exam costs. So, that is why I really am trying to find out if I'm likely to fail or pass on the 30th based on scores. I can see a situation where I have to drop my study for the PMP and hoping that doesn't happen.

When I take the simulator ones, I get discouraged and then so happy when I take the other tests where I get 80-90.

I know this question has come up before in interviews....getting 80's; then you are ready.......but I'm not getting those scores at all on PM Exam Simulator.

Thanks Again,
Kim

Thanks,
Kim

Kim,

First of all you should definitely not be afraid of the PMP exam. Thousands of people have taken this exam in the past and my nearly 10 years of training experience has shown me that if you study the materials and practice often using a simulator then the exam is no more difficult than a driving test. It's simply a matter of knowing the material and be able to select the correct answer.

Second - and this will probably help alleviate your fears even more - we know from anecdotal customer feedback that results > 70% in our simulator was sufficient to pass the exam. But we also have some "harder" evidence for this. If you go into the "My Statistics" section of the simulator and you click on the "exam feedback" tab, you can see a nice breakdown that shows this quite clearly: If you answer 70%-80% of questions correctly in our simulator, then you have a 91% chance of passing the PMP exam on your first try. (Of course I have to put a disclaimer here: This is just a statistical average and your own result may be different.)

My recommendation for you at this point is the one that has helped most students who are getting close to the actual exam date: Focus your energy mostly on answering sample questions. Do as many "full" exams as you possibly can. And for each answer that you have incorrect you should open up the books to review why you had it wrong and learn from the mistake. So invest 4 hours into taking the exam and then another 4 hours into reviewing the incorrect answers, before moving on to the next exam.

I also went ahead and I checked your numbers in the simulator itself and I can see a CLEAR improvement. When you took your first exam last month you were just barely below 60% and then with each exam that followed that number increased. Your last 4 attempts were all above 70%. You are improving!

So don't look at the PMP exam as something to be feared. Instead look at it as something that you can knock out of the ballpark.

Cornelius,

Thank you so much for your reply. When I noticed on the simulator results "fail" all the way down the list on the "by exam" tab, I wasn't sure what to think. I really appreciate your feedback. I'll send separate email to support for you.

Thanks Again,
Kim