TOPIC: Simulator Exam

Hi Mr.cornelius fichtner,

Just now I took your 1st mock exam, my god its too difficult and i thought results will be less than 50% but I am shocked to see I got 75%
Am I in right direction ? now i will try to bridge my gaps.

Riyaz,
75% is a good start. It would be helpful to know more about your study plans and preparation for the PMP exam to know if you are going in the right direction. Be sure to review the exam results. That can provide good information on knowledge gaps and areas in which you need to focus your studies. Good luck with your studies.
Mark

Hi Riyaz,

As Mark said, it's a good start but review your mistakes to know areas to build on. Also, take a few more exams; as the key is consistency. We need to aim to get over 75%-80% for each new set of PMP sample exams you have answered, you can almost be assured of a pass in the real PMP exam provided that you perform normally during the exam. Keep up the momentum! Let us know if we can be of any further help.

Hi,

Now i took second set and I scored 79%. Could have scored more. got frustrated in last few questions

I am planning to go in below way
Now I got confidence and just have bridge some gaps. thanks to PrepCast.

I feel I am lagging in most of the ITTO, connectivity between the process, Decision tree problems. I am right in tough questions and wrong in easy questions like motivational theory, stakeholder etc.,

can you recommend me how i can proceed further. I will take 2 mock exams every weekend. I scheduled my exams in Aug 18.

Thanks mark and Rahul.
Now I took 2nd Mock and I scored 79%. Now I feel confident. Some of my friends told me free mocks are sufficient, after taking your exams I can feel the difference. So I feel its worth spending.
Please clarify me below points.
1. Few questions in mock exam are not in PBMOK, such questions are to be expected in real exam ?
2. Now you know my scores 1st exam 75% and second is 79%. Do I need go through the complete book (PMBOK/Rita) completely one more time or bridging the gap is sufficient ?
3. Should I need to worry in future mocks if I score less than 75% ?
4. My exams is in Aug 18. So I am planning to take 2 mocks in weekends and bridging the gaps during weekdays.

please suggest if my study plan is OK.

Riyaz,

Congrats on the improvement in the 2nd exam. Of course, the PMP exam prep is different for everyone and no "plan" can guarantee success on the actual exam. Some can get by with only the free exams while others may only need to take a boot camp and can then pass the exam. I personally do not think I would have passed if I had not used the PMP Exam Simulator. It really was a critical component of my exam preparation and definitely helped me prepare for and pass the actual exam.

Below are some answers to the questions you posed:
1) There could be a few non-PMBOK questions on the exam but I would not get to wrapped up in studying for those too much. Your main focus should be on the PMBOK guide.

2) Whether you go through PMBOK and Rita's book again is entirely up to you. If it were me and I had the time I would do it. It can't hurt. I actually read through PMBOK completely 3 times and then reviewed certain parts a 4th time. I didn't use Rita's book at all but in retrospect I wish I had. You should definitely determine your gaps and focus on those.

3) I would not panic if you take an exam and score less than 75%, but it you do that more than once on consecutive exams you should try to determine what may be the cause of the lower score. Try to simulate the exam conditions as close as possible.(e.g. Set a 15 min. timer and do your brain dump before your starting your simulated exams. You should really strive to do this in less than 15 minutes.). Also, you should be doing your brain dump at least once per day at this point.

4) That sounds like a good plan. In the last few weeks leading up to my actual exam I was finding it difficult to block out an entire 4 hour period. I had already taken 5 or 6 full exams to that point. So, I just used the PMP Exam Simulator timed mode and took multiple 25, 50 or 100 question timed exams since it was easier to block out an hour or two. I still had the time pressure which is very important. At that point for me I felt it was more important to answer as many simulator questions as possible and I think that strategy worked well. I think it is very important to take as many full exams as you can because it really is a marathon and you have to prepare yourself for it. However, don't burn yourself out. Bridging the gaps during the weeks is a good plan and you might also fit in some shorter timed exams (even 25 questions) just so you get practice answering more simulator questions. Note that you have the option to select "answer only unanswered questions" when setting up the shorter timed exams and you definitely want to do that.

Good luck in your preparation efforts. Keep at it and stay focused!

Cheers,

Mark

Do we have chapter (knowledge area wise) questions?

Hi Mark & Prepcast modulators,
Till today i completed 4 mock exams in your simulator. My scores are below.
PMP Exam 1 75%
PMP Exam 2 79%
PMP Exam 3 80%
PMP Exam 4 81.5%
I am performing good but there is no considerable improvement you can see the results. Still I am making ~40 wrong questions. I will take rest of the exams too and my gut feel is difficult to score above 85%.
My worry is Cornelius Fichtner has told to score 85% to pass the PMP and now my scores are less than that. Is that OK ?

Hi Raakex, yes its there in paid simulator. Both Knowledge and Process group wise.

Riyaz,

Your exam scores are consistent with mine as I progressed through the simulated exams. The good news is that you are consistent and are seeing some improvement in your scores! The 85% is certainly a very good rule of thumb, but that does not mean that you will not pass the PMP exam if you are scoring lower than that. Remember that even if you were scoring 85% or higher on the simulated exams, that is no guarantee that you will pass the actual exam. Continue to review all the questions after each exam and then focus your studies on the weak areas. Have you scheduled your exam date yet? That is a big motivator in your studies.

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

Cheers,

Mark

Thanks Mark. Yes, I scheduled. Its on Aug 18.
I have 2 more weekends which I have planned to take rest of the mock exams. I will post my results.

Riyaz,

Best of luck to you in your final preparation. Stay confident and positive and be sure to get enough rest as well. Mark the calendar on the 18th with "Passed the PMP Exam!" "Celebrate!".

Mark

Hi Mark,
Until now these are my scores...
PMP Exam 1 75%
PMP Exam 2 79%
PMP Exam 3 80%
PMP Exam 4 81.5%
PMP Exam 5 85.5%
PMP Exam 6 76.5%
In 6th PMP mock, marks are less and I would say its was difficult too. My exams on 18 Aug. Please suggest what should I look into.

Riyaz,

Based on your results you are making good progress. Don't let the dip in score on exam 6 discourage you. Keep reviewing your answers and study your weak areas. Remember that the majority of the actual exam questions will be from the Planning, Executing and Monitoring & Controlling process groups. So, you may want to concentrate on those areas. I would look at the test statistics you get in the simulator to help you see how well you are doing in the various process groups. Stay positive!

Mark

Mark,
Now I got 82% in 7th exam. Yesterday I was tired and somehow I want to finish the exam. May that could be the reason for less mark. Today I was very confident that I will score more 80% before see the results. I feel from mock 6th its difficult. Its good.
- Tomorrow I will take ITTO mock
- On 15 and 16 Revision
- On 17th I will take final mock with exactly same time of my PMP exam
- 18 Final Exam. Slightly tensed.

Please let me know if anything wrong in my approach.

As you get closer to the exam, I recommend slowing down the intensity of your study load to allow your mind to rest...It's important to get mentally prepared, not just concentrating on information loading. A fresh and peaceful mind prior to the exam will reap rewards. Good luck!

Best,
Michael

Riyaz,

I agree with Michael. Give your mind a bit of a break the day before the exam. On exam day, stay positive and confident no matter how difficult it may seem. You just have to fight off all negative thoughts and push through. You can do it! Best of luck to you!

Mark

Riyaz, Good Luck with your exam today. based on your inputs below, I am sure you will easily pass the exam. keep us updated please,

Hi PrepCast team,
Here are my final scores for all your simulator.

PMP Exam 1 75%
PMP Exam 2 79%
PMP Exam 3 80%
PMP Exam 4 81.5%
PMP Exam 5 85.5%
PMP Exam 6 76.5%
PMP Exam 7 82%
PMP Exam 8 79.5%
PMP Exam 9 (ITTO) 94.5%
I Hope I am prepared for my PMP on 18 Aug. Next update would be my PMP Results.

DO you believe....
DOne my exams today....4P and 1MP (Closing). My god I am very happy. Will post my lessons learned too.

Dear Ahmed, PMP

I did tell you that you will succeed with at least 3P.
Congratulations. Sacrifices and dedication come with great rewards.
Wishing a fruitful career.
Best regards and congrats again

Hi Riyaz

How was the exam ? difficult or easy. How close to the simulator sample questions.

Also how did you improve your scores on the sample exams ? Which area's to focus more

thanks
Amer

Hi Amer,
Exam was ok/ok. I would say 30% of questions were tougher. Got struck with 2 choices. I cant tell how close to simulator rather PrepCast simulator exam prepares you well. Trust me if you could able to score 75% in your mocks you are well prepared for your exams.
I have posted my lessons learned, you can check.
www.project-management-prepcast.com/kune...osing-on-18-aug-2016

Congratulations