Hi Alyssa!
It seems to me that you may be a bit burned out. I think spreading it out over an entire year is a bit too long to maintain focus and to retain much of the rather particular way in which PMI's somewhat esoteric approach and terminology works.
I'm sorry to hear that you're frustrated. I sympathize, because it was also a challenge for me to stay focused on studying between issues at work, struggling to find the time and even my own periodic laziness! I started studying in October 2016 and sat for the exam in April of this year. I also found out in March that I had a hard deadline of April 19 due to personal commitments that were going to make me unavailable 6 nights a week until July! The pressure was definitely there. So, here is how I approached the final leg:
Having completed Rita's book, I shifted my focus to practice exams (I used
www.pm-exam-simulator.com/
- I think it's a great product and a bargain for the price). I think this was integral for me, because it allowed me to see where I was weak and then do a focused review of that particular topic. After each practice exam, I pasted the results into a spreadsheet and categorized each question that I got wrong so I could find the areas where I needed further study (using a variety of sources - Rita's book, the PMBOK, etc.). I also reviewed the answers to the questions I missed in order to learn from my mistakes. Finally, I reviewed the answer to questions that I got correct if I found that question difficult during the test (I wrote down the number of such questions as I took the test, so I could go back to them after the exam).
I managed to improve at least a bit with each practice test, and when I took the exam on April 18 I passed.
You're obviously intelligent enough to pass the test, given your success in graduate school. I suspect the issue lies more in your approach and, perhaps, on some mental fatigue -- but you know you better than I do, so take that with a grain of salt!
Best of luck!
Tracy
