I passed the PMP on my 1st attempt, above target in all 5 areas. Here's the short version of how I went about it:
I took the Project Management Professional (PMP)® course from Pluralsight. Before each video I read the corresponding chapter in the Andy Crowe book The PMP Exam, How to Pass on Your First Try. The chapters in the book align nicely with the videos in the Pluralsight course. I found watching the videos after reading the chapter reinforced each chapter in the book. Take the practice questions at the end of each chapter to gauge how much more you need to study the topic. There are practice exam questions in the book that are useful but not as good as you get in the PM Prepcast Exam Simulator. Once you've gotten through the course and book, submit your application and schedule your exam. I started taking simulated exams about 3 weeks out and spaced them out every few days. They each take 3.5 to 4 hours and it makes sense to take them when you are at your best. For me it was mornings on the weekend. In between exams I took 20 - 50 question quizzes for the sake of time and alternated between the learning format and the timed format. The quizzes are nice because you can focus on areas where you were weakest during the practice exams. I kept going through practice questions right up until the evening before my test. In all I spent over 22 hours in the Exam Simulator. I spent very little time on the ITTO questions, I had read that there weren't too many questions like that on the PMP exam, and that was true in my case.
There are questions/topics in the practice exams that weren't covered in either of my study resources which makes the practice questions even more valuable. Be sure to read over every practice question you miss at a minimum. The explanations are great. I even marked several questions that I thought I had correct just to go back and read the explanations and verify I was on the right track. There is a TON of content in the explanation for each practice question.
If you take the PMP exam online you will not be able to use scratch paper and pen. Instead, they provide you with a virtual white board so practice typing out your equations after you have practiced writing them all down on paper. You can practice right on a sample whiteboard prior to the exam so you can get used to the controls. Also, you will be given a calculator as part of the testing platform so don't stress about that. They don't mention it anywhere as you prep for the exam so it freaked it me out a little bit.
Good luck to you!
