I wanted to share insight for those who are feel they are losing steam after failing the first time like myself. So my exam journey started April 1st when I received the new MacBook Air as a gift from my company for sales achievement. I had just enough reward stipend to get the PMPBOK 6th ed. I began/finished w/ Joseph Phillips course in about two weeks on Udemy and a few videos from ExamPM. Highly, highly recommend both especially if anyone is not in a construction or IT project mgt setting all day. I do mostly sales and marketing w/projects versus traditional setting of PMO office. Then immediately went into taking a couple online free exams. Of which PrepCast was one (67%). I was feeling pretty good. I studied 5 days a week for about 2 hours a day then a few hours on Saturday. I bought an PocketPrep Professional -PMP app, since it was inexpensive and I’d had great success getting another certification many years ago. I studied all 800 questions in exam mode and after 4 weeks I thought I was ready to test on 7/9/2020- Failed It!—- T/BT/AT/NI/NI. Before I got up from the computer, I purchased the 2nd exam. I didn’t set the date because I was crushed and didn’t know how soon I could stomach all that studying again... In reading someone else’s post, I learned I could print off the PMI rationale of my performance. I was back excited because knowing exactly what to focus on was key for me to try again. So, after taking a week off w/ no PMP material in sight, I revamped my study game plan with focus on the weakest areas. I had enjoyed the PrepCast review of answers so I decided to buy the exam simulator. I took 5 exams and about 10 quizzes over the next 6 weeks. Taking more time to deep dive the answer rationale and wrong answer rationale. Like most have said....This is the pivot point to pass AND I would READ A FEW PASS SUCCESS STORIES before an exam.... It gives you good energy and focus to do your best.
The only recommendation I’d give PrepCast is to include an option to sort the exams all together by missed questions answered. So an aspirant could see all taken exam missed questions in one place versus having to go from one exam to the next to see missed questions rationale. On the last week of study, this would have been ACE to have handy as a drill down effort. After six weeks of studying I told my family I got one good exam left in me.haha! So on Saturday 8/22/2020 at 4:30 am I woke up got online and scheduled for my study time 3pm to test. That morning until lunch time I HYDRATED the entire time while I reviewed only highlighted notes from day one w/ Joseph’s course, a few YouTube video notes and read the exam outline tasks and my previous brain dump sheet. At 12pm, I slowed my water intake and I put all materials in my closet and distracted my self w/ a great lunch and nap..haha! When I woke up I had an apple and small sip of water and for two hours with exercise clothes on I turned on some high energy house and techno music to dance , jump around and laugh at myself quiet a bit I turned my brain back on. At 2:15pm music off, I said a prayer and stated the download process to wait for the proctor.
This time around the proctor was really into his/her job. The check in required me to unplug my desk top monitors that were way across the room and asked if I’d take down my make shift stand for my MacBook Airlines. I’d propped the Apple box under it so I could have eye level height. After explaining that he conceded and allowed me to start. This time the test was similar as the first one. It was one sentence or two sentences questions. That were not hard but required just a bit more understanding to answer. It was mirror to PrepCast review of the answers. I could see myself reading the answer choses w/ PrepCast hints in my mind filling in the blanks. So happy that was a feature. Go through first 90 questions no issues. I’d only marked 2 questions. Got through 2nd part of exam w/only about 4 easy math questions. I finished w/ 47 minutes on the clock. EYES WIDE ....I was like what did I miss?...because I’d only marked 3 questions to review and so much time left on the clock. So I went back to questions 91 and starting reviewing. I went through 20 questions and only changed two and then said enough. What’s done is done. Said one internal prayer and ended the exam w/ 12 minutes to go....the screen immediately showed Congratulations. I was so excited but I didn’t move because I didn’t want the proctor to see me dancing and screaming. I quickly clicked out the screens did the survey and got him off the monitor and let out a YELL SO LOUD! I’m sure my neighbors thought someone had died! I went to the bathroom and got a drink of water and then came back to see the report w/ BT/AT/BT/T/AT. Quiet the random opposite of what I got on the first test, but who cares.....A PASS is a PASS!!!
