TOPIC: Passed PMP® Exam with 5 AT after 2nd attempt - my lessons learned

Dear all,
Below is my feedback with lessons learned.
Long one, yes, but I hope it could bring some good value for those that are prepping PMP® Exam!

1st attempt
- Read Rita Mulcahy™ PMP® Exam prep 09th Edition
- Did all practice exercices + exams : averaged 75% on the chapter exams (some were quite tough)
- Read PMBOK® GUIDE 6th but not thoroughly- As it is so dense, my brain automatically switched to fast reading mode at some moments
- Used PMP® X-AM™ simulator (provided during my initial class room 35h training) and PMP® Exam Mentor™ mobile app to regularly practice questions
- I tried the Exam after around 6-7 months after initial training
Results were very close from getting a Pass according to Exam Score Report :
Initiating : NI ; Planning : T; Executing : BT ; M&C : AT ; Closing: T

Some valuable points I took away from this first experience:
- I passed my exam near Christmas Period (23rd of Dec) :
I did not realize that I was quite exhausted from my day to day work, my family and, of course, an intense preparation of certification that came on top.
Pre-End of year holiday period if definitely something I will avoid fur future certifications.

- I did quite intensive preparations but, after my first try, I had the feeling that something went wrong with my approach.
So, I started reading lessons learnt forum (like this one), discussed with my colleagues that passed it
Realized that I tried to do it too much the "student way" (and therefore probably overstudied) and not enough by deeply understanding the concepts
One key element here is to *assimilate* the concepts and balance it with your own experience as PM.
Both are really needed to get this exam from my perspective!
And assimilating takes time and requires you to find the approach that really suits your needs (see 2nd attempt to get more on this )

- Finally, my time management during first attempt was really poor.
4-hour exam - 200 questions format is something not to be underestimated
I had my native language + english one both available on each question
I prepared in english and, naturally, wanted to focus on english language questions
But those who practiced questions know well what I am about to say:
there are 2 answers that are frequently really close on exam questions and of course you are looking for best possible answer. Rings a bell ?
So, as I was not sure, I took my chance to read in native language hoping it would help me decide on the best answer
Not only it did not help me, most of the time, but i lost very precious time doing so.
I also have to mention that it took me time to really get focused at the beginning of the exam as I had a noisy neighbor that had a squeaky chair...
As a result it increased my stress level and I was not able to review all the questions I flagged
So consider time management as a key parameter in your strategy
never loose sight of the time elapsed / time left to limit risk of rushing the end of the exam

2nd attempt
- Read all my notes I derived from Rita Mulcahy™ PMP® Exam prep 09th Edition lessons
- Did the 800 questions of Profesionnal Study Prep™ mobile app progressively on a regular basis
- Used PMP® X-AM™ simulator to re-do few sets of questions
- Bought PM Prepcast™ did self assessment, listened to quite a lot of audio lessons of Cornelius Fichtner, did chapter's end assessments and finally passed Prepcast™ final exam
- Also bought the PM Formulas set from PM Prepcast™ and did some of the practice exercises

- I passed PMP® Exam after around 11-12 months after 1st attempt (wanted to retry earlier but was delayed due to Covid lockdown)
Pass Results were far above what I expected: 5 AT !

Here are the points I took away from this second round:

- This time I took a week off from work out of regular holidays to limit risk of having my kids around while I needed to focus
I also took time to go outside in sporty mode to get some good fresh air before starting daily reviews
Far better approach than first time: I really had more brain time to read and *assimilate*

- For those who read my first attempt fully and arrived until here: I am impressed
Want a bit more ?

Remember, I said previously that assimilating takes time and requires you to find the approach that really suits your needs
So, here is my little extra candy for you :
I did not realize that since my first attempt almost 10-11 months had passed!
ok, so what ?
In fact, I never stopped practicing questions and reviewing some lessons. And this, bit by bits, on a regular basis during that period.
And here is what happened:
- I started seeing some *logical patterns* through out the lessons and on the practice questions
- Even on formulas, I suddenly realized correlations between some of them.
For instance, EAC and ETC from EV formulas are really close! And you will see the logic poping up once you really get their definitions and do connect with the "how" and the "when" to use them.

I think now that the diversity of learning and training materials really helped me to dig the logic up from each concept
As I have a visual memory, PM Prepcast™ audio and video lessons were a good way for me to *change the angle* or the perspective compared to all the books.
I even had some funny moments listening to Cornelius' lessons
But this is just me and we are all different of course!

Hence, do not hesitate to use trial and error approach here !
After all, this is how we all get experience in life !
So, pick different training materials and try to see what best fits you
Also try to turn preparation into something fun !
I really believe it does help considering the density of all the concepts to *assimilate*

If you arrived here and read fully my post: Thank you and if you are preparing the PMP® Exam: I hope it will help you to ace it !

Of course, feel free to provide me questions or comments. I will be glad to help fellows from our PM community!

Thank you PM Prepcast™ team and as Cornelius always says : Until Next Time !
Jonathan

Thanks for sharing. I am on the similar track like you and now preparing to take the second exam. I hope I will pass it. Cheers

Thank you Edward !
I wish you all the best for your second attempt
Let me know if you have questions or need some help during your prep.
Kind regards
Jonathan