Passed my PMP today with 5 ATs, was also my first attempt. The exam was similar to Prepcast in some areas & was a tad more difficult in a lot of areas. First 89 questions were surely more difficult, with more than 1 option that seemed right. The PMI sample test and the actual exam definitely had some similarities in the way it was worded but wasn't as tough as the sample exam.
I studied for around 3 months. 15 hrs a week was my target. I would say you are not ready for the actual exam till you score atleast 75-80 % in Prepcast exams.
Resources used:
1. Joseph's Udemy course - for Basics to gain some foundation. His way of teaching is quite refreshing & his anecdotes & examples helped understand concepts.
2. Now legendary Ricardo Vargas video, Aileen's outputs & my favorite of all Saket Bansal's videos are all free resources you can use. I used Aileen's videos the last 1 week of the exam to memorize outputs. Exam has no direct ITTOs questions, but understanding what output related to what process gives you an additional tool in your toolkit to eliminate options.
3. PMBOK - read it atleast twice to pay attention to nuances.
4. Goldmine that is Prepcast Exam simulator. Do mocks but spend more time analyzing mocks, the wrong and the right. Prepcast surely prepped me to take mocks and build up endurance which was definitely tested. I did only 5 exams but analyzed them thoroughly.
I did not have time for Rita Mulchahy book.
Exam taking experience: Check in etc happened smoothly. Exam interface is not as luxurious as Prepcast. I wasn't motivated to use the strikethrough option as I had to select text!! Practice mocks with the exam rules like looking at the screen for the entire period, not moving for a bio break except during the scheduled break etc.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't take extensive notes. Instead understand concepts.
2. While analyzing mocks, if you are unfamiliar with a concept, note it down. Look it up on Youtube, PMBOK, etc till you are convinced you have understood.
3. Understand Tools and why they are used to in a process, that removes the need to memorize them.
4. Quality Mocks more than merely reading books prepared me for the exam. Mocks also helped me build endurance to sit through 4 hrs.
5. Don't spend months preparing for the exam. Instead spend a few focused months and take the exam when your momentum is high. With the right kind of preparation, this is not a tough exam to crack.
Good luck to all PMP aspirants! Hope my notes helped atleast a few of you.
