I was really intimidated by this exam. The questions didn't seem obvious when I first started studying, even with more than enough PM experience to qualify for the PMP. I started stufying for the exam in December of 2018. I studied pretty diligently for the first few months and then really got busy with work. By the beginning of 2020, my job had transformed to Program Management in a federal government and corporate environment and had gained a massive amount more PM experience in a very complex and demanding business environment. During this period, I made an effort to implement the methodologies as appropriate within the PMBOK. When I got back to studyiing for the PMP in Fall of 2020, my entire view on the PMBOK and PMP Exam had changed.
With all the experience I gained, the exam questions were second nature with a few exceptions. Which they have to be, since the exam is so fast paced. After a month or two of reviewing my study materials, I was ready to take the exam. This time around, I no longer viewed it as a process of memorizing a difficult process with broad applications and many complicating factors, but instead as a framework to both think about new projects in and also (for me more importantly) to organize and review lessons I learned throughout all my years of project management. For me, the real value of the PMP Certification is that it proves you have a framework to both organize your experience into to make it more actionable and that you have a disciplined approach to applying that experience. If you view the PMBOK in this way, or really any management methodology, you'll have a good shot at mastering the exam.
So in summary, don't be intimidated by the PMBOK or the exam. If you have the experience required to qualify for the exam, you should be able to pass it. If you have only worked on smaller projects and not in a corporate environment, it may take more studying or experience before you feel ready. I can't express the need enough though for the questions to feel very natural to you in order to pass the exam. I have a pretty good reading rate, but I still only had time to read through the questions and go with my gut answer before moving on to the next in a rushed manner. I only had 10 minutes of extra time after completing all the questions in this manner. If I had slowed down at all during the exam, I would not have completed it. Defintiely felt like a mental workout with a lot of fast paced management decisions. None of them too hard if you studied and have experience, but still a workout.
