I passed my PMP exam on my first attempt. I hope sharing my experience is going to be helpful.
How I Studied for the exam:
1. PMP Exam Prep Seminar - Pass the PMP on Your First Attempt” by Joseph Phillips
I went through his course on Udemy first. I took notes as I progressed through the course. I completed all of the chapter assignments and chapter quizzes without skipping anything. I studied at least 2-3 hours early in the morning almost every day. It took me 1 month and 3 weeks to get through the entire course.
2. PrepCast PMP Exam Simulator
I spent well over 30 hours in the PrepCast PMP Exam Simulator! I took as many quizzes and practice exams as I could until I felt comfortable. I studied from the questions that I answered wrong. The explanation was super helpful to understand why my answer was wrong and also taught me how to read the questions correctly. I went through 80% of the questions in the question bank. I made 68%, 78%, 76%, and 79% on Exam 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. I remember that Cornelius mentioned in one of his webinars that once you can answer 75% of questions correctly in your first attempt, then you are ready for the real exam. I followed his advice and studied and learned until I could achieve this milestone. I spent 2 weeks and a few days in the exam simulator before I took the real PMP exam.
3. Other Supplemental Study Materials I Used:
I used the following resources to supplement my studying while I was going through Joe's Exam Prep Course and the PrepCast Exam Simulator (approximately 2-3 weeks)
Youtube videos – I used them to study particular topics or concepts that I didn't understand or wanted to improve my understanding.
Agile Practice Guide - I read through the guide once.
PMBOK Guide, 6th Edition - I didn't read through the entire book. I used it as a reference when I needed it.
The Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland - I read through the document once.
Joseph's PMP Exam Prep Seminar Course - I went back to watch the chapters where I needed improvement. The stats in the Exam Simulator helped me to know in which areas I was weak.
PMP Exam Outline - I read this a few times.
What The Actual Exam Day Was Like for Me
I took the online-proctored version of the PMP exam from one of the conference rooms in my employer’s facility. I scheduled to take the exam early in the morning. I arrived approximately 1 hour before my scheduled exam time. The check-in process went well. I was able to start my exam 10 minutes earlier than my scheduled time. During the exam, I really focused on my time management and made sure that I was on track to finish the 180 questions within the allocated 230 minutes. I never felt that I was doing alright. I actually felt that I had already failed the exam in the first set of the 60 questions, but I decided to keep going. I took two 10-minute breaks to go to the restroom, eat small snacks, and stretch my legs. I don't remember calculating anything. I remember seeing 4-5 matching questions. I saw one fill-in-the-blank question, which I didn't see in the PrepCast Exam Simulator. In order for me to keep up with my time, I didn't have a chance to review my answers. At the end of question 180, I had less than 5 minutes left. Immediately after I ended the exam, I saw the "congratulations" message and knew that I had passed it. I received the score report from the PMI the next day and knew that I scored “Above Target” in all 3 domains.
The PrepCast PMP Exam Simulator is a must. It really helped me to prepare for the PMP exam.
I hope that all of you will do well in your studies and on the exam. Good luck!
