I just passed the PMP exam this afternoon and took it at home using the Pearson online tool. I had hoped to take it in a center so I wouldn't have to worry about internet connections, etc., but discovered the centers in my area were booked into June when my application was accepted by PMI in March. I waited to submit the PMP application until I took the final exam in the PM PrepCase tool. In hindsight, I would have taken the PM PrepCast final exam sooner but thought I should wait until I finished watching the videos for most of the knowledge areas. Lesson learned!
The online exam process went smoothly. The check-in process was easy and it is nice you can use the Pearson mobile app to take the pictures that are required. I watched the tutorial prior to starting the exam and found it helpful for learning how to navigate the application. I wish there had been an option to practice using the online whiteboard. I found it a little harder to do my brain dump of the knowledge areas, process groups, and processes using this tool since I had only practiced it on paper or in an Excel template that was laid out similar to the table in the PMBOK guide. I was a little nervous when I started the exam, but got more comfortable as I went. The questions seemed a litte easier than those in the exam simulator but there were quite a few that I marked to review because it was difficult to choose between two answers.
I purchased the The PM PrepCast Elite PLUS package and studied for three months. I would try to study for 2-3 hours on 2-3 nights a week and then for 5-8 hours each weekend. I am glad I purchased this package as the videos, study guides, and exam simulator were very helpful. The study guides gave me a sense of confidence that I was studying the right material. I tried to watch all the PM PrepCast lessons and read the PMBOK guide as recommended. I started using the quizzes in the exam simulator about one month into my studies and found them to be very helpful in training me to look for key words such as "which project document...", etc. I also read The 50 PMP Exam Prep Questions Everyone Gets Wrong by Cornelius Fichtner and found it to be a good way to practice carefully reading and thinking about what the questions are asking. Lastly, I skimmed The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try by Andy Crowe to reinforce some of the concepts that were harder for me. I highly recommend the PM PrepCast as a study tool.
