Just passed my PMP yesterday! Such a great feeling. I can say that using the exam simulator and taking 3 mock exams made me feel confident going into the exam, and helped during.
I scored 75%, 82%, and 79% on my mock exams. I went through Andy Crowe's book initially, taking notes on every chapter. Then I decided I wanted additional guidance, and signed up with Prep Cast. I watched probably 30% of the videos, and I am glad I did because I picked up great tips on the mindset and some additional agile knowledge. I also read most of the Agile guide. Confession: I DID NOT fully read PMBOK 6 or 7. I referred back to them as I needed when I checked my answers or studied and needed more info. However, I did take a college CE course (Full year) prior to studying. I am a full time employee and mom, and realized that I wouldn't be able to get through all of the Prep Cast videos (already took a course for the credits), so I switched to using the Exam simulator. I answered over 50% of the available questions, by taking the mock exams and quizzes whenever I had spare time. Reviewing those answers taught me soooo much!
Here are some tips I can pass on about the actual exam...
- I had maybe a handful of questions that were straightforward (what approach would you suggest, what activity is the PM doing)
- Most questions were situational. So, know the concepts and what a PM should do from a broad level
- There were quite a few in which I felt the answer was obvious (following the mindset approach)
- A lot of feedback states the questions are vague. I don't recall thinking this too often, there were a few that I felt I guessed because I would have liked more background, but others had plenty of info
- There were plenty of questions where 2 answers seemed like they could be the best, and I had to use my experience and studying to make a choice
- There were also a lot of questions where I would anticipate the answer while reading the question, and then look at the answer bank... and none of the answers seemed like they fit! Again, had to use my judgement and think, what is the best general answer
The approach I used going into it was this:
- Remember the mindset. I felt I answered a lot thinking this way. Or how to handle a situation with emotional intelligence
- PM should not immediately escalate or jump into action. I looked for the response that had me review a plan or evaluate/analyze the situation
Hope this helps someone. Good Luck everyone!
