TOPIC: Passed PMP in first attempt on 22nd April

1. I started preparation for the test in the month of July-09 by purchasing a PMBOK guide. After some days of reading PMBOK i realised that i was going nowhere. Also the preparation was delayed due to some work commitments
2. I bought the PMP prepcast by Cornelius and listened to it on weekdays 1hr and weekend around 2-3 hrs. This helped me clear some of the basics like Earned Value Management, Decision Tree Analysis, Procurement Management, Network Diagrams and most of the topics in Procurement Management. Also the blog by Harvinder and Faiz ( www.deepfriedbrainpmp.com ) helped me a lot. I used to read the daily tips provided by their another site.
3. I found Headfirst too graphical and Rita Mulcahey's language a bit negative.
4. I used to complete the episode from PMP prepcast and then cover the same topic from PMBOK.This helped in understanding the PMBOK more.
5. During Jan i applied for the PMI membership and filled my application for the exam. Fortunately i was not selected for auditing
6. Then i moved to solving more and more questions and online tests. I attempted PMStudy, Effective PMC and Headfirst labs test.

Exam Week:
1. Spent the 5 days before exam in revising the tools and techniques and outputs of some major processes. This helped me a lot on the exam.
2. Understood the network diagram calculations, Decision tree analysis and Contract types and the numericals on these topics.
3. Prepared a brain dump sheet with the Process Group/Knowledge Areas Matrix and formulas covering the Earned Value Management, Network Diagrams,Estimating etc.

Exam Day:
1. I appeared for the Exam at a Prometric center in Mumbai. We can take only 2 forms of ID inside the testing environment. Not even a handkerchief is allowed. Scrap sheets of paper and a couple of pencils are provided. Ear plugs are readily available.
2. Initial tutorial of 15 minutes helps in understanding the test navigation and screen configuration.
3. Completed the test in 3 hrs with around 40 questions marked for review. Reviewed all of those and again a second round of review for 200 ques.
4. Clicked End Exam. Screen went blank for a considerable amount of time. This was followed by a survey after which i saw the word i longed for .Congratulations!

Questions type:
1. There were some questions asking to identify the T&T and outputs of processes.
2. Situational questions were also asked
3. Numericals

Believe me, it feels a lot relieved after passing this test.

My best wishes are with all the PMP aspirants.

Samir:
thanks for the detail information and congratulations for the achievement.
Have some questions:

How long did you prepare for the total exam?

Also you mention

I attempted PMStudy, Effective PMC and Headfirst labs test.

How do you order those pre-exam questions?
Do you buy them, are they free?
Will really appreciate your input.

I'm preparing for my exam which is scheduled for MAy 27th.
Really nervous about it and will like to try as much as I can to pass.