Happy to be a PMP !!
I took me about 3 months to be ready. I have read the Head First PMP and the PMBok in parallel, chapter by chapter. I didn't bother memorizing anything specific at that point, just get a feel for the material that needed be covered. Then I used the PM Formula guide to learn specifically about the formulas. Reading the books and studying the formulas took me about two months in total. Then, I focused on memorizing the processes, and some of the ITTOs. I have used the pm exam simulator to find out how good/bad I was, and scored about 65% on the first exam. By analyzing my mistakes and the test reports, I then focused on the areas that needed most work, and went on like this during about three weeks. The exam simulator really helped me monitor my progress and know when I would be ready for the test. Regarding the formulas, I have also used the BrainBok formula challenge, which contains about 50 tough formula questions - that really prepared me for the worst questions !
The actual PMP exam questions are really close to what the pm exam simulator had prepared me for, so I was quite comfortable taking the exam. Also, the pm exam simulator helped me a lot with managing my time during the exam.
One piece of advice: using the PM exam simulator, I was usually able to finish the 200 questions in about 3h20 to 3h30. However, because of the test environment and stress related to taking the PMP, it took me 3h50 to get done with the real exam (counting a 5 minutes break). So, make sure you account for some extra time.
Wishing you good luck !
