First I started reading right from the pmbook guide 4th edition. After 200 pages, I was clear that was no the way to go for me. I fell asleep and wandered away so many times, that I was not getting much value from it.
Then I purchased Rita Mulcahy's Seventh edition. I read the book on my own, I filled all the exams at the end of each chapter, after the exam, I checked the answers, and reviewed the ones I got wrong. Then just took the wrong questions and answered them again. filled most of the questions in between chapters (I was a little lazy, so I didn't fill them all).
After I was done with the book, I subscribed to The PM PrepCast. Once I started to listen to The PM PrepCast I noticed that the best way to study is to listen to The PrepCast first, to get a 10,000 feet view of the methodology, and then get into eatsy bitsy details on the book.
I met with my study buddies once. They where busier than I was.
Lessons learned. Go with the prepcast or live course first, then study from a study guide.
I took a few free test online, then subscribed to the PM Exam Simulator from the prepcast, filled the first 5 exams, my average was 75% then it dropped to 70% when I finished the prepcast. I had a lot of work pressure, and was not able to study much.
Then read 231 pages of PMP Project management Professional Exam Review Guide by Kim Heldman, and Vanina Mangano.
In my final two days before the exam, I was able to study for 1.5 hours. Witch I used to create my brain dump sheet. All I had in my brain dump was page 43 of the pmbook guide, table 3-1, and the formulas that I didn't know by heart.
The formulas proved to be a great value for my exam, and the table 3-1 was a great guide for many questions.
The night before the exam I had work related issues and got home and went to bed at 1:00am. Had no time to visit the site previous to the exam.
The day of the exam I arrived one hour before time, got there before the prometric employees.
First One in, first one out. It took me 3 hours and 20 minutes to fill the exam and review 12 questions I had marked for review. Of the marked questions I changed the suggested answer on aprox. 6 of them, 3 I left the same, and the other 3 I had no idea how to respond.
Passed on my first try.
Thanks to Rita, Cornelious, Kim Heldman, and Vanina Mangano and ing. Simo for lending me the Kim, Vanina Book
