Hi Everyone,
I work in the IT field and do many small to medium projects a year. I started studying for the PMP exam back in November 2013. I was just reading through PMBOK guide and started collecting other books to help my understanding. I purchased books from Andy Crowe and Rita Mulcahy as well as the flash cards from Rita. I wish I had read Cornelius Fichtner’s comments in Prepcast about focusing on one study book along with the PMBOK guide and Prepcast. Being a more visual learner I was glad to find out about Prepcast on the web.
For two months I watched all of the 13 prepcast modules. After each module I would skim through the Rita book. I was able to grasp the content this way. I didn’t use the Andy Crowe book or Rita flash cards much but instead focused on the Rita book to simplify the study approach. I also purchased the PMP® Exam Formula Study Guide from Prepcast and really liked how it focused my study concerning formulas.
With one month before the test I focused my study on the Prepcast exam simulator I purchased. I would study 100 questions a weeknight in the learning mode or timed mode to evaluate my knowledge gaps. I also memorized a brain dump for the test and wrote down the 47 processes along with the formulas I figured I needed every day. During the weekend I would take two full 4 hour simulated exams. I was scoring around 70 percent on the simulated exams. I was able to study 2,100 plus questions and felt comfortable with my knowledge level. ITTO’s were always a bit of a bear for me. By the end of the month and two days before the test I was slowing
down the amount of information I was trying to take in.
I followed many of the lessons learned mentioned by others like visit the testing center a week before the exam, arrive early on test day (and I would mention go into the testing center early to check in), be prepared for people coming and going during your exam along with the exam proctors walking behind you every so often. I used the 15 minute tutorial to perform my brain dump and that got my mind into exam mode. I monitored my questions answered to time left for the exam and was tracking a few questions ahead or behind each hour. I sped up around question 160 to 180 to make sure I had some review time. I finished question 200 with 9 minutes left. I found I could solve the formula question during the first time through the questions so I only had one question left unmarked. I solved the unmarked question and then visited the marked questions (about 11). I ended the exam with about a minute left.
I would recommend the Prepcast tools for anyone striving to pass the PMP! Good luck to all candidates.
