A great big thank you to the PM PrepCast, Cornelius Fichtner (and Justine!). I passed the PMP yesterday - first try.
It was really important to me to have a "low & slow" training - I did not want to rush through a boot camp style class in a few days. With the PM PrepCast videos - I was able to watch (over & over) any areas that I needed extra practice like Advance Earned Value Management, Decision Tree Analysis, Network Diagram plus other lessons that I simply wanted to rewatch. The email lessons with formulas let me know exactly what to learn and were invaluable to my studies. I am so happy I chose this program for my contact hours and highly recommend it to others. This is my study timeline:
- PM PrepCast lessons - it took about 3 months (remember, I was looking for low & slow!)
- 2.5 months in advance of the exam, I read the first 3 chapters in the PMBOK and then the first 3 chapters in Head First PMP. From there, I read a chapter in one book and then the other. For example, Scope Management in the PMBOK and then Scope Management in Head First PMP.
- I started taking full length practice exams 8 weeks prior to the test - 1 per week. I focused on my weakest knowledge areas for the following week's focus.
- 1 week prior to the exam - I started practicing the brain dump. I should have started 2 weeks before - I had to memorize 5 formulas the day of the exam which was stressful!
- 1 week prior - keep going over your weakest knowledge areas, read the glossary in the PMBOK a few times, watch videos, scan the internet for PMP exam tips & trips. Anything you can read to keep emphasizing what you have already learned is helpful.
- I made sure that this exam came first - and my friends and family knew about it and knew that I was not doing anything social until I passed the exam (not until I made it through the 1st try). It's a big commitment and the exam is challenging - putting everything you have into it helps to reduce stress on the day of the exam.
- Exam day - I scheduled my exam for 12:30pm and took the day off of work. I did not have to rush in the morning, I was able to go through the formula guides again and notes for areas that I was still having trouble. I arrived at 11:40 and I was checked in and guided to my exam station. I was able to start early.
- I took a short break (about 10 minutes) during the exam and worked through it.
Study aids:
PMBOK, 5th edition
Head First PMP
PM PrepCast (videos, formula lessons, quizzes, and more)
PMP Exam Simulator (I took 8 practice exams!)
The PMP Exam: Quick Reference Guide (from Amazon)
Happy testing! Congrats to the other PMP's that went through this program!
