This is how I studied.
1. I took an 2 Project management courses a few years ago and one was an exam preparation course.
2. I attempted to read the PMBOK and text book from Kim Heldman for over a year. I just couldn't seem to stay focused and I didn't really know how much of the books I needed to retain.
3. I needed a solid plan that was current and I didn't have time to sort through everything that was available on-line. That is so time consuming so I bought the PrepCast and the formulae guide and exam simulator.
4. I started a regular study routine the 2nd week of Jan 2016 and successfully passed the exam on April 28, 2016. Just 15 days before my year of eligibility would expire.
5. I studied about 10 hours per week in the evenings until the last 2 weeks. Then I studied about 20hrs per week.
6. I listened to lectures and memorized table 3.1 (Process Group/Knowledge area table) in the PMBOK guide 5.
7. I then started the exam simulator questions. First I tried small quizzes where I would flip through my text books and formulas and try to find the answers.
8. I then studied the formula guide along with lots of example questions.
9. Over the course of the last 3 weeks I developed my own cheat sheet which started out as multiple pages. In the end I only had 2 pages.
10. I did 2.5 full exams just using my cheat sheet and did fairly well. I reviewed all my mistakes to ensure I understood and made notes as needed to my cheat sheets.
11. In total I did over 900 questions. I just simply ran out of time. I wish I could have done more.
12. I was rushed through the exam. I only had 4 mins to spare at the end to review. Good thing I guessed at the questions I wasn't sure about because I didn't have time to go back.
13. The 15mins before was quick. I only had time to write down 2 sheets of notes.
Thanks PrepCast for a great product. It made the difference for me.
