TOPIC: Passed my PMP exam on 21 September 2016 – What I did and Lessons learnt!

Hi all,
I am still so excited that I passed (3 Proficient and 2 Moderately proficient) - almost feels unreal after all the months of studying that it is actually over
I had PMBOK coming out my ears towards the end
My journey began with a 3 month Exam prep course which ran from March 2016 until June 2016.

My Experience:
I read PMBOK cover to cover first, and then read Rita Mulcahy exam prep cover to cover without doing any of the ends of chapter questions at first.
I then proceeded to read a chapter from PMBOK and then the corresponding chapter in Rita's book and attempting the end of chapter questions. Going through the explanations of what I got wrong.

After completing this, I attempted PMP sample questions online. Below is what I used :
* Oliver Lehman had a 75 question that I did online.
* I downloaded the 175 pmp questions from Oliver Lehman
* Signed up for PMP sample questions by Cornelius Fichtner - did all those questions
* Also signed up for PMP newsletter by PM Prepcast
* I downloaded the freebies from PM Prepcast – printed them out and went through it. I found other stuff/ links on the website that I printed and used for study material
* I did the questions on sites.google.com/site/pmpbank/pmpquestionbank
* I also did the 100 free questions here: www.izenbridge.com/pmp/free-exam/pmbok-5...tice-questions-test/
* I also went through the mock exams on www.tutorialspoint.com/pmp-exams/pmp_mock_exams.htm
* I downloaded pocket prep for my phone which gave a question of the day.
* I also went through a 90 question exam - a mock exam that I did through the exam prep course.
* I found this website to be very useful : edward-designer.com/web/pmp/
* www.pmi-mad.org/index.php?option=com_con...:articulos&Itemid=88
I thereafter went back to the books - concentrated a lot on PMBOK and my notes.
My advice : Don’t concentrate too much on other exam preps. You don’t want to have too many sources of information. I used it to understand better, there were quite a bit that’s explained in Rita that is not even in PMBOK.
I did spend a lot of time reading Rita and doing online questions at first. I felt I should have done more reading before attempting the questions.
I eventually read PMBOK 5 times (sounds excessive) but wanted to be at a good place with my understanding of how everything falls into place and how the processes tie back to each other. I read my books everyday even if it was just 1 hour.
2 weeks before the exam I read Rita and then PMBOK (line by line). I did not memorize inputs and outputs - just by the reading, my understanding of everything made me confident. But i did make a lot of emphasis on tools and techniques - I wanted to know them at my fingertips - be able to explain it and know which knowledge area it comes from. Also answered all Rita’s questions until I got each of them correct (with writing next to the ones why it is the incorrect choice) - this process helped me overall. Because as I sat on the day of the exam - I struck out the ones that are incorrect which eventually leaves you with the most correct answer)
I concentrated more on Stakeholder, communications, risk and quality in PMBOK.
I also read PMBOK glossary!
I strongly advise that when you book your exam, you give yourself the study time you need but make sure you have a date to work towards. Don’t postpone the booking of D-Day but don’t do it prematurely either. Be sure of where you at in terms of confidence and understanding.
If you still asking the question “how does one know if they ready to sit the pmp exam" then you must/should know you not ready.
Do not rush it - you have a year to do the exam - everyone studies at their own pace so don’t feel pressured to write the exam because others you know are writing the exam.
They say you must go to bed early and have a good night’s rest – but let me tell you it’s not that easy. After saying goodnight to my 3 year old son.. I sat on my bed paging through PMBOK when my husband said that’s enough, I should get some rest.
I woke up when my alarm went off, showered and had coffee before leaving home. I got to the venue early – browsed through my notes and ate a chocolate. I was feeling ok - feeling good - which worried me a little because I felt like I should have been "stressed". Then I got called to sign in – that’s when I felt the exam uneasiness coming over me. I told myself I can do this and WILL pass as I walked in.
I wrote down the 47 processes and formulas on the scrap paper – trying not to use to much space.
Whilst writing the exam - Breathe ! Don’t rush the questions .. you have 4 hours! If you find yourself having to read the same question 3 times then its best to mark for review so that you don’t waste too much time on 1 question at any given time unless you have been through all 200 questions. At some point I had to tell myself to slow down. You can take brakes but the clock keeps ticking so beware of that.
All the best guys! It’s not impossible - can be done - make sure you prepare well. I would say use any exam prep you comfortable with but remember PMBOK is key !..

Congratulations on a job well done. It sounds like you were very thorough on your preparation and the results showed. Definitely some nice details on resources in your post (where to get sample questions, etc.). Many thanks for sharing!

Thanks - I hope it helps others out there that are writing the PMP exam soon.