TOPIC: Passed PMP in first attempt - My Lesson Learned

PREP MATERIALS :

1. PMP Prep cast by Cornelius Fichtner
2. PMBOK
3. Rita Mulcahy
4. PMP Exam Simulator from PMP Prep Cast

PREPARATION TIME :

2 months of studing : 2 – 3 hours weekday, 5-6 hours weekends.

2 MONTH PROCESS:

1. Went through PMP Prepcast to get my 35 hours. It helped me get familiar with the course and terminologies before I dove deep into PMBOK.
2. Read PMBOK once while I was waiting for my application to be approved. Gave a mock test. Scored very low but that helped me identify the topics I needed to focus on.
3. Read PMBOK and Rita together. Gave the tests available in Rita's book at the end of every chapter.
4. 15 days before exam, I only gave mock tests from PMP Exam Simulator - Scoring 78% - 85%. For all the wrong answers, I re- read the sections from PMBOK. (very important step)

MOCK EXAMS :

I found that the general rule of thumb for any mock test is that if you are scoring around 75% - 80% or more, you are prepared.
1. PMP Exam Simulator 9 mock exams – Very good quality exams. The language was very similar to the actual exam. - Scored 78% - 85%
2. Edwel Mock Exam - Scored 76%
3. Oliver Lehmann (Very tough. Take it when you think you know the materials and don’t get disheartened if you get less than 70%) - Scored 67%

Dos
1. Before submitting your application, make sure you review it with your managers/contact in case of an audit.
2. Understand the sequence of processes so you can answer “What is the best thing to do next” type of questions . A lot of questions around this.
3. Quality, Risk and Procurement management get a lot of questions. Study them well.
4. Give as many mock tests as possible. This is the best way to get a hang of situational questions. PMP Exam Simulator allows you to do that by providing 1800 questions.
5. Relax before the day of the exam. I went for a movie and spent time with my husband who I had abandoned for 2 months
6. At the test center, create a brain dump for the 47 process groups and formulas before your exam. I got around 15 mathematical questions and it was really helpful to refer to my brain dump for the formula.

Don’t
1. Don’t wait for your application to be approved to start reading PMBOK.
2. Do not memorize the ITTOs. Focus on logical relationship between them.
3. Do not give random exams on the internet.

Best of Luck!

Akanksha,

Congratulations on passing the PMP exam! Thanks for taking the time to post a very well organized lessons learned. Great advice and much appreciated. Your comment about scoring 75%-80% on mock exams being a good sign of preparation for the actual exam may be true for many people, but I don't think you can generalize. There are just too many variables to know how one will perform when faced with the pressure of the actual exam, no matter how good of a score in the mock exams.

Cheers,

Mark

Hello Mark,

Thank you very much!

I absolutely agree with you. I got a sense of preparedness when I gave the mock tests and scored more than 75% consistently. It certainly made me more confident. However, that cannot be generalized and does not guarantee that one would pass the main exam.

Akanksha