Sorry folks, been meaning to post this but never got around to it. I took my test at the end of February and passed with 3 Ps, 2 MPs! This lessons learned forum was very important to me during the weeks before I tested, so I couldn't wait to contribute.
My main study materials.
1. PMBOK
2. PrepCast
3. Andy Crowe, The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try, Fifth Edition
4. PrepCast Exam Simulator
Like many others, I began with an on/off study habits. I used the PrepCast as my initial 30 hour requirement and got through it relatively quickly. I was still pretty insecure with most of the information, so I considered finding one of the more expensive Boot Camp courses. After listening to some of the test takers on the podcast, I decided to try some of the extra guides instead. My local library had an older copy of Rita's PMP Exam Prep, so I read about half way through that. In the meantime, I ordered Crowe's current version.
Crowe's guide really helped clear everything up for me. As opposed to Rita's guide, which goes into great detail, Crowe simplifies everything so that the relationships between processes and knowledge areas are way more obvious. I really tore into that book, using all of the practice tests (including the full one at the end) to gauge my level of understanding. It really put me in the right place. I scheduled my exam for about six weeks out as soon as I finished reading it.
That being said, Crowe does not have everything in it that you need to know to pass the exam (sorry). Since I bought the PrepCast Exam Simulator as a package deal, I began focusing all my energy on testing, with a plan to complete every one of them and get my money's worth. The greatest value of the simulators is that you see where all of your weak areas are and you can even focus on questions in those areas. Since the podcast is organized by knowledge area, I was able to keep improving my weak areas by relistening to Cornelius. I completed all of the simulators with a few days to spare, so I read the PMBOK one more time for good measure. My level of understanding at that point gave me far more confidence, so I was very glad I reread it.
These were my simulator scores:
79.5, 76.5, 76, 81.5, 78, 79.5, 78, 78, ITTO 78.5
My test center was about 80 minutes away, so I scheduled the test just after lunch and got there several hours early. There was a cafe next door, so I sat there and passively reviewed some Global Knowledge flash cards that a friend of mine gave me just to keep my head in the game. I should note that I also did this passive review the day before. The test center felt a bit dirty to me and the chair was a little uncomfortable, but I was so much in the zone, it didn't bother me. I had prepared to brain dump on the paper they gave, but decided to just jump in and write formulas as they came up. I did not break until 100 questions in, ate a snickers bar and had some water, then jumped back in and wrapped it up. I only had about 7 minutes left after I finished, so I went back over a few questions that I flagged and actually changed one or two answers.
Lessons learned. When I was taking the simulators, I kept trying to get my scores up and just couldn't do it, so it was a bit discouraging. When I saw that others were scoring even lower and still passing I felt much better. The actual exam is far more scenario based and less obvious. If there is some kind of magic they use to evaluate the testers level of understanding over just memorization, it seems to have worked. I didn't, at any point, just try to memorize any ITTOs. I just kept making sure I understood them as they came up. If I saw an ITTO on the simulator that didn't make sense to me, I wrote it down and went back over it using all my study materials. The fact is that I never felt completely secure about all of the ITTOs (there's a lot of them) and just relied on logic to close the memory gaps. In my opinion, the test is structured for that approach to work, but still expects you to have a really firm understanding of the processes and how they're connected. Keep in mind that the simulator may often ask "...X is an input to y, and y is an output to x", but the actual exam isn't that obvious.
I did memorize formulas. Weeks before the test, I could brain dump every possible formula in the PMBOK. What I realized from memorizing them was that I didn't actually need to keep doing this and there really weren't that many that were difficult enough to worry about (ETC/EAC). That may be different for folks that suffer from greater test anxiety than me.
Important note. Not sure if others felt this way, but I had no idea that I was doing well on the actual exam until I completed it. There were several moments when I thought I was failing and began making plans on when I could come back and test again. Don't let that inner anxiety get the best of you! Just keep answering questions and stay focused. Again, the test is just not that obvious, so even the right/best answer may not make you feel confident about it.
If I were to recreate my study timeline (it actually took me over a year, but this is condensed):
1. Read PMBOK and go through PrepCast (one month, give or take)
2. Read Crowe (one-two weeks; it's a really quick read, but has valuable practice questions)
3. Exam Simulators (six weeks), and review weak areas w/ PMBOK and PrepCast. Don't skimp on the simulators!
4. Read PMBOK again (very important)
5. Passive study one-two days prior to testing (flash cards)
That's all I can think to offer, but please reach out to me if you have any more questions. This forum was a great tool for me going into the exam!
Regards,
Eric
