I passed on my first try of the PMP exam. The following is what helped me prepare for the exam:
1) I used Rita and Head First book in addition to the PMBOK. I did not read PMBOK until i read the 2 books and that helped me understand PMBOK a lot better than if i tried to read PMBOK first.
2) I have a full time job so during the work days i would come home and spend at least 1 hour if not 2 reading, understanding the aforementioned books. Over the weekend i studied 3-4 hours each of the 2 days. The key here is not skip daily reading no matter what (even if you could spare 30 minutes do make it a habit to read, this keeps you in the right frame of mind)
3) I listened to Cornelius Podcast every day to work (i had a 45 minutes commute each way). I would listen to the podcast and then read up on the same topics when i got home.
4) I prepared my own cards for each process with Inputs, T&T and outputs and summary of my understanding of each one of them.
5) I scheduled my exam on Tuesday and took Monday and Tuesday off. This gave me a chance to study for 3 days uninterrupted.
6) I took practice tests (partial tests: 30 questions at a time) periodically. I used prep cast simulator.
7) I took 3 full exam; the 3rd exam the day before the PMP exam. on my last sample exam i got 89% and i felt that i was ready to take the exam.
I hope this helps.
