TOPIC: I passed!

I took the PMP exam on October 14th and passed with flying colors!

I studied for approximately 3 months. I created a schedule of when to study and what I was going to study when. Preparing for the PMP exam is a project in and of itself. I studied for approximately 2-3 hours per day. I had a vacation during this time as well, so I did take breaks for already scheduled vacation times. This time allowed me to relax and absorb the material better.

As I got closer to the exam date, I started studying more and more. I increased my study time to about 3-4 hours per day. I also schedule times for taking practice exams. I am a more visual person, so I did several things to make the material stick better:

• Read the PMBOK Guide once for a general understanding- as you may know, this is a very, very dry read. it is nice to go through it at least once to get an understanding of what material will be covered on the exam and know where to go for clarification.

• Listened to the PM PrepCast while working or on my commute. I listened to the PrepCast once and went back to list to areas that I needed more practice in a second time. I also took notes from the PrepCast and reviewed these notes the day before my exam.

• Read the Head First PMP- this book was very interactive and helped me understand the content in the PMBOK guide in a more visual way with games and scenarios

• Went through the The PMP Exam Flash Cards by Andy Crowe a couple of times with family to really understand the concepts and make sure that I was able to explain the concepts to anyone.

• Completed Five full timed practice exams through the PM PrepCast to gauge my score and understanding, as well as a couple of smaller quizzes. I also found several hundred free questions online and was able to study through those questions as well. I want to mention that I did this the last couple of weeks prior to my exam to prepare my brain and body for the exam. The exam is exhausting and you need to be ready for that exhaustion, so that you can get through it.

• I also really struggles with remembering the ITTO's. I created a spreadsheet with the knowledge areas, phases, and all of the ITTO's. Since I needed more practice, i also wrote all of the ITTO's out on post-its and posted them in rooms in my home. I separated out the post-its by phase, so I could remember that the Initiating Phase processes and ITTO'S were located in my bedroom, versus the Monitoring and Controlling processes and ITTO'S were located in my office. This also helped me during studying, so that I could review the post-its each day and reference them during studying.

A week before the exam, I visited the location of my exam. I was so glad I did this, since the location was tucked away from the room and it took a while for me to find it. I found that this also made me feel better about getting there on time and not stress more on the day of the exam.

I studied right up to the end and reviewed my notes the day of the exam. I also prepped my breakfast and clothes the day before the exam, so that I did not have to use any additional brainpower on the day of the exam.

During the exam, I took one break to stretch and use the restroom after I completed all of the questions. After the break, I went back to review any of the questions I marked. I found that this break really helped me refocus and understand the questions better when reading them the second time.

The biggest lesson I learned during this study time is that I really needed to say "no" to a lot commitments I would normally go to. This meant that I needed to focus more on studying rather than family, friend, volunteer, or work events. I let my family and friends know right away when I started studying, so that I could focus more on studying without hard feelings from loved ones.

After the exam, I celebrated and I would suggest you do the same! It is an incredible accomplishment.

Very great wishes on studying and passing your exam!
Jessica

Dear Jessica,

Congratulations on passing your exam!

Thank you for sharing your success and lessons learned. We are glad to hear that our products helped you prepare for and pass your exam.

Good luck in all your future endeavors.