Thank you to everyone in this community. I visit this page often to get tips and tricks, to read lessons learned and best practices to past the PMP.
Here are the tools I used to help understand PMP process and pass the exam hopefully it will assist current PMP aspirants:
1. Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep – Read through the first time with my study group and then read it again taking notes with a better understanding.
2. Head First PMP: A Learner's Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam – I wish I would have read this first before starting the study group. Head First put things into real-life situations, their take on using visuals and different ways to think through the process helped. This was when I began building my own notes.
After I would read a Chapter in Head First, I would follow up with a video from Master of Project Academy and make more notes.
3. Then I purchased Dan Ryan, MBA, PMP’s PM Tutor 5 week program to a better understanding of the materials. Dan provided a 1 hour session each week to review the process groups, provided additional study materials, and we answered questions live.
4. Dan showed the importance of purchasing an exam simulator and after reading many lessons learned on how the simulator prepared user for the exam, I decided to invest in the simulator. I purchased the PMP Exam Simulator from PM PrepCast Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM. The best decision I could have ever made. I took 5 full 4 hour exams before I sat for the PMP. The simulator showed where I had gaps in knowledge and this is where I revisited Rita Mulcahy and the PMBOK to clear my understanding.
Exam 1: 65% Exam 2: 77% Exam 3: 74% Exam 4: 82% Exam 5: 82%
Thank you all and to the PMP aspirants…. the journey might be long, continue to purse because the reward is great!