TOPIC: Passing the PMP Exam - Lessons Learned

I wanted to post here, to say thank you to everyone who has posted before me. I read almost every thread here to determine whether I was ready for the exam and to prepare myself for what to expect. And so I would like to give back by sharing my own experience yesterday, February 28th.

I began my studying 7 weeks prior to my exam. I used only the PMBoK and Rita Mulcahy Prep. I took Headfirst, Oliver Lehman, Grey Matter and Prep cast exams. I scored on average 77% in these prep tests, with Oliver always being my lowest at 69%. I read the Rita Chapters 3 times, and the PMBoK twice. I highly recommend reading the PMBoK to its fullest, to fully grasp the ITTOs. I had a habit of breezing over these, and when I finally read every line of the PMBoK (it took me one whole week), I felt it was 100% worth the effort. My knowledge gaps greatly decreased when I took the practice exams, and it was easier to identify my gaps for further studying.

All I want to mention about the exam, is that it was difficult. Not to intimidate anyone, but I highly underestimated the mental focus it took to complete the exam. My strategy was to answer all 200 questions, without spending more than 2 minutes on any question, if I needed I would mark the question and return for review after I completed my first pass. The first 100 questions I was second guessing my answers - I marked a lot of questions for review. When I approached the second set of 100 questions, I told myself to keep focused and finish the first pass. I completed the first 200 in just over 2 hours. I was relieved to have answered all the questions.

I had sufficient time to review all of my marked answers. It was only then that I felt I had control over the exam and not the exam over me. I reviewed all the questions I had marked and changed 20% of my answers. At this point I was very doubtful that I would pass the exam, since I wasn't 100% confident in many of my answers.

I passed with above level proficiency - and I can attribute that to not doubting myself. I had to really tap into my knowledge: assessing what process I was in, making the best decision, and really trusting my studying. Don't doubt yourself - the exam is testing you. You are in control of the exam! Stay calm, stay focused - read every question and read every answer. And number one - don't panic!

I passed my PMP exam today (March 1, 2018) on my first attempt.

I visited this forum daily the month leading up to my exam, and found so much value in learning from others' shared experiences, that I felt it was only right to pay it forward and share my experience, too.

I'll keep it short. The 2 key resources I utilized primarily for my studying included:

1) "Head First" by Greene & Stellman - this book is very engaging and uses storying-telling-type examples and illustrations/graphics to help your brain understand and remember the data. While I did reference the PMBOK on occasion, the "Head First" book was my main resource.

2) The PM Prepcast PMP Exam Simulator - this was the BEST resource, by far, for helping me to prepare for the exam. I took 5 of the 200 question exams and averaged between 79-82%. The exam simulator's questions are incredibly similar to the questions in the PMP exam - and, in my opinion, the exam questions are actually a bit easier than the simulator questions. This tool gave me incredible insight into what I could expect for the exam. Thank you to the team who developed this incredible resource!