TOPIC: Passed PMP Exam March 24th (Second Attempt)

I passed the PMP exam yesterday (March 24), on my second attempt, with “Above Target” on all domains. Since the test is changing Monday, I was rushing to take the test prior to the change, therefore I purchased PM Prep-Cast and the simulator. The second time around my motivation was fear and a fast approaching declared deadline.

The best thing I did was purchase PM Prep-Cast, their simulator, and Aileen Ellis prep-sample questions on how to get EVM and Network Diagram questions right. I read Andy Crowe’s (Pass on First Try), Head First PMP, and The Project Management Answer Book (2nd Edition), but I just couldn’t retain the content. Everyone has a different learning style. I like to visualize things and Cornelius Fichtner’s PM Prep-Cast training was perfect for me.

Mock-exams— I purchased Prep-Cast simulator and took 8 out of 9 tests (averaging 76-78 on first try). I would review all the questions I had wrong and realized most of the time it was because I wasn’t paying attention to what the question was asking. This helped me a great deal because PMP exam questions were really tricky. They weren’t as long as the ones you see in the simulator. However, I found the long questions to be helpful because it made me focus on what the question was truly asking. All the questions on the exam were situational.

I also took mock exams from Oliver Lehmann Sample Questions (tough), Andy Crowe, Aileen Ellis (workbooks for EVM and network diagrams), and Head First PMP. However, looking back, I found the simulator be be more helpful. Remember to strike out all the obviously wrong answers and select the answer you think is right before moving on to the next question. Don't stay on one question for too long, mark it and get back to it at the end of the test. I used nearly all 4 hours to complete the exam. I didn’t have enough time to review all the questions I marked for review.

One last thing, instructors are right, you don't need to memorize the ITTO's. I didn't memorize them.

Hope this was helpful.

v/r,

S. Melendez, PMP

Congrats!

Thank you.