Good evening all; just wanted to share that I passed the exam...basically just using the simulator and reviewing answers.
This is by no means a suggestion that the exam can be passed by doing what I'm about to describe. I do not have a PM degree, still working on that.
I scored BT on Initiating and Planning; Above Target on Executing and Closing; Target on M/C. So my scores averaged
out to "Target"...a pass. I studied for 15 days. The first 10 days I used the Learning Quiz, 20 questions each, and really
focused on how the questions were stated and why each answer was right/wrong. The last 5 days I took off work and studied
for 16 hours a day. I would take a 4hr exam and then review it for 2hrs. I'd take a break and work on my brain dump
and EVA formulas. I would then repeat the process. On test day I woke up, ate breakfast, and wrote out my brain dump/formulas about 10-12 times.
What I learned from the simulator was how to read into the questions and dissect what was being asked. You can't memorize the
entire PMBOK, but after 1200 questions I could visualize where in the framework the question was drawn from. I could see which
process was being referenced and draw a line to the next or previous process. Just like the simulator, most of my exam
questions were, "What will the PM do next" or "Should have done previously". I had 6-8 math questions and the formulas
were paramount to solving them. Again, I am not advocating that studying this way will work for everyone. The simulator
really opened my mind and prepared me for the test. Two other co-workers did the same thing, but one does have a BS in PM.
Best of luck!!!
