Passed the PMP exam on my first attempt.
I found the test to be easier than expected and I finished it in 3 hours with 1AT, 3T, and 1BT. I must admit that I never did a full length simulator exam. However,
I did use the I the PM Prepcast Simulator in the learn mode. My thoughts were that I would take the test to get a feel for it, then study more and re-take it. My
subscription to the PM Prepcast simulator expired in December and I extended it for 2 additional months. I found it to be excellent because it explained how to
approach the questions and why wrong answers were wrong. In addition, I enrolled in Daniel Ryan weekend boot camp. INVALUABLE—the way he explained
Integrated change control and the 7 tools of quality were worth the words in GOLD. For the exam it was imperative that you know about change controls, risk
management, issues and quality. During the first few minutes of the exam, I wrote the Process Group/ Knowledge Area Mapping, and I referred to it a lot when
answering questions. The questions were not as long as the question on the exam simulator, most were situational and there were not a lot of tools and
techniques. Also reading some of the lessons learned forum helped because they had helpful hints. One helpful tip that I found was:
Make sure that know what to do when you have an issue:
1. Log the issue
2. Analyze the issue
3. Determine if it is a risk or a change request
4. If it is a risk, was it identified, logged and risk response implemented
5. If it was a change, what needs to be done next
Another tool that I used was Carl Pritchard PMP podcast. I purchased the podcast and played it in my car when I was on my way to work. It gave a very good
overview of the PMBOK and the Podcast was entertaining also.
