I promised i would document my lesson learnt if i passed my exam. I passed with AT/AT/AT/T/AT.
Duration: 2.5 months
Resources: Rita Mulcahy 9th Edition/PrepCast Exam Simulator. I did not open PMBOK
Study Approach: This will be different for everyone. Prior to sitting my exam, i would read people's approach and once i see it doesn't align with how i'm studying, i move on from it. Some said they didn't see how anyone could pass without reading PMBOK . It is very possible; i didn't crack open the PMBOK . I read Rita book twice and solved some free questions online. My result was around 40-50%. Then i studied Rita for the third time but this time aligning my reading to how those questions were asked, it helped retained what i had read. 30 days to my exam, i purchased the Prepcast exam simulator and took the exam by knowledge area and was averaging 60%. Read Rita again to fill the knowledge gap. Once i was sure i had retained at least 70% of what i had read, i attempted 4 full exam set and averaged 75-80%
A Week before Exam: Went through all 4 questions set and read precast explanations to the ones i got wrong
3 Days to Exam: Went through my little notes(not the best at making notes so i had like 10 pages of A4)
1 day to exam: got home from work and just watched TV and went to bed. Read nothing.
Exam day: Really relaxed for my 8am exam. No ITTO, lots on change management , few on EVM and network diagram. In summary, the exam wasn't too bad. If you truly understand the process group, you'll easily catch all the tricks. Prepcast questions does a good job with the questions. I learnt how to catch all the tricks while doing the simulation and i'll say the exam questions were less tricky than what i encountered in the simulation exam which made it easier to spot the wrong answers. I highly recommend the simulation exam as it was very close to the how PMP asked questions. It also helped highlighting the process group as soon as i start reading the question as it makes it quicker to answer the question and move on to the next one. Finished all 200 with 40min left to review 25 questions.
All the best to everyone in the journey to becoming PMP certified. It is worth the time and effort.
