Good Day Colleagues,
I passed the PMP today, my first attempt, with five Above Targets. A big thanks to the PM PrepCast team for this forum and the Exam Simulator. I benefitted greatly from both resources during my preparation. The questions on the exam were generally shorter that the simulator and I well-prepared.
Study Resources
Rita - Mandatory
PM PrepCast Exam Simulator - Mandatory
Edward-Designer.com - Very useful (and free)
Ricardo Vargas process flow (YouTube) - Useful (and free) for framing, particularly for visual learners, versus Rita's Process Chart & Game
PMBOK - Opened it once or twice... did not find it particularly useful or necessary
Udemy, Joseph Phillips 8hr Crash Course - A fine review/finishing tool but, in retrospect, it was not entirely necessary
BrainBok's ITTO explorer - Purchased but didn't find it useful or necessary
Study Plan
120 Days Out
- Read Rita and take notes, chapter by chapter (skip the end of chapter quizzes)
45 Days Out
- Skim Rita (2nd pass) while reviewing notes, one chapter at a time
- Take the end of chapter quiz after completing each chapter
- Take PM PrepCast Quiz (20 questions) for the corresponding knowledge area
20 Days Out
- Full Exam Simulation I, PM PrepCast
- Review all incorrect and marked
- Review statistics to identify lowest scoring areas
- Targeted prep for these areas (Rita, ITTOs, PM PrepCast quizzes)
14 Days Out
- Full Exam Simulation II, Pm PrepCast
- Review all incorrect and marked
- Targeted prep for lowest scoring areas (PM PrepCast Quizzes, process reviews - example: Manage vs. Control Quality, ITTOs)
10 Days Out
- Joseph Phillips Udemy
7 Days Out
- Quizzes, 20Q per knowledge area
- EVM formulas
Weekend Prior
- Review all incorrect/marked exam questions
- 50 question quiz (for pacing)
- EVM questions
Benchmarking
I scored 78.5% and 79.5% on two exam simulations.
Lessons Learned
Stick with PM PrepCast and Rita. Those really were the only resources I needed. Beware of diminishing marginal returns (ie. don't gold-plate your prep); I likely could have tested earlier and skipped some resources I used to prepare in the final weeks of preparation.
Best wishes to you all!
