TOPIC: Passed PMP (4 AT and... 1 Needs Improvement?)

I'm hesitant to pass on my thoughts as I don't want to make folks nervous. I know several threads made me nervous prior to the exam, most were spot on. I took my PMP yesterday and passed with 4 ATs and a "Needs Improvement" for Closing. I was confident in roughly 20% of the questions on the exam... I have no idea how I did so bad on Closing as my stats were high for closing in the PrepCast simulator (and it is one of the easier processes to grasp). I will start by saying prepare yourself for a level of ambiguity that you've never experienced. I felt like the test was more geared towards assessing one's ability to decode complicated sentences than it was towards assessing one's ability to effectively manage projects. I learned a lot from PrepCast and Rita's book (principles that I've begun to apply at work). I certainly recommend both resources and I'm sure they helped me in some way during the actual exam (although it was not obvious to me how). I don't regret studying so hard, because I learned a lot and feel like I have a better handle on my current role in my organization. I'm also happy to now be a PMP! With that said, the PMP exam seemed to simply test my endurance and concentration...I left completely mystified by the purpose of the questions... If I had to do it again, I would probably have added the PMBOK to my study routine and focused more on the PM word-soup lexicon and how they fit into scenarios. I would also ensure I recognize the numerous ways to say the same thing. I would also add crossword puzzles, pattern identification, and mind-reading to my routine… Good luck to everyone. Thanks to the PrepCast team for the simulator, I learned a ton from the explanations.

Hi,
I been reading many forum regarding PMP online exam and I commonly hear it is much tougher than the simulator questions and wordings. Can someone who recently took the exam please explain what exactly you mean by tough questions and how you were able to manage those type of questions. Also as my exam date is approaching I am little concerned . Two weeks back I took 4 simulator exams and scored 68% consistently . Now I have started taking Timed quiz by knowledge area and scoring between 75 -85 % so far. I am little confused now after reading all the forums. Please advise.

Thanks

I wouldn't say it is tougher than the simulator, just less logical. The simulator had plenty of difficult questions that required thinking through scenarios and understanding processes and standards. IMO, the real PMP exam just forces you to jump to conclusions and hope for the best. I don't know if there is a way to study for that type of questioning. I knew all processes, order of processes, TTs, management concepts, and the phases back and forth. I would say for the folks who don't have a complete understanding, it may actually be easier because they might not overthink the questions. Hope that makes sense. One last bit of advice is to take the free PMI PMP practice exam to set your expectations. I was really frustrated by the line of questioning in this exam and the vague answers. I wouldn't say the exam helped me understand anything better, but it did set my expectations. If you studied hard, you're likely as prepared as you will ever be so just take the exam. Just don't freak out when you're not confident in the questions/answers. As others have stated, I'm sure everyone's experience is different so take this for what its worth. Good luck.

Hi Joshua,

How hard was your exam , same at PMI practice test? or exams questions were pretty much as ambiguous as the PMI test?

Hi Joshua

How similar was the actual exam to the PMI Free Exam? Thanks!