Hello all,
I successfully passed the PMP examination on Friday June 19,2020. I wanted to provide my journey to aspiring PMP applicants because I had to deal with a lot of adversity; both with the exam and preparation. So here we go!
Preparation:
1. I attended a boot-camp; four days straight of PMP training. Reflecting back on that part of my experience, I would have read the PMBOK before attending the training seminars because most of the material that is presented is for students who already have a background in PMBOK terms and how the PMBOK divides information into the different process groups. After reading the PMBOK, I re watched the videos and it was a lot more informative the second time around. The college also provided video's as well as links to help prepare for the EXAM; one of the links was for PM PrepCast which eventually lead me here, but more on that later.
2. I read the PMBOK as well as the AGILE guide twice. In addition to reading both books, I created detailed flashcards. At least one flash card for each process, as well as flash cards for all the different plans and business documents. I would review these daily; play games with them by having somebody mix them up, and then I would put them back in order and divide them among the different process groups.
3. I WOULD NOT pass the exam without using the PM PrepCast Simulator. Before I decided to purchase the simulator: I took practice exams from other sources, and my average mark was around 60 percent. Now this wasn't because I didn't understand the material. Before the simulator, I was not used to reading paragraph long questions and then choosing from answers that were all similar. It was frustrating to me because I didn't know how to tackle these questions. Once I started using the Simulator and reviewed on how to interpret the questions, I began to understand the process of eliminating answers to arrive at the one that is most correct. Also the simulator provides the reason why the answer you choose is incorrect; that was most helpful of all I believe.
4. Sacrifice, Determination, Concentration!!! When most experts explain that the PMP exam is difficult; they are telling you the TRUTH. You have to be willing to put in the time, effort and sacrifice in order to successfully pass the exam. I studied and prepared daily; 4-5 hours minimum. My social life consisted of quiet time in front of the computer or reviewing the notes from incorrectly answered questions.
5. Give yourself enough time to prepare for the exam. Cramming will not work; you will need to practice practice practice practice!!!! The neat feature that the simulator has is that you can take smaller tests. It allows you to build your stamina and knowledge to take the mock exams. Mock exams are time consuming; so I believe you have to build up to them. For every question that I got wrong in the simulator, I made detailed notes and reviewed them periodically. Towards the end from the exam prep, my average mark on the mock exams were 80 percent. The total time I used to prepare from the PMP Exam was 4 months.
Exam Experience:
I wrote my exam at a testing centre in Burnaby, BC Canada. After checking in and going through the mandatory COVID testing regulations, I was escorted into the booth. It was explained to me that a prompt would come onto the screen to signal the start of my break; However it never showed up! After completing the first part of the exam, I began to review the questions while awaiting the prompt to start my break. Once my counter showed only 1 hour 20 mins left on my exam, I hit the begin break button myself. This was frustrating because now I only had a limited amount of time to attempt the second part of the exam. Fortunately I had prepared enough in advance to the test, so I was able to answer all the questions in the second part of the exam. However I wasn't left with much time to review ( only 1 minute). I received the "congratulations!" page and I was relieved to has passed. I received an above target rating.
When writing the exam; don't panic if a question comes up that you don't know. Chances are that if you have prepared well, that question belongs to the 25 that DO NOT count towards your total. Use the process of elimination and make your best choice based on what you do know. The simulator questions and the PMP exam questions are very similar; so the more you practice, the better prepared you will be. I answered close to 1400 questions; and reviewed ALL THE QUESTIONS WHICH I GOT INCORRECT.
Hopefully this will help in your preparation and execution of the exam!
Goodluck!!
