TOPIC: Failed 1rst Attempt without the simulator, 2nd Attempt Overall AT with Simulator

I recently pass PMP exam with 4 AT and one T and I'm ready to share my lessons learned:

Timeline: I can't tell you what's the best timeline for the preparation because I feel that it's a personal thing that you have to figure out depending on how easy it is for you to learn new material and how much time you have for studying in a week. Also, and I feel this is a point that nobody talks about, it depends on how strong your drive is in the face of a challenge.

Resources: I started with Joe's Udemy prep course but didn't finish it before the first attempt. So for my second attempt I promised myself I'll sit through the whole thing. What I realized later is that the best way to use the videos is to read the chapters of the PMBOK in parallel while going through the videos. After each section, I'd read the corresponding part in the PMBOK - skipping the elements I'm already familiar with - and I take the Quiz.
I didn't get the Prep Simulator until a month before my test day - I wish I'd done it sooner. After each section I would take a learning quiz about that knowledge area before moving to the next section. Even though the simulator costs a 139$ it was a worth it investment. Not only does it give you detailed explanations for each questions and each answer while referencing the PMBOK page to take as a reference, it has an option of choosing to quiz your self on only the questions that you missed. The questions format are similar to the real test and the level of difficulty is very close to the actual exam.

Test Taking strategy: Don't even think about going to the test without preparing a strategy for it first. Preparation alone is not enough. It doesn't matter how many mock test you take - took only a full one from the prep cast- if you don't strategies the way to handle questions the day of the exam you'll end up loosing some points and maybe costing you to fail. I used the advise of one of my study partners who suggest to speed through the first 50 questions to have enough time and take your sweet time with the other 150. I update it for my case by speeding through the first 25 questions, took my time with the rest until 89 where I was asked to review my question before the break- since I can't go back to these questions after the break. I finished the review with 129 min left for 110 questions. After the break, I did speed through the questions until 120 and then took my time with the rest. Had 10 min to spare to review the second part of the test and I finished 50s before the time.

I hope this would help the future test takers in their PMP journey. I'd be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

Thank you for sharing your lessons learned, and congratulations on passing the PMP exam!

Are there any other specific things that you believe made a difference in your preparation, to help you pass the exam on your second attempt, besides what you already shared?
What strategies did you adopt to "recover" from failing the exam on your first attempt? I think this may be helpful for others who failed the exam and are now on their path towards taking a second attempt.

Thanks again,

Gabriella