Cornelius:
I am happy to report that I took and passed the PMP two days ago!
What I think made the difference for me were a few suggestions I took form past students: #1, Take as many practice tests as you can find! I think I did over 10,000 questions from every source I could find. Some were easy, some were very tough but after seeing so many nothing really threw me on the actual exam as I had seen so many examples. #2, Take the 3 days off before you sit for the exam and methodically go through everything you got from course and other sources you used. I didn’t read everything in detail but I went through all the workbooks and attachments that I had and the the PMBOK glossary to see it all one more time and check for understanding. I actually got a budget yet comfortable hotel room so that I could work without distraction for the 3 days. #3, know the formulas! I did a lot of practice on my dump sheet which became invaluable during the exam. I saved all the formula based questions until the end of the exam and did them all at once at the end when I felt I could really focus on them without worry about the clock. It worked well for me.
I also used questions, the Formula Study Guide and daily news letter from Cornelius Fichtner along with reading and practicing “The PMP Exam, How to pass on first try” by Andy Crowe. Both were great sources and gave many good tips and hints.
A few points on the actual test and Prometric. I highly suggest you call the site you are visiting and ask if they have a sheet you must read when you get there and ask if they can read it to you on the phone. I had a few surprises when I got there such as not being able to go to my locker after the exam began. I was not prepped for this as I had my food/water/aspirin/antacids/etc lose in my handbag and ended up having to leave them out lose on a desk during the test so I could get access if I wanted them during breaks. I was also not allowed to use my simple calculator which was not a big deal other than the windows calculator embedded in the exam engine did not break out thousands with commas. There was no way to change this and I found it difficult to follow how many 0s I had in a calculation. Be prepared for this and practice with the windows calculator before you sit.
Thanks again for all the training and in depth instruction. Not only did I pass the exam but believe I am now a better PM for taking the courses.
Best,
Michelle Manning, PMP
