I passed the CAPM exam this morning with well over "Above Average". WOOHOO! I have lots of advice for anyone preparing for their CAPM exam.
What I did to prepare:
1. I took a total of 30 days to prepare before my scheduled exam. Included in this 30 days was completing the CAPM prep course.
2. I studied each module separately and really took the time to understand the purposes within each knowledge area.
3. After I completed each module, I would take practice quizzes until I didn't miss any questions.
4. I took one "practice exam" from the exam simulator at the beginning of the month and the last 2 weeks before my scheduled exam I took practice exams every couple of days. I increasingly scored higher each time.
(I want to note that I scored in the high 60's, which is failing, for most of the practice exams which made me feel underprepared for the real CAPM exam)
The exam simulator was a lot harder than the real thing in my opinion.
Advice:
1. The number one thing I would advise is to fully understand each process and answering questions about them will be much easier. Memorizing is not enough.
2. Practice writing all 49 processes every week until you can write it all down with no problems. As soon as my exam started, I drew the entire graph with all 49 processes and it was really nice to have as a reference throughout my exam.
3. Do not try to learn all 1500 ITTO's within the processes. It is too much to remember/memorize all of them obviously. I would really try to focus on the key inputs, tools and techniques.
4. Notice and learn related ITTO's with different processes. For example, define activities and create WBS both use decomposition for a tool or technique.
5. Organize your notes!!! I wrote all of my study notes in "OneNotes" and organized tabs. I had a tab for each knowledge area, tabs for lessons learned from the practice exams and quizzes, a tab for formulas, and a tab for my personal study plan. Following that study plan really kept me accountable.
6. I would advise you to follow along with the PMBOK guide throughout your studying and also buy the CAPM exam prep flashcards by Belinda Goodrich on amazon. These flashcards were so worth it!
GOOD LUCK and be confident in yourself.
