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TOPIC: PMP Exam Strategies/Study Plan updates - 2wk to go?!

PMP Exam Strategies/Study Plan updates - 2wk to go?! 4 years 1 month ago #24091

  • Kelly George
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Hi All--
I have a few questions and thought to ask the community. With 2wk before my exam, I am still behind my exam testing goal scoring below 75% on the simulator. I am beyond my second review in some cases of the knowledge areas and I am still coming up short in the exam simulators.

1) I still have trouble with skipping questions longer than 2 sentences on the first pass through the exam as I know that I am not the fastest exam taker. I am happy to report for the first time this evening I was able to get through the full exam with less than 5mins for a second pass. Tips to improve using the first pass, second pass, third pass strategy?
2) With 2 weeks to go, I don't have time to keep reviewing entire knowledge areas, any suggestion here? What are others doing when they hit the 2week-to-exam mark?
3) I know that according to the simulator I am still having trouble with the initiating process group. Does anyone have tips to organize studies via process groups?

With gratitude,
Kelly

PMP Exam Strategies/Study Plan updates - 2wk to go?! 4 years 1 month ago #24233

  • Lisa Sweeney PMP
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Hi Kelly,

I had difficulty finishing the PMP Exam Simulator's tests, too.

I believe I passed the exam thanks to what you mention: automatically skipping all questions that were more than 2 sentences or had calculations. This made a huge difference in my test score because of PMI’s inclusion of “experimental questions”, 25 long, vague ones that are not counted in the score. It’s best to practice this technique, as you have, because on THE day, you may get swept up in reading all questions in order on the 1st pass.

I scored in the 70% on the simulator's tests, too, for the most part. I would have liked to have gotten higher scores, but I didn't manage it until the last one, where I just barely cleared 80%.

My best advice for your last week of preparation:

• PLAN and PRACTICE for 25 or more question/answer sets that are lengthy and vague. Skip them until the end and then make your best guess.
• PLAN to see many questions that pass over steps in the processes. If the next step is Perform Integrated Change Control, the answers may skip it and offer choices after the request is approved, like updating a plan, etc.
• NAIL DOWN down what is being asked. It’s hard in many cases. Everyday words are used in place of PMBOK terms, like implementing work vs. the Executing Process Group. In some questions, I wasn’t supposed to address a problem. Rather, they wanted to know the best way to illustrate it after-the-fact to my team vs. to a vendor vs. to a sponsor.
• ANSWER as many questions in the simulated exams as you can. It really is the best practice. The last week or so I reviewed my notecards, took practice quizzes, and got a good night’s sleep each night. The night before the test, pencils down at 5pm. It’s most important to get rested the evening before taking the test.

I wish you the best, Kelly. We are rooting for you!!
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