Harry's experience was nearly identical to mine. I took 5 practice exams over the course of 2 months and did about 4-8 (10) question practice exams a night. I started with a score of 55% on my first exam and then I scored about 5% higher on each exam after that until I was at an 80% on my final exam before the test. I ended up getting somewhere between an 85-90% on the test. I was struggling for a few weeks and then I realized I count use AI to request study plans for the 3 domains and then I used it to break down each of the knowledge areas and give a 1 sentence explanation of what goes into each. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote: My scores on the practice exams were always very high and practised on my weak points, studied thouroughly, nevertheless i never managed to pass the PMP exam. I don't know what i'm doing wrong.

That’s incredibly frustrating, and I understand your perspective. You’re putting in the work, and the fact that your practice scores are high and you’ve been addressing weak points shows
real commitment. First of all, don’t beat yourself up. You’re not alone in this – I’ve seen competent candidates hit this wall.

That said, when I see situations like this, a few things usually come to mind:

How close were your practice exams to the *authentic exam style*? Many simulators mainly test knowledge. The actual PMP exam tests mindset, situational judgment,
and how you *think* as a project leader.

What practice exams have you been using? It’s essential to ensure the sources are reputable and accurately reflect the current exam standard. Not all simulators are equal in quality or relevance.

Did you practice with full-length exams under real exam conditions? Sometimes, time pressure, stamina, and fatigue impact performance much more than we expect.

Are you approaching questions with the *PMI mindset*? That’s often where things go sideways. Knowing the content is one thing – choosing the “best” answer in line with PMI’s perspective is another.

Also, are you reviewing *why* you got questions right, not just the ones you missed? This helps uncover hidden misconceptions or lucky guesses that can backfire on exam day.

If you’re looking for an excellent simulator that closely mirrors the real exam format, I’ve personally seen a lot of success with the PMPrepCast Exam Simulator. No affiliation here –
it’s just a reliable resource that many of my students have found helpful.

If you’d like, I’d be happy to walk through your approach together. Sometimes a fresh perspective makes all the difference – especially when you’re this close.

You’ve got the discipline. Let’s figure out what’s missing and close the gap.

BR,

Markus

Hi James,

75% on a full-length PMP practice exam is a solid result – well done, that shows your foundation is in place.

But before getting too confident, here’s how I usually guide my coaching clients:

First, don’t just look at the score. Break it down by domain (People, Process, Business) and question type (predictive, agile, hybrid). Where are the fundamental gaps? Often, it’s not about
doing more exams – it’s about practicing smarter.

Second, don’t get stuck in simulation mode. Full-length exams are great for building stamina and timing, but at this stage, the real value comes from analyzing your mistakes. Why was
the answer wrong? Was it a knowledge gap, a misread, or a mindset issue?

Third, focus on precision. I usually recommend switching to shorter, topic-based sets of 60–90 questions focused on your weak areas. Save one last full-length mock for just before the real thing.

And one more thing: it’s not about hitting 100%, it’s about consistency. If you’re scoring 70–80% regularly across different formats, you’re on the right track.

I'd be happy to take a quick look at your results if you'd like another perspective.

If you're preparing seriously and want some structure, feel free to reach out – I regularly help PMP candidates fine-tune their strategy.

BR,

Markus

My scores on the practice exams were always very high and practised on my weak points, studied thouroughly, nevertheless i never managed to pass the PMP exam. I don't know what i'm doing wrong.

Hi James -

I often get the question, "What is the actual score I need to pass the PMP Exam? PMI could tell us, but they would have to ... Think Top Gun. I have heard 62.5%, 65%, and 67%. So, how do you know when you are ready to sit for the actual exam? This is where the OSP International PMP Simulator comes in. I recommend taking a complete 3-hour and 50-minute, 180-question practice exam each weekend. When you take your first practice exam, you will fail miserably. I scored 37% correct on my first practice exam But this is just a baseline. As you take more of these full 180-question practice exams, your score will continue to go up. When your score is 75% or higher on one of the OSP PMP Exam Simulator Practice Exams, you are ready to sit for the actual exam. I'm not sure which simulator you're using, but if it's not the OSP International PMI-ACP Simulator, the following link provides a 7-day free trial so you can view its functionality.

OSP International Free PMP Simulator - 7 Days of Access / 69 Questions

Happy Studying!

Professor Kevin

Hello,

The practice tests should tell you what the pass rate is for your score. 75% is actually very good. I passed with around 60-65% range. That gave me something like a 90% pass chance.