I guess this was a moot point, since I passed my exam on Sunday I guess I WAS properly prepared.
I studied with TenStep (as recommended by Cornelius), and also the (google for) Head First PMP Exam -- it accurately mimics the form of the exam, and it allows you to quiz for as many or as few questions as you want.
I used Rita FastTrack, I feel it did a good job preparing me for the exam. I've heard of other products on the net that are also good but Rita was the one I bought and I didn't want to use too many different resources so I stuck with Rita throughout.
Congratulations on passing! Thanks for the advice -- I assumed as much already. I'm pretty confident, just getting last-minute jitters.
I unfortunately won't have time to do a mock four-hour exam, or even brush up on all my notes over all the knowledge areas -- so I'll have to go with whatever I can do.
I'd say if you have time it's a good idea to do a 4 hour practice exam. I did 2 and I think that they prepare you for what the real exam is like in terms of how long 4 hours is. It also helps you recognize when you might need breaks (these breaks DO help you clear your head / regain focus).
I just wrote (and passed) yesterday but I didn't do my full practice exam until the week before. The biggest thing you need is to feel confident. Don't worry at this point what you have or haven't done! If you feel confident in the material go for it and take the plunge. Everyone prepares differently and you shouldn't judge your efforts by the efforts of others.
Nervous is normal but don't worry too much! Just try to rest up, focus on areas you still feel a bit weak on and go for it!
What did you do in the week (6-7 days) before your exam? Mine is scheduled soon, and despite knowing I'm prepared, I'm starting to get nervous...
My metrics:
- Averaging 82-83% on the last 661 sample questions
- Answered 1001 sample questions to date (since April)
- Read around 60-65% of the PMBOK (found it too sleep-inducing)
- Listened to the PM Prepcast three times (starting the fourth round)
- Averaging around 30 seconds per question in sample exams
What concerns me:
- Didn't finish the PMBOK end to end. No time to do it now.
- Never took any four-hour exams. I'm fairly confident in my average of 30s per question, though.
- I'm not a project manager by profession (code-monkey). I've gained "experience" by answering situational PMP sample questions; but is it enough?
- My brain dump sheet is empty. I just write the three BAC formulas and the TCPI formula (which I've memorized already).
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