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Topic History of : Failed the exam

Max. showing the last 6 posts - (Last post first)
10 years 9 months ago #3505

Tony Stefani

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Don't give up! Keep in mind that the exam will be based on the 5th edition of the PMBOK starting in August. I would take the exam again prior to the exam changing to reflect the new edition of the PMBOK.

I just took the exam and passed. I will say that I found it more difficult than the practice exams that I took as part of my preparation. I found Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep book very helpful and much easier to read than the PMBOK.
10 years 9 months ago #3500

WAQAR KHAN

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Hi,

I failed my exam last week :( Below are my results;

Initiating - Below Proficient
Planning - Below Proficient
Executing - Moderate Proficient
Monitoring & Control - Below Proficient
Closing - Proficient

I started my studies in Jan 13 with lessoning/watching the PM PrepCast Podcast and when I finished all the episodes and I got an understanding of the PMP exam, I started (with a 4 weeks of holidays break) reading the PMBOK and Rita at the same time i.e. first read a chapter in the PMBOK and then rita (use to jump onto the exercises' answers e.g. rita games etc). At the end of each chapter of the rita book I did the exercises and got around 65-75% (apart from 2 chapters where I got around just 56%).

When I was finished with PMBOK + Rita book, I skimmed through the key topics in each chapter and then tried two full 4 hrs exam simulator (PM FASTrack v7 - Rita). Got 70% in the first exam and 75% in the second one.

Questions:

1) Does anybody knows what % for Proficient, Moderate Proficient and Below Proficient please?
2) I know I didn't study enough but can an expert eye put some light on the way I studied (for my self and as a lesson learn for others please)
3) Should I put together all my energies and re-appear before 31 July 2013 - I can only find around 3-4 hrs of max study time per day, is that enough based on the my results of the exam?
4) Please advise on a study plan?

Many thanks and sorry for asking to many questions in one go.

Regards
Waqar
10 years 9 months ago #3416

Richard Rapice

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Dan....

I really appreciate the advice........

I must admit I have been at this for four months now and have become the master at the 64 percentile test result.

Clearly after all this time, I am doomed!

My test is July 28... I will let you know my failing test score when I get it.

Best only,

Rick
10 years 9 months ago #3415

Daniel Hake

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Richard & Mihaly,

Richard - I was in the same boat as you and struggled quite a bit with my practice exams until I came up with the following 'rules' when taking the test.

1. Slow down and read.
A. Read every question twice
B. Read every question twice - YES! Its that important.
C. Read every answer once

I can't tell you how many times I missed a question because I misread the question, or didn't readl ALL the answers.

2. Unless the question states otherwise, remember you are the 'Master of the Universe' Project Manager!
A. You don't defer judement or delay a decision.
B. Be proactive! You don't wait for the phone to ring...you get out there and find out what is going on with the project.
C. Do all the work. Never skip a process as outlined in the PMBOK.

3. Remember 'the Big Picture'
Drill into your brain Table 3-1 (in the 4th Edition of the PMBOK its on page 43). This helped me step back and ask myself what is the exam REALLY asking with a given question. It may appear to be in regards, say, the Scope of a project, but in reality it is something entirely different. By stepping back for a moment, reading the question closely, and then combining this point with point number 2 I was able to narrow down my answers.

4. Breathe & relax
I had to close my eyes several times & take a few deep breaths of air. It kept me sharp.

Hope this helps you both!

Dan
10 years 9 months ago #3414

Daniel Hake

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Mihaly,

I am sorry to hear that you didn't pass the exam. I agree with what Cornelius said: It can be either knowwing the material well enough, sifting through the 'trick' questions or a combination of both.

The only other advice I would offer is to relate your studies to the projects that you've worked on in the past, or are currently working on. It helped me tremendously. For example, I put together an actual WBS for a project I was familar with so that I could drill into my mind not only the terms & vocabulary, but also how it relates to the overall approach the PMBOK takes.

If that didn't help, or I still didn't understand the given topic, I would use a very simple project like baking chocolate chip cookies. It seemed the more complicated the given PMBOK topic was, it became much easier for me to understand when using a very, very simple project.

Hope this helps!
Dan
10 years 10 months ago #3401

Cornelius Fichtner

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Mihaly,

The earliest that we expect our "updated" products for PMBOK 5 to be available is June 30, 2013. Please read this short information page here about it: www.project-management-prepcast.com/inde...ffer-to-our-students (Note... this page will be removed after July 31, 2013 - so if you click after this date you will see an error message).

I have also just written an article about "upgrading" yourself to PMBOK 5. You can find this article here: www.project-management-prepcast.com/inde...ok-guide-5th-edition - but I sincerely hope that you will not have to use this. Instead, focus on PMBOK v4 and continue your exam preparation.

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