TOPIC: Not Able to get above 76% in Simulation

Hello,

No matter what I do or how hard I study, I am not able to get above 76% in the Simulation. Because of that, I am scared to schedule my exam because I will really be discourage if I don't pass it. I have put too much time and money into this and I don't think I will have the courage to go sit for this exam a second time. Any advice?

Thanks,
Georgy

Reply with a specific list of ways you prepared for the simulation exam and what you did between simulation exams so we can better understand your preparation. This might help us give you better advice.

Hello Michael,

Thank you for your response. For the past year, I've been on and off with my PMP studies due to work and kids but two months ago I decided to dive deep into it. I have read the PMBOK, the Rita and I took a 6 week course. I must admit that I did not sit for the exam immediately after completing the course because I did not feel I was ready. I've been reviewing my course work and also referring to the PMBOK but the more I study, the more everything becomes repetitive and I feel like I know it but each time I take the simulation exam, I am disappointed with my performance. I have taken other practice exams before and scored in the 80s but I just don't understand why with this one, I am stuck at 70s. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks again for your response and help!

Georgy

It sounds like you're evaluating performance on simulator against other types of mock exams. Each proprietor is different, so the comparison is not equal. Stick with the Simulator, I'm assuming is from OSP International (Cornelius Fichtner's Product) and review each one of the mistakes you made on the last exam. Then re-study those sections in the PMBOK and take the next exam. Let us know how that is. Take about a week to do this and when you're ready to take the mock exam, sit down for 4 hours straight with no distractions.

Hi Michael,

I am not comparing the OSP International simulator with others. I love the OSP exams and the fact that you cannot pause makes it more challenging and closer to the real thing and that's what makes me more nervous when I can't score high. I have taken 6 so far and I haven't scored higher than 76% in any of them. I'm close to taking the exam and I know that I should be getting 85% and above to be confident about passing the exam and not getting that is scary. I just think there may be something I'm doing wrong. Thanks for the advice.

Hi,
Passed my PMP exam today with 3 Ps and 2 MPs!
Studied for 6 months, altogether clocked ~200h of studies, more than half of those - within the last month.
The typical per cent I got on mock exams was 68-77% which made me doubt whether I should reschedule my exam.
I can see now that for me mock exams were more as study tools (the most excellent tool!) I used to identify and close knowledge gaps.
Firstly, I was always speeding through mock exams, typically finishing 200 questions test in ~2:30h - either I knew the answer straight away or didn't and even then didn't think too much. Almost never marked questions or seriously reviewed answers before finishing tests. As a result, there were usually ~3-5 mistakes due to inattention (which statement is not true vs which statement is true etc) plus another ~5-8 which if I applied myself 100% I would've answered differently. In real test I was much more focused, thorough and invested more time in every question. Marked ~15 questions for review, changed answers to about half of those. In my last 30 minutes of test scrolled through all questions one last time and changed ~3 answers.
Secondly, English is neither my first nor everyday/work language. Typically in 200 question test there would be ~3-5 questions where I was not 100% sure I understood the right meaning of one or more words.
So, that is my experience. In spite of the golden "you should get 80-90% on your mock exams" rule with my 77% "personal best" I felt confident and stable during the real thing today and passed!

Gregory - When I was prepping for my exam last year, I was in a similar situation as you. I took like daily quizzes and 3 or 4 full practice exams. I started out progressing upwards in my scores and then flat lined. I did get discouraged but pushed forward always focusing to understand why I got the questions wrong that I did. I so wanted to get in the high 80% range before I took the exam and it didn't happen for me on the practice exams. In fact I think i only got one practice exam in the 80 range.

So what did I do? I went into melt down/panic mode. I decided to take the weekend off and pushed back my test by two weeks and continued to push forward, and I ONLY pushed it back once. If I took it and failed and I could always take it again. I did end up passing the exam the first time. Post test reflection I realized I was getting to the point of burn out in prepping. I studied for about 3 months and was being to hard on myself.

One of the best pieces of advice that was given to me in prepping for this exam is, don't under estimate yourself and you need to shut it down and relax the day before the exam. Stay hydrated and get a good nights rest!!

Be Positive and good luck!!

Hi Alina - You have described my situation exactly. Yes, I speed through the practice exam and I really don't review when I'm done because I'm usually exhausted by the time I complete the exam and there is this anxiety to complete the exam and go on with my day. I usually complete with about 30 minutes left. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. I will study the areas that I am lacking and also try to review the answers before submitting and see how it goes. Thanks for adding some confidence in me. I greatly appreciate it!

Georgy

Kevin - Thank you very much for your response. This is very encouraging and to know that I am not alone is comforting. Yes, I've been pushing myself and feeling like I'm either not studying hard enough or not paying attention. I also realize now that I've been using the simulator as only a test tool instead of a study tool also. I should be using it to understand the areas where I'm lacking and using it as a test tool is what is making me discouraged. Like you said, if I fail, I can always take the exam again. I will think positive and hopefully I pass the exam. I appreciate you taking the time to submit your experience.

Thanks again,
Georgy

Gregory

I got the message you passed the exam and while I was approving your post, I accidentally deleted it!

Can you please re-post it.

CONGRATS to YOU!!! Good JOB!!
KEvin

PASSED THE EXAM TODAY!

Everyone,
I am pleased to announce that I passed the PMP exam today with 1P and 4MP. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I am free at last!

Thank you all for your support. It gave me the courage to schedule the exam even though I was not scoring over 80%.

Thank you to OSP International! The exam simulator helped me manage my time and also with how to answer the questions on the exam. You guys are awesome!

Georgy

Gergory

Congrats to you sir! Welcome to the Club!

Kevin

Congrats!

- Steven

Feeling is mutual. It is extremely complicated for no good reason. I think they really wanted to create a material that is not necessary. Project Management should not be this complicated. In addition, the simulation has no space between the lines which makes it difficult to read. I totally dislike the whole thing!

Thank you so much for your response its very encouraging.