Hey everybody,
Just passed PMP... These forum posts kept me going, so I thought I'd give something back.
It took me two months to prepare: started on the 27th ofMarch and took the exam precisely two months later, on the 27th of May. I studied for 4 hours per day on average, mostly during mornings. I did not need to take any course, as I hold a project management MSc.
Through my work, I have access to O'Reilly learning, so I could download the following books for free:
- Head first PMP. I rushed through this one, and it was probably a mistake. Finished the book in one week, and finished the mock test with 86%. Beware of the false confidence here, this test is quite easy, but a great start.
- PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide, 5th Edition by Joseph Phillips. I found this book really useful; it even tells you what flashcards you need. It also comes with a test framework, where I scored 79%
- Rita Mulcahy's - uhh, I really disliked this one. Her own framework was not really my cup of tea.
- PMBOK Guide - I did not read this cover to cover. I used it as a reference book.
- PMP Project Management Professional Practice Exams by James Haner. Quite good test questions, much harder than Head first.
- PMP Project Management Professional Practice Tests by Kim Heldman. Quite good test questions, much harder than Head first.
On top of the mocks mentioned earlier, I completed these:
- O'Reilly's practice PMP test - 80.5%
- A LinkedIn learning course's test (had access through work again) - 80%
- Purchased a mock pack on Udemy. My scores were 89%, 81% and 84%
- Oliver Lehmann 200 - 75.5%
- Mock test from the Heldman book - 84%
In total, I answered 4050 questions from different sources.
I scheduled a test-centre based exam, but due to the COVID situation, my exam got cancelled. I rescheduled it for the same day (proctored exam) and took it from my living room. The check-in was smooth, and I could start the test 15 minutes early. There was a scheduled break after 89 (!) questions. I used almost 2 hours to complete the first part; the questions were nothing like I had seen before. I started panicking, marked about 30 questions for review. The second part consisted of more familiar questions (I mean similar questions, not questions I had seen before), and I marked fewer of them for review. In the end, I had 8 minutes left; clicked complete and tadaaa. I passed.
Hope this helps, if you guys have any questions, just let me know.
