TOPIC: Failed exam on first try. What should I do?

Hi.
Unfortunately I failed my exam one week ago. It was deverstating since I did everything that I was supposed to do. Read both RITA and the PMBOK, watched the videos, wrote many notes, studied my notes and got between 80 and 88% on my exam simulator.
What I found was that the exam was way different from what the exam simulator offers. The questions seemed to have many hitten measseges which to be frank I can't see how that is going to help me as a project manager,
but that is another discussion.

My plan is to do the same all over again since those seems like the only tools avaible. My exam results came out AT, AT, NI, BT, BT where my simulator would normally come out AT, AT, AT, AT, AT.
Whats your best advise?

I have read the how to recover from a failed PMP exam. www.project-management-prepcast.com/failed-pmp-exam

Don’t feel devastated, from where I'm standing I see this very normal.
My advice to you is FOCUS on understanding not memorising especially on similarities between the factors on different sides, it seems from your result that you are good in intro. To PM, and need to focus on the knowledge areas try to distinguish between inputs, outputs, and tools.
Give yourself an hour or two on a daily basis, relax don’t rush up and I’m sure you will get all sections AT.

Jens,

Sorry to hear that you failed the first attempt at the PMP exam.

Your preparation method appears to be pretty sound. I take ti to mean that you used the PrepCast simulator? If so, I, and many others, found that the questions offered in the PrepCast simulator to be spot-on when compared to the PMI PMP exam, if not slightly harder. Personally, I found the style and wording between PrepCast and PMP Exam to be almost identical.

You've probably been through all of the advice on taking the actual PMP Exam, such as "read the last sentence first for long questions," and "eliminate obviously wrong answers." Continue to learn the test taking skills.

Also, if you're using the PrepCast Simulator, make sure you go through the entire 1600+ test bank of questions. Do that by picking individual knowledge areas and checking "unanswered questions only."

Did you power through the entire 4-hours of the exam or did you take a break somewhere in the middle? I recommend taking a 5-10 minute break for a drink of water and perhaps a restroom stop. Yes, the clock keeps running so don't dawdle about, but get your eyes off the screen for a few minutes and move the blood around your body.

Good luck on your next go around!

Harry

Courage, Jens!

I feel the article you already referenced is really the best advice. Don't give up, don't be depressed, don't be discouraged. You CAN do this!

Best wishes,
Tracy

Sorry to hear that

which exam simulator and how many practice exam did you do?

Good luck on your second attempt

Hi.

Sorry for the slow reply. But I'm neck deep in work and PMI training.
I've made a study plan in which I'll read 50 pages each day. This making me done with the books prior to the date I prefer redoing my exam. At that point I'll start on the videos on this site.
I'm postponing doing the test exam on this site since I'm in a state where I might remember the questions in a way where I'll get them right because I know them - not because of the knowledge behind.
As for now I'll write PMI for the opportunity to get additional time as a compensation for english not being my first language.

I'm really pleased with the atmosphere in here and I gain confidence from all the positive support. Thank's to all of you.

Hi,
Where did you see your rating? PMI sent you your result?
Thanks,
Rachana

Hi,

I failed my exam today, too. The exam was MORE difficult compared to the questions provided here. Only 10% of questions were similar, where approx. 90% were different. Too many wordy questions, like 3-4-5 sentences, and wordy answers. Calculator was not allowed (their online calculator is blocked because of security - they do not care if it is blocked/visible or not), any paper notes were not allowed (home based test).

This simulator is no longer reflecting reality of the exam. I was at home, and also had (almost) my exam revoked after my son closed the basement window during the break! No one is allowed, even during breaks! They penalized me for 10 minutes of my time, so my exam was 4:00 INCLUDING the 10 minute break.

These uestions are no longer helpful as before, they raised the bar higher. I suspect the PMI increased the difficulty level after June 15th because of the recent problems they faced with cheating and messages (sent to PMI candidates) they will potential criminal investigations (I can copy it here).

Any comments are appreciated.
Lili

Hi Lili,

sorry to hear you failed the PMP exam. I can feel your disappointment... and it is helpful to bring that out.
I also had the impression that the questions in the real exam were somewhat more difficult than those from the PMPrepCast simulator, but I didn't experience any significant difference in terms of the way a scenario was described. And I learned a lot during the exam simulations, besides the PMBOK Guide and the PMPrepCast course. In fact, I thought the reason why I found them harder was because I felt anxious while taking the real exam.
My recommendation based on my experience is to go through all the questions from the simulator, and I even took some tests more than once - after taking some time in between the two.

Based on what you describe, I have the impression something didn't work properly if they took the break out of your 4-h exam time. When I took the exam online, it definitely was extra time, it was clearly marked on the screen, and I was allowed to leave the room; however, they kept the recording on - to prevent cheating, I assume. Then, once back in the room, I had to confirm I wanted to stop the break time and resume the exam. If the break didn't start/end properly, maybe this is the reason why you experienced issues and risked your exam to be revoked?

Don't get discouraged, give it a few days to 'decompress', and then I encourage you to read the article Jens referenced to draft your plan to recover.

Finally, the online proctored exam does not fit everyone, so if you don't feel comfortable with it based on your past experience, you may consider to reschedule the exam at a test center, as more centers are reopening around the world.

Hope this helps a bit!

Gabriella

Hi, it is disappointing when you don't get the pass you were hoping for. That's a time if reflection and also not getting overwhelmed at whether you will pass again. Focus on what you learned from the exam itself vs how you prepared. You now a first hand look at how the questions are structured vs how simulators work. I am strong believer in knowing the content inside out as that is how you will practice PM in the real world applications. There are likely some areas that you were strong in and your focus might be in the areas you did not score well. Review and revise these areas and take your time to go through and understand the content as best as you can. Simulators are not a direct indicator of knowledge. They can be misleading. I would use them with that understanding and try to get a study group or buddy or mentor to help you through the subsequent preparations. Best of luck.

I failed my exam today as well. Very very very disappointing. I've been studying for months and I can't imagine going through this again.
Where does one master the strength to go through this all over again!
From what am seeing, most people are recommending study groups...I guess I may have to look for one.

It is true that the situational questions on the actual exam are more vague than the PrepCast test bank. That being said, what PrepCast teaches you is answer elimination. If you failed, I'm hoping it was only by a few questions. That being said, we need to work on how to think about situational questions and eliminate bad answer choices. Again, the PMP exam is famous for making you pick an answer that is the least-worst answer which makes you feel like you aren't getting the answers right.

Here is how I helped another student think about situational questions: www.project-management-prepcast.com/kune...tual-pmi-sample-test

Eliminate answers that procrastinate, delay, escalate (for no good reason). Looks for answers that are proactive.

I also have another post on Reddit which shows how to think about these situational questions. Message me if you want some other examples of made-up questions.

This should sound familiar from the exam you just took:

A project has blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. What is the best course of action for the Project Manager?

A. Wait till resources are available.
B. Escalate to project manager.
C. Do data analysis.
D. Discuss a workaround with the team.

Which one would you pick? A just delays the project. B - PMs don't communicate just to communicate. Plus what does the accomplish? C is analysis paralysis. D. Is proactive, uses brainstorming and moves the project forward.

Unless you get a "simpler" test from the test bank, the ability to answer these situational questions are the key to passing. If you have any other questions or comments, let me know.

Hope this helps.