TOPIC: Passed PMP with all AT on the first try!

Thank you for all of the information and support. I used the simulator and prep to prepare for the course. I took the test on Feb. 14 at a local testing center and passed the PMP exam with three above target. I really enjoyed learning more Agile practices and deepening my general knowledge! I would be happy to provide more feedback about the course and any updates to peers.

Warm regards,
Bryna

Congratulations, Bryna! We'd love to hear your lessons learned and feedback. I also noticed that your post posted 3 times, so I have deleted the other two to consolidate all the replies on this thread.

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Here are some things that greatly improved my scores.

- I made notes of every idea and term I didn't understand during the mock exams or marked the questions and even if I got the question correct I researched every term and idea that was unfamiliar
- The most important thing I did was I made a list/chart of all the graphs and formulas and paired them with their respective areas (sometimes multiple) and confirmed all the different names for each type of graph or tool. I couldn't find a comprehensive version of this anywhere with all the unique names of things (ex. fishbone, Ishikawa, Cause-Effect, Why Why) or different types of the similar tools used in different processes.
- I compacted my exam prep studies into 4 weeks, and for me that worked very well for me - I took off a week from work to do research and discovery of areas I didn't already know
- I watched all the videos/listened on my commute to and from work and so that saved a lot of time
- I prepared my stress levels and breathing, focus techniques (that aren't really listed anywhere online, but this was a game-changer during the exam
- I found the 4 prep tests very helpful, the ITTO's was not as helpful
- I wish there was a chart with all the documents within all the process areas - I created this myself as well
- I also created flash cards for myself with the terms, names and tools that I needed to memorize
- I memorized all the formulas and kept writing them all down as fast as possible - and got my partner to quiz me on what their purpose and meaning in a scenario would be

Exam Day
- I went to a testing centre so I didn't have to worry about internet or noise and I felt this was a great decision and brought me piece of mind, they were very nice and professional and I would highly recommend doing your test in person
- I finished each section in plenty of time, checked it over and submitted it
- I took 5 min between each section to walk, stretch, get water, use the washroom, and clear my head - this really helped with focus on a long exam
- I felt there was an equal amount of predictive, hybrid and agile questions on the exam
- The questions we more vague than in the prep exams and often I had to read them multiple times
- I got all the new types of questions listed in the ECO, and one got one formula related questions (even though I had memorized all the formulas - not sure if that was a waste of time)
- Overall, I felt very good when I went into the exam as I was getting 75-84% on the PREP cast tests and that translated to well above targets in all areas

Great exam tips! I can definitely say that we have a lot of similar tips and there's a common thread on how people prepare for the exam. Obviously we are all different, so we have our own ways of doing things, but there are certainly some aspects of the preparation that can be said would apply to the majority. Things like dedicating the time, doing exam simulations, making sure to do breathing minutes, stretching, etc during the exam were all extremely helpful to me as well.

Well done!

Hi! Thank you for sharing your experience, I have scheduled my PMP certification test for May first week. You said that you had taken 5 minutes break, it means that the "10 minutes"break every 60 questions, is optional? and can it be lower? and, you can take it for example in question 80, then question 140. (this is an example because in my particular case, it works better for me to have the first round a bit longer)

Thank you!

Hi Maria,
To clarify how the breaks work, you are given 230 minutes to answer 180 questions. The 2X 10-minute breaks do not count towards the 230 minutes. After you complete the first 60 questions you have an option to review the questions or to continue with the exam at which point you have another decision to make: do you want to take the 10-minute break or do you want to continue? If you decide to take the break, the exam timer will pause and the break timer will start for a total of 10 minutes. You can choose to resume the exam even if you don't complete the 10 minutes. The exam timer will resume after the 10 minutes, which means if you return from your break 5 minutes late, you would lose 5 minutes from the exam time, so I recommend you respect the 10 minutes if you decide to take it.

Then you are presented with questions 61-120, and you go through the same process. The only difference is that you are no longer allowed to review questions 1-60, you can only review questions 61-120. The break rules are the same after question 120. Finally, you go through questions 121-180, and of course, there is no longer a break after 180 questions because at that point you are done the PMP exam. Think of this as 3 separate exams of 60 questions each where you get to decide how long each exam will be for a total of 230 minutes for all three exams.

I strongly recommend you pace yourself and spend the shortest amount of time on the first 60 questions as your brain will definitely start to get tired the longer you are sitting there thinking about the questions and the answers. I also strongly recommend you take the breaks so you can stretch and do some breathing to freshen up the brain for a short period of time. It goes a long way! Lastly, I wish you all the best in your studies and looking forward to seeing you back here to learn about your experience becoming a PMP.

Cheers,