I took my PMP exam yesterday after about 5 months of preparation and passed with Above Targets in all three domains. As many others before me have done in this forum, I am passing on some tips that helped me achieve this result. Firstly, I would strongly advise that you dedicate significant amount of time to preparation (i.e. completing an accredited course, and reading certification guides and textbooks). In my case, I averaged about 2 hours daily for about 8 weeks, and about an hour daily for the remaining 3 months (which is probably overkill for some people). My initial goal was to take this exam in April, but by the beginning of the month, I still didn't feel prepared although I was consistently scoring over 90% in the practice tests I was using. So I searched for more robust practice tests and luckily I came across PMPrepCast.
I was immediately drawn in based on the incredible volume of practice tests and also the four practice exams. Since I had already scheduled my exam to take place about a month after I found PMPrepCast, I committed to completing at least 800 practice tests and all 4 practice exams at least twice each. In my opinion, the practice exams are the main reason that I achieved 3ATs. They helped me practice pacing myself. I simulated the real exam environment by first getting buy-in from my family to avoid distractions during the 4+ hours that I took the practice exams. Thanks to the excellent job done with creating the practice tests (I completed over 700 of them before attempting the first practice exam), I passed my first exam (barely, 70%). After reviewing explanations for my failed and marked questions, I performed better in the other exams and subsequent attempts.
My tips essentially are:
* Take this exam very seriously. Make sure you dedicate ample time for preparation
* Master the PM mindsets (Traditional and Agile). THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
* Commit to completing all 4 PM Exam Simulator Exams in this site at least once each (ideally twice).
* Make sure you get ample sleep the night before your exam
* Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early for your exam (also important)
* Plan your time allocation for each 60 question block. Mine was 75 minutes for the first and second blocks (1-60, and 61-120), and the remaining 80 minutes for the last 60 questions.
* During the exam, make sure you use the HIGHLIGHT and STRIKETHROUGH tools. These helped me greatly. I used the HIGHLIGHT tool for key words and phrases within the exam questions, and I used the STRIKETHROUGH tool to eliminate answers I was sure were wrong. These tools also helped me when I was reviewing my marked questions because I was able to save a lot of time by focusing on the answers I had not crossed out and on words and phrases that I had highlighted.
* Finally, when you are reviewing your questions, don't second guess yourself. That is, unless you are absolutely sure that your initial answer was wrong, don't change it.
Goodluck on your journey to gain PMP certification. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
A big THANK YOU to everyone that shared their lessons learned, the moderators for this forum, and the rest of the PMPrepCast team!!!
