fbpx
Congratulations! Let us know your lessons learned and how our products have helped you prepare.
Please remember that you are not allowed to discuss any specific questions that you encounter on the exam.

TOPIC: Toronto - May 4 - Passed! - First try

Toronto - May 4 - Passed! - First try 8 years 10 months ago #5569

  • Tracey South
  • Tracey South's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Expert Boarder
  • Expert Boarder
  • Posts: 131
  • Karma: 6
  • Thank you received: 27
I'm happy to report that I passed on my first attempt. I was very stressed going into the exam but my preparation paid off.

The best advice I can give is to practise writing your brain dump. I used my tutorial time to write out my formulas and processes. I knew them by heart but where it really came into play was when I was unsure about an answer, I could look at my sheet and determine what process was being discussed and use that to eliminate answers. It saved time and I didn't have to depend on my memory.

Another piece of advice, slow down and read the question. I had a complicated precedence diagram and was asked to calculate to total float of a particular node. I would have wasted a lot of time calculating critical path and float had I not read that the node was ON the critical path and therefore has no float.

I marked several questions for review but found that my gut instinct was what I stuck with. I passed with 4Ps and 1MP. This matched my study plan. I knew that the majority of the questions would fall into planning, executing, and monitoring & controlling groups so I focussed my studies here. My MP was in the closing group. I would keep my study plan the same.

Here is how I prepared.....

I started 5 months in advance. I purchased prepcast and began watching the videos while on the treadmill. I also read Head First PMP. I followed that up by reading the PMBOK. I then took a few weeks off of studying. I then re-read Head First and began listening to the podcasts to and from work. I also read PMP Exam - How to Pass on your First Try twice. In the meantime, I wrote out flash cards for key concepts, theories and definitions. I also created flash cards for each of the processes and included to ITTOs.

A few days before the exam I focussed on my flashcards and practised writing my brain dumps. I re-listened to podcasts on topics that I felt deficient in.

The weekend before the exam I did some light review only.

The day of the exam, I flipped through my flashcards only. I arrived at the testing centre early so I wasn't rushed. They took me in early. I wrote the exam in 2 hours 15 minutes and then spent 45 minutes reviewing (which was a bit overkill). The end result was a pass. Very pleased with my discipline and hard work. It paid off!
Community Moderator
Moderators: Yolanda MabutasMary Kathrine PaduaJohn Paul Bugarin

OSP INTERNATIONAL LLC
OSP INTERNATIONAL LLC
Training for Project Management Professional (PMP)®, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®

Login