TOPIC: PMP certified!

Facts

1. P in Initiation, Planning and Executing; MP in M&C and Closing
2. Took the test in Doha, Qatar (New Horizons Testing Centre
3. Date of test - May 26th 2015
4. First attempt

Observations

1. Actual test was a little bit more scenario based that the PMP Prepcast simulator exams. Not unexpected, but something to be aware of.
2. Fewer ITTO questions than expected - I just had 3 ITTO related questions
3. More questions around EVM(6), EMV(4) Tuckman's ladder(5), procurement contract types(4), conflict resolution(4) and risk probability & impact(5) than expected
4. No negation questions ("what should the project manager not do")

Preparation method

1. Went through the Prepcast videos once
2. Read the PMBOK guide once and took notes. Took a 50 question "learning" quiz after each chapter with focus on the chapter
3. Glanced through the "standards and frameworks" once
4. Took 6 (of the exams in the simulator
5. Took the ITTO exam in the simulator
6. Took the free 200 question exam through Head First website
7. Scored 80%+ on ALL full exams

Tools used

1. Created a speadsheet containing - a) processes by knowledge area and process groups, b) ITTOs by process (see )
2. Created a study plan (using Google Sheets) that contained a schedule of what I will study (see
   
   ). The plan consisted a mix of revising the notes compiled during the prepcast videos, reading PMBOK guide chapters, doing exercises on maths based tools and taking assessments.
   
3. To keep me honest, the study plan had a "exam day reminder" that would count down every day (see
   
   ).

Good luck. Please feel free to ask for further clarifications.