#1 - Thank you so much to the PM PrepCast team & Mr. Fichtner!! This podcast truly was the ideal tool for me as I work full-time and have 2 kiddos at home which both require a good amount of attention. Being able to listen to the podcast during my daily commutes was so very helpful! Good luck to all those out there preparing for the exam, I know it seems very overwhelming right now but it's worth it once you receive that passing result!
HOW I PREPARED FOR THE EXAM[/u]: (total time preparing – 2-3 hours per day, 4-5 days a week, for 3 months)
- Purchased the PMBOK and reviewed the main points to get a good idea of the information layout & the methodology
- Purchased the PM PrepCast & listened to the podcasts during commutes, lunch breaks, really any time I had to myself
- Created my own notes in the form of outlines (one outline per knowledge area) – I learn better when I write what I’ve read rather than re-reading so this may only work for learners like me
- Read Andy Crowe's "The PMP Exam - How to Pass on Your First Try" (this was a good book, but served more as a summary of everything learned in the podcast)
- Printed out numerous practice exams - took each one without referencing any notes and then went back after to find out what areas I needed to focus on more
- Took numerous Simulated Practice Exams to get comfortable with the time limit and formatting of questions (TIP: Do not wait too long to start utilizing the exam simulators like I did, they are a GREAT preparation tool for the exam)
THE EXAM:
- I took the exam 1st thing on a Monday morning to make sure I had a couple of work-free days right before to really prepare
- I first went through all 200 questions - I answered the ones I 100% knew the answer to and ‘marked’ the ones I needed more time to think on. Then I went back to the beginning and went through the ones I was 50/50 on. Last, I finished the hardest ones to ensure I did not run out of time without answering as many of the ones I was more confident in first.
- The exam is very TRICKY in my opinion! There were several questions in which two of the answer options could easily be correct. Pay attention to the KEY WORDS in questions like this. They will most likely point you towards the right choice.
- It is stated in almost any book you read to prepare for this test & its true – DO NOT DEPEND ON YOUR PERSONAL PM EXPERIENCE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS! Put what you already know from experience behind you and focus on the PMBOK methodology.
MY TWO CENTS:
- Learn Integration Management last – it will make SO MUCH MORE SENSE after learning the other knowledge areas.
- Don’t spend time trying to memorize. My experience w/the exam was that the vast majority of questions require understanding of the process groups / knowledge areas in order to be able to choose the correct answer. Especially the ITTO’s – if you understand the processes, it’s fairly clear which ones would be applicable.
- Brain Dump: I may be the only person who will say that this was not beneficial for me. I wrote very few things down prior to the exam and maybe referenced it 3-4 times. I would not spend a ton of time memorizing material for this. If you understand the formulas it’s not hard to remember them, or at least know how to logically arrive at the answer. I also had reviewed the 47 processes so many times that writing them all down (and possibly making an error) would have just confused me.
BOTTOM LINE – I believe that practice makes perfect. Once you feel as if you have a good understanding of the material, just practice taking as many exams as you can. It’s the best way to know where you need to focus your further studying. I probably spent too much time studying in the beginning and not enough applying what I was learning w/the practice tests so I could truly zone in on the harder concepts.
Good luck to all of you preparing for the exam!
