Erika,

Congrats on passing the PMP exam. Way to persevere! Thanks for taking the time to post your lessons learned and experience. Best of luck to you as a newly certified project manager.

Cheers,

Mark

I would love to say I passed on my first attempt, but I did not. But, I did eventually (11/30) pass.

How I got there: I took courses through the University of California, Irvine (completing the Certificate in Project Management). As part of the program I began using Rita's study guide as a text and was given access to PM PrepCast as part of my final course. I waited to begin my PrepCast exams until a couple of months after classes had ended.

The last month before the exam was intense for me, with the week before the exam being an opportunity to reread Rita's study guide and the PMBOK. Sounds like overkill, I know, but I am awful at exams and needed to get that info in my head. PrepCast really helped me with the test panic I experience. The act of sitting for hours, staring at my monitor, answering dry questions and staying focused is what I needed to be successful this go round.

Day of the test, I did do a brain dump once the first question of the exam was on my monitor. While I didn't reference it too much in the end, it was a good security blanket. I also used the brain dump as a way to center myself before I jumped in.

So grateful to be done with the exam, even more excited to have my PMP.

Cheers!