TOPIC: Passed on the first attempt with 5ATs (Feb 1 2020)

I passed the PMP exam with Above Targets in all groups yesterday. Here are my lessons learnt as the closing activity of my PMP exam prep project

Materials
PMBOK
Exam outline
Joseph Pillips' Udemy course
PMPrepCast simulator

Before the exam
I started with timed quizzes and completed all the 1610 questions in the simulator. I have a full time job so I usually do 10-30 questions every working day and slightly more at weekends. It was a long and painful process but I learned the concepts and thought processes by reviewing the explanations of the answers. PMBOK and the exam outline do not provide such information. The simulator is very helpful from that perspective. The option of reworking on the questions you answered incorrectly is handy. My scores were as low as 45% at the beginning and improved to 75%-90% over time.

By the time I finished all the questions, it was one week before the exam and I almost forgot all the detailed questions and I did not memorize any answers on purpose. I wanted to learn how the knowledge in the learning materials is tested in the exam and what the intention of the questions is. I switched to exam mode and completed four practice exams with 85-90%, which gave me great confidence.

The Exam
I feel most questions are not easier than the practice questions. Almost all questions were situational. There were only 3-5 calculation questions and no ITTO question.

Many of them do not specify any phase and all the four options are vague. I did much more slowly compared to the practice exams, but maybe it was because I worked on the practice questions before I took practice exams. It took me four full hours and I did not review all the flagged questions. The best way for me is to exclude options contrary to the question. Some of tools or techniques are not reasonable practically while some of them happen before certain activities. Unfortunately no cross-out option is available as the simulator which contributed to my slow progress as well.

After the Exam
I did not get the test result at my desk. Instead the staff printed out the result and handed over to me. I was so nervous and it took me 2 minutes to find the word "Pass" on the report.

For those who are still preparing, the exam is difficult so it's better to be prepared with the mindset that you have to struggle with options very frequently during the exam. The questions are designed in a way similar to what real-life project management is: there is no perfect option, and we as project managers have to evaluate each of them and make the best possible decision.

Well done!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

-Neeraj