TOPIC: I passed the PMP exam several days ago

I passed my PMP exam three days ago on the first attempt with the overall score performance “Above Target”. I want to share with you some experience.

1) I started to study for the PMP exam with the PMP Study Guide 9th edition by Kim Heldman, from a local library and used the PMBOK 6th edition as a reference only. I found the PMBOK was dry and difficult to digest so I didn’t really read it. After I finished the book, I started searching for the training to fulfill the 35 hours of formal project management education. It wasn’t an easy choice. The price varied significantly from one place to another. At some point, I really wanted to take a five-day boot camp at a university near my work place, but it would cost 3,995.00 Canadian dollars + tax, so I decided not to. Had it been half of the price, I would have taken it without hesitation since I prefer classroom learning than other methods. I finally decided to take the training at Udemy.com , which cost me only CA$17.99. The course was better than I expected, especially it cost so much less than other places.

2) After the training, I purchased the PM Prepcast & PMP Exam Simulator ( www.project-management-prepcast.com/ ) for the preparation. I also used various free resources on the Internet as well. I would say, the Prepcast was a good tool which played a significant role in helping me pass the exam. The style and level of difficulty are quite similar to the real exam. More importantly, it clearly explains every choice, so it helped me understand my mistakes. I also took the free 200-question PMP Practice Exam offered by PMI. The questions are from old PMP exams, but I highly recommend that you try it since it is very similar to the real exam in terms of style and difficulty. You have to be a PMI member to access it. For those who want to know how to access it, just sign into the PMI website and follow the following link to get it: www.pmi.org/shop/p-/elearning/pmp%c2%ae-practice-exam/16202

3) My original scheduled PMP exam at a testing center on April 30, 2020 was cancelled because of Covid-19, so I took the PMP exam on-line. There are several drawbacks when taking the exam online. I was not allowed to have scratch paper, but provided with a whiteboard app, which was useless. I have worked in the IT industry for over 20 years; I can quickly lean and be comfortable with a new software easily, but couldn’t make use of the whiteboard app for the exam. So, brain dump or note taking was practically impossible. The exam window unexpectedly crashed during the exam, so the proctor had to restart the window to resume the exam. I didn’t get compensation for the time lost, not to mention about the extra stress as a result .

In conclusion, the PMP exam is hard, but absolutely achievable and justifiable. You can make it and don't be discouraged. You don’t need to spend lots of money on the exam prep. The PM Prepcast & PMP Exam Simulator is worth the money. I would prefer to take the exam at a testing center instead of online if I had a choice.

Hello Chinh,

First of all, congratulations on your great achievement!
And also thank you very much for sharing your personal experience with the online exam.
It is always important to be aware of different kinds of issues that may occur with that new way of taking the exam.
Like you, my preference is to take the exam at a testing centre. But as you know, with the COVID-19 situation, candidates who want to write the exam currently have no choice than to do it online.
I wish you much success with your new certification.

Thank you Felix!

Hi Chinh,

Thanks for the sharing your experience. I am trying for the PMP test but it takes me to add the test and then order it. I don't get any link to reach out or any email where i can reach out to the test. Can you please share how did you get access to PMI test.

Hello Pierre,

After you order it, you will receive an email from PMI about the order. Open the email and click on the link to access the test. I have attached a screenshot of the email I received from PMI for your reference. If you didn't see the email, check your junk box as it might have landed there.

Regards, Chinh

Hi Chinh,

can you please share you experience with the exam questions? How was the exam, was it harder then the simulator ? What percentage of exam questions were harder then simulator , what percentage was easier and what percentage was similar? what knowledge are you had the most questions from? what was your percentage during simulator test?

sorry for asking so many question but it will definitely help others

Hello Pierre,

Firstly, I am sorry that I couldn't get back to you earlier. I stopped using this forum after getting the PMP, and somehow I didn't receive notification of your questions.

I would say that the simulator is on par with the exam. I only got one or two questions that required a calculator. I think the exam questions distribute as indicated in the PMP exam content outline (Initiating 13%, Planning 24%, Executing 31%, Monitoring and Controlling 25%, Closing 7%). I noticed that similar questions were repeated to validate if the exam takers answered the questions correctly or by luck. As for your question regarding my scores on the simulator, it was about 75% with ITTO questions and about 85% without.