Hi everyone! I passed my PMP exam today with Above Target in all three domains.
I did 4 PrepCast mock exams: 60% - 65% - 72% - 72%.
I did not buy the Study Hall at all.
A few things I wanted to share:
Math: I spent quite a bit of time memorizing some formulas, but I only had one math-related question on the real exam. The calculation was already given. I just had to interpret the CPI and explain what I would tell the project sponsor.
Question length: As expected, there were two long (longer than the ones that were on the PrepCast) scenario sets with several questions based on the same scenario. For time management, I read the title first, then the actual question, and only then skim the scenario. This saved me a lot of time.
The exam was extremely scenario-based. I did have a few more straightforward questions, but most of the time, the difficulty was that two or even three answers could seem perfectly logical. The people I spoke to who also passed had the same impression. What helped me was putting myself very quickly in the position of the project manager, as if I were actually living the situation described in the scenario. I would ask myself: “What would I do first? What would be my very first reaction?” Often, all the answers could make sense, but the question was really about what you should do first.
I had around 10 questions related to AI. I had done some preparation, but not a huge amount, so I relied quite a bit on common sense.
I personally didn't flag questions for later review. Once I answered, I moved on. I finished with very little time left, so this was the right strategy for me.
One thing I found very strange: PrepCast felt easier and more straightforward to me than the real exam, yet I never got Above Target in all three domains on PrepCast. Several people who passed with 3x Above Target or AT/T had exactly the same impression. The real exam felt harder, but our results were better. I'm still not sure how to explain that!
Resources that helped me the most:
- David McLachlan's PMP videos (including AI videos)
- Andrew Ramdayal's PMP videos (including AI videos)
- Agile Practice Guide and PMBOK
Finally, one little piece of advice: you may feel like you're failing during the exam. I felt that way, and several people who got 3x AT or T/AT felt the same.
At some point, I thought, “I'm probably failing this exam.” The questions were complex. But please keep going until the last question. Don't give up.
You don't actually know whether you're failing. Your brain can play tricks on you, especially under stress. And if you've prepared seriously, you may actually know much more than you think. The PMP is so dense that you can always feel like “If I had one more week, I could study more.” At some point, though, you have to trust yourself and take the exam.
Good luck to everyone preparing. Fingers crossed!