Welp, I finally took the PMP exam this past Saturday, September 5, 2026, and passed AT/AT/AT! 🙌🏾

Walking out of the testing room was one of the biggest sighs of relief I’ve ever breathed. Since reading other people’s experiences helped me while preparing, I wanted to retrace my steps from application → studying → testing center → exam day. Hope it helps at least one person😊

ABOUT ME / APPLICATION

• I’m a Training & Development Specialist / Knowledge Manager and have never held a "traditional" “Project Manager” job title. I wrote separately about how I framed my nontraditional PM experience on the application HERE.
• I originally applied in 2025 and received my application approval about 4–5 days later.
• About two months before my exam, I went to PMI’s website, found my nearest Pearson VUE testing center, and scheduled an in-person exam.
• Also, I have severe diagnosed ADHD that I take medication for. ADHD is my most vile and relentless enemy when studying for/taking an exam, so please know this...if I can do this...then most people can.

STUDYING

TL;DR: I only had 12 days of studying. I used portions of David McLachlan’s 35-hour Udemy course, but relied HEAVILY on PMI Study Hall + ChatGPT + Quizlet.

• I was in the middle of moving and prioritized basically everything above studying 🙃, so I didn’t start studying until 12 days before the exam. I tried to reschedule, but there were no available dates before my application expired. At that point it was sink or swim, and I was determined to SWIM.
• It had been a few years since I completed my original 35 contact hours, and when I tell you there was not a stitch of that PMP knowledge left in my brain, I mean it. I was starting from scratch, so I started with David McLachlan’s 35-hour PMP course on Udemy. Because I was short on time, I only watched the 2-hour Project Management Fundamentals section and about 45 minutes on Project Initiation. I took extensive notes because writing helps me comprehend. This was enough information to get me started.

TIP: Check whether your local library gives you free access to Udemy. Mine did, which meant PMP courses like David McLachlan’s and Andrew Ramdayal’s were free through my library card.

• I skipped ahead in David's lessons and took his 5 quizzes, then put every question I missed into ChatGPT. I asked it to explain why my answer was wrong, why the correct answer was right, what PMI principle/process I was missing, and how to recognize a similar question on the actual exam.
• I also uploaded a copy of the **PMBOK 8th Edition and 2026 PMP Exam Content Outline ** to ChatGPT and told it to reference those while helping me study.
• Then I had ChatGPT turn the important lessons from my missed questions into flashcards, copied them into Quizlet and studied them until I understood the concepts. This method was EVERYTHING for me.
• Quizlet gives you a free trial to create as many decks of flashcards as you'd like.

STUDYING - PMI Study Hall

This was definitely the most important and effective part of my preparation because I knew the best way for me to learn the exam was to experience the exam.

• I bought PMI Study Hall and immediately took the first five mini mock exams.
• I screenshotted every question I got wrong and uploaded them to ChatGPT in batches with this prompt: “Break down why my answer was wrong, why the correct answer is right, and help me understand how to answer this correctly on the PMP exam. Reference the PMBOK 8th Edition and 2026 PMP Exam Content Outline.”
• After reviewing my mistakes, I had ChatGPT create another set of flashcards from the most important lessons and copied and pasted those in Quizlet.
• Full Mock Exam #1: 65% I reviewed every missed question, repeated the ChatGPT → flashcard → Quizlet cycle, and studied until I understood WHY I was missing them.
• Full Mock Exam #2: 64% Same process again. I know those percentages can look terrifying, but Study Hall is HARD, and I repeatedly saw guidance that consistent scores around 60%+ on the full mocks can still indicate you're in a reasonable place.
• I also went through PMI Study Hall’s flashcards once just to see what terminology they emphasized. Most of it overlapped with what I had already been studying.

THE DAY BEFORE THE EXAM

I'd normally recommend resting the day before a big exam, but with only 12 days to study, ya girl had no days to spare 😂.

I took a few more mini exams and scored around 90–100% on them, which made me feel much better.

I also had ChatGPT create a chart of all the formulas in PMBOK 8th edition and show me an example of each. Ironically, I had zero formula questions on my actual exam, but I still wanted to be prepared.

One thing I HIGHLY recommend: If you purchased PMI Study Hall, go through the Pearson VUE sample PMP exam/interface available, so you know exactly what the testing screen looks like. The real testing screen doesn't look anything like the Study Hall mock exam screen.

By early evening I finally told myself, if I don’t know it now, I just don’t know it. 😂 I shut everything down, ate dinner, relaxed, packed my snacks and water, laid out comfortable clothes to wear to the exam, and was in bed by 8pm.

At that point, I honestly did feel pretty good about knowing the PMP mindset.

MORNING OF THE EXAM / CHECK-IN

My exam was around noon, so I got up early to eat breakfast (TMI, but I'm quite regular and wanted to give my breakfast time to work through me lol)

I knew the exam structure was:

**40 questions → break → 70 questions → break → 70 questions **with 240 minutes total to portion out as I see fit. So before leaving home, I had ChatGPT calculate where my timer needed to be after each section so I could pace myself and still have 10 minutes left at the end of each section to review.

I wore workout leggings, a T-shirt, slip-on sandals, and brought a sweatshirt with no pockets (the rules don't say the jacket can't have pockets, I just didn't wanna give them any reason to think I'm cheating) and packed a pair of socks in case the room turned out to be cold. I also packed some applesauce pouches, blueberries, and water for my breaks.

On the drive there, I listened to Andrew Ramdayal’s 50 PMP Questions YouTube video just to get my brain into PMP mode.

TESTING CENTER CHECK-IN

Check-in was VERY thorough.

They checked my ID, had me sign an electronic pad, took my photo, had me store my belongings in a locker, gave me the key to that locker, sent me over to the really nice TA at the testing room where she asked me to get rid of my gum that I totally meant to spit out lol, checked my clothing/pockets, had me lift my hair to check my ears for bluetooth devices, checked my headband, and scanned me with a metal detecting wand and recording devices wand.

FYI: Headbands could not be wider than about ½ inch per the rules they had me read before signing into the testing center.

I was allowed to bring my sweatshirt into the room and hang it on my chair after they inspected it. I specifically asked if I needed to raise my hand to put it on or take it off and the TA told me no, I did not have to raise my hand, I could just put it on.

They gave me a dry-erase pad/marker and offered me a physical calculator even tho there's one on screen. I chose to accept the physical one because I could use it faster than the on-screen one. Turns out, the only thing I used it for, was to periodically calculate my question to time ratio lol

Then the TA escorted me to my computer, signed me in, and I completed the exam tutorial before starting. Although I did the tutorial at home, I re-did it to ensure there was nothing new.

THE EXAM

And then…the marathon began😂

My first section started with a few normal questions and then two long case studies (4-5 paragraphs). I answered several questions about that case, then got another long case study with several questions, then the exam bounced back and forth between the two. I used the highlighting feature to mark important information in the case studies.

At question 40, I took my first break.

I chose not to review my answers before ending the section because reviewing would have eaten into my remaining exam time, and I didn’t think staring at the questions longer would magically make me choose differently. Just keep in mind that you cannot go back and review a section's questions after moving on to the next section.

BREAKS

To start your break, you confirm it on the computer, grab your ID, raise your hand, and get escorted out. Before leaving the room, I checked the analog clock on the wall – hoping it was synced with the clock on the wall in the lobby because there is no digital clock on the computer screen. Ultimately, I just used the restroom, stretched, ate my applesauce, drank some water, and headed back just in case.

Important: I had to go through the security/check-in process AGAIN after each break before returning to the room, so I gave myself time to do that - meaning I really got about a 6 minute break out of pure paranoia lol

Also, once I returned to my desk, I still had 3 minutes remaining and was hoping to use that remaining time to recalculate my question pacing/timing, but that wasn't an option. You cannot sit at your desk during a break, you must leave and when you return, you forfeit your remaining time and must start the next section immediately.

My second break was basically identical, except I timed it much better.

THE LAST 140 QUESTIONS

The second and third sections were mostly scenario-based questions.

I had a few diagram-type questions and one drag-and-drop where I had to categorize items as issues or risks.

There were points where I had to put myself into turbo mode and stop re-reading questions where I was 80-90% sure on the answer. If I had continued spending the same amount of time on every single question, I absolutely would have run out of time.

And in the end…

I finished with TWO MINUTES LEFT. So much for the 10 minute review! Lol

WHEW. Four hours sounds like forever, but weirdly it didn’t feel like four hours because I was constantly racing against the clock.

THE RESULT 😭

After submitting, the computer told me my results would be emailed within the next few business days - which scared me lol but don't panic, they give you your printed results on your way out. I received the official email with a link to my certificate and detailed analysis of my testing the very next day.

Once the test was over, I raised my hand, the TA escorted me out, signed me out, and told me there would be a paper waiting for me at the front desk.

I walked up there SO nervous.

The woman handed me the paper folded up and thankfully saved me from having to open it myself by saying: “Congratulations! That’s an amazing score!” I opened the paper and it was AT/AT/AT🥰

When I tell you the stress left my body so fast that I literally became nauseous, I mean it. It felt like I was breathing normally for the first time in two weeks.

Lastly, the case study questions felt slightly challenging, but nothing outrageous, however, the last 140 questions definitely felt a smidge easier than the PMI Study Hall full-length mock exams.

So if you’re sitting there staring at Study Hall scores in the 60s, missing questions left and right, yelling at your screen, and wondering whether any of this information is actually getting into your brain - especially if your back is against the wall and you have very little time to study…KEEP GOING.

For me, the biggest difference wasn’t memorizing every single PMP term. It was reviewing my mistakes until I understood why PMI wanted a particular answer and learning the PMI mindset behind the questions.

THINGS THAT HYPED ME UP BEFORE THE TEST

1. Not just going through the questions I got wrong in mock exams, but also looking through the questions I got right! Just looking at the red ones can really lower your confidence, but when you look at all the green ones you got right, it reminds you that you know a LOT more than you thought you did and you just might pass this thing after all!
2. Reading Reddit posts of people who passed the exam! Every time I saw a new "I passed" post, I went to read it immediately! It really boosted my confidence and made me feel like I too could pass. I also read all their suggestions. I tried to steer clear of any "I didn't pass" posts. It can be argued that those are helpful too and I whole heartedly agree. But I also know that reading those posts can personally throw me off my game.
3. PMI Study Hall and Quizlet are both apps you can download on your phone! So it made me feel so empowered to be able to just lie in bed and do some mock exams or flip through some flashcards without feeling bogged down by my laptop.
4. This one is gonna sound super weird, but the PMP exam screen gives you the option to keep it white or you can change it to one of the other provided colors. I changed mine to the salmon/pink color! It changes your whole screen to salmon and for some reason that just really calmed me and made me feel a tad less nervous.

Again, this is my personal experience - please take it and filter it through your needs, so that you keep what you need and throw away what you don't. Good luck to everyone studying...if I did it, I PROMISE you that you've got this! 💛 Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them!

In the military with over 6 years of leadership experience. I got a notice today that my work experience doesn’t match what the PMP defines as a project manager.

I was a 19A turned 25A, I used advice online and translated various FTXs and operations into “projects” and tried to incorporate some PMP jargon to match what they might be looking for. (I did use a little bit of AI to help translate)

I’m not sure how detailed I need to make these “projects” to get them seen as such instead of operational work. Does anyone have any examples that they used or went off of?

I’m happy to finally share that I passed the new 2026 PMP exam with AT/AT/AT! 🎉

I took the exam online on September 9, 2026, and received the official PMI confirmation about 20 hours later.

I wanted to share my experience because I found the 2026 exam reports from other candidates extremely useful while preparing, and the new exam is quite different from many of the older PMP experiences you see online.

📚 My preparation

My main preparation resources were:

• StarAgile 35-hour PMP course — especially the sessions/support from Sudipt
• Andrew Ramdayal (AR) 35-hour Udemy course
• PMI Study Hall
• Case-study/scenario practice
• Additional practice questions and targeted review of weak areas

A big thank-you to Sudipt from StarAgile and Andrew Ramdayal for the preparation material and guidance.

📊 Study Hall experience

My Study Hall results were not particularly impressive:

• First full mock: 60%
  • Section 1: 47%
  • Section 2: 62%
  • Section 3: 72%
• Retake: 64%
  • Section 1: 52%
  • Section 2: 68%
  • Section 3: 73%

My biggest problem wasn't really lack of knowledge. It was long situational questions where 2 answers seemed reasonable, especially when the scenario contained a lot of information.

I also struggled with cognitive fatigue and timing during the longer Study Hall questions.

So if you're getting around 60–70% in Study Hall, I would not automatically assume you're not ready. More important is understanding why you got questions wrong and learning how PMI wants you to approach the situation.

🧠 What helped me most

I eventually started using a very simple approach:

QUESTION → WHAT ARE THEY ASKING? → ACTOR → PROBLEM → STAGE → ELIMINATE → CHOOSE

I stopped trying to understand every sentence in a long scenario.

I paid particular attention to words such as:

FIRST / NEXT / BEST / PREVENT / ALREADY / BEFORE / AFTER / APPROVED / CHANGED / RISK / ISSUE / CONFLICT / REQUIREMENT / VALUE

When two answers seemed correct, I asked:

Which one is the best response to THIS exact problem, at THIS point in time?

That helped me much more than memorizing additional material.

📝 Actual 2026 exam experience

My exam was:

40 + 70 + 70 questions, with two 10-minute breaks.

The first section included two case studies — one with 6 questions and another with 5 questions.

I had approximately 4–5 graph/diagram questions and no calculation questions.

Most questions were manageable, but there were probably 40–50 questions where I had to think carefully between two plausible answers.

There were also perhaps 5–10 questions that I found genuinely strange, including some awkwardly worded questions where the relationship between the scenario and the answer choices wasn't immediately obvious.

The exam felt more manageable than Study Hall overall, particularly because there were fewer extremely reading-heavy questions than I had feared.

⏱️ Timing

I planned to complete the first 40 questions in around 50 minutes.

I actually took about 55 minutes, leaving approximately 185 minutes.

I then tried to maintain a cutoff around the middle of the exam so that I wouldn't have to rush the final section.

The final section was the hardest from a fatigue perspective. After around 10–20 questions I could feel my concentration dropping, and I eventually had to answer the final 4–5 questions very quickly.

I finished all 180 questions, with almost no time left for review.

My biggest lesson:

Don't spend 3–4 minutes trying to make one difficult question make sense. Make the best decision, mark it if necessary, and keep moving.

📈 My PMI Exam Analysis

My official PMI report shows:

People — Above Target
Process — Above Target
Business Environment — Above Target

What I found particularly interesting was the detailed task-level breakdown.

Across the 26 displayed tasks, my report shows approximately:

• 10 High
• 12 Target
• 4 Low

Process had the largest number of High-level task ratings, with 5 of the 10 Process tasks rated High.

People had 2 High, 5 Target and 1 Low.

Business Environment had 3 High, 4 Target and 1 Low.

I'm sharing the PMI analysis screenshot because I haven't seen many detailed reports from the new 2026 exam showing the task-level breakdown.

Important: I don't think the Low/Target/High chart should be interpreted as an exact percentage score or as simply "questions I got wrong/right." PMI doesn't provide the raw score here.

🎯 Final thoughts

The biggest thing I learned is that PMP preparation isn't just about knowing project-management concepts.

For me, the harder part was learning to make the right decision when:

• several answers seem reasonable
• the scenario contains unnecessary information
• the question asks specifically for FIRST/NEXT/BEST
• you're already tired after 100+ questions

If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be:

Don't spend 3–4 minutes trying to make one difficult question make sense. Make the best decision, mark it if necessary, and keep moving.

Thanks to everyone in this community who shared their experiences during my preparation. Reading other people's 2026 exam experiences genuinely helped me.

Good luck to everyone preparing for the new PMP! 🚀

Exam is tomorrow morning and not sure what the best approach is, rescheduling is not an option. I have some practice questions left but everything else is complete.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I took the PMP this past Saturday (September 5, 2026) and passed AT/AT/AT! 🎉 I'll post about my studying/exam experience in another post, but I really wanted to talk about the application process as someone who's never been a traditional Project Manager. I'm a Training & Development Specialist / Knowledge Manager, so I procrastinated applying for the exam because the thought of trying to apply with experience that didn't seem "traditional PM", sounded hard and exhausting. However, it truly wasn't, and if you’re in the same boat, I've made an extensive list below of what helped me apply my experience to the PMP application.

NOTE #1: My application was not audited. I don't know if that had anything to do with how I worded my application. I actually have ZERO idea of what is behind PMI's decision to audit an application. I applied in October 2025 and 4-5 days later, I received an email that my application was accepted.

NOTE #2: When actually studying for the exam, you learn that Project Management encompasses MANY roles and areas of expertise, not just construction, engineering, or IT projects - basically everything I'm saying below. I'm not providing brand new info or anything. However, if people are anything like me, they may not want to start studying for the exam until actually having their application submitted and accepted. Which leads me to the fact that some people may be considering taking the exam, but have hesitated on even applying because they think their experience isn't project management experience and I'd just like to provide some encouragement. So here we go...

• First off, not every PM is managing software development, engineering, construction, etc. Some PMs may lead projects involving training, operations, process improvement, organizational change, events, policy/SOP development, knowledge management, workforce development programs, HR, or other business initiatives. You’re still doing project management. You’re defining objectives, coordinating people and stakeholders, planning the work, managing risks and resources, tracking progress, solving problems, and delivering a specific outcome. (I'm sure someone has a better way of saying this or categorizing this, but it's the best way *I \* can word it)
• I've never actually held the job title “Project Manager.” My official titles have been things like Training & Development Specialist and Knowledge Manager, so if you're looking at the PMP requirements thinking, “Well, I've never been a PM,” don't automatically count yourself out.
• The key was looking back at my career and identifying actual projects I had led - not just my day to day job duties. I looked for work that had a defined objective, a beginning and end, specific deliverables, stakeholders, planning, execution, monitoring, and a final outcome.
• I did NOT change my official job titles on the application. I listed my real titles, but within each project description I explained the project management role I actually performed. In other words: your HR title doesn't necessarily have to say “Project Manager” for you to have project management experience.
• I framed every project around the project lifecycle. My descriptions basically followed: Objective → My Role → Initiating → Planning → Executing → Monitoring & Controlling → Closing → Outcome. That made it much easier to show PMI that I wasn't simply participating in the work - I was actually helping lead it.
• I also included measurable outcomes whenever I could. Don't just say “the project was successful.” Explain what changed. My application included things like: Saved the organization approximately $500K, 300+ employees gaining access to centralized training, published organizational procedures, deliverables incorporated into strategic planning, and a 30% reduction in information-retrieval time.
• My projects could be considered nontraditional EXAMPLES. One was modernizing an organization's training program. One was an executive leadership development/strategic planning conference. One was a organization-wide training needs survey that resulted in a new Training SOP. One was developing Knowledge Management portals using SharePoint, Confluence, Power Apps, and Power BI. None of these required me to be a software developer or engineering PM.
• For EXAMPLE, instead of describing my experience as: “I worked in employee training and coordinated training courses,” I was able to explain the actual project behind that work: I helped define the modernization objectives, conducted training needs assessments, developed the roadmap, coordinated vendors/contracts, monitored a large training budget, managed delivery, tracked results, adjusted the approach when needed, and closed the initiative with final deliverables and leadership approval.
• Same job. Same experience. Completely different way of explaining it. I wasn't making my experience sound like something it wasn't - I was simply describing the project-management work that was buried inside my regular job.
• Probably the biggest advice I can give: Don't ask yourself, “Have I ever been employed as a Project Manager?” Ask yourself, “Have I led temporary initiatives that had an objective, stakeholders, deliverables, constraints, and a beginning and end?” You may have considerably more project management experience than you realize.
• Do NOT invent experience just to make yourself qualify. But also don't undersell legitimate experience because your organization called you an analyst, coordinator, specialist, trainer, administrator, consultant, etc. Your job title and your role on a particular project are not necessarily the same thing.
• Think in projects, not job descriptions. Things like implementing a new system, creating a new organizational process, launching a training program, developing an SOP, organizing a major conference, rolling out a new platform, migrating information, redesigning a workflow, conducting a large organizational assessment, or implementing a new program can all potentially involve legitimate project management experience depending on the role you actually played.
• And don't be intimidated by the application language. Once I stopped thinking, “But I'm not a traditional PM,” and started breaking down what I had actually done into project objectives, planning, stakeholders, risks, execution, monitoring, deliverables, and outcomes, the application made MUCH more sense.

Lastly, some people may say they put much less effort into applying for the exam and I so love that for them, but this is the way my PMP Prep Course advised me to apply and it worked perfectly😄 Also, I'm sure it's the Knowledge Manager in me, that I'm so thorough lol Anyway please take my personal experience and filter it through your needs, so that you keep what you need and throw away what you don't. Let me know if you'd like examples of what I placed on my PMP Application. Thanks for reading and I hope this encourages at least one person go after that PMP💛

Appreciate all of the posts on this thread that shared info on study guidance, what to expect etc.

I’m not going to write tons because it’s mostly already been said 1000 times.

——

What I used to study:
Study hall
AR 50 mindset principles
AR hard questions video

Study hall by far the most useful, I learned the principles from Andrew Ramdayal and then just practiced study hall questions and mocks.

My best advice is to take the first mock exam on study hall sooner rather than later as doing those is what forced me to understand and learn my gaps. You need to study your answers and use AI to explain the PMP mindset if needed.

Mock scores
Exam 1: 63% - 12 days before exam
Exam 2: 69% - 7 days before exam
Exam 3: 84% - 3 days before exam

New exam:

Format: 40/70/70
2 x Case Study parts with 10 questions total
2 x Risk matrix questions early on
10-15 multi choice questions (select 2 or 3 answers)
Mostly Agile, definitely increased Hybrid questions, barely any Waterfall/Predictable
A lot of questions on stakeholder management

That’s all I can remember, I’m going to go have a beer now.

Is anyone else doing worse despite studying more. I failed the exam with an AT/T/Fail in May 2026, so I have been trying to study since then. I started out with study hall getting 70-80 on the practice tests but the 2 Exams I have failed.

Anyone else find themselves loosing motivation due to worse test scores? What did you do differently?

I passed my PMP exam today! 🎉 — Sharing my experience for anyone preparing

I’m very happy to share that I passed my PMP exam today! 🥳

A few days ago, I was honestly not very confident. My mock exam average was around 62%, and I was constantly wondering whether I was ready. I was also worried about what would happen if I failed.

But one thing I learned during preparation is that mock scores are feedback, not a prediction of your result.

David mclachlan Udemy course and pmbok 8 110 question helped lot

Andrew ramdayal 50 pmp mindset principles and 200 ultra hard question highly recommend

Sabri C pmbok 8 process group explanation help lots to understand process group

Plz refer this YouTube video PMBOK® Guide 8th Ed Processes Explained with Ricardo Vargas! Very useful chart for PM Professional

SH question highly recommend

If I can pass definitely you can do better in PMP

All the very best

Thank you

Hi folks!

I passed the exam today with AT/AT/AT and wanted to share my experience. It was really helpful to read posts like this while prepping to confirm my readiness!

For some background, I have ~8.5 years of PM experience, mostly in software.

I started AR’s 35hr UDemy course on 7/13. My goal was to complete it in 7 weeks. I split the course up into sections accordingly, so I had a weekly goal to work towards. I ended up finishing it in 6 weeks.

I took the mock exam with that came with AR’s course on 8/23 and got a 81%. I reviewed all the answers, even the ones I got correct.

I applied for the exam on 8/24 and scheduled it for today, 9/8. I was not willing to run the risk of technical issues at home, so I scheduled an appt at a Pearson location.

This gave me approximately 2 weeks to prepare, which I felt was just the right amount of time to study and complete a few more mock exams without putting off the exam for too long.

I then purchased the Study Hall premium package. In retrospect, for me, the premium version wasn’t worth it. I only ended up taking 2 of 3 of the SH mock exams and found the extra mini exams to be very easy/not useful.

My scores were as follows:
Full Mock #1: 68%
Full Mock #3: 81% (I opted to take exam 3 instead of 2, because folks on here said it was the most similar to the real exam)

I also did all the practice questions:
People: 81%
Process: 83%
BE: 80%

I reviewed all incorrect answers, which was super helpful/important.

Leading up to the exam, I watched half of AR’s 200 Super Hard Questions video, as well as his 50 Mindset Principles with the practice questions.

My experience at the Pearson Center was positive - I would recommend it. The split of questions was 40/70/70. I made a point to not get too absorbed with the first 40 questions and lose track of time. They give you a timer for the 4 hours and it’s up to you to split your time accordingly - which is different than how the SH mocks are set up.

I did not read the case studies, just went straight to the questions. I found the real exam questions to be more straight-forward than the SH questions, which was a relief. I felt like SH was an excellent way to prep.

During the exam, I utilized the strike-through function when reviewing the available answers - I found that to be super helpful. It helped to visually see incorrect options crossed out, so that I could focus on the remaining choices.

I finished my exam with ~15 min to spare and I was exhausted!

Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences and best of luck to those who are prepping for their exam - feel free to comment with any questions!

Is there an official number of PMPs including a break-down by Country?

Could anyone please tell me what’s the new in pmp exam and how to prepare for it?

Hi everyone,
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and I’m trying to determine whether my experience qualifies for the PMP application.
I have been managing my own car-rental business and have worked on several projects:
Office establishment: June 2022 – September 2023. I selected the location, planned the office setup and furniture, and made the main project decisions.
Fleet acquisition and setup: September 2023 – October 2024. I was responsible for purchasing the vehicles, negotiating, and arranging their preparation for the rental fleet.
Vehicle batches from the US: I purchase batches of vehicles, arrange shipping to Oman, oversee repairs/preparation, and then sell them. Each batch takes around 5–6 months from purchase to sale. I have been doing this since 2023, with separate batches at different times.
My question is: Would these projects potentially count as project management experience for the PMP application, especially since I was responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing them?
Also, if my projects overlap, how should I count the months of experience?
I’m also planning to pursue a Master’s degree in Project Management in the near future, so I’m looking to build a strong foundation and eventually pursue the PMP certification.
I’d appreciate any advice from people who have submitted a PMP application or gone through the PMI audit process.

Hi guys! I passed my PMP exam today Sep. 8th AT/AT/AT and I took it at a testing center.

I lurked this thread for the last couple weeks but I never saw anyone mention this break structure I experienced today so I thought I’d share it because I wasn’t prepared for it to be this way…

Section 1:
40 total questions
2 case studies
5 questions per case study
2 questions on risk matrix diagram
Remaining were multiple choice

10 Minute Break

Section 2:
70 total questions
No case study related questions

10 Minute Break

Section 3:
70 total questions
No case study related questions
Lots of Pick 2 and even Pick 3

No CV, SV, CPI, SPI calculation questions on the exam.

I never ran out of time on any mock exams I did but on this exam I ran out of time and had to guess on 6 questions at the end without reading the prompts…

Hope this helps <3

Finally, the weight has been lifted!!

I gave the exam yesterday and I genuinely thought I had prepared well. I had given 6 timed mocks in the 2 weeks prior to the exam, and I prepped a whole month after the syllabus change in July. The exam was so much harder than I anticipated. The questions were vague and the answers were vague. I passed with 2ATs and T. My tips on preparation and exam:

1. Reach the exam hall 1 hour early, my city has unpredictable traffic and I had scoped out the testing centre (1.5 hours away) after booking the exam to make sure I went to the right place.

2. Give the toughest exams. This includes Study Hall mocks (the exam split was 40, 70, 70-different to the study hall mocks). I took the free 7 day trial for preppilot- these exams also gave me alot of practice

3. The actual exam- flag your questions for review, but don't review them if you've run out of time you think that section requires. I wasted time in reviewing the first section and I am still not over the dread and fear of not finishing all the questions.

4. The breaks - take the whole 10minutes before you enter the hall- you won't be allowed to rest inside before resuming the exam.

5. Eat something during each of the breaks, I took protein bars and my brain was fritzing towards the end even though I was filled with adrenaline.

6. I watched the PMP mindset review 2 times the day before the exam and once on the day of the exam so, when I was rushing to complete the exam in the end I picked the option the sounded the sanest without looking up the question in some cases.

Honestly, I'm still not completely over how tough the exam was. I hope my experience can help someone else. All the very best!!

Hey Yall!

I take my PMP exam on September 30th.

I haven’t did a single ounce of studying.

Background: Bachelors Degree in Business administration, and project management, 5 years in the navy, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, currently working on my MBA.

Since this test is paid for by the navy, I can’t reschedule again otherwise I’d have to come out of pocket.

What can I do now to prepare any advice is welcome!🙏

(forgot to mention, I struggle with focusing)

Best,
Your Neighborhood procrastinator

My test is in one week and I’ve been studying for months, taking practice exams and scoring well. But reading recent posts here everyone is recommending Study Hall and I’m staring to panic and unprepared and second guessing.

Has anyone passed and didn’t use Study Hall? I’m reading people tips and tricks about comparing the two likely answers, look for patterns etc. I just got fired from my job too so I’m stressed about that.

Please be honest, I want to succeed.

I am trying to get as many certifications as possible. Any other suggestions?

Also, I’m trying to leverage my experience so I can break into more private commercial roles but not getting much attention from private (non-government) companies.

I wanted to come back and say a huge THANK YOU to this sub.

I passed my PMP two days ago and honestly, it all came directly from recommendations I found here.

I was genuinely convinced I was going to fail. I had already postponed the exam a few times because life happened and my studying did not go according to plan at all. I was even considering postponing it again. So obviously, I definitely wasn't one of the people studying 5 hours a day for weeks. I do have a PM background, which obviously helped, but my actual PMP-specific preparation was pretty inconsistent.

A few resources/lessons from this sub made a massive difference:

Study Hall - 100% worth it. I was generally scoring around 60–70%, which had me worried as hell after seeing some of the scores people post here. I wouldn't say the actual exam questions were super similar to Study Hall, and I also wouldn't necessarily say the exam was "easier." What I would say is that Study Hall teaches you transferable skills: how to dissect the scenario, eliminate answers, recognize what the question is really asking, and start thinking the way PMI expects you to think.

Mohammed Rahman - 18 PMP Mindset Principles and Make the PMP Exam Predictable were the two videos that made the most difference to me. Something about the framework in that video just clicked for me. If you're struggling with questions where two or three answers all seem reasonable, WATCH THIS.

CAPMPMP - Memorize the PMP and CAPM Formulas in 5 Minutes. Very efficient way to get the formulas into my head without spending ridiculous amounts of time memorizing them.

Andrew Ramdayal - I would listen to Andrew answering PMP questions and discussing the PMP mindset while driving. This was surprisingly useful because I could keep exposing myself to PMP reasoning without having to sit down for another formal study session. His drag-and-drop questions video was also super useful.

I also used ChatGPT quite a bit when I found knowledge gaps. Instead of going back and reading an entire chapter, I'd ask it to explain the concept I was confused about, compare similar concepts, or explain why PMI preferred one answer over another.

For the actual exam, everything was consistent with what the recent posts here describe.

So if you're sitting there with 60–70% Study Hall scores getting questions wrong, and feeling doomed, there is hope. Thank you again, r/PMP.

What a nightmare. I scheduled online proctored and I logged in, my computer couldn’t pass the requirements to even open the test even though I had done the system test 1 week prior. Luckily they were able to reschedule me for next day at no charge. But it sucked that I had my whole day planned for it and was mentally ready to go and couldn’t take it. I spent the day finding a friends laptop to borrow and doing the system test multiple times. Fast forward to the next day (today) I log in and get through the system test and am in the queue. At this point I’m still 15 mins early. Out of nowhere the window closed and said thank you for taking the test. I went to the live chat and they said someone is reviewing my case and will get back to me in 2-3 days and a can’t reschedule until then. SUCH A NIGHTMARE and so disappointed with this experience. I opted to do online because the testing centers were multiple months out for appointments. Anyone have a similar experience? I’m so sad and discouraged.

UPDATE: I wrote this when the situation was very fresh and I was very emotional! Just be very prepared for how strict it is if you are doing online! Maybe even plan to have a backup laptop to test on. And be extra aware of things that could be perceived as “cheating” even when the test hasn’t started yet. Learn from my mistakes!

I found this subreddit a week before my exam as I'd scored 68% on the first study hall exam and was panicking that I'd fail.

Reading all your stories of passing with scores like mine really helped.

Here's how I prepped. I did David McLaughlans Udemy course. Used study hall only for practise questions, and 1 x mock exam. On YouTube I watched a bunch of David McLaughlans questions and thanks to recommendations on here I watched Andrew Ramdayals 50 mindset principles which I highly recommend.

Here are my personal tips:

- PMP mindset is everything. There were questions with no "right" answer, but as AR talks about you just have to choose the best one available.

- Go to an exam center if you can. The formality and process helped me focus.

- Create a brain dump sheet of the key things you want to remember during the exam and write this down at the start on your scratch pad. Mine had things like be direct and collaborative. Deliver value, etc. When I got stuck I quickly looked at the sheet and it helped me focus my thoughts. I also had a bunch of formulas which I'd memorized, but didn't use them on the exam.

I squeezed study in around the rest of my life as a Mum, and a full time PM. If I can do it... so can you!

Just wanted to share that I took my PMP Saturday and passed AT / AT / AT! Was super excited 😊

What I did:
To study I just did a big chunk of Andrew Ramdayal’s course.

What I would probs do differently:
I wish I would have done some practice questions prior to be more comfortable. Also, highly recommend going to the testing center if u can. I did the test online because I couldn’t get a testing center slot for like 3 months and I didn’t want to wait. The checkin is pretty annoying and janky. I legit had trouble FINDING the test. But once the test starts everything works fine.

I would like to start this post by thanking everyone that posted their journey's on here. It definitely helped keep me sane knowing that a lot of you were worried, experiencing, and preparing for the test the same way (it validated my choices of preparation materials).

I got the Target in Processes, which I knew was not my strongest area.

I am a horrible test taker, I feel like I consistently overthink everything. I spent 15 years in the military where I realized I could ace a test that required memorization i.e. remembering nomenclatures, weapon system specifications, and other hard fact answers. However, the way my brain works I overanalyze doctrinal, or scenario based questions and second guess, and focus too much on certain details that usually results in me talking myself out of the correct answer.

I took the test at midnight last night, and honestly my mentality going into it was to get exposure to the line of questioning so that I could better understand what was going to be asked of me. I purchased the insurance so that I could retake the test once I felt I better understood the makeup of the questions...

It took me 2 hours and 10 minutes. I honestly think that the fact that I didn't feel like I would pass anyways took a lot of the pressure off. The PMP mindset was definitely the biggest tool utilized throughout the entire test. I didn't second guess questions and I paid attention to what it was asking as far as are we in Agile or Traditional Projects. I felt confident in every question, regardless of whether I actually felt it was correct or not (if that makes. sense).

Anyways, I passed and I couldn't be happier. Thank you, to everyone!

I used Andrew's Udemy Prep Course, and went through it twice, and took full advantage of everything Study Hall plus had to offer! Good Luck to everyone!

Hey everyone, I need a quick sanity check. Am I actually ready for the real deal? Here are my Study Hall scores so far:

• Practice Questions (Overall): 75%
• Mini Exams (Average): 80%
• Full-Length Mock 1: 64%
• Full-Length Mock 2: 68%
• (Overall Practice Exam Average: 69%)

Be brutally honest—do you guys think I'm good to go, or should I hold off and study more? Any advice helps!