Hi,

I passed the PMP exam yesterday in Milwaukee, WI. I am here to tell you that the exam is not that bad. I may have gotten lucky with the questions I got, but I can honestly say that the test wasn't that difficult.

Preparation

I went through Rita 7th Edition once, and used it as a reference from time to time.

I read the PMBOK 4th once, and used it as a reference from time to time. For me, just sitting an reading these books was not at all helpful. I know that it's not supposed to be entertaining, but holy crap I just couldn't do it.

The absolute, single-best way to prepare is to take as many practice exams as possible. I took eight full length exams, sometimes two in one day. Beyond that, keep practicing exam questions. I estimate that I went through over 2500 practice questions.

The best source for practice exams is Cornelius Fitchner's pmp simulator (http://practice.pm-exam-simulator.com/). These questions were so much like the real thing it was scary. Not expensive to buy eight exams and the value is immeasurable. Please believe me when I say that these are the best practice questions anywhere and closest to what's on the real exam. Beyond that I used Exam Center, Lehman, etc. All the usual places.

I personally never scored above 77% on any practice exam, and in most cases was scoring in the high 60's. The 'rule' that you need to be getting above 80% consistently isn't true. Just review what you got wrong and ensure you know WHY you got the question wrong. Also remember that most practice exams grade you out 200, not 175 like the real test.

The Exam Itself

First of all, the questions themselves are generally not as long and verbose as the prep exams would lead you to believe. There were no questions that were longer than three or four sentences. I had around four questions that gave me a network diagram and asked about changes to critical path based on some criterai. I only had three or four EV questions. 90% of questions are situational and largely straightforward. I would say that if you read the question carefully and look at the tense (past, present, future), the right answer will leap off the screen. For example, for questions asking what the PM should do next, look at the question to see what's already happened. 'You are in the initiating phase and have consulted key stakeholders regarding scope. What's the BEST thing to do next?' If you've consulted key stakeholders, then you've already identified them. 

Just be calm, read each question carefully, and you'll do just fine!