New Exam - Did not pass the 1st time, need tips

Submitted by PMP Candidate on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 16:08

Hi,


I took the PMP exam on Oct 1st and Failed. I felt my exam went well and was quite surprised to see my results.Do you need to be Proficient in each Domain Area to pass the test?


Below are the details of my results.


Initiating the Project - Proficient
Planning the Project - Moderately Proficient
Executing the Project - Moderately Proficient
Monitoring and Controlling the Project - Moderately Proficient
Closing the Project - Moderately Proficient


I need help and tips on clearing the PMP exam the 2nd time.


Thanks


PMP Candidate

Forums: 
PMP Exam Tips, Tricks and Lessons Learnt.
  • Log in to post comments
  • 19603 reads

TheWaitingGame

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 17:29

I took my exam on October 3rd and have not received results yet. I am very scared after reading your score report. It appears they have raised the bar on what is considered a passing grade.

jofinneg

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 17:40

 Wow, that sure looks like a passing score to me!

 

Are the test results possibly influenced by difficulty level? For example, would getting 4/5 difficult questions correct be worth more towards your proficiency level than getting 5/5 easy questions correct?

Vnakkar

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 19:44

I took the exam on October 1st and recieved my score today:

 

Initiating the Project - Moderately Proficient
Planning the Project - Proficient
Executing the Project - Proficient
Monitoring and Controlling the Project - Proficient
Closing the Project - Moderately Proficient

Result: Pass

 

Studied for 3 weeks.

 Resources:

 Rita's book twice (sixth edition, non-updated one)

 PMBOK twice

 Raga's 355 points http://pmzilla.com/raga039s-355-points

 PmStudy 200 question tests 1 (68%) & 2 (79%)

 

uaflyer

Wed, 08/29/2012 - 08:54

In looking about there are some considerations here that may make some feel better and others not.

Prior to Sept 30, 2011, but after 2005 ir was possible to pass with a 55%, yet someone else fail with a 65%.

This is because every exam was different and was scored on an algorythm with different factors.

Since Oct 1, 2011, the passing score is a solid 53% or 106 correction answers and you pass.
We can forget or care about the 25 throw away questions, but it is now consistently 106 correct to pass. (until they change it again)

PMI is trying to keep a secret sauce and can change this at will.
They can choose to not publish these changes, which keeps us scratching our heads.

Passing Score for PMP Exam Changed, Certification Magazine 
http://www.certmag.com/read.php?in=1574

So for those who failed prior to October 2011, you now understand you might have passed since October.
In the same light having less luck and a different test many who passed might have failed.

Congrats to those who passed and good luck to those taking it again.

 

Emmanuel

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 17:50

Hello Friend,


I am really sorry to hear about your exam results. I think that a mistake has been done some where because your results should be definately a pass. Not unless PMI has decided to rate the scores to be all Proficient. So I think you should put in a complain through PMI Customer Service. You should have received a passing grade. Something is terrible wrong.


E

Minooka

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 18:17

 

I took the exam on Oct. 1st and walked out feeling pretty confident I would pass, figured I had about 80% of the questions correct.

I was scored as Moderately Proficient in all areas.

 

TheWaitingGame

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 18:32

Did you pass?

Minooka

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 18:51

 Failed

jofinneg

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 19:53

Were results received via email?

Minooka

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 20:09

 Yes, received them today

TheWaitingGame

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 20:15

I wonder why some of us havent received results yet. This is cruel torture.

ginger12

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 18:39

I am quite disappointed.  I felt I did well too.  I scored MP in all areas, and failed.  I have signed to retest Nov. 4th.  Tips for studying would be great.  Good Luck to you as well.

jofinneg

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 19:08

This is very disconcerting. 

How long did it take to receive the results after taking the new version of the test?

I'm starting to think I had better break out the books once again this weekend - I walked out of the test very unconfident in the first place.

pmpaspirant

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 20:14

I gave the exam on Sep 10th and received the result today which is Oct 7th. It might sound cliche now but I was also very confident that my exam went very well and I will def. pass but I did not. This is my assessment below in each knowledge area. I am so disappointed. It is so frustrating as we don't know what the passing score is.  Everybody please share their experience if they can and thing to do going forward.


Thanks!



 


 



Initiating the Project - Proficient


Planning the Project - Moderately Proficient


Executing the Project - Moderately Proficient


Monitoring and Controlling the Project - Moderately Proficient


Closing the Project-  Moderately Proficient

karthik_1505

Sat, 10/08/2011 - 04:16

Hi, I am sorry for friends who couldn't clear it, You will in the next attempt, All the best.

M just sharing my pattern, I passed.

Initiating the Project - Proficient

Planning the Project - Moderately Proficient

Executing the Project - Moderately Proficient

Monitoring and Controlling the Project - Proficient

Closing the Project-  Moderately Proficient

I think one has to score atleast one proficient in Planning, Executing or M&C.

pmpaspirant

Sat, 10/08/2011 - 10:16

Congratulations Karthik!!

Micky1407

Sun, 10/09/2011 - 15:36

Hi,

I took the exam on the 16th of Sept and received the result on the 7th of Oct. Although I scored MP in all the areas, I failed. It's confusing :-(

I've sent a mail to PMI and expect them to clarify that. Let's wait and see..

gabrielroj

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 20:41

Just scheduled my exam for nov15, after reading your post i kinda scared.

My resources:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

PMBOK (read it once)

Rita's PMP Exam Prep 6th ed (read it once) average score 1time: 74% 2time: 78%

PMP Exam Prep Questions, Answers, & Explanations: 1000+ PMP Practice Questions with Detailed Solution - C. Scordo (Didn´t start yet)

PMP Bootcamp Manual  T. Johnson (Pending, Ive read it 1.5 years ago)

PMStudy -  free 200 Questions exam score: 60%

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shall i re-read Rita´s book or start with my 1000 scordo questions?

What about Rita´s PM FASTrack® PMP® Exam Simulation Software 1500+ questions?

1. 200 tough questions from PMZilla? has anyone tried them?

2. Difficult PMP Exam Questions: Extra Practice on the Hard Questions?

3. Head First PMP?

4. PMP Certifications Mathematics?

5. 2011 PMP Exam Prep: 6,000 Questions Simulation Software?

 

 

jcp1

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 21:04

I just got off the phone with PMI after viewing all your comment, according to him if you have moderate proficient in all sections, usually you will PASS the test as the TEST SCORE calculation is still same, Call PMI and Review with them if you really got Moderate Proficient in all sections and still came in as FAIL.

jofinneg

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 21:16

Please call for clarification and keep us updated how it goes.

I can hardly believe (4) moderately proficient and (1) proficient would not yield a passing score.

TheWaitingGame

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 22:16

When you get your results how does your pmi home page change? Does it say anything??

pmpaspirant

Sat, 10/08/2011 - 10:22

JCP,


I will definitely call PMI now after reading your post. This indeed is surprizing!! Does anyone have any idea if in the previous format (before August 31st) they used to give the result with number of questions one attempted correct versus incorrect? Not that it matters now but I am just inquisitive. I am actually shocked with my results as I was so positive that I will pass.


Everyone, please keep sharing your experience. This really helps!!


Congratulations to all who passed and good luck with those who did not and are planning to attempt again soon. I am going to wait for some more time at this point and want to make sure this new format is fully settled.


 


 

Minooka

Sat, 10/08/2011 - 12:14

Who do we call at PMI?

As mentioned above I received Mod. Proficient in all areas and failed.

I would like to get all this settled before I shell out several hundred dollars for a re-test, not happy.

richenrique

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 13:07

Anyone have a contact with PMI? 

PMP candidate101

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 15:33

I took the the test in early Sept and received MP for each domain and had failed the exam. I just called PMI Customer Care and the rep indicated that they are doing a second review of those that completed the test with proficiency's such as mine and will be sending out a second email of their review in mid November.  The rep was unable to tell me what proficiency's would be required in each domain to pass the exam and also indicated that 'percentile' calculations were not used to determine passing scores.  

I would also suggest for those that received at least MP for each domain and failed to call PMI, contact information is on their website. 

richenrique

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 22:55

Dear friend, a received this e-mail:

 

Recently, you took your Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam and received an exam report that indicated that you failed the exam.  We have good news!  We can now confirm that you passed the PMP exam.  To access your correct exam report, please follow this link, where you can find your exam report when you scroll down the left column.

 

but the result is the same. What you understand by this e-mail? I passed? 

stepka

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 23:10

 I have just received the same letter from the PMI. There is certainly no new link on the left column if they really mean the left column and the old link is still the old pdf file.

However, I'm not too concerned about this. Probably more a technical issue...if I don't get the correct file by tomorrow. I will contact customer support again.

The important thing really is that there has been an error with the scoring in the first place!

richenrique

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 23:57

 But you understant that you passed?

stepka

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 00:17

yes, from the letter I understand that I have passed.

The phrase "We can now confirm that you passed the PMP exam." makes it quite clear. And at the end of the mail it says that I will receive the certificate in the coming weeks.

Mind you, with all those errors we probably can only be a 100% certain that we passed once we hold the certificate in our hands.

Concerning the pdf score report: it seems to be dynamically generated and always shows the date of the day when clicked on the link. So just cause it says 10th Oct it doesn't really mean it's the newest version. I still believe/hope it hasn't been corrected yet...lets keep our fingers crossed!

 

richenrique

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 00:28

 Yes!

In this morning I generate a report and the date is the same 10 oct, then the date of the report is generated dynamically!

Minooka

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 00:34

Just checked my email and I recieved the same message from PMI, stating I have now passed.

I clicked on the link in the email and had the same issue, nothing on the left side of the column, and my old test score is still on the site, I am figuring this is an issue on PMI's end that has not been corrected yet.

The email message I received stated they have regraded all exams taken from 31 August thru 3 October.

Unfortunate that a scoring issue occured, but very happy that PMI has rectified the problem.

 

PMP Candidate

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 01:01

Hi All,


I called PMI this morning and asked for a rechedk of my results. In about 5 hours I get the following email.  They said there was an error in the scoring system which has now been fixed,  I am happy now. :-)


However, as the email below suggests, I did not see the updated report on the website. I guess that's another technical issue they will have to work out.


 


"Dear PMP Candidate: Recently, you took your Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam and received an exam report that indicated that you failed the exam.  We have good news!  We can now confirm that you passed the PMP exam.  To access your correct exam report, please follow this link, where you can find your exam report when you scroll down the left column.


We apologize for the concern and trouble this incorrect exam report may have caused you.  An error in exam processing occurred because exams were originally scored by an erroneous scoring process so that some candidates’ pass/fail result was calculated incorrectly.  Due to this vendor processing error, some candidates received incorrect exam reports. The error has now been corrected. Please be assured that we take great pride in the integrity of our professional credentialing program and take this matter very seriously. In resolving this issue, PMI has taken the time to rescore all exam reports from 31 August to 3 October 2011 and individually quality checked them to ensure that they have been scored correctly. Your passing score was re-affirmed during this review.


We know that preparation for the examination takes time and dedication. We commend you for making this investment in your career and congratulate you on your accomplishment. In the next few weeks, you will receive via postal mail your PMP packet, which contains your PMP certificate to celebrate your achievement."


 

stepka

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 01:12

The PMI didn't exactly set an example for good project management

PMP Candidate

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 01:52

hahaha.....u r right stepka.


Quality Control was POOR ;-)

jl7753

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 01:29

I got the same e-mail this evening at 6:42 EDT as well. It says I passed (MPs in all five processes), but when I go to get my corrected report I still pull up the FAIL report.

pmpaspirant

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:22

I got the same email last night from PMI as above. I have Proficient in one domain and MP in all other. I am pleased that they corrected the report and I have cleared the exam after all the hard work I had  put in.


But I have the same  issue that I don't see any new report. In my case, the old report has vanished as well. So, I guess it is just a technical glitch and hopefully PMI will correct it soon!!


Congratulations to all who initially failed and now PASSED!  The feeling is amazing!!!


Let us keep the fingers crossed and all goes well from here..

satish_multi

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:57

Congratulations to @PMP canditate, richenrique, stepka, Minooka,  jl7753, pmpaspirant and all others  who have passed the PMP certification and should appreciate PMI since they have accept thier mistake and are rectifing all the scores.


Congratulations once again.


Regards


Satish

stepka

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 13:55

I just received another mail from the PMI. This time congratulating me for the passed exam and a link for the exam report....and finally the exam report also says PASS and I'm a "PMP in good standing" !!!

So there certainly was a glitch before!

Who would have thought that so much can go wrong with one exam...

Hope the rest of you had similar good news!!!

 

Micky1407

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 14:00

 Same thing for me. Happy happy... Thank you for the help provided by all the people in this thread, it gave me hope ;-O

 

Wish the best to all of you

 

PMP Candidate

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 16:04

Finally got the email with the good news.


Congrats to all who were in suspense for few days.


 

Minooka

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 23:55

 

The new exam report showed up on PMI account today....officially passed. 

Congrats to all who also received the same good news.

I wonder if this thread helped PMI identify the exam scoring problem?

PMP candidate101

Wed, 10/12/2011 - 01:56

 Same situation happened to me, I received an email today indicating that I've now passed!! Soo glad that this has been fixed 

Robert

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 18:56

What number did you call to get in touch with PMI?

Who did you speak to?

PMP Candidate

Sun, 10/09/2011 - 08:21

Thanks All for the comments and tips. I will call PMI tomorrow to discuss my results. If the scoring has not changed then my guess is I should have passed with 4 MP and 1 P. Let's see if anything changes.


Has PMI ever changed results due to error? Does anybody know?


 

satish_multi

Sun, 10/09/2011 - 11:26

@ PMP Canditate. Surpised and bewildered to see your scores, According to me Moderate Proficent in all Knowledge Areas is a certain Pass as per exams given before 31st August 2011 and on the contrary you have 1 Proficent and 4 Moderate Proficent.


I will be eagerly waiting for your post to know about your discussion with PMI and the reason why you couldnt clear the certification.


Best Luck


Regards


Satish


 


 


 


 

jofinneg

Sun, 10/09/2011 - 12:55

 I wonder if we are seeing a re-baselining of the exam passing score.

 

If the historical pass rate has been 60% and they received 100 test results after the changeover, I'll bet they are passing the top 60 tests based on percentage correct. Wherever that last passing grade test ends up, is the new bottom-end passing percentage.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

stepka

Sun, 10/09/2011 - 13:58

You might have a point here jofinneg!  Introducing new exam questions almost certainly requires a new baselining. This was probably also the major reason why the results were not available immediately.
I seem to remember that I read somewhere that the last time there was a changeover in the exam procedure people got there results immediately and after a couple of weeks people who first failed got corrected to a pass (unfortunately I can't find the source for this info anymore). So I guess the PMI wanted to avoid this scenario this time around.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if there has been a higher level of people with high scores in the last weeks. As a change of the exam leads to more unknown factors people tend to try to be even better prepared. So that could be really just bad luck…

If there is a new pass score, I have the feeling the score for the proficiency levels in the different areas hasn't been adjusted yet. This could explain the discrepancy between the score reports and the overall pass/fail.

As I mentioned in another thread I got (4) Moderately Proficient and (1)Proficient (in M&C) and failed. Not a great result but I have never seen anyone with a score like that failing before. 

I still think it would be good that all of us who don't understand why they failed according to their score report contact the PMI for clarification. It could still be a bug (never give up hope ;-)) or at least they should be made aware that their score report is creating some confusion...
 

PMP Candidate

Sun, 10/09/2011 - 15:50

How many folks have called PMI for clarification regarding results? How helpful is PMI?


Is there a process to dispute your test results?


 


 

karthik_1505

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 08:14

Stepka..Sorry to hear that...I really hope there is something wrong with PMI evaluation which they will correct it in your case. 4 Moderately proficient and Proficient in one of the main PG should definitely be a PASS. I wish you luck for correction.

PMP candidate101

Mon, 10/10/2011 - 15:30

 If there is a new score and the issue is that the proficiency levels in the different areas haven't been adjusted yet --wouldn't that be poor planning on their end? lol ironic for the project management institute. I would rather hear that the 'fail' was sent incorrectly and that MP in each domain is a pass, at least thats better than if we later hear that oops we forgot to update the proficiency areas with the correct scores.

 

 

Pages