Hi All,

Finally it's sinking in that I am a certified PMP and the feeling is very very good.

While preparing for the examination, I referred extensively to other successful partcipant's experiences to learn from their approach and accordingly finalise my own.

I had promised myself to share my own experience once I clear the exam to help other participants prepare-  So here it goes:

1. Many of the candidates, including myself, are working professionals with conflicting professional and personal commitments leaving very little time for study. The MOST IMPORTANT decision is the decision to undergo this exam. I have seen many colleagues starting with preparations but gradually losing interest and falling off. I started with a group of 5, in the end I was the only one who appeared for the exam and all others deferred their's as they did not get time to study. I would strongly recommend all future candidate to think over carefully the level of effort required to decide whether they want to be a PMP, and if they do decide to go ahead, to be determined in face of all odds.

2. My preparation time was 3 weeks, however, due to very heavy work pressure, it all boiled down to the last 6 days before the exams. 

3. As I had limited time, I did not refer to too many study material & only focussed on PMBOK 4th edition and Rita Mulcahy 6th edition. There are lots of excellent study material for specific topics on the net and these more than suffice the requirements.

4. Of the total 3 weeks available, I could only study weekends of the first 2 as was working almost 12 hours in office and was mentally tired by the time I reached home. I completed PMBOK 4 & Rita Mulacahy on these 4 days (2 weekend offs).

5. Had taken the week off before exam - this along with the weekend, gave me 6 days for final preparation. Break up of day wise preparation:

Days 1&2: Complete revision of PMBOK4 and Rita Mulcahy

Days 3&4: Back to back mock tests along with re-reading / reviewing areas of weak knowladge

Day 5th: PmZilla tough 30 & Farndale mock tests followed by review of notes by Rajesh Nair, Abhishek, Rajesh Thallam, Anil Chowdary and Anil Kumar Tanguturi; memorising formulas and reviewing ITTO's

Day 6: Final review of the important points. Completed preparations by 8pm and then relaxed.

I tried memorising ITTO's but I could not. I then tried to understand the sequence and logic behind these ITTO's in a process. This helped more as even though I could not memorise it, I was able to identfy which one's should be there in a process. Exam has direct questions on ITTO's and this strategy worked well for me.

Exam day: 

Reached early, staff were courteous and helpful & I faced no challanges. 

I approached the exams as I had approached mock tests. After the initial 20 questions, anxiety had subsided and I was moving along fine. Completed exam in 3 hours, including marked questions, relaxed for a while, quickly reviewed and submitted. I did not review all questions as by the time I completed the exam, I was confident that I would pass; 12-14 hours sustained study over 6 days had drained me mentally and I just wanted to get certified as early as possible :) 

Finally submitted the exam and after the survey, the much dreamed off words starting with "Congratulations" appeared on screen and I was very happy my efforts had paid off.

To candidates who are thinkinng of waiting till the new exam format kicks in, I would suggest if you have already read PMBOK 4 once or twice, go ahead with this version. I faced this dilemna myself and decided to go ahead.

Happy to advise and answer any queries for the participants.

Finally, a BIG THANKS to PMZILLA team for this excellent forum. I referred only to this forum and did not feel the need for participating in any other. 

Warm Regards