Hi friends, first of all I would like to thank everybody on this forum who has openly shared their experiences, best practices and the Dont’s.

I thought of reciprocating the act. Hope it may add some value. I shall try keeping it brief and to the point.( No gold plating........)

I gave the test today and have successfully cleared.

Result : 2 P’s (Initiating & Planning) and 3 MP’s(Executing, M&C, Closing)

Time taken : The Clock read  46 minutes remaining when i clicked end.

Preparation Duration :  Feb & March 2013

Material Used : PMBOK , Kim Heldman.

Tests Attempted ( in that order )

         i.            Kim Heldman (End of chapter Questions , Avg Score : 84%)

       ii.            Rita Mulachy’s (EOC Questions , Avg Score : 82%)

      iii.            Christopher Scordo’s Test (K.A tests and 1-10 PMP Lite Mock Exams , Avg Score :84%)

     iv.            Head First ( 200 Quest , Score : 83%)

       v.            Oliver Lehman (175 Quest, Score 82%)

     vi.            PMP Study Test (200 Quest , Score 84%)

    vii.            PMP Study Test 2 (paid 200Q , Score 82%)

Observations/Experiences/Tips

v  Make PMBOK your most sacred and true friend . I must have read PMBOK (end-end 344 pages) at least 6 to 7 times. And I never found it dull and boring(surprisingly).

v  PMBOK  formed 90% of my preparation material . Kim helped me give an outlook towards looking the entire game from a Process Group view point , unlike Knowledge area wise (PMBOK).

v  Another thing that i realized today is that PMP Exam is a test not only of your knowledge but it severely test your Mental Strength and capability to concentrate and focus intensively for those 4 hrs. Hence i suggest giving at least 2 Full length tests (at a stretch) before the D-day.

v  Secondly it is not about how many Practice tests you have given that matters at the end , but what really is important is – Quality of the Tests AND – Analyzing the tests , finding the areas that require attention and don’t forget to solidify your Strength. Until and unless you realize your weak areas and plan to deal with them strongly , no matter how many tests (even quality ones) you give , it would not yield desired results.

v  Regarding which areas to focus on more – I am sorry to disappoint, but i felt during the exam that proper justice has been done to all K.A’s.

v  One last point i would share : I never memorized the “ITTO”. Although  I followed an elaborate and lengthy approach which paid me rich dividends.

For  all the 42 Processes:

Objective : Basic purpose of conducting the process , the role played.

Input : I used to question the existence of each input item mentioned and tried to document the role played by each item in that process. And tried relating to the Objective (mentioned earlier).

Output : Asked why are we doing this process , what this process will yield in terms of a document or an action point. Basically the sole reason of doing the hard work. And tried relating to the Objective (mentioned earlier).

T&T : Finally after getting the above two clarified and answered , i would try and understand how each Tool and technique mentioned would utilize the inputs and yield the Outputs , thereby finally realizing the  Objective of the Process .

One straight benefit i derived with this approach was that – I was able to sense the complete flow of activities across the Process Groups and the K.A’s.

Finally I would again thank the Administrators of PMZilla Site and Forum and You all wonderful people who believe in sharing knowledge and wisdom earned.

All the best to all those who are waiting in the wings to give it a shot.