Hello everyone,

Thank you PMzilla big time....

I've passed the PMP exam today with 3MPs and 2Ps.. I know I could've done better if I prepare for the exam earlier but I'm not the typa person who likes to study after working hours :S.. "Days before the exams I kill myself studying and I make it...

Mock exams' questions are more confusing than the real exam's.. Practice good 'quality' mock exams only.. In the real exam, few exam questions were long but ok; read the last lines in the question first coz sometimes the information up is just extra-not useful.. 

Please never freak out from the exam as I did.The exam is NOT difficult at all if you study and prepare yourself...

My preparation was as the following:

1) In May: I've read the PMBOK chapters in 7 days and I was like "So what!! - kinda BORING". I din't understand what I was reading coz I'm not working as a manager, procurement, HR or resource manager ..etc :P .. I do Programming, so the terminologies and information are new to me..

2) In july: I've decided to take my job vacation and commit to study.. I was studying day and night coz I've to do the exam before end of July and I've to pass it.. I made a plan and started from the difficult chapters to the easiest one.. I've started from Procurement :) ..

•  I study 1 chapter from Rita (solve the questions at the end) -> then same chapter from Headfirst (solve the questions at the end)..  By the way, Rita will keep threatening you as a reader from time to time by sayinh that you'll be in trouble if you've no experience in the area you're reading  (Ignore her, you can make it FOR SURE)
• Then I go to the PMFastTrack; answers the questions of the chapter I studied, and go through what ever questions I answered wrong or not sure about

3) In July 17th: I've started to do Mock exam:

    Rita FastTrack chapters: average 75-80%

    PMzilla tough 30 q: 53%

    Oliver 75q: 64%

    Oliver 175q: 74.3%

    PMstudy 1: 71.43 

    PMPforsure: 64%

   My scores weren't that good but I've passed. So, if you're doing better then be confident.

4) Last day before the exam:

     I went through ITTO quickly and focus more on: Procurement, Risk, HR, Quality.. Then, skim PMBOK. and the notes I made.. And Appendix F of Pmbok is super important

Important points: 

1- Rita Process Chart is amazing. If you know it, it'll assist u answer a couple of questions right

2- I've noticed something funny during the exam. Sometimes PMI questions are confusing or actually they mean it to confuse you by making the question complex 'grammer..etc'!!!. But if you've a translator like seeing the question during the exam in another language: Arabic, Spanish... The questions might get translated in a way easiers to understand. 

3- Do calculations: EV, EMV, SV, EV....EAC, ETC, CP, crashing fastracking... they were easy ones..

4- Rajesh excel sheet is good but didn't have time to read it all.. Raga 355 points are good as well, I did read it: http://pmzilla.com/raga039s-355-points 

5-Many questions came from Procurement, Quality, Communication, Scope and Cost;

6- ITTO: veeery important... So many questions directly or indirectly asking about this. you need to know this: what inputs required to do such and such?.. In which process you do blah blah blah? which tool you need to do this or that "if you know the definition very well then you'll b fine"

7- Make sure you understand the definition of each process group, knowledge area, and processes... They look easy but they can be tricky... In the exam, they might give you definitions or part of it and you've to figure out.. So know them word by word.. 

8- For me most of the questions came from the PMBOK, but sometimes to decode PMBOK correctly, you need another book like Rita or HF..

Good references other than the book:

- PrepLogic 15 minutes guide

- PMLead PMP Exam preparation - points to remember notes..

- Quizlet

Wish everyone best of luck,