I passed my PMP exam today. This was the last day of eligibility to sit for the exam. I had previously scheduled the exam for mid February, but that date was cancelled by the testing center due to bad weather. The only date that was available due to work obligations was today. This is not how you want to plan your testing date.

Anyway, my method to this madness was as follows:

                Study

·         PMBOK - Read Twice

·         Crosswind Exam Success Series: Bootcamp Manual – Read Twice

·         PMO to Go: Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam – Read Twice

·         Project Management Institute (PMI) Houston Chapter PMP & CAPM Prep Course

·         I memorized EV formulas, PTA formula, PERT formula, FV formula, Sigma values, Maslow, Ouchi and McGregor, etc.

·         I memorized page 43 of the PMBOK

·         I did not memorize ITTO. I just read the PMBOK and got an understanding on how things flow.

·         PMstudy Exam #1 – 60% (Baseline for Prep Class)

·         PMO to Go: Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam – 63%

·         Crosswind Exam Success Series: Bootcamp Manual  Exam – 64%

·         PMstudy Exam #2 – 64%

·         PMstudy Exam #3 – 66%

·         PMstudy Exam #4 – 64%

I arrived at the test site, checked in and sat down for the exam. I quickly went through the 15 minute instruction section. I used the 13 minutes from that time to do my brain dump. My brain dump consisted of the following:

·         Wrote down EV formulas, PTA formula, PERT formula, FV formula, Sigma values, Maslow, Ouchi and McGregor on first page of scratch paper provide

·         Wrote down page 43 on second page of scratch paper provided.

I completed the exam in 2 hours and 50 minutes. I did not mark any problems and I did not review any answers. I completed the survey and waited for the computer to flash pass or fail. The blank white screens are hard on the heart. You sit there and wait for what seems like forever. The computer came back with PASS.

The results of my exam are as follows:

·         Initiation – Moderately Proficient

·         Planning – Below Proficient

·         Executing – Moderately Proficient

·         Monitoring & Controlling – Moderately Proficient

·         Closing – Moderately Proficient

·         Professional & Social Responsibility – Below Proficient

My exam had very little calculation problems. Most of my questions tended to talk about risk, quality, and procurement. These were the areas where I had most problems during my studying.

I found that PMstudy exams were very similar to what you will see on the real exam. PMstudy provides you with detailed information on how you scored on each domain. This helps to point out your weaknesses. As you can see, my practice exam scores were not in the 80’s as some people say they need to be. Just ask yourself if you think you are ready and do it.

My advice is to understand the PMBOK and answer questions from the PMBOK point of view.