After procrastinating for many months, I finally scheduled my PMP (Project Management Professional) exam in June. I did not have much choice on the date and needed to get it done before November. Lesson learnt, schedule your exam earlier. So I scheduled to take my exam on the 9th September.
My study materials:
- Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep 7th Edition
- PMBOK Guide 4th Edition
- PM FASTrack PMP Exam Simulation Software
Finding time to study is really tough. I have to squeeze every minute of my lunch time to study and study till late night.
First, I read the Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep thoroughly one time to close up gaps between what I know about Project Management and what is expected by Project Management Institute (PMI). I played the Rita Process Chart game a few times which helped me to get a good overview of how the processes fit into the five process groups.
Then I read the PMBOK Guide. The PMBOK gave a good overview of the five process groups and nine knowledge areas. I didn’t spend too much time on the PMBOK Guide as compare to Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep. However, the PMBOK Guide did strengthen my understanding of the mapping of the five process groups and nine knowledge areas.
Finally, I used the PM FASTrack PMP Exam Simulation Software for my final preparation. First, I took the simulation test by knowledge area and each test can take up to two to three hours. Then I took the SuperPMP with timing which helped me to gauge the time I need to complete the 200 questions. I spent substantial amount of time doing these simulation test but it really prepared me well for the real four hours exam.
On the exam day, I arrived at the venue one and a half hour earlier. Waited for forty five minutes before the test center opened. I had to produce two IDs (one ID must have photo) for verification. I was not allow to bring anything into the exam room, not even a watch.
I spent about three hours to complete the 200 questions and another 30 minutes to review my answers. It took a while for it to generate the scoring report and the screen will be in plain white. The scoring report shows a pass or fail result and proficiency level for each of the process group. It does not show percentage of your score.
This is really a tough exam so you need to plan your study well and don’t run behind schedule. Good Luck!
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