Passed 1st try in 3 weeks of studying 2-3 hours per weekday. AT/AT/BT/BT/BT
Before I say anything else, yeah. 3 Below Targets leads one to logically assume I just barely passed and casts serious doubt on if I was sufficiently prepared, but hey! I passed all the same! I didn't even know you could pass with 3 BT's but with the "sound psychometric analysis" scoring system...who knows. If you don't want to risk "just" passing, I don't blame you, this low amount of time studying is certainly not advisable, but I have mild ADHD and knew straight from the go a multi-month study plan meant slacking and loss of motivation.
Anyway, onto the good stuff.
About me/background:
I'm a 26 year old lad, been working in software implementation since I graduated college. I had already taken a project management course in college, but hardly remember it. I still always knew I wanted to get my PMP to increase job/salary prospects, and I used the college course to satisfy the hours on the application. As for the project hours? I just talked about how I've managed implementations over the last 4 or so years in pretty lax terms, 250 words. No audit, accepted in 5 biz days.
Having a few year in software implementation (a client facing, little-code role), I had a leg up on concepts like scope, schedules, risks, management skills, kickoffs, etc. But I was completely in the dark about things like managing budgets, procurement, quality, etc. as I've never been that kind of project manager.
So how did I pass having spent about 45 hours studying?
First and foremost, I know with every ounce of my being it was only possible because of this subreddit, so thank you all so much for sharing your tips, tricks, and experiences! I'm an avid redditor, so when I decided to try and knock this test out with my newfound free time working from home due to covid, I knew to start here!
Here's What I Did In Order:
1) PMBOK® Guide 6th Ed Processes Explained with Ricardo Vargas!
This subreddit sings songs of this video and I cannot stress how key it was for me to start with this video. Why? If you're just starting studying, you need an overview of what it is your studying. This video lays that out. Remember, you're not studying to become a project manager, you're studying how the PMI standardizes project management, and you need to start with a high level understanding of the 49 processes that define this. This video does that perfectly.
2) Buy the PrepCast Exam Simulator
I didn't buy the package with the courses, just the exam simulator. If you're reading this and it's still August,the standalone simulator is on sale! Save yourself a few bucks!
3) Take a SMALL practice quiz straight away (10, 20 or 30 max questions)
You might be thinking "why? all you've done is watch 1 hour video, you're gonna fail and kill your confidence!" Don't even worry about your score. The reason I recommend taking a quick quiz prior to really putting in the time is to get a sense of what these questions are like and how to frame the concepts you will be studying in terms of the exam. the PrepCast questions are indeed very similar to the actual exam, and you need to understand this before you start trying to memorize. Remember the goal is to pass the exam, not be able to recite the PMBOK.
4) Rewatch the Vargas Video, but pause it for each process to study
This was where the real "studying" happened. Everytime Ricardo put up a process on the board and I couldn't clearly articulate what's actually happening in the process, I did this:
- Look the process up in the PMBOK (Ricardo's chapter numbering makes this oh-so easy). Read just enough to get the "got it" moment.
- If you're still eh about it, google "pmp [process in question] example" and the first couple results should contain a "real life" example of carrying out the process. this helped me a lot!
5. Start taking as many PrepCast Quizzes as you can!
- I never did more than 40/50 questions at a time. Some say you need to train your 200-question muscle. If you do, you know. I knew the adrenalline of the real thing would be enough. I don't think I would have gained anything from doing full length.
- When you review the answers you got wrong, repeat my steps in step 4 for learning the process the question pertained to.
- once i was consistently getting a 70% or higher on 20+ question quizzes I felt good.
What about the actual Exam?
My take:
- Exam Questions are phrases exactly like PrepCast, but generally much shorter. Almost all 1 or 2 lines instead of 2-5.
- Eliminating 2 answers was easier than PrepCast, but deciding between the remaining 2 was slightly tougher- Use the Cross-out function!
- Forget the math on a study schedule this short. Just remember for CPI and SPI < 1 "bad/behind" >1 "good/ahead". for TCPI, the opposite. You will be able to logically get most of the 4-5 math questions right, and any curveballs arent worth diving into formula memorization, try to logically figure the formula out, make your best guess, move on.
- Online Proctored exam went smoothly for me, as soon as I finished check in, my exam started, the proctor never bother me except for when i finished the first 90 questions. I chose to take the 10 minute break, but returned in 2. The proctor had chatted me "hello are you done with your exam?" which scared me into thinking I hadnt started my break. She just f'ed up. jeez, lady.
- At the end when I passed, I asked if I can take a picture. Proctor said "it is not allowed". Just go into pearonvue after to see your score in each section.
That's my brain dump! Not sure anything I said is particularly new or hasn't been said before, but I knocked this out quick and I'm not a great test taker nor am I a season PM by any means.
Hit me with questions, I owe my pass to this subreddit and am happy to help where I can!