Hello All,

I obtained the PMP credential on 10/30 and wanted to share my LL on this forum.  Firstly would like to thank PMZILLA and those who helped me answer my questions about the exam.

PMP is a tough exam to crack but if you prepare and practise well and ahead of time you should be in a good shape to write the exam and this should reflect in your practise test scores.

My mom tells me that Books are man's best friend and I dedicate this sweet victory to her since she has been my inspiration.

I did not attend any coaching classes neither did not take any audio visual lessons.  PMBOK guide is the Holy Bible,  Bhagvad Gita and Koran for PMP.  You need to read it at least twice and make notes or use a yellow highlighter as you read through all the chapters.

The method that I am discussing below is the one that I have had success with and should not be considered as the sole method to write the exam.

The best and most comprehensive book that I came across is RMC publication's, PMP Exam Prep v6.  It covers all the aspects of the PMP exam and has very important exercises and games that you must think through and complete.  I did not memorize Rita's process chart but did find it useful.  The detailed explanations of all the tools and techniques especially in the Quality and Risk Management chapters are impeccable.  One must read this book once even before starting to read the PMBOK guide.  Then read the PMBOK guide and again do a rapid reading from Rita's book.  This way you will follow the Learn, Unlearn and Relearn approach to carve the concepts in your brain.

Answer all the questions at the end of the chapter honeslty and take your time while answering for the first time.  Never go straight to the answers to learn what mistake you did but do calculate the number of questons that you got right.

Practise a few tough questions from sources such as PMZILLA and Oliver Lehmann.  If you still feel that you are not comfortable with the exam questions,  read Andy Crowe's book "The PMP exam: How to Pass on your First try" very carefully.

After this, Read the PMBOK guide rapidly and do not try to memorize all the ITTO's instead try to understand the reason as to why these are used in various processes and how they relate to each other.  The data flow diagrams in the PMBOK guide should help you understand these concepts better.

I purchased the 4 test pack from PMStudy and I highly recommend them as the difficulty level is close to the actual exam.

PMP is a tough test and meant to identify those individuals who should not be PMP certified.  But If you follow this process to study,  you should be able to tame the exam with ease. 

Thanks,

Nimish Patil,  PMP