all these months i hv been a silent spectator on these forums and today i think the time has come to share even my experiences.
top things to consider
1. pmp is an endurance test-4hrs on the trot. first thing a pm needs.
2. selecting the books
3. mock tests
4. time for study
5. last it is you who are writing the exam and your experience will be only yours. do not expect any body else's to get you.

i am an average guy not a book worm. i used my own strategy for the exam. before i start let me tell you that am also a Six Sigma Black Belt from ASQ.

study time. i hv spent almost a year...yikes do not get scared. i studied in bits and pieces hence so long. else a three month study period with 3-4 hr on weekdays and 7- 8 hrs on weekends is a must. it is a must.pls do not go by anything else it is a must.
i had the last 8 days a break from work so that i was away from all the crazy work schedules.

books.
1. Pmbok well u can't eliminate that
2. rita's book for an easier understand. but beware it is a hell lot to read.
3. head first pmp is a must
4. andy crowe how to pass pmp - 50 - 50 you can go without this also.
5. kim heldman - this is a must the only one which goes by the process flow.

while reading the first time you might not understand anything from any book. you would have read through them atleast 3x times to get a hold of it. when i say read through i mean study and understand the process flow. read from each book each chapter wise side by side. after all these study read kim's book to understand the process flow. i just understood the flow only a week before the exam.do not try to mug up. it will not help.

mock exams i tried every test only partly and never got anything above 70% and did not have any questions in the exam from the mock ones. not even close. but get some mock tests to just have a feel of the exam.

the d day.
on reaching the prometric centre you would be made to feel like a terrorist thats the way they check you. finger print, photo what not.
During the 15 min tutorial i wrote down the pg 61 of pmbok . ev formulas etc. the questions were drilling you on concepts. even one line liners will check you on concepts. lots of change control questions, ev questions, quality questions. marked so many questions for review. by 3hrs i finished the exam. i went back for the marked questions after that. Maybe close to 60 70 ones. by the last 15min i still had 30 questions and had to run through the same. an error which I made. do not mark excessive questions for review. you are not going to change your answers. i only changed 2 or 3 . it is just your mind wanting to be sure. pressed the end exam and by that time my heart was in my mouth. i knew i had not given my 100%. since almost midway through the exam i knew that concepts were being checked and that too for simply questions the answers were not evident. you had to think. and remember what i said abt the exam it is an endurance test. by the midway i wanted the exam to end somehow.
and so the heart beats stop and i see congratulations on the screen and i started crying well that's a long journey from last nov 13 to oct 14.

my score

Initiating - MP
Planning- MP
Executing - MP
Monitoring and controlling - P
Closing - MP

i expected proficient in initiating and closing and not in monitoring and controlling and rest all Proficient. Nevertheless I am a PMP...

have a simple study plan. something like 2 process a day. break it down just like wbs . decomposition guys. think 2 processes a total of 47. 2 - 3 months are more than enough.

also go through the lessons learned of people who have not passed the PMP. this will help in knowing what not to do. understanding that itself will solve half of the issues. My closing tips
1. read pmbok it is a base doc. u cannot avoid that.
2. do not do large number of mock tests. it is not going to help. some might even break your confidence.
3. scordo 's questions are a must. it is purely on pmbok.
4. i scheduled my exam towards the end of the 1 yr expiry date. don't do that. That's a big mistake. what if you're not able to get over the line. my expiry date was just 5 days ahead. dats a pressure of it'sown. don't bring that upon you.
5. give yourself ample time.
6. study the way you do and have done till this point. do not adopt a new strategy. be yourself.

lastly i would have to thank my 4yr old son and my 9 month old daughter, my wife and my dad in supporting me whole this time. my son never used to trouble me. on certain instances he sat with me and studied his books. my 9 month old who used to understand my pain. my wife who used to mange the kids and the home and of course me....dad who looked after the kids during my entire study period. ...and yes above all god the super power, the invincible.

i will reply to your queries in case any of you have anything fellow pmp aspirants. .....