Cleared PMP in First Attempt on 12/31.

Thanks to the I want to be a PMP group created by

Mr.Oliver Lehman for keeping me inspired throughout. This is my 50 cents for all PMP
aspirants.
Usually, I have seen people wanting to clear PMP for 2 reasons

To comply to certain (Personal/Official) mandatory certification needs.

To enhance knowledge, add value to their career & Organization and get certified in
the due course

The critical difference between the two approaches may be that of Developing Surface
Intellect vs Developing Core Intelligence. If you are looking to clear PMP for
certification needs, it shouldnt take you anywhere more than a month to prepare and there
are a lot of website that can help you do that.
Plan that worked for me

Took a boot camp training from M/S. International Institute of Project Management
(IIPM), Chennai

Read Rita once followed by PMBOK. Didnt try hard to cram the information and took
time relate the concepts to real world project management. This is where I found
RITA extremely useful. (~45 days)

Did Mock Assessments & noted down all areas where I had to second guess the
answers.

Referenced Rita, PMBOK and used online materials (especially Fahad Usmanis PM
Study Circle website & Saket Bansals izenbridge website) to bridge the knowledge
gap.

Completed 6 Full Mock Assessments and corrected all weak areas before the Exam
Day.

Mock Exam Tips

Do as many as computer based Mock exams as possible. Get used to the timer and
reading lengthy questions.

Review the answers for Not so straightforward questions to see if the logic on which
you based the answer is right.

Note down all areas where you had to second guess the answers, even if the answer
is right.

Gradually your scores should improve to 80% before taking the actual exam.

Actual Exam Tips

Ensure you have proper strategy to handle 200 questions. (Something like, I will only
answer the direct questions in the first glance and keep the lengthy question for the
second..). I buckled under time pressure as I didnt have a solid strategy and initially
marked a lot of questions for review.

Numerical problems are fairly simple if you know the formulae right. While I didnt
have to reference my formulae sheet very often but having one gives you a lot of
confidence.

Control your frustration while reading through lengthy questions and keep yourself
focused by identifying where are you in the story. This may help you smile sometimes
J

Go through the PMBOK Glossary atleast once. This will easily help identify the made
up terms to eliminate incorrect options.

Excellent Free Online Resources

Thanks to the respective owners for having created and shared them for free

Guidelines for PMP Application: http://edward-designer.com/web/online-pmpapplication-form

Study Blue Print Idea : http://www.pmexamsmartnotes.com/

Clarifications on Specific Knowledge Areas : http://pmstudycircle.com/

Earned Value Management : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC1-TwwKkq8.

This one video can help you get most of the EVM questions right!

Critical Path & Float : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsbnHNAkfVQ

Mock Exam Links : http://www.oliverlehmann.com/pmp-self-test/75-freequestions.htm#providers

ITTO Quiz : https://quizlet.com/33545713/test

Mock Exam Question Books : Pass PMP in 21 Days Kavitha Sharma; How to get
all earned value questions right in PMP Exam Aileen Ellis; PMP Exam Preparation
Daud Nasir; PMP Question Bank Fahad Usmani. (Had Kindle unlimited subscription
and got most of this free)

Mock Exam App in Android : PMP Exam Prep by Quizworld; PMP PMBOK 5 Exam
Prep by Pocket Prep Inc; PM Pro Fast Track ltd; Cert Champ PMP Cert Champ

Do ping me if you have any specific questions and I shall be glad to help.
All the very best!
Wish you all a very happy New Year.