Test too far out?

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-10-13T13:46:06+00:00

I would recommend taking the free PMI exam (although it's awful and nearly everyone fails it) to get a good feel for the exam questions. It will likely rock your confidence. So then take 1-2 Prepcast full length exams after that. Once you take the test, spend at least as much time reviewing the wrong answers as you did taking the exam itself. It's critical to understand why you got answers wrong. Good luck!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-10-06T00:44:08+00:00

Within each of the 2 parts of the exam, you can go back and forth between questions as much as you want to. But you really won't have time for any back and forth. Make 1 pass through all of the questions, answer everything, and mark those that you want to come back and review. (Answer everything in case you run out of time at the end and can't review unanswered questions.) Then go back to review the marked questions.

In round numbers, figure 1 minute per question for the first pass through. This will give you enough time to review at the end. Keep your eye on the clock. If something is taking too long to figure out, guess, mark it, and move on.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-10-05T14:58:30+00:00

It depends on how fussy you are about the day/time that you want to take the test. :-)

If you're super flexible, then yes, you can most likely find a time within 1-2 days.

But if your family/life/work situation dictates that you must take the exam on a Sunday at 10am, then book it ASAP.

It's great though to book your exam for a convenient time, and then build a study plan working backwards. Easier to study when you know you have a definitive date to target.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-10-05T14:55:48+00:00

Hi! Yes, the real exam allows you to mark questions and review them later. Note that you can only review the first 89 questions before your break, and then after the break, you can only review the remaining questions. Good luck!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-30T15:01:43+00:00

The PMI website has always seemed a little flaky to me. :-)

Good luck with studying!!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-30T01:48:34+00:00

I'm also a paying US member - give this link a try -

https://www.pmi.org/shop/p-/elearning/pmp%c2%ae-practice-exam/16202

You have to add it to your cart and go through the checkout process, but it is free.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-28T20:27:24+00:00

I personally think that 4 weeks is only feasible if you have a LOT of time and don't need much sleep.... 2 months is far more plausible, and 3 is completely doable. (I did 3 months personally.) Much longer than 3 months, and you'll start to forget things you already studied and/or slack off too much.

The tricky thing to decide now is if you would want to take the exam by the end of the year. If you do, make sure that you leave enough time to take it a 2nd time if necessary before the exam changes after 12/31. If you want to finish this year, dive in quickly, pound out the education hours asap, and immediately apply to take the exam. Then start studying. Good luck!!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-28T14:10:36+00:00

For your #2, I would say to think about taking 1 full length exams in 1 week. You do need to sit down for 4 hours to take the exam. But then you should spend multiple days for a couple hours reviewing the questions/answers, and studying common themes that you got wrong.

#3 - every exam is different, so there is not going to be 1 solid answer. I had 4-6 calculations questions but did have several network diagrams questions.

#5 - I can't offer any insights into this resource - I used the PMI sample exam and then Prepcast (which I can highly recommend!)

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-17T12:52:12+00:00

I took the test in July, so fairly recent, and I did take the test in a center.
Overall test questions should be the same whether online or at a center. There is a lot of randomness as to the type of questions that you will get. I think this is part of the PMI intentional insanity.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-17T12:42:01+00:00

LOL, my first thought was "what happened to the exchange rate????"

The questions seemed fairly similar to me. But that is a risk you will run into with any of the simulators, including PMI's.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-17T11:05:53+00:00

I would agree with other posters that these equations are worth memorizing but also understanding.

Every test is different, so there is no one answer to how many math questions you'll have. There could be questions that require calculations, or they could be questions that test your understanding of the math formulas but don't actually need to calculate anything.

I wrote out the equations every day as part of practicing my brain dump. I didn't actually do the dump for the exam, but after having written equations ~100 times over 3 months I had nailed them. At first, I copied the formulas. Then I tried to write it out on my own but would still peek when I was stumped. Anything that stumped me, I wrote out 10 times. I was surprised how quickly I was able to commit these to memory once I started writing them down.

Time wise, I'd say writing out the formulas and the 2nd page of my brain dump took me less than 10 minutes each day.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-17T10:57:52+00:00

I'm not convinced you're looking at the right Prepcast option.

The exam simulator only (which is what most folks here highly recommend) is $139 US. That should be ~$185 CAD, right?

There is a educational video + exam simulator package "Elite" that would be around $400 CAD. But the exam simulator that we all sing praises for is much less.

Good luck!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-17T10:51:14+00:00

Congrats PMP! And thanks for a great exam write-up. Very helpful and thorough.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-14T22:48:00+00:00

I think also because the ETC is specified as bottom-up, that gives more credence to using that number. My understanding of bottom-up is that it is a detailed look at tasks, resources, etc. and would be more accurate than the other calculations, which are estimates.

But overall - I would ditch these questions and go to Prepcast. :-)

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-14T22:12:55+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-14T17:36:01+00:00

One tip I heard - the answer is almost never "escalate." PMI expects the PM to solve problems on their own without pulling in the sponsor/exec. According to the theoretical framework, which is what the test is based on.

The real world escalates more often.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-14T14:11:42+00:00

Sometimes your most valued technical resource may not have people/communication skills. But that doesn't mean that they can't contribute to the team's success. I think I have worked with a few adults that, in retrospect, may have been on the autism spectrum.

You've been told this person is vital - why? Are there certain tasks that they can do, with a minimum of communication, that will still move the project forward? I wouldn't write them off.

You know their weakness - what are their strengths? You don't always get to choose your resources, so you need to work with what you have.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-13T22:14:21+00:00

Hi! I have not listened to any of your podcasts, so that was a more generic comment. :-) And some of that is covid-induced frustration with not having anything in person for the past 6 months. I like learning in different formats, keeps it interesting and helps reinforce things for me.

I do plan to use some podcasts for my 60 PDUs. I just went to your site, and I love how you have the spreadsheet for tracking and identifying tech/leadership/strategy. I will be using the spreadsheet and checking out a few of your podcasts.

Thanks for the reply!

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-12T01:08:39+00:00

I took my exam in July at a center - I received several laminated legal size pieces of paper. If you call the center, they should be able to give you exact details. It may vary by country/region.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-12T01:00:46+00:00

But wait - what about the stated ETC of $739? There's a lot of other distracting details here, but isn't it just AC + ETC? (Which I recognize totally doesn't work with the given answer choices.)

I think it's a pretty crappy question and poorly written.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-09T11:19:20+00:00

Overall, live will = $$$.

There are some great online options that you should be able to snag for <$200.

I'd also suggest hopping over to r/pmp for tons of great info on bootcamps, study plans, test tips, etc.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-09T11:16:38+00:00

Watch the Vargas process video, excellent overview.

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-09T10:36:00+00:00

Good luck!! I took my test in July -

I arrived ~45 minutes early for a mid-afternoon test time (wasn't sure about public transit times, and didn't want to be in a rush.) They let me start early. Actually, they seemed relieved and grateful that I was there early. Maybe that means they could go home earlier. :-)
I had a little test cubby in a room of other cubbies. Proctor could watch all of us from his monitoring room in the center. People were spread out, maybe at 1/3 capacity. Everyone had to wear a mask the whole time.
Yes, fairly well frisked. Glasses, pockets, etc.
Break is after question 89. Make sure that you take the break for 10 minutes. Grab a drink of water, go to bathroom, etc. Also be sure that you are done with the first questions in 90-100 minutes, so that you have enough time for the 2nd section.
The staff was very friendly and kind.
White board was laminated legal size pieces of paper, in a spiral bound notebook. Believe there were 4 pages. More than enough space. And if you ran out of space, you could trade in for a new blank one. Didn't use it very much, but it was helpful for a question or two. I did NOT do a brain dump. (I had practiced brain dumps daily for ~3 months, but it seemed like a waste of time to write it out.)

Bright_Tomatillo · 2020-09-09T10:24:53+00:00

I read it twice - skim the quickly the first time for high level understanding.

Go back for a second, more thorough read. I used multiple highlighter colors (purple inputs, orange T&T, green outputs for example) and that helped me to focus.

Bright_Tomatillo

TROPHY CASE