Andy N passed PMP on Feb 13, 2011

I just passed my exam yesterday (Feb. 13, 2011) and used

- The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try, Fourth Edition by Andy Crowe

- PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam by Rita Mulcahy

as both books are more in tunes with the exam. Rita’s book requires you to skip her explanations on her personal view of ITTO, but all end of chapter exam are relevant. She does go deep on some issues like the centralized procurement office or the PMO advantages and disadvantages.

I did my prep classes in 2009 and was on and off studying until I took time and really study for one month non-stop.

Some topics were not covered in Crowe nor Mulcahy that you should be aware of: Cost Account and Configuration Management (Work Authorization also but it was not in my exam).

Contrary to what has been said out there, I did study almost by heart the ITTO which allowed me to brain dump in 10 minutes and finished the 200 questions in 2:15 hours. I then went through the marked questions and then the almost all review questions again until the counter reaches zero.

I still believe that memorizing the ITTO gives you an edge. Some questions were answer by reflex and without hesitation. This gives you more time on harder questions or formula-related questions. All formula-related questions were simple to answer. One question in particular (about Program management sure did not count).

As for my prep exams, I did not do many:
- PMStudy is close to the exam
- Rita and Crowe books
- HeadFirst exam on PDF
- My PM class exam
As for the rest of exams online, I did try some but was annoyed by the version 3.0 answers where Scope and Communication Knowledge Area are different.Some tips:
Tuckman’s stages: Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing
Conflict resolution: Smoothing, confronting, forcing, and withdrawing
Cost of Quality: Appraisal, Failure, Prevention

The test center was very organized. They required strict rules as you should know: empty pockets, no pens, no water or food, recorded via video and audio. You are allowed up to 5 breaks in which you can visit the bathroom and snack and drink (which counts within your 4 hours). You are provided with 6 pages of attached booklet for your personal notes. I did find the calculator reaction slow and annoying in the long run.

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