Summary of KISS approach to Pass PMP Exam

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Below is the summary of KISS (Keep It Short & Simple) approach, from my perspective and experience, to pass PMP exam in the first attempt:

1. Check if you meet the prerequisites to take PMP exam
2. Submit the application for PMP exam
3. Start reading latest edition of Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep before reading PMBoK
4. As soon as your application is accepted, schedule the exam factoring the effort to prepare for the exam. For someone like me who prefers studying at a slow pace, I suggest factoring 180 hours of effort.
5. Read PMBoK after reading Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep
6. Highlight important points when you are reading PMP Exam Prep and PMBoK
7. Read PMP Exam Prep and PMBoK in detail once and revise them twice
8. Prepare a list of all the formulas and revise them
9. Take at least 3 practice tests which simulate the actual exam
10. If you have not been able to complete the above steps 31 calendar days before the actual date of the exam or if you are not feeling confident based on your performance in practice tests, consider rescheduling the exam to a later date. 

Other topics:

• The day before the exam
• The exam day
• My experience at Prometric Test Centre in Bangalore, India

My experience at Prometric Test Centre in Bangalore, India

At Prometric Test Centre in Bangalore, India, I was provided with a key to a small locker in which I could store my bag. Since I had reached 30 minutes early, I walked around the test centre to locate the rest room and drinking water kiosk. I drank water and used the rest room a few minutes before entering the exam room. I was not supposed to take anything into the exam room. There is an extensive check done before

PMP exam day

On the day of the exam, plan to reach the test centre early. I planned to reach the test centre 1 hour early, but could reach the centre only 30 minutes before the scheduled time of my exam. Carry a hoody or a sweater to the test centre so that

The day before PMP exam

I had scheduled my exam for 1 pm on Monday so that I would have time on Saturday and Sunday for revision. I took a day off from work on Friday to prepare better for the exam. So, I had three days before the day of the exam to revise what I had already studied. I avoided studying anything new and focused on

If you are not feeling confident, consider rescheduling PMP exam to a later date

I used to keep reminders on my cellphone calendar as well as on my Microsoft Outlook calendar to a date that was a little more than 31 days, to take a call on whether or not to reschedule the exam. I did reschedule the exam multiple times because

Take at least 3 PMP practice tests which simulate the actual exam

It is extremely important to take practice tests that have the same format as the actual exam itself. Each practice test should have 200 questions. I recommend taking at least 3 practice tests which simulate the actual exam. After taking each test,

Prepare a list of all the formulas and revise them

Start making a list of formulas during the first reading itself. During the second reading, highlight those formulas which you feel are challenging to remember. During the third reading (second revision), revise

Read PMP Exam Prep and PMBoK in detail once and revise them twice

Here's the approach I used:

• First reading: During the first reading of PMP Exam Prep, I read through the whole book and I highlighted only those points that I found were very challenging to remember. There were some interesting points that I did not highlight because

Highlight important points when you are reading PMP Exam Prep and PMBoK

As you are reading through Rita Muchaly's PMP Exam Prep and PMBoK, highlight points which you feel are challenging to remember so that when it's time for revision, you know which points to focus on.