r/pmp

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NI/T/T, NI= People 

• Start Studying April 1/2026

• Average 4hrs per day.

• Full Time Employee at Telecom project company 

• Exam Taken: July 4/2026

✅Resources/Study Materials 

• AR 35hrs Udmy Course 

• Rita 11th Edition Book (start to end)

•YouTube Resources 

   • AR 200 Ultra Hard Q= 146/200

   • DM 150Q PMBOK 7th=106/150

   • DM 200Agile =172/200

   • AR 50Principles Mindset (twice ,different months )

   • MR 23Principles Mindset (twice ,different months)

   • MR PMP Deep Dive

   • DM Fast Track , watched 3rd time different months 

   • PMP Aspirant 42 PMP Mindset

  

✅Study Hall Plus

• Practice Questions =75%

• Full Length Exam 1= 74%

• Full Length Exam 2=71%

• Full Length Exam 3= 74%

• Full Length Exam 4= 52%

• All Mini Exam

Correct 69%

➛My Study Method 

• Short Note taking on everything I read/Watch, revised prior to taking  mock exam, practice exams...

• Pause the video and do it myself and watch explanation answers. 

• On Study Hall Mock Exam, I revised and verify why I got right and why I got wrong and re-review.

• AI =Chatgpt, Gemini, claude. I fed and prompte them with PMP,  PMBOK ,Agile practice Book.

  (Gemini is very close similar to study hall answers , chatgpt is the worst than claude)

➛Prior to exam Day (Saturday)

• Took 2 weeks leave.

• Revised All my short notes

• Revised shared notes by Reddit PMP community.

•  I took full rest on Friday , whole day and night

•  Arrived at exam center before 1hr

➛On Exam

• I did the first 60questions with 165min remaining. Review all flagged question till 155minutes remain. 

• Took 10minutes break (go to toilet, open windows ,took fresh airs)

• the second 60questions finished with 83minutes remaining. Only review 1 Flagg question. no time for others.

• Took 10minutes break (go to toilet, open windows ,took fresh airs)

• The last 60question finished with 20minutes remaining. Got enough time for review.

➛Overall Question Style.

• 1 drag and drop -very easy

• 0 math

• 0 graph based

• 0 tabular style questions.

➛Question Nature Vs Study Hall

(Comparing to the Question I did over 3months)

• Most of them are a short senario based 

• Most them are Expert level questions.

• Most choices are almost seem an answer: Hard to use elimination, mindset or other method.

• The Question nature is like as of Study hall Exam 4&5. 

➛My Mistake /Lesson learned 

• chose an exam center located close to a busy main road, surrounded by restaurants, a train station, and a taxi station. The surrounding noise and music frequently distracted me. To make it even more challenging, many of the songs being played were my favorite childhood songs, which kept bringing back memories and made it harder to maintain focus throughout the exam.

• The exam text font was very small. I assumed the font size was fixed for all PMI exams and didn't realize it could be adjusted using Ctrl + or Ctrl -. As a result, I struggled to read the questions and answer choices, which significantly slowed me down during the first 60 questions. During the 10-minute break, I asked the exam coordinator for help and learned about the font-size shortcut, which made the remainder of the exam much easier to read.

✅The question is : Why I failed? What's my fault? When should I take it again? What Resource I missed or avoid? 

  

Need help

If I pay fees now and schedule an exam for the 7th of July, can I do it OBT?

Can't see any slots till the time fees is being paid?

Has anyone tried booking recently??

I've read that expert level questions aren't covered on the exam. I've been including the expert level questions that I have gotten wrong in SH as part of my review - but is it even worth it? Deciphering their reasoning and why I got them wrong is pretty time consuming, and the questions/answers are very ambiguous. Is it even worth the time?

(Edited for grammar.)

I just got done with my second attempt. Here’s my experience.

I waited an hour in “queue” to get my id verified before I took the remote exam. That was like my own personal hell. Nothing to do but sit there and think about your test nerves. It’s like being suspended over the edge of a cliff for 60 minutes. Brutal.

The exam seemed much more manageable this time around. I had atleast a few minutes each round to review my “saved for later” answers. I remember racing the clock on my first exam.

I don’t remember explicitly applying mindset to any of the questions but correct answers seemed to jump out at me more. Hopefully that means i passed.

I’m feeling oddly confident about this attempt so we’ll see how that plays out in my results.

To anyone who failed their first attempt, I’d recommend taking mock exams in study hall and studying the wrong answer explanations like your life depends on it. That seemed to be what helped me most.

Good luck to anyone taking the test soon!!

I used Study Hall to prepare. My exam scores were in the upper 60’s and 70’s. I took 3 mock exams and did all mini exams (scoring as low as in the 60’s and as high as in the 90’s), I completed practice questions (at 93% correctness) and some flash cards. I completed Andrew Ramdayal’s 200 Hard- only missing 11 total questions and reviewed David McLachlan’s Drag and Drop and Agile videos. All questions I missed, I sent them through Claude and asked Claude why I got the answers wrong and used a prompt that required that Claude think like a PMI tutor. I watched Andrew Ramdayal’s mindset training. I am a CSM and Project Manager in my role. This morning I took the PMP exam and scored AT/NI/AT resulting in a fail (per the prelim link). The exam had zero drag and drop questions and a handful of multiple answer questions. Overall, I felt the exam questions were not like the Studyhall. I didn’t think it was extremely hard. There were only a few questions that I was confused where I was stumped because 2-3 answers were good answers and then at times zero were good answers. I’m not sure if I overthought many of the questions on the exam. I am not sure how to improve the process portion of the exam. I am disappointed and confused.

Hi everyone, I was trying to prepare for old exam and suddenly I saw that all the online slots are booked which brings me to a situation that I have to appear for new syllabus only. :(

Is there anyone else who is trying to do the same? And if yes, any tips or guidance? Are you worried or anxious?

I think I am panicking!!!

I know people have asked it before, and the consensus seems to be add it because why not; but…

I already had BEng, MIET, CMSE after my name on my LinkedIn and email signature, but people kept referring to me as “one of the alphabet people” - maybe just jealousy, sure…. but…

Name, BEng, MIET, CMSE, PMP?

Thoughts…

Prep: Skimmed PMBOK guide, David McLachlan's videos on 2x speed (thanks to everyone that recommended him), and this set of practice questions.

No calculations, 4-5 drag and drop questions, 1 graph-based question.

Happy to answer any questions!

Passed PMP with 3xAT! Here’s exactly what I did (and what I’d skip)

First of all, thank you to everyone on this subreddit. I’ve been lurking here since before I even started studying, and honestly I don’t think I would’ve passed without all the advice I found here. So I wanted to give back and share what worked for me.

Timeline

Overall I studied for 3 months, but fully focused for the last month. I started studying around April 9. My company paid for everything, so I wasn’t worried about cost and bought:

• PMI PMP Exam Prep
• Study Hall
• PMI Practice Exam

DO NOT buy PMI PMP Exam Prep.

I hated it. I started it in April, stopped around May because it was awful, never finished it, and even asked for a refund.

Instead, I switched to Study Hall, and that was by far the best resource I used.

I went through all of the Study Hall learning material. At first I actually studied it, but toward the end I was mostly skimming just to expose myself to all the concepts.

I honestly never even opened the Official Practice Exam. 😅 I ended up relying almost entirely on Study Hall for practice questions and exams. The only thing I did use from that purchase was the PDF glossary/terminology guide that comes with it.

Practice questions

Around early June I started doing practice questions.

My goal was:

• Finish at least 1 topic every day
• Study about 2 hours/day
• 6 days a week

I definitely skipped some days though.

Study Hall questions were the closest thing to the real exam. The real exam felt like SH but generally less wordy (although some questions were still pretty long).

There were actually several questions that were almost word-for-word identical.

I scored 81% in my first Full Length Practice Exam, and 78% in the second one. I only did the second one under real test conditions.

Videos I watched

The single most helpful thing besides Study Hall:

Andrew Ramdayal’s Mindset video.

Seriously.

I also:

• Started watching the 200 Ultra Hard Questions video but kept failing them and quit around 25%.
• Watched his Drag & Drop video (HIGHLY recommend).

I got 8 drag-and-drop questions on my exam.

The actual drag-and-drops were completely different, but the video helped me get used to that style of question.

I also played random PMP videos in the background during flights, while cleaning, etc. Sometimes I fell asleep, sometimes I actually absorbed something 😂.

My actual exam

Result:
AT / AT / AT

Question types:

• 8 drag-and-drops
• 2 table questions
• Tons of multi-select

Formula questions:
Basically none.

I literally got ONE earned value question that basically said:

“CPI is __ and SPI is __. What should the project manager do?”

No calculations.

Which was great because… I never really learned the formulas 😅.

Timing

This surprised me.

During my Study Hall full-length practice exams I finished with almost an hour left.

During the real exam…

I had 10 minutes left.

Section 1 was brutal.

I finished Section 1 with 145 minutes remaining, about 10 minutes slower than the recommended pace.

Nothing seemed to make sense.

Then I drank a Red Bull.

Sections 2 and 3 felt much more like Study Hall and were noticeably easier.

I took both breaks, finished the other half of the Red Bull after the second break, and kept going.

Online exam experience

I took it at home.

Setup:

• Completely clean desk
• Laptop
• Mouse
• Clear glass of water
• Laptop plugged in

The day before I:

• Ran all the system tests
• Checked everything multiple times
• Followed all the recommendations

I had zero issues with the proctors.

The only problem I had was my own fault.

I moved the proctor chat window to the bottom-left corner.

When reviewing questions, it completely covered the “End Review” button.

I wasted about 5 minutes contacting the proctor because I literally couldn’t find how to start my break 🤦🏻‍♀️.

After that everything was fine.

A couple tips

Use the highlight and strike-through tools.

They’re helpful…

But they also eat up your time.

If you’re already confident about an answer, just pick it and move on.

Don’t overthink everything.

Also, Andrew’s mindset is incredibly useful, but there are exceptions. There’s a Reddit thread where someone compiled a bunch of those exceptions after studying extensively. If you can find it, it’s worth reading.

The day before

I did zero studying.

I already had anxiety about this exam, so I wanted my brain to rest.

I:

• Exercised
• Took a long shower
• Relaxed
• Tried not to think about PMP
• Went to bed relatively early

(My exam was at 2 PM.)

Exam day

I:

• Exercised
• Ate lunch
• Relaxed before logging in

I ate Chipotle…

Wouldn’t necessarily recommend that 😂.

Definitely eat something, just don’t get super full or experiment with weird food before a 4-hour exam.

Also…

I wore blue.

No scientific reason that mattered for passing, I just like the idea that blue has calming psychological effects, so why not.

Results

Finished around 6 PM.

Didn’t get a preliminary result.

I used the Reddit trick everyone talks about and it showed 3 AT.

The official email and badge arrived 23 hours later, I finished testing Friday 5pm and got results Saturday 5pm.

One last thing…

Before I started studying, I asked people who had taken the PMP years ago what to focus on.

Almost everyone told me:

• Memorize ITTOs.
• Memorize every formula.

Thankfully this subreddit convinced me that advice is pretty outdated.

For my exam, understanding the mindset, practicing with Study Hall, and getting comfortable with situational questions mattered way more.

Hope this helps someone who’s stressing the way I was a few days ago. Good luck, you got this!

I just can't believe i passed my PMP. To be honest this is the most frustrating exam i have prepared for, but finally when i see the score card my heart sinks.

Seriously i am not getting words, what should i say more, i am just happy.

PREP

I did almost the same things we see in Reddit. AR and DM’s content from YouTube.

The game changer was a YouTube channel called Edzest project academy. I saw their playlist PMP essentials and it was made so well that i bought their mock instead of SH.

I questioned my decision at that moment but hey everyone has SH let’s try a different path. The mock was so good that it kind of planted the PM mindset in me and was somewhat similar to actual exam.

Also i used Claude and Co pilot heavily to analyse the incorrect answers, prepare summary notes etc.

CHALLENGE

The prep is fine, the worst part of the exam is the need to sit and focus for 3-4 hours (Including check in it took me 45 mins to get my exam released). You have to maintain the energy and attention during this time and honestly that’s where the game is, you have to train yourself to sit idle.

I took the exam from home, that means think twice before blinking. Do your time boxed mock develop that mental stamina and that should solve 50% of your problems.

Hi everyone,

Congratulations to all those who passed their PMPs!

I was supposed to take my PMP exam today (Sunday, 5th of July at 10.15 am EST), but I had the worst experience ever (online exam)!

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced something similar with Pearson OnVUE while taking the PMP exam.

I logged in on time and had already passed the Pearson system check before the exam. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill from there.

• The proctor was over 30 minutes late.
• Once the exam started, the Pearson OnVUE application didn't load properly. Instead of the exam interface, I was seeing raw HTML code on my screen.
• I never saw the Security Acknowledgement page or any button to accept it because the page never loaded correctly.
• I was transferred between 3–4 different proctors and spent over an hour trying to resolve the issue.
• One of the proctors even mentioned that the "technical support team was unavailable".
• Eventually, the exam was cancelled with the reason: "Refusal of Candidate Security Acknowledgement."

The problem is that I never refused anything - I literally wasn't given the opportunity because the interface was broken.

I've already opened a case with Pearson and plan to contact PMI as well. I'm requesting a no-cost reschedule since this appears to have been a Pearson technical issue rather than a problem with my computer (the system check completed successfully before the exam).

Has anyone here experienced:

• HTML code appearing instead of the exam interface?
• A false "Refusal of Candidate Security Acknowledgement" cancellation?
• A successful reschedule after a Pearson OnVUE technical failure?

I'd really appreciate hearing how your case was resolved and how long it took.

Does anyone know the contact number or email for Pearson support? This is really disappointing!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I passed the exam this morning. Score: AT/AT/AT

A big thank you to everyone in this Sub.

Note that I haven't got my official score. I used the following link https://auth-certification.pmi.org/authorize/pearsonvue?registrationid=XXXXX&action=individualScoreReport and replaced XXXXX with my registration ID provided by PearsonVue via email to look at my score.

My Preparation: (Applies to Exams Prior to 9th July, 2026)

I didn't have to go through AR's 35-hour course as I have a master's in construction management and 4 years of experience as Assistant PM. Luckily, I cleared the registration process with that.

I started preparing in earnest 2-1/2 weeks prior to the exam. First, I went through AR's PMP Cram Course to understand what the test consists of, the terms I need to learn and get an idea about all the different processes and documents. I highly recommend going through this course or any other introductory course, if all the terms and processes from PMBOK are new to you.

Then I watched the PMP mindset video by AR (Complete PMP Mindset 50 Principles and Questions) and the 200 ultra hard PMP questions by AR (200 Ultra Hard PMP Questions 1-200) which in reality are Easy to Moderate in terms of SH exams and the actual exam as well. The video is extremely helpful, nonetheless.

After this, I subscribed to study hall plus. I took all the practice questions and practice exams. My average was around 70% (including all difficulties). After going through all the practice questions and the 15-question-long practice exams, I reviewed as many incorrectly answered questions that I could (around 30) before attempting the first full length practice exam. On my first practice exam I got 74% (including all difficulties).

After this, I copied each incorrectly answered question and pasted it into NotebookLM and asked it why the PMI provided choice was correct and why I was wrong. In some cases, I would further question the response from NotebookLM to get a better explanation. I skipped over all Extreme level questions for this process as many have said that they are typically not seen on the actual exam (Which I found to be correct) and doesn't seem to follow the PMP mindset from AR. Note that I fed some resources into NotebookLM prior to asking it any questions.

I did this for the rest of the exams as well. After Full length exam 1, I gave exam 5 and 4 (in that order) as based on this sub they were more difficult and indeed they were. I got 66% and 69% respectively. Then again, I reviewed all my incorrect answers. Then gave exam 3 and got 72%. Then I reviewed everything again - all my wrong answers (Just read through my chat in NotebookLM). I also asked it to make 10-15 bullet points explaining what I kept getting wrong and how I need to apply the mindset in such scenarios. I went through all that and gave exam 2, two days prior to the actual exam and got 78%. Note that all my scores include all difficulty levels.

Exam: (Applies to Exams Prior to 9th July, 2026)

One day prior to the exam I added my mistakes from the last practice exam (19 wrong answers excluding extreme level) to NotebookLM and reviewed everything. I must have spent 3 hours in the morning doing this and then completely stopped looking at anything related to the exam.

I slept early and woke up an hour before the test. Drank coffee and had a light breakfast. My exam was online and I would recommend it to anyone that has a desk, a chair and a place where you won't be disturbed for 4 hours. Also, you would need to make sure you don't have spotty internet and areas that have frequent power outages.

Now back to my exam. I had set up my room the night prior. Removed anything and everything that could be a problem. The proctor never talked to me before, during, or after the exam. I strictly followed each prompt and didn't look away from my screen. I used both 10-minute breaks. Anybody giving the online exam, please make sure that the 10-minute break timer has started before you get up from your seat. As the program asks you twice if you want to start your break. If you don't start your break and get up, the proctor will revoke your exam.

The actual exam content was mostly similar to Easy and Moderate from SH. With around 20%-30% similar to Difficult questions from SH. I didn't get any drag and drop questions. I didn't even get any calculations. The wording of the questions is similar if not slightly better than SH. Based on my experience, I would highly recommend going through all practice questions and exams in SH to everyone and make sure you learn the mindset and how to apply it. Also, something that helped me a lot was to carefully read and understand the question and ask myself- What is the problem? What are we trying to fix here? What do we need to find out? What is missing?

ALSO USE THE STRIKE FUNCTION (ALT+X) AND HIGHLIGHTER (ALT+J) provided - highlight important/key words in questions and strike answers that are definitely wrong. This helps preventing you from reading and going through the question and the choices a hundred times.

Again, thank you everyone! I couldn't have done it without this group and everybody in it.

I’m thrilled to share that I passed my PMP exam today with an AT/AT/AT!

I’ve been lurking here for a while and wanted to give a huge shoutout to this community. The support, tips, and shared experiences really helped keep me focused throughout my preparation.

If I had to do it all over again—and reflecting on my experience in the exam today—I would structure my study path exactly like this:

1. Andrew Ramdayal’s (AR) Udemy Course: This was my solid foundation. It really helped me grasp the core mindset and methodologies.
2. Third3Rock Exam Cheat Sheet: An incredible resource for quick reviews and solidifying those final concepts.
3. PMI Study Hall (Max Priority): Honestly, this was the game-changer. A lot of the questions I saw today felt very similar in style and complexity to the Study Hall practice questions. If you are prioritizing your time, put the most effort here.

My biggest takeaway: Limit your reference materials! It is so easy to fall into the trap of using too many books or sources. Instead, pick your primary resources and focus as much as possible on understanding the concepts and the PMP mindset rather than just memorizing facts.

Good luck to everyone still grinding—you’ve got this!

I took the PMP exam yesterday & unfortunately didn't pass (BT in all 3 domains)

I think my biggest weakness was the PMI mindset.

I realized that while I have project management experience in my job for years, I wasn't thinking from the PMI mindset during the exam especially in situational questions. Looking back, that's probably why I didn't pass. I'm disappointed :( , but I'm determined to do better on my next attempt.

This was my preparation over the last 3 weeks:

• Completed David McLachlan's 35-hour Udemy course
• Took 2 full mock exams (scored 33% and 55%) (Debasish chakraborty's mock test in Udemy)
• Completed David McLachlan's practice questions
• Reviewed PMBOK 7/6 and agile practice guide topics related to the questions I got wrong

In hindsight, I don't think I did enough full-length mock exams or spent enough time reviewing why my answers were wrong.

I've decided to retake the exam using the new PMP exam version.

For those who have passed recently (or passed on a second attempt), I'd really appreciate your advice for the exam preparation advice.

All slots are full. I can not take take exam online before (8th of July). I am totally shocked. I was not thinking that online exam can be full. All my friends scheduled an online test the next day.I think due to this exam change all slots are for full before the 9th. I totally messed and I am shocked. Is there any posissible way to request for open new slots. I can not reach pearson customer service.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone in this subreddit. I have been following this community throughout my PMP journey, and reading the experiences of other members kept me motivated, especially after failing my first attempt. I hope my journey helps someone who is either preparing for the exam or planning a second attempt.

A Little About Me

I have 17 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry and work for a Public Sector company in India. Throughout my career, I have worked in predictive project environments and had almost no exposure to Agile before I started preparing for PMP.

Like many working professionals, I have a demanding job (around 10 hours a day), along with family responsibilities. Finding dedicated study time was always a challenge.

Why I Decided to Pursue PMP

Getting PMP certification had been on my mind for several years. Every year, I would plan to start my preparation, but official work always took priority.

Finally, in early 2025, I decided that if I kept postponing it, I would never do it.

I enrolled in Andrew Ramdayal's 35-hour Udemy course and completed my contact hours. At that stage, I genuinely believed I had understood the concepts well enough to clear the exam.

Looking back, I realized later that understanding project management concepts and understanding how PMI asks questions are two completely different things.

My First Attempt

I took the PMP exam in September 2025.

Result: BT / T / BT

Failing the exam was disappointing. I started questioning whether PMP was really meant for me. With office work, family responsibilities, and limited study time, it was easy to convince myself that maybe this certification was beyond my reach.

I stopped studying for a few months to clear my mind.

Looking back, that break actually helped me reset.

What Changed Before My Second Attempt

When I started preparing again, I decided not to keep collecting more books and more courses.

Instead, I asked myself a simple question:

"Why did I fail?"

The answer wasn't that I lacked knowledge.

The answer was that I was solving the questions based on my real-life project management experience instead of PMI's expectations.

That realization completely changed my preparation strategy.

Resources I Used

I intentionally limited my study resources instead of trying to study everything available.

1. PMI Study Hall Plus

This was the best investment I made during my preparation.

The biggest advantage of Study Hall was not the difficulty level of the questions—it was helping me understand how PMI frames questions and expects candidates to think. The actual exam felt very similar in terms of the thinking process required.

2. Andrew Ramdayal's Mindset Videos

I watched the free Mindset videos multiple times.

Each time I watched them after solving more Study Hall questions, I understood something new. These videos helped me shift my thinking from "real-life project manager" to "PMI project manager."

3. Mohammad Rahman's Mindset Videos

These videos reinforced the same mindset from a different perspective and helped me understand the reasoning behind PMI's answers.

4. Third3Rock Study Notes

These notes were excellent for revision and strengthening the basic concepts. I found them concise and easy to revisit before the exam.

I did not use multiple books or too many different resources. Instead, I focused on understanding a few resources thoroughly.

The Strategy That Made the Biggest Difference

The biggest change in my preparation was how I reviewed my mistakes.

I didn't simply check why an answer was correct.

I reverse engineered every incorrect question in Study Hall.

For every wrong answer, I maintained an error log and asked myself:

• What was PMI actually testing?
• Was this a knowledge gap or a mindset gap?
• Why did I eliminate the correct option?
• Which PMI principle did I miss?
• What should I remember if a similar question appears again?

After reviewing hundreds of questions this way, I started noticing patterns.

Most of my mistakes were not because I didn't know the concepts.

They happened because I was thinking from my organization's way of managing projects instead of PMI's way of approaching project management.

Once I corrected that, my Study Hall scores started improving consistently.

The Biggest Lesson I Learned

One thing surprised me during my preparation.

Sometimes, experience can become a disadvantage.

People with many years of project management experience naturally answer questions based on what happens in their organizations.

PMI expects something different.

PMI expects you to answer only based on the information given in the question.

Don't assume anything beyond the problem statement.

Don't imagine missing details.

Don't think about how your organization would handle the situation.

Answer the question exactly the way PMI expects.

That was probably the single biggest lesson I learned throughout this journey.

My Final Advice

If I had to summarize my preparation strategy, it would be this:

• Keep your study resources limited.
• Spend as much time understanding the PMI mindset as learning the concepts.
• Use Study Hall seriously—not just to solve questions, but to analyze every mistake.
• Maintain an error log and identify recurring patterns in your thinking.
• Never answer questions based on your organization's practices.
• Never assume information that is not given in the question.

Remember, PMP is not only a knowledge exam.

It is also an exam that tests how PMI expects a project manager to think.

Final Result

First Attempt: BT / T / BT ❌

Second Attempt: T / AT / AT ✅

I wish everyone preparing for the PMP exam the very best. Stay consistent, trust the process, and keep moving forward.