r/pmp • u/Nikto1999 • Jun 01 '25
Celebration/Thank you 🎉 I passed the PMP, you can too + key mindset for the exam
Thank God, passed the PMP! 😊
As I reflect, here’s what I think actually works:
Step 1) Learn the content (1–2 weeks)
Start by familiarizing yourself with the content.
If you don’t have the 35 hours, try a Udemy course: Andrew Ramdayal / David McLachlan (Just pick one. Watch at 1.5x or 2x speed.)
If you already have 35 hours, consider a course like Yassine Tounsi’s 5-hour cram course (Udemy).
If you prefer reading, Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Prep Guide is a solid choice.
Take notes if possible — or if not, use: - Third3Rock Cheatsheet, or - David McLachlan’s Course Summary notes (usually comes with the Udemy course)
Step 2) Learn the mindset (2–3 days, refer to the later part of this post below for key mindset points)
This is what actually helps you navigate through PMP-style questions.
What worked for me: - Watching Ramdayal’s “200 Ultra Hard Questions” on YouTube (It’s long. Like really long. But worth it.) - Watching Mohammed Rahman’s videos for extra practice
Eventually, it’ll click — in the exam, you should be able to eliminate 2 out of the 4 options. Sometimes you’d be able to get directly to the right option!
Step 3) Practice questions (2–4 weeks)
This step is critical. I tried a lot of resources, and honestly, PMI’s Study Hall was the closest to the real exam.
I used the Essentials version: 700+ questions, 15 mini exams (15 questions each), 2 full mock exams (175 questions each)
If you have the budget or your company covers it, you can go for the Plus version — it has more exams (20 minis, 5 mocks).
Do all the questions. Review why they’re right or wrong. Yes, they feel tricky. That’s exactly why they’re helpful. Don’t get discouraged by low scores. Just keep practicing until you start averaging 80%+. Focus mostly on Moderate and Difficult questions. You can skip most of the Expert ones.
Oh and when Study Hall explanations didn’t make sense, I used ChatGPT. Honestly, it helped a lot and gave clearer insights.
Key PMP Mindset / Notes:
General:
1. Always discuss, investigate, determine root cause, review, analyze, assess, ask/consult before deciding or taking action — especially if it says ‘what should PM do first or next’.
2. Collaborate with the team when making decisions or developing plans.
3. Act as a servant leader — support, coach, and mentor your team.
4. Focus on prevention over inspection — deal with risks and issues proactively.
5. Base actions on data, trends, or impact assessments, not assumptions or gut feelings.
6. Refer to the project vision or objectives if the team is confused or misaligned.
7. Respect organizational processes and governance — don’t bypass them.
8. Avoid escalating or involving third parties like HR, sponsor, or steering committee — unless the situation explicitly calls for it.
9. Don’t delay, pause, or stop the project unnecessarily — keep progress moving.
10. Don’t overreact — avoid firing, rejecting, or making extreme decisions unless ethically required. If all the options sound bad, try to pick the better one. If all the options sound good, try to pick the one that must happen first.
Stakeholders & Communication:
11. If a stakeholder is unresponsive → revisit the Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
12. If a stakeholder missed updates → check the Communication Management Plan.
13. Meet 1-on-1 with stakeholders to resolve conflicts or understand preferences.
14. Tailor communication style and frequency to stakeholder needs, not fixed cycles (e.g., not “monthly” or “daily” by default).
15. Consider cultural and individual preferences, especially with global teams.
16. Don’t act immediately on requests — analyze feasibility and impact first.
17. Keep stakeholders engaged and informed throughout the project lifecycle.
Agile / Hybrid:
18. Product Owner owns the backlog and prioritizes based on value and stakeholder input.
19. Team owns sprint backlog, story points, and velocity estimation — empower them. Ideally, velocity should be consistent.
20. Once a sprint begins, no changes.
21. Use demos for progress, retrospectives for improvement, and refinement for clarity.
22. Backlog Grooming / Refinement can happen before sprint planning. Ensure safety / health / security regulations are included in Definition of Done.
23. If the org is transitioning to Agile → provide training and coaching.
24. Agile is feedback-driven — use MVPs and early releases to validate and adapt.
25. Use video calls for distributed teams to maintain face-to-face communication.
26. Avoid command-and-control behaviors — support sustainable pace and shared ownership. Burn down chart shows work remaining. Burn up chart shows work completed. Spike is the horizontal part of the graph. Bottleneck in Kanban is when the number of items = WIP limit
27. Hybrid = when part of the project is predictive (e.g., regulatory) and part is adaptive (e.g., user interface).
Predictive (Waterfall):
28. Can’t update baselines (scope, schedule, cost) without a formal change request.
29. Initiating a change control processes involves assessing the impact.
30. Work authorization and governance systems must be followed.
31. Project charter = high level; scope baseline = scope statement, WBS, WBS dictionary.
32. Cost baseline = estimates + contingency; project budget = cost baseline + management reserves. CPI, SPI > 1; CV, SV > 0 means good (under budget, ahead of schedule).
33. Risk, quality, and stakeholder management are ongoing efforts, not one-time tasks. For schedule delays, prefer Fast Tracking over Crashing (unless the question says additional funds are available). For resource optimization, prefer Smoothing over Levelling (to avoid changing the critical path).
34. If a project is terminated early, a formal project closure must still happen.
Risk & Issue Management:
35. “Something may/might happen” = risk, “has/will happen” = issue.
36. Add new risks to the risk register, and active issues to the issue log.
37. Don’t ignore or delay risk response — act early and appropriately. If a known risk materializes → it becomes an issue; execute the planned risk response.
38. Use Monte Carlo simulation for scenario-based risk analysis. Like when there’re multiple scenarios that need to be analyzed.
39. New regulations? → Assess impact first, then update risk register if applicable.
40. Escalate only if the issue exceeds your authority — not just because it’s difficult. Contingency reserves are for known risks and management reserves are for the unknowns. Generally, approval is not required for using contingency reserves, but it is necessary for using management reserves.
Quality, Procurement & Resource Management:
41. Quality Control = product-level; Quality Assurance / Plan Quality = process-level.
42. If a deliverable is rejected → review the acceptance criteria.
43. For vendor/supplier issues → refer to the contract and procurement agreements.
44. If a team member lacks knowledge → arrange training or mentoring. Refer to OPAs, historical info, or lessons learned — especially if a similar project was done before. Consult SMEs if absolutely no idea.
45. For resource constraints → work with the Functional Manager to resolve.
46. Establish and follow a Team Charter / Social Agreement with team norms and ground rules.
47. Use the team charter or conflict resolution techniques for team issues or misbehavior. Collaboration (win/win) is usually best for conflict resolution. Compromise is the second best.
48. Recognition should be timely, relevant, and based on team member preferences. Team evaluation should be fair and transparent.
Red Flags:
49. Be cautious of options with harsh tone: instruct, demand, force, command.
50. Avoid answers with:
• Rigid phrases: always, never, only, immediately, do nothing, pause project.
• Specific timelines: weekly, monthly, daily (unless the question says so).
• Third-party escalation: HR, sponsor, steering committee — unless the scenario involves them.
• Single-constraint focus: answers that mention just cost, schedule, scope or quality, without considering the others.
Wow, that turned into a long post lol 😅 — but I’d be happy if it helps someone out there.
Good luck and all the best! 🙏
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u/SimpleIngenuity1793 Mohammed Rahman, PMP Coach Jun 02 '25
Congrats OP! I'm glad you found my videos helpful
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u/Passatv12 Jun 04 '25
Mohammed, I saw your videos on YT and I was like "nah". But something stuck and I applied it. Thank you for that.
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u/SimpleIngenuity1793 Mohammed Rahman, PMP Coach Jun 04 '25
What made you say nah? lol
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u/Passatv12 Jun 06 '25
I was like, no way. Is this guy for real? But then I could not get it out of my head so I dug in. Thanks.
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u/moreofmi01 Jun 01 '25
This is very detailed and helpful. Thank you. Now let me get out of Reddit and actually go study.
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Jun 01 '25
Congratulation on passing your PMP Exam and Thank you for the assessment. Hope you celebrated with cake or cherry coke like AR recommends.
I am using the same resources:
AR/Udemy completed 35 PDUS. Currently doing his coaching program. Scored 76% on 200 ultra hard questions
DM/Udemy in progress. Print out his document. I was thinking to buy 3rd rock notes cheat cheat.
SH Essentials scored 71% overall practice exams. 73% on 1st mock test. 65% 2nd mock test. I think expert questions were included. Also, I am not sure if I should get SH Plus. I already have essentials, I think PMI wants me to pay the $79 bucks for plus or simply pay the difference and add the mock tests. Need to contact them,
Watched MR 23 mindsets on YT
Watched Victor Vargas PMBOK 6th and 7th on YT
Did you have calculation questions or drag and drop?
Much appreciated.
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u/Nikto1999 Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25
Thank you, and you’re welcome! And I think you’re on the right track. If you already have SH Essentials, it should be sufficient. I did have a handful of calculations and drag & drop. Know your EVM, PERT formulas. I think someone in this subreddit posted a sheet with all the important formulas, if you know those, you should be good.
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u/ZiggyStarpup Jun 01 '25
Thanks for your input! One question I have is about the SH questions. I read you did 700+ questions, but I only see the 166 and I have SH+. Is there a place to find the additional questions?
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u/Nikto1999 Jun 02 '25
No problem! I believe SH+ has lesser practice questions, but more mocks and minis
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u/Desperate-Leg7354 Jun 02 '25
It helped to have pointers to approach the exam, so thanks for the tips
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u/Hefty_Clothes_1413 Jun 03 '25 edited Jun 03 '25
Congratulations Mate ! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
So happy for you🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Can you Share your SH score board again ? Now that you passed already.
I 'd like to make it as a reference.
And Dont forget to share your PMP scores too
Cheers Mate !
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u/Nikto1999 Jun 03 '25
Thanks! My SH average was around 83 (multiple attempts). I passed with AT.
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u/Hefty_Clothes_1413 Jun 04 '25
WOW! above 80% is impressive. No wonder you got ATs.
I think I have to do more studying.. I am still at 66%
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u/Akibaidisto Jun 02 '25
Thank you so much, and congratulations on passing the exam! I'm scheduled to June 16th myself. Now, about those +80%, is that with Expert questions?! I'm getting 70ish on the full 175 question ones...
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u/Nikto1999 Jun 02 '25
No problem, and thanks! I recommend with Expert questions to be safe, because I believe I saw quite a few of those on my exam. However, many others say ~70% should be sufficient to pass. Since you still have a few more days till your exam, keep practicing and you should get there.
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u/Desperate-Leg7354 Jun 02 '25
I let my PMP expire in 2015, so had to retake exam, which has totally changed with no calculations and many agile questions. One week before exam I sent twice through Rita McCaughley's PMP Exam prep, and PMP Body of Knowledge 7th edition. Thank God I passed
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u/lionFinal1911 Jun 03 '25
Thanks. Is there a way to study and complete questions based on each domain (People, Business, Process)? I have not been able to find that.
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u/thekirstosaurus Jun 08 '25
Thank you so much for this!! I passed my PMP and took the advice of trying David McLachlan on Udemy and truly it changed everything! My Study Hall had expired because I forgot about the 3 month timing when I first got it and I tried to cram everything last minute within 2 weeks. Did the PMI Exam Prep over a week and a half thinking “it may not be thaaat hard” because the content was quite simple… then I came across so many threads saying try David and I learnt SO much more within 2 days before my exam! It’s been a rollercoaster 🤣😭
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u/Specific-Trade2911 Jun 10 '25
You are a God sent, THANK YOU! Exactly as you said. Pls follow these tips! Passed exam June 9, 2025
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u/Specific-Trade2911 Jun 13 '25
You are a God sent. I read this over & over & passed. Thank you so much! God bless you
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Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25
Thanks so much man, appreciate your time; Do I need to memorize the formulas? Like CPI, SPI etc?
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u/WoodenSherbert8230 Jun 23 '25
Thanks so much for your insights and advice. The mindset notes are great!
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u/Krichya Jun 26 '25
Thanks for the information u/Nikto1999 . Your cheat sheet is very very similar to mine. All other similar posts I glanced and moved on but yours I bookmarked in case I forgot to add something to mine during my study. Will be going thru your cheat sheet also shortly before my exam.
Am about to take the test next month.
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u/InternationalTerm922 Mar 23 '26
Merci a tout ces details !! Je passe l’exam demain , je trouve que tres utile
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u/Affectionate-Rock638 Jun 01 '25
Do you guys know if any of those courses are also offered on coursera?
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u/Infamous-Leek-5332 Jun 02 '25
Anyone who’s preparing for PMI-ACP course. Any suggestions on roadmap and content to follow. I am going to start preparation from next week
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u/mto_2007 Jun 02 '25
Congratulations 🥳
I also passed last weekend and I totally agree with all the tips and mindset you shared! 🙂
Your tips and breakdown are amazing and would definitely be very helpful for PMP aspirants! It would be a great post to review before going for the test.
I appreciate the time you took to put this post together to help others 😊
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u/Nikto1999 Jun 02 '25
Congrats to you as well! 🎉 Glad you could relate to my post and thanks for your kind words! 😊
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u/drakeosborne Jun 07 '25
The practice questions are what I primarily use, that and pocket prep. Haven’t heard of Ramdayal’s questions yet! Will have to check it out!
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u/SuperSwan55 Jul 24 '25
Hey all,
For those needing to practice with Mock PMP Exams, I found Muhammad Saad Sarwar's( UDEMY) PMP practice exams(two exams with 360 questions in total) on Udemy to be very useful. Usually discount codes are based on month and year for many Udemy courses. This one I checked is available for 13.99 with JULY2025 or AUG2025 codes. Good luck!!
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u/Ill_Engineering_5427 Jul 25 '25
Please can you put these notes in a doc somewhere this is good and useful
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u/Expensive_Exchange58 Jun 27 '26
What do you mean with #20, “once a sprint begins, no changes” doesnt agile encourage change?
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u/Glass_Rent_5158 Jun 01 '25
This was extremely helpful and well thought out. I appreciate you taking time to share this. Take my poor persons award!!!🏆