Background

I failed my first attempt with AT / NI / NI.
30 days later, I passed with AT / AT / T.

The difference wasn’t just more content — it was how I studied and reviewed mistakes.

What Didn’t Work

• Waiting 6 months after my 35-hour course — I had to relearn everything
• PMI On-Demand Prep — expensive and didn’t help me actually understand concepts
• Focusing too much on content instead of mindset (and more than just watching AR's video).

What I Used

• Andrew Ramdayal (Udemy – 35 PDUs + YouTube)
• PMI Study Hall (Full)
• PMP EZ Prep (mobile app – paid)
• PMI Illustrated – https://www.pmillustrated.com/
• Third3Rock Notes – https://third3rockpmp.com/
• David McLachlan (YouTube questions)
• ChatGPT / Claude
• Project Management Professional Exam Prep Podcast (Spotify)
• Reddit guides (including u/MGCan for PM Illustrated, u/OpportunityBubbly418, u/Apprehensive-Sea-753 for reposting what Bubbly originally did, and u/Mental_Dog3832's advice of getting to the root cause of a missed answer)

What Actually Moved the Needle (Most → Least)

1. Teaching the material (biggest impact)

I had Claude build a reference guide from questions I missed, then I pretended to teach it like a class — multiple times, including right before the exam.

This forced me to:

• Connect concepts
• Explain why answers were right/wrong
• Identify gaps I didn’t know I had

This is what made everything click.

Reference Card:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ZKzKhbY1VdYC_vqum_5jkumcIu8IQM0/view

2. Reviewing missed questions properly

Not just reviewing answers — actually analyzing:

• Why I chose my answer
• Why it was wrong

I screenshotted missed questions and uploaded them to ChatGPT with my reasoning.

This exposed patterns like:

• Overthinking
• Misreading “FIRST/NEXT”
• Jumping to action too quickly

I then used Claude to turn those patterns into my reference guide.

3. Passive reinforcement (podcast)

I listened to the PMP Exam Prep Podcast constantly (driving, chores, etc.).

This helped reinforce concepts without burnout and kept everything fresh.

4. Targeting weak areas only

After my first exam, I focused ONLY on my lowest-scoring areas.

Used PM Illustrated (and their audio summaries) — much more efficient than re-studying everything.

5. Mindset > memorization

Andrew Ramdayal’s mindset + David McLachlan’s explanations helped me:

• Stop overthinking
• Recognize patterns
• Choose the “PMI answer” consistently

Revisiting AR after doing the steps above made it click much more.
I could literally hear DM’s explanations in my head during the exam.

Practice Exam Progress

First attempt:

• SH full exams: 67%, 68%
• SH practice: ~67%–73%
• Result: AT / NI / NI

Second attempt:

• 1 SH full exam: 85%
• SH practice: ~67%–100% (many 83%+ and some 100%)
• Result: AT / AT / T

Using ChatGPT During Practice

During my final Study Hall exam:

• If I wasn’t 100% sure, I answered first
• Then screenshotted and checked ChatGPT before submitting

~90% of the time, I was already right.

This helped me:

• Catch overthinking in real time
• Build confidence in my first instinct
• Identify patterns in how I misread questions

Burnout + Score Drop (Important)

About 2 days before my exam, my scores started dropping:

• 53%, 67% (after previously scoring 83–100%)

After reviewing with ChatGPT/Claude, the issue wasn’t knowledge — it was:

• Lack of sleep
• Too much nonstop studying
• Life stress

What helped:

• Stepping away for an hour
• Short meditations
• Taking a nap the day before

After that, my scores rebounded back to 83%–100% range.

Biggest Mistakes I Made

• Overthinking questions
• Ignoring “FIRST/NEXT”
• Jumping to solutions too quickly
• Not analyzing why I got questions wrong

Final Advice

• Teach the material — don’t just read it
• Analyze your mistakes — don’t just review answers
• Focus on what feels fuzzy, not what feels comfortable
• Overall Mindset: Assess - Document - Communicate - Act - Escalate

Final Thought

If I did it again, I would:

• Spend more time:
  • Teaching
  • Reviewing mistakes
  • Reinforcing concepts (podcast + explanations)