I postponed my PMP exam twice and still passed with an Above Target score. Here’s what made the biggest difference.
My preparation lasted around five months.
🔸 PMP Preparation Course
It was the starting point of my preparation.
I chose Lemberg Tech Business School, which may be especially interesting for Ukrainian-speaking colleagues.
It was a 3-month intensive course focused specifically on PMP exam readiness. The goal was not theory expansion, but structured preparation for passing the exam.
Initially, I thought that studying in Ukrainian might be a disadvantage compared to English materials. In reality, it turned out to be irrelevant. The course provided structure, direction, and access to experienced instructors who shared practical insights from real IT projects.
🔸 Books as a foundation
Books were the core of my preparation.
Key materials:
• PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition
• PMBOK® Guide, 8th Edition
• PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy (11th Edition)
Rita Mulcahy’s book stood out the most. It is practical, well-structured, and does an excellent job of connecting concepts with exam thinking.
Reading is not my preferred learning format, so I supplemented it with AI-generated audio podcasts during travel and occasional video content.
🔸 Testing Platform
One of the most valuable tools in my preparation was the KnowledgeMap platform.
It provided a large question bank and, more importantly, a way to track progress and identify weak areas. The questions themselves are not meant to be memorized. Their value comes from helping develop exam-style thinking.
One interesting lesson: I once tried relying mostly on practice questions without reading the related material. The results were noticeably weaker. Practice questions can measure readiness, but they do not create understanding.
Interestingly, the platform was developed in my hometown, Odesa.
🔹 Exam Day Preparation
I would recommend preparing for the exam day as seriously as you prepare for the exam itself.
The goal is to remove as many distractions and decisions as possible beforehand, so your attention is fully focused on the exam.
🔹 To summ up
Looking back, no single resource made the difference.
Books built understanding. The course provided structure. Practice questions revealed gaps.
The real value came from combining all of them into one preparation system.
Thanks to Anatolii Savin, creator of the Knowledge Map platform, which became an important part of my preparation.
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