Being able to handle the stress of an exam day is essential to reduce unwarranted anxiety and to put forth the best performance during the evaluation. We asked our trainer Haykel Kchaou to give us five tips for the PMP Exam Day.
1. Remember that you have an appointment, arrive on time and have your ID handy
The exam can be held in an exam center or online, in both cases making sure to have all the required documents ready is crucial.
If the exam is held online, make sure to have a stable internet connection and to not be surrounded by any distractions (e.g., smartphones, tablets, documents, etc.)
2. Keep your focus on
Not sleeping well or being anxious the day before an exam is completely normal. However, it is fundamental to be focused during the exam: imagine yourself as a project manager and give all the questions the necessary attention they require – each correct answer brings you closer to your desired certification.
Questions will have real-life applications: pay attention to all the nuances and details to understand the objective of the question. For example: be careful of negative formulations, and be sure to identify the key words.
Don’t get stressed out if the first inquiries don’t seem to have strong real-life application or if the answers are not immediately clear. Remember that you have 180 questions to answer and some of them will be easier to solve.
3. Highlight difficult questions
You can highlight any difficult questions that you did not answer and come back to them later in the exam. However, the advice of our trainer, Haykel Kchaou, is to not leave too many questions unanswered: it is unlikely that you will have the time to answer them and remember that concentration lowers with time.
The ideal strategy is to read each question carefully the first time, focus and give the answer that you believe is correct. The queries “left for later” should be few and only in exceptional cases.
4. Take some breaks during the exam
PMI introduced 2 breaks of 10 minutes each, both for online and on-site exams. Each candidate has the right to reduce this break, nevertheless it is better to use these 10 minutes fully to keep your concentration at the highest level for the whole duration of the exam.
Our trainer’s advice is to divide the exam in 3 blocks of 60 questions each. With this structure you can take your first break after checking and confirming the answers for the first 60 queries. Once confirmed, these questions will not be visible and you will not be able to change your answers. This method allows you to concentrate on the next block of questions. Repeat this process for the second block of 60 questions, take your second break and then restart the exam and focus on the last 60 queries.
5. Do not leave any questions unanswered
Wrong answers do not take points off your score! It is better to try your luck than to leave a question completely unanswered. If possible timewise, you can always go back to the question and revise your answer.
Download our 5 tips to get the PMP Certification!
To receive more advice on the PMP exam and how to prepare for successfully achieving the certification, also read:
As an Accredited Training Provider (ATP), all the courses for the PMP Certification provided by QRP International grant the necessary Contact Hours to gain access to the exam. For more information, check our PMP Exam Preparation Training or contact us!
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