PMP Exam Strategies: How I Managed Time and Stress

Last Thursday, August 28, 2025, after dropping off my daughter to school, I took the PMP exam online through Pearson VUE. I’ve taken the AWS Solutions Architect Associate through them as well in July 2022 so I had an idea on the process.

I took down all my pinned notes; daughter’s school calendar, my post its, to do lists, and so on.
Then I disconnected secondary monitors, put my work laptop aside, and cleared my desk. I also cleaned up the bed and put up all the papers and books neatly on the shelf.

My exam start time was 8:15 but Pearson VUE advised to check in at least 30 minutes before. I restarted my personal laptop, performed system check, and then put my phone away.

During the check in process I had to use my phone to take pictures. I captured the front, back, left, and right of my test area. This is to guarantee the integrity of the test.

My proctor called me. They asked for other items near my test area to be moved farther away. These items included my rolling shelf, craft boxes, and tissue box. So I did. Finally, everything was set and the proctor released my exam.

It was intense! I thought it would be much easier than the mock exams I had at the PMI Study Hall. People at Reddit said that the actual exam was easier than the mock exams at Study Hall. That was not my experience! But Study Hall trained me on how to endure this 4 hour test and how to manage my time wisely. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges with this exam. You need to know how to manage your time wisely and watch the remaining time.

The questions are hard and lengthy so you need to read it very carefully. PMI will give you options that all sound correct. Unless you have the PM mindset, you would have a very hard time picking the right answer.

When I answered the 60th question, I was given the opportunity to review my answers. I have marked some questions that I wanted to go back to. I tried hard not to mark each of them for review. Otherwise, I would have a ton and wouldn’t be able to go back to the super hard ones. So I reviewed some and changed my mind on a few of my answers. But then I suddenly realized that the time was still ticking!!! If I take my sweet time reviewing, I would lose time to answer the rest of the 120 questions left!

So I ended the first review and took the 10 minute break. I was so scared of doing something that breaks the rules of the online exam. So, I stayed in the room. I reached out for my chocolate bar and drank water. I did some breathing exercises and paced around the room to keep myself awake. I also prayed a lot. 🙂 My mind was already trying to prepare the script I’m going to tell my family and friends if I fail the exam. But I replaced that thought with, “I prepared for this so I can pass this. I just need to focus and think about what a good PM would do.” Be positive and focus on the goal!

So I went through the same strategy for the rest of the exam: read the question and answers carefully, use the PM mindset, keep an eye on the time, and take the break.

I am so happy that I passed!!! This is the 4th certification exam I took and passed :). I hope it opens doors for me. It already made me more confident. It’s the self-confidence in knowing that anything I can succeed in anything that I put my mind and energy to.

Key Takeaways:

1. Prepare well! Read my post on how I prepared for this exam.
2. Rest well the night before. I had a cold when I took the exam but I was very careful not to take Nyquil the night before. Luckily, I didn’t have trouble sleeping so I didn’t take any of my sleep medication either.
3. Read the questions and answers carefully! Make sure you know if they’re asking about agile or predictive approach and eliminate the questions that don’t apply.
4. Manage your time well! Don’t spend too long on one question. Make sure you have enough time to go through the rest of the questions.
5. Take your breaks! It’s a 4 hour test so your brain needs the break to stay sharp and focused until the end.

So, what’s next?

1. Obviously, I’ll add this certification to my resume.
2. I’ll apply the things I learned to my next project, like: communication, stakeholder engagement, virtual team management, conflict resolution techniques, and many more!
3. I’ll finish my Google Project Management course because I was so close to completing it. I also want to use the templates they’ve provided.
4. I’ll also finish my other Java/Spring Boot Udemy courses.
5. I’ll also finish my Gen AI courses.

There’s still so many things to learn that I have put aside to focus on passing the PMP. Now that it’s out of the way, I have more room for the other important things!

What are you learning right now and what’s your experience? How did you manage competing priorities?