First things first.  

**Thank you** to this entire r/pmp fam. The posts, the comments, the encouragement from strangers who owed me nothing. You are genuinely one of the best communities on the internet and I mean that. This post is my way of giving back.  

**Disclaimer:** I am going to describe what I did to pass this exam. Please read the following warning before proceeding: *I am a psycho. Do not attempt what I did unless you have the personality, resources, and frankly the stubbornness to pull it off.* More on that in a moment.  

**History**: Last week, I did my test online with a [**BT/T/AT**](https://www.reddit.com/r/pmp/comments/1umokbl/ugh_failed_bttat/). UGH. That shit sucked, but I was determined. Maybe a little angry. Determined-angry is a dangerous combination when pointed at the right thing.  

**What I did next.** So this is where the loco part starts. I booked my retake for July 7th. No available dates online, no testing centers nearby. Luckily, a spot opened up some 40 miles away. 8am. Yes. Four days, 8am.

I spent theremaining time hammering away with surgical precision. None of this no broad review, no panic studying, just targeted drilling on the exact tasks that cost me the pass. Thanks to all other redditors, I extracted my raw scores from PMI's CCRS system [using that  trick](https://www.reddit.com/r/pmp/comments/1up15m3/new_trick_for_raw_scores/). That data told me exactly which tasks I got wrong and how many questions I needed to recover.

The verdict: I needed 14 more correct answers. Spread across People and Process. That's it. I figured, as C's get degrees, all I need are dem TiTTies, that is T/T/T

  
Imagine my suprise today when I walked out with **AT/AT/AT**. I probably howled in atrium of the building. Side note, it sucks you can't go to your car to eat or drink, I was planning on finishing my pan dulce man.

So if you want to follow in my psychotic foosteps, here's my toolkit:   

🥇 **Claude:** My #1 tutor and accountability partner throughout this entire journey. Built my study guides, debriefed every wrong answer using the logic-chain prompt, tracked my error log across 300+ wrong answers, ran pattern analysis on my PMI score report, calculated my projected score going into the retake, and kept me on pace when life got in the way (cat bites, birthday parties, meetings, work, Shepherd walks, lifting, etc.)If you're not using AI as a study partner for this exam you're leaving points on the table.

🥈 **Andrew Ramdayal's Udemy Course + Mock Exam + Ultra Hard 200 Questions** — The foundation. The mindset section alone is worth the $20. His Ultra Hard questions started hard and at some point... stopped being hard. That's when I knew the mindset had clicked. Claude actually advised me to skip to specific timestamps in the UH video to target my People and Process domain gaps rather than watching all 6+ hours. Surgical over comprehensive. Also, please watch him at >1.5x speed because he sounded normal at that pace, I can't imagine him talking normally. He does pad his videos a lot. Mine was maxed out + CC on.  

🥉 **PMI Study Hall:** Two full-length mock exams.  Like everyone else, the questions are harder than the real exam which is exactly what you want. I extracted my domain scores, cross-referenced with my raw CCRS data, and used the practice question bank by category to drill exactly where I was bleeding points.  

🎖️ **Edzent Project Academy:** Despite a heavy accent that takes some getting used to, this channel explained questions more eloquently and clearly than almost AR said. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a different explanation style on People domain questions.

🎖️ **The** r/pmp **community** — Every success post I read became part of my strategy. The AT/AT/AT posts, the retake advice, the raw score trick, the resource recommendations. You all contributed to this result whether you know it or not.

And a special thanks to u/izzyphish  for showing up unexpectedly. I DID IT. Thank you. To my girl and Charlie, my German Shepherd for their moral support, walks, and unconditional love throughout 15 stupid days of studying. You were on the RACI chart too.  

Total study time: 15 days. Roughly 12 days the first attempt, 3 days of overall rest, then 4 days of scorched earth. Not recommended for the faint of heart.  

To those reading and on the path, all I can advise you is to **LEAN ON YOUR FAM HERE AND TRUST THE PROCESS.**  

Read the success posts. Use the resources people recommend. Build your error log. Know the difference between a risk and an issue. Think then act. The PM is a facilitator, not a doer. And when you're staring at four answer choices — find the least suckiest one.

I can finally put this behind me. Next month I begin my Executive MBA. The PMP was the last stop before that chapter starts.  

Lastly to those on the journey, I cannot stress this enough to **LEAN ON YOUR FAM HERE AND TRUST THE PROCESS.** Read the success posts. Use the resources people recommend. Build your error log. Know the difference between a risk and an issue. Think then act. The PM is a facilitator, not a doer. And when you're staring at four answer choices, find the least suckiest one.    


*And because every victory deserves a theme song:*  

🎵 *I don't know what you heard about me*     
*But a question can't get a guess out of me*  
*No panic, no rush, just the PMI way*  
*I'm a certified PMP* 🎵  



...because you know i'm all about that cake, 'bout that cake, fuck your salad.



I'm a certified PiMP, y'all!