Applying is a Process in Itself
Both of the video courses I used did a great job detailing this. You can also find it with your own research at pmi.org. The Passionate PM training group has a great page that gives a timeline for PMP Exam Prep. On this page, there is a free spreadsheet which you can download to help you organize your project management experience, before you enter it for PMI. I found it extremely helpful.
Career Acade
my contracts with Looking Glass Development. This excellent course is taught by Martin Vanderschouw, PMP. It is a live streaming course with PDF handouts with all the slides included. It is coordinated with the PMBOK guide. Also included are helpful labs for the math and a number of exams. My package had an Intro to Project Management and then Exam Prep for the PMP. Together they provide more than enough contact hours. 
There also were a number of other courses in the bundle that I found useful. I still have a number of the graphics and illustrations in mind and refer to them. However, from my position, I felt that I needed a bit more help. I found a package deal on Groupon for $99.00. The Package retails at almost a thousand dollars.
The PM Prep Cast is an extremely well done video course taught by Cornelius Fichtner, PMP. It is also coordinated with the PMBOK guide. Once you purchase the course, you will have access to a central page that allows you to access a host of video classes. It is also mobile device friendly. In this series of over 40 hours, Mr. Fichtner breaks apart every concept in the PMBOK and adds his own wisdom. I found that the series really brought the picture together for me. The PM Prepcast PMP Exam runs at $179.99. WORTH EVERY PENNY and more! I also used two additional resources from Mr. Fichtner.
- Prep Cast Formula Guide I purchased the formula guide for $29.99, and would have gladly paid more for it.
- Prep Cast Simulator I purchased the simulator access with a coupon offering for $69.99. This is my MOST RECOMMENDED resource. I believe that using the simulator most helped me prepare for the exam.
- Social Media. I found Mr. Fichtner on Facebook and Twitter, and enjoyed the daily sample exam questions with comments from around the world!
While there are some connections back to Mr. Fichtner’s work, Shiv Shenoy’s PM Exam Smart Notes takes project management even further in his practical and extremely well laid out materials. The concepts are more briefly explained with understandable examples. One of my favorites are the mind maps Mr. Shenoy developed and included. I only used the materials Mr. Shenoy made public.
- I also found Mr. Shenoy on Facebook and Twitter, and also enjoyed the sample exam questions.
Richard Kraneis (richardkraneis.com)
I discovered Mr. Kraneis on Youtube. I found his story and his Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs study helpful. Also his brain dump suggestions are excellent (The brain dump is a memorized page you have time to write down during the tutorial before the PMP Exam actually starts). Mr. Kraneis offers some documents for around $5.00 that I found very helpful.
Ipad Helps
I used the following Ipad apps in my studies, which are essentially flash cards. There is an amazing amount of these types of help available. I chose three from Itunes. The costs were very low, only a few dollars each.
- PM Flashcards from iil.com.
- PMP Formulas from melchiorpm@yahoo.com
- PMP ITTO Flash Card Game from melchiorpm@yahoo.com
Resources Free for the Taking
Make sure the materials support the latest PMBOK edition.
YouTube Videos
Just search for project management or PMP exam videos. I found tons of them. Some were more helpful than others. But there are excellent resources out there for free. I don’t believe what I have seen would have enabled me to pass the test by themselves, but they really help with the foundations and hearing concepts from different angles.
Groups for PMP students on Linked In.
There are hosts of groups here that you can join and ask questions.
Things Recommended I Did Not Use
Group Meetings. It’s Highly Recommended that you have groups to study with. Meetup.com is a resources for this. I tried to set up study groups, but never could coordinate it successfully.
Forums. The PM Precast has a forum that allows you to connect with other students.
Boot Camp, in case of failure, I planned to invest in a boot camp, which is a one week intensive training session for PMP Preparation. There are several great programs in my area. Get recommendations from someone you know to be sure you are getting a good service. It’s too much work not to do it right!
MaynardOnline.net 