Advice on PMP Certification:

The basement is the PMBOK. But you have to understand the situation where you are to apply process, tools and techniques instead of memorize the PMBOK. Then remember: you must answer what the PMI expect as an answer into each situation NOT what you do/did in your daily work in that situation. Put focus on answer lots of exam questions (more than 1500-2000) no matter if you answer the same question more than one time and when you get 75%-85% of accurancy then you are ready for the exam. Questions must be situational questions.

I just finished my exam last week so maybe I can give some "fresh, hands on" insights.

What I used:
1. PMBOK - as mentioned above
2. Head First PMP - 3rd Edition -- This book really helped as it is more interactive and that's what I need. If I studied to much with the PMBOK it is hard for me to focus and stay on the topic. I liked the Head First language and interactive parts for that matter best.
3. Simplilearn - I bought the instructor lead package/ Online Classroom Flexi-Pass and attended the classes to earn the necessary PDU to apply for the exam with PMI. I liked simplilearn as it is - thanks to instructors - an online classroom with real people to ask questions and not just you and the book. I think it was totally worth the money.
4. I wrote my own summary out of all the above and while doing plenty of questions captured a "lessons learned" and reviewed every single questions - not just the ones I got wrong but also made sure why the correct one are correct.
5. I made my own process overview/ flow chart with all ITTOs and that helped a lot for the big picture and how everything goes together.
6. I checked: https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/...xam-outline.pdf (PMI Exam Outline). Some questions might refer to it and sometimes the wording can be somewhat the same in the answers, then it is very important to know the "proper" answer.

Where I found questions:
1. Head First comes with some at the end of each chapter and a big practice test at the end of the book
2. Simplilearn includes 5 practice tests no matter which version you buy, including explanations
3. PM challenge here on the website: it's pretty good for warming up, just don't get confused by the Agile related questions

Last hint of advice: Try to finish this year as there will be a new PMBOK in September and then the exam and everything around it will change.

Let me know if you have further questions!
Happy studying!

I have to agree with Markus, you need more than just a reading list.

Maybe some questions from my side as well:

1. How many hours do you plan on studying every day/ how many days a week? e.g. one practice test takes about 4h if you do it at once
2. What's your timeline? you write 4 months, but how long do you plan on each task / book you want to read? How much for studying and not just reading, like writing notes or making flash cards etc.?
3. Where or how do you plan to get the PDUs from that are required to even apply at PMI?
4. Did you get confirmation from PMI already to actually take the test?
5. Where and how do you plan on taking the test? Paper? Computer? I struggled a lot to find a computer based test center in China and had to go all the way to Hong Kong to do it. This had a big impact on my budget and timeline...

Basically you could treat it like a small project where you need to commit to a proper schedule and deliverables / milestones.

Please try to get into the nitty gritty a bit more before making any decisions about a test date or something like that.