Registering for the PMP® Exam:
- Decide on a timeline for when you want to sit for the exam, and based on that, plan your preparation.
- As soon as you have your 35 contact hours, register to take the PMP® Exam. This will help you to accelerate your planning process.
- Become a The Project Management Institute (PMI)® member before registering for the PMP® Exam; this will save you some money on study materials.
- The PMP® Exam application process is a timely affair. You will need to provide a description of the project(s) you were involved with and your role across each of the process groups. Make sure you have a detailed project-experience history before you start; this will save you a lot of time!
PMP® Exam study materials:
- Read the most current version of The PMBOK® Guide from cover to cover twice; once early in the study process and again a couple of weeks before your exam date. The first reading will help to determine areas that need more focus, and the reading before the exam will reinforce concepts.
- Additional suggested readings are the “The PMP® Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try, Fourth Edition” by Andy Crowe, PMP, PgMP and the “PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP® Exam” by Rita Mulcahy. Both of these texts have chapter tests included that you can use to gauge your PMP® knowledge.
PMP® Exam practice tests:
- Take at least 4-5 full length practice exams and have a goal in mind such as obtaining at least a 75% on each exam.Don’t get discouraged if you don’t reach your goal for the first exam. It will give you a good understanding of what you still need to learn, and you should get better with each exam.
- Sitting for a four-hour exam can be rough. Build in breaks such as 5 minutes after the first 75 questions, 5 more minutes after the next 75 questions, and 10 minutes after the last 50 questions; then go back and review and revise your answers for the remainder of the time. If you practice this method, it will feel natural during the exam.
- Make note of new concepts you come across in the practice exams; not all questions on the PMP® Exam come from the PMBOK® Guide.
- Analyze the results of your practice exams to identify where you need to focus your study efforts.
Taking the PMP® Exam:
- Know where your exam site is. Stop by the site a week before the test. This will reduce your stress on exam day a lot!
- Make sure you know what identification you need such as passport or driver’s license to take the PMP® Exam.
- Ensure you get a good night’s sleep.
- Take a bottle of water and snacks with you.
PMP® Exam questions:
- Make sure you know the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control.There are a good number of questions pertaining to Procurement, Integration, Risk, and Scope Management.
- Make sure you clearly understand Human Resource, Communication, Quality, Cost, and Time Management.
- Understand the concept of Professional Responsibility.
- Understand the concepts around earned value, if you practice the calculations a few times, you will be ready.
- Make sure you understand other formulas such as expected monetary value, three-point estimate, PERT, network-related calculations, and communication channels.
These are just a few examples of the PMP® Exam related lessons learned and tips offered by those who have recently been in your shoes.You can access these lessons learned tips and many more in The PMPrepCast forum.
