A Project Managers Guide to Passing the Project Management (PMP) Exam

A Project Manager's Guide to Passing the Project Management (Pmp) Exam. Front Cover · Brent W Knapp Pmp. leondumoulin.nl, Feb 3.
Table of contents

Then you must have a minimum of three years 36 months of unique, non-overlapping professional project management experience of which at least 4, hours must have been spent leading and directing project tasks. In both cases, you must also show that you have had 35 contact hours of project management training. The good news is that all project management related training from your entire life counts. So, if you are 30 years old and you took a 2-day PM class when you were 21 years old then you already have 16 contact hours.

What is needed to become a PMP?

One contact hour is equivalent to one actual hour 60 minutes of training or instruction received. In fact, the discount is bigger than the membership fee! So even if you don't want to stay a PMI member for life, becoming a member in your first year makes sense. Again, as a member you usually receive a discount that is greater than the membership fee.

Your local chapter is also a great resource for PMP information. You can attend your chapter's dinner meeting and speak in-person with new and seasoned PMPs about the exam. They will be very happy to answer your questions and help you. You will also have a chance to meet PMP aspirants like yourself and you can form a study group. Studying together is more fun and increases your chance of passing. But "I want to become a PMP and my exam date is in 3 months" is a much better plan because we all work a lot better when we have a deadline. Start by visiting https: Now you can schedule to take the exam on the Prometric Website at https: This separate scheduling is necessary because PMI doesn't perform the test themselves — instead they use Thomson Prometric, a testing company with testing centers around the world.

Depending on where you live you may have to travel quite far to take the exam. As a result, you definitely want to schedule this well in advance. Therefore you must know it inside and out, and the only way to know it is to study it at least twice. They will "translate" the concepts, tools, and techniques from the guide and give you examples from everyday PM life to show you what is meant.

Most self-study courses including The PM PrepCast will also give you a certificate for the PMI-required 35 contact hours — the books cannot offer that benefit. For more tips about the essential PMP exam study materials you'll need, watch this short video: PMI Chapters, universities, colleges, and training companies offer a number of in-person PMP workshops around the world. They usually last from days. Some of them require that you study for yourself in addition to the course and others don't. Some companies even offer a passing guarantee. But don't be fooled. This guarantee is just marketing and their risk is very low.

After all, would you intentionally fail the exam just so that you can take their course again? If you are lucky then your employer may offer to pay for a workshop. If you have to pay for it yourself then look into the course that is offered by your local PMI Chapter because they are usually very affordable.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. If your budget allows then we recommend using both a self-study course combined with an in-person workshop to achieve the best study result. Obviously, a self-study course or a PMP workhop will lead to exam success on their own. But there no denying that combining the two will give you an effective one-two punch to boost your studies.

When it comes to free sample questions, you get what you pay for. Free is good to get an idea and most people do. Sample questions are also available in books so you can go down to your local bookshop and take some time to look through the questions in the books before you decide which one to buy. However, only a simulator will allow you to test yourself in exam-like conditions -- you can take a complete, 4-hour exam at the computer.

Just like the real thing.


  1. What is PMP and How Can It Change A Project Manager's Life?!
  2. 10 Steps to Becoming a PMP®.
  3. How To Get PMP® Certification - The Complete Guide!
  4. An Ostrich Feather.
  5. Birds of Prey: Health and Disease;

As you make your way through all the free samples that you find online two things will happen: First, you will get used to answering exam questions, which is good; and Second, you will begin to disagree with some of the suggested answers, which is even better. By disagreeing and then opening up your study materials to review you will learn even more. Therefore, even the worst exam sample question that you can find can help you in its unique way to pass the exam.

It's all a matter of your personal attitude and knowing that even a bad question can take you further. One last but important thing about sample questions: As time goes by you will notice that you are more and more able to answer questions correctly. If you keep your score then you can see where you are. Here is rule of thumb for you: We do know, however, that passing the exam is not determined by a simple percentage of questions that you answer correctly.

Instead, PMI tells us that it is calculated using a sound psychometric analysis. In theory this means that the exam consists of easy, moderate and hard questions. The harder questions are worth more than the easier questions. So you get a higher score if you answer more of the harder questions correctly and a lower score if you answer more of the easier questions correctly. The minimum score needed to pass is determined by the overall difficultly of your individual exam. But this is just the theory and nobody but PMI knows how exactly the psychometric approach was implemented.

So this leaves you with a catch 22 situation: You want to know if your score in the simulator is sufficient to pass, but PMI doesn't tell you what the exam passing rate is, so there is no way for you to compare. The above measure is is only an approximation. It is really hard to determine someone's readiness. Only you can make the final judgment call and decide if you are ready or not.

A Project Manager's Guide to Passing the Project Management PMP Exam

PMP exam changes happen regularly. In fact, there probably was a change to the exam just yesterday. This is because PMI develops and releases new exam questions on an ongoing basis. Adding new questions can be viewed as a 'minor' update. But PMI also has 'major' updates. As project management evolves, so do PMI's standards. You get the idea. The exact availability of a seat depends on the opening hours of your local Prometric test center.

Follow these steps to schedule your exam:. Please note that you cannot schedule your exam unless you have received the eligibility letter from PMI with your candidate number.

4-day PMP Boot Camp

The decision is relatively easy: If you are a junior project management practitioner and have demonstrated your skills as a project team member, then the Certified Associate in Project Management is the best option. You will get the fundamental knowledge of processes and terminology that will help you effectively manage projects. For the CAPM certification, all you need is a high school diploma and either 1, hours of professional experience on a project team or 23 hours of project management training.

Actual leadership experience as a PM is not required. If you lead the team and direct all project tasks then you should go for the Project Management Professional credential. You will develop an in-depth understanding of the skills necessary to lead and direct project teams to deliver results within the constraints of budget, time, scope quality, risk and resources. The credential requires 3 years of professional experience with at least 4, hours spent leading and directing project tasks. With a high school diploma this increases to 5 years and 7, hours.

Leadership experience as a PM is a central point. Everyone has different ways of preparing for the PMP exam. So we decided to take the scientific approach and analyze dozens of lessons learned from our past students. We wondered and wanted to see if there are any specific traits or activities that are a recurring theme for success. You are a project manager and developing a plan at the start of your "certification project" should be second nature to you.

There is a reason why Michael Phelps won so many gold medals at the Olympic Games And if you want to "win a gold medal" that says you are now a certified project manager, then you are going to have to practice answering exam sample questions for the complete duration of your exam prep. Let's say you are waiting in line at the post office and things are moving really, really slowly. Wouldn't it be great if you could just take out your phone and play a training video? So make sure you always have your study materials with you so that "lost time" becomes "study time".

Many people confirm that becoming a Project Management Professional is not an easy task. It takes focus, dedication and you have to be self-motivated. But the good news is that thousands of us have done it before. So trust in your abilities and believe that you, too, can pass this exam.

Answering questions in 4 hours is no easy task. It's no surprise that most people run out of time the first time they sit down for a complete, simulated exam. Keep at it, learn how to analyze and answer questions promptly, and you'll have plenty of time on your big day. Every day dozens of people receive their PMP Certificate and many of them will write and publish a report of how they prepared and passed the exam.

By reading and learning from them you not only get an insider's view into the exam, but you'll also get helpful tips from those who have been there before you. As with everything -- there is no guarantee that you will pass your own exam with a perfect score when you apply these actions to your own study approach. But it definitely increases your chances. After teaching over 30, students in preparation for their exam, I have developed the following step PMP Study Plan:. Is there something like a "secret ingredient" or a "silver bullet" that ensures you pass the PMP Exam?

But we have identified seven components project management concepts and best practices that everyone preparing for the exam should know:. It provides you as a practitioner with fundamental project management concepts and approaches needed to successfully deliver a project. However, it is important to remember that the exam doesn't test your knowledge of the guide's content, but instead it tests your understanding of the practical application of the principles described.

That's why a minimum of 4, hours of experience 7, if you don't have a Bachelor's Degree is a prerequisite to take the exam. Your real-life experience of managing projects in your industry will make everything much easier. Many situations in the questions will be familiar to you because you have lived through them. Most of us - and that included me! Try to look at PMP online forums where successful exam takers are more than willing to share their experiences in taking the exam.

Read their lessons learned to hear what topics may appear.

PMP Certification Training

This can be an essential part of your preparation, but don't get carried away. Spending a few minutes daily, reviewing and commenting on posts is usually sufficient. Give it your full attention to absorb the material and comprehend the concepts. Unfortunately, the old mantra "if a little is good, then a lot must be better" does not hold true when it comes to preparing for the PMP exam.

What usually happens is that students use too many PMP study materials and then get confused. They try to study not just one PMP prep book but several.

PMP Certification: Everything You Need To Know To Get Certified | Hive

They sign up to multiple online courses and answer every free online sample question they can find, thinking that they will be able to absorb everything that they watch and read. That is far from the truth. Too many books will in fact confuse you. As boring as that may seem, you'll really get to know and understand the terminology you need for the exam.

This is very hard to say because it is a matter of taste. First of all, the book you choose has to support your personal learning style. And second of all, you also have to like the way it is written. The good news here is that we can safely say this: No matter which PMP exam prep book you choose it will take you to the exam. This is because all of the popular books have been around for several years.

They are in their 4th, 5th or even 8th edition and have been refined over many years. The authors include and explain the concepts you need. So I recommend that you go to your local bookstore or library and leaf through the available guides. Or -- if you prefer -- use the "look inside" feature offered by Amazon. This will give you an idea of what the book is like and if it will work for you. And I am not alone because most training providers these days offer a self-study option. Almost all training providers offer a recorded version of their PMP training online.

Some are better -- some are worse. As a rule of thumb we can say that those courses specifically developed for online consumption are better suited. Using a PMP podcast or another form of a downloadable course gives you the flexibility to carry the course with you no matter where you go. In this way you can study practically everywhere. For example you can whip out your phone as you are waiting at the doctors office and watch 15 minutes of training. Study a chapter in the guide, which is very dry and academic. YouTube offers a vast number of exam training videos for you to watch for free.

Please do not make these videos your primary or only source of exam prep training because more often than not these videos are only focusing on one specific concept and they simply cannot deliver the full training you need in your exam preparation. As you are preparing for the exam using self-study, the only way for you to gauge if you are ready to take the exam is by using an exam simulator.

These simulators allow you to take "mock" exams with questions to be answered in 4 hours -- just like the real thing. This allows you to measure and see how you are doing. Even though we are talking about "self" study here, we must discuss the fact that studying on your own can sometimes be a bore! You have to be really good at motivating yourself to stay focused and upbeat for weeks at end. So why not reach out and find a study partner? And in today's day and age your study partner doesn't even have to live in your area. You can easily meet twice a week over Skype.

You can find a study partner by posting a message in online forums, which is our next point just below. Are you stuck in your studies? Need a study partner but don't know where to turn? There are dozens of online forums where you can post your question and get answers! Preparing for the PMP exam on your own -- though possible -- can be difficult. It's hard to keep motivated and not lose sight of the end goal. A second person can help guide you in your studies and keeps you motivated. What about getting a PMP mentor to help you prepare? If that seems like a good idea, then you have three options:.

A local instructor whom you can meet face to face to discuss your questions and receive guidance. A remote instructor who meets with you virtually over the phone or an online collaboration tool. This can be one-on-one or in a group. It's a series of 14 recorded coaching sessions guiding you in your studies over the course of ten weeks.

There are many pros and cons for each of these three options. The pre-recorded is by far the most cost effective, the local coach is the most personal, and the remote coach the most flexible. Listen to the following podcasts for an overview of what a coach does -- we also added 3 success stories of actual students who have used a PMP coach:.

Click to download MP The ability to take "learning quizzes", simulated exams, and to see statistically where I was strong and where I needed help was HUGE. A PMP mock exam simulates the real exam experience for you, so that you can practice. As an analogy you can think of it as a flight-simulator for the PMP exam allowing you to hone your test-taking skills. Mock exams often come in the form of a PMP exam simulator. The simulator software mimicks the real exam experience as closely as possible in terms of features, functionality and content.

The most important part of the simulator is the content, which comes in the form of PMP sample questions. A good online PMP test will offer at least five complete exams. That's five exams with questions each, allowing you to practice on 1, questions before you go to take the real exam.

Feedback from successful exam takers seems to indicate that preparation with an online exam simulator is a vital key for passing the exam. We have developed the following list of criteria to help you in your selection process. Use these to compare the simulators on your short list against each other. But most importantly they agree to develop materials that follow the PMI determined quality requirements.

In this way you can be sure that your simulator is based on PMI standards. This is potentially the most important criteria in this list because ever so often I still come across free PMP exam sample questions that are based on previous versions. This is like reading an astronomy text book from the middle ages and learning that the world is flat! The more questions a simulator offers the better for you!

And the more people participated in the development of those questions the better as well. The "real" PMP exam questions are developed by dozens of volunteers from around the world. So you want to make sure that your chosen simulator has a large team of developers as well. Once you have completed an exam in the simulator you want to spend some time in reviewing your result. A good rule of thumb is to invest the same time in reviewing the exam result as you did in taking the exam itself.

To help you in your review you want to make sure that the simulator offers detailed answers, explanations and references i. Never prepare for your PMP exam on your phone or tablet. You will take the real PMP exam at a desk with mouse and keyboard. So practice "the real thing". The simulator you choose must offer the capability of taking at least five full exams -- That's five exams, all containing questions and you have to answer them within 4 hours. The learning mode should allow you to take a small number of questions without the need of starting a full, 4-hour exam.

Use the learning mode to go through 10 questions over lunch when you have half an hour of spare time. Consider both technical support as well as student support.