How to prepare for PMP exam

Submitted by Vishwanath on Thu, 11/01/2012 - 05:10

 Dear Friends,

      Could any one of our friends kindly post on the preocess of preparaing to clear PMP exam. Whats would be the best way to prepare for the exam and request to share the plan and tips to clear PMP.

I am planning to appear in the month of Dec 24th 2012. Request to kindly help me for preparation of PMP. Since that I couldnt clear in my previous attempt, didnt want to take a chance again. Plz  assists.

Regards,

Vishwanath

 

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PMP / CAPM exam Question bank
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admin

Thu, 11/01/2012 - 13:30

Dear Vishwanath

PMZilla has lot of experience sharing already . Try to read those posts and I am sure it will be of help to you

Regards

g-sunny

Thu, 11/01/2012 - 13:59

Dear Vishwanath,

Please try to write two Full length Mock exams, if you have completed reading PMBOK. Make sure you write PMstudy free exam and another of your choice, the result will tell you where you are, on what you need to focus.

If you have not completed the PMBOK, try to finish at least one month before exam and try the above. all the best.

saket_pmp

Sat, 11/03/2012 - 18:13

Focus more on reading, understanding and grasping PMP contents rather to focus on Mock test. Make sure you read and understand PMBOK as PMI is going to refer PMBOK and just PMBOK to frame PMP questions. You may refer some of the popular reference book to understand PMBOK paragraph and get some example on project management.


Mock test comes after this knowledge grasping phase. When you attempt various mock tests make sure you consistently score around 65-70% in all 5 process group to be very sure and accurate.


Good Luck!


Saket, PMP

faisaliiuc's picture

faisaliiuc

Sun, 11/04/2012 - 06:05

Dear Saket Bhai:

Thanks for your input... Im also writing practice exam and scoring between 65 ~72%. attemped one PMSTUDY and one ESI exam... 

I have confusion in Network diagram related question. can u pls suggest some good reference to clear my concept?

Thanks.

Faisal

saket_pmp

Sun, 11/04/2012 - 17:37

Hey Faisal,


When you have a goal, you must play with a plan. Understand a reality that almost 180 questions in PMP exam will be situational questions. These 180 questions will neither need any network diagram, nor will need any calculation. I would say, concentrate on these 180 questions if you are not comfortable with questions on network diagrams.


If you still want to grasp the concept on network diagram, please refer Headfirst and Andy book, I have seen they have explained the concepts with diagram and explanation pretty well. When you take good mock test you will encounter some question on this for practice. Moreover if you have Rita FT, you can search and browse such questions. Another way is google i.e. use keywords like PMP, EVM etc and you will see example and tips from various experts.


When you have so many options why worry? Even if you do not worry, you still have 180 questions in hand to attempt well and pass.


Good Luck!


Saket, PMP

go4pmp

Tue, 11/06/2012 - 17:43

Hello Saket,

What is a good source to practice situational questions?

My problem is, when I read the question I think in one direction. Get it wrong. Then during review, I re-read again and see another direction. Don't know how to get the hang of the question.

Thanks in advance

saket_pmp

Tue, 11/06/2012 - 18:15

Good source is the one where you score low. Keep in mind you can find gaps and make lesson learnt from mistake you do and never from the success have you achieved. So, always go for mock test where you score low and you find question to be tough, that gives you more scope to remove gaps.


Secondary thought on the same contents means confusion that means lack of knowledge. Keep with you PMBOK and some good reference book, read a section from PMBOK and read the same section from the other reference book to understand it better. This way your understanding skill would enhance.


Situational question is like 80/20 rule, because, 80% of its contents can be put into dustbin. And that’s the trick to solve situational question. No one can teach this technique, if that was possible PMP exam would have not existed. Practice more and more mock questions and you will develop this technique. The day you catch the technique to trim down the long situation question into 5-10 keywords of IITO, you are ready for the PMP exam.


Good luck!


Saket, PMP
 

go4pmp

Sat, 11/10/2012 - 22:30

Thank You Saket for your quick reply.

Here is my understanding: Most of the situational questions (except the ethics ones) will be based on ITTO. The trick is to understand which of the 42 processes they are talking about. They may mix couple of them, but they are really asking only one of them. They will not mention the TT or the process name directly. Please let me know if this statement is correct or not.

Now these situational questions are pretty lengthy (your 80/20 rule), how are the answers? Do they have just the process name or do they have lengthy answers describing the process.

Thank You

 

 

saket_pmp

Sun, 11/11/2012 - 05:00

With august 2011 changes, there is no separate process group like ethics, and hence questions from ethics will be part of the existing 5 process group now. You should get situational question from ethics too, see an example how ethics questions are asked now…


You are a project manager and making weekly project status report for the next day. This is a Christmas/new-year week and you well know that majority of your stakeholders will be on holiday and would not attend your weekly project status report meeting. With huge project load with you what best you can do with the best interest of the project:
A) Put ample time and create the project status report with correct data.
B) As you know there will be little attendance, you can put some information based on assumption to save your time.
C) You can copy data from the last week and use similar revised data for this week knowing nothing much has changed this week in your project, this way you can also save some time.
D) Cancel the meeting because you know the relevance of project status report this week is not much because of holidays.


This is a typical example of ethics question after august 2011 changes. As you see above I have clubbed ethics with M&C process group and it’s purely a situational questions.


This example also addressed your other part i.e. can choices be lengthy. Yes why not.


Saket, PMP
 


 

Vishwanath

Mon, 11/05/2012 - 05:26

 Thanks a ton for your valuable suggesstions. I have a doubt can you please clarrify:-

Can you kindly share tips for understanding the process interaction and how do we memorize.

Is head first sufficient for preparation of Exam to refer?

Can you kindly provid eyour inputs please.

 

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Vishwanath

saket_pmp

Tue, 11/06/2012 - 18:14

Preparing for the PMP exam and passing it does not have any formula. You can be best and fail and being worst you can pass too. This is the power of psychometric analysis.


IITO is the base of PMP exam. How you grasp it, its up to you, some people memorize it, some play games with it, some understand it, some listen on mobile etc. Find out your own ways. The most common technique that works for the most of the people is practice. I believe in it too. The more mock test you take, the higher confidence you gain.


I would suggest read PMBOK with any one reference book like Headfirst and not just Headfirst. Keep in mind, PMI is going to frame PMP question by just looking at PMBOK. So you should know that every line of PMBOK is actually a potential PMP question.


Good Luck!


Saket, PMP

Peter Ramos (not verified)

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 01:41

Hi Viswanath,

How have you been doing?

There are actually no fixed formula for preparing for a PMP exam. I am also a PMP aspirant and I must say the PMP preparations has been tough all the way. However I have been helped on the way by PMstudy a lot!!!!

On the preparations front I took the one of PMstudy's online tests and found it really good.

After lots of research I have now enrolled in PMstudy's 4 day Bootcamp program and I woul be attending their bootcamp in the last week of this month.

There are many providers who might be good but its better to try it out yourself before selecting anything.

Do let me know if you would be needing any help regarding exam tips.

Regards,

Pete

Vishwanath

Wed, 11/28/2012 - 10:47

 Hi Friends,

             I have Rita Mulcahy's 6th Edition with me. Is this book sufficient for clearing pmp exam. Plz provide your valuable inputs for the same.

Regards,

Vishwanath

 

phnhuong

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 08:14

 I have read both Rita Mulcahy's 6th Edition and Rita Mulcahy's 7th Edition. They NOT many different so Ecdition 6 is OK.

Regards

Pham Hong