Certification Insider

In the project management world, dependencies determine the order in which various activities should be completed. These dependencies usually documented as an activity attribute and help in sequencing the activities on the project schedule network diagram. As you prepare for your PMP exam, it is important to know the difference between discretionary dependencies and mandatory dependencies.

A mandatory dependency is one that “must be” carried out at a particular time. It is usually requirement of some kind based on contracts, laws, company procedures, physical limitations, etc. When the sequence of events is developed for various aspects of the process, mandatory dependencies are placed where they must happen.

A discretionary dependency is one that isn't based on a "have to", but on a "should". These decisions are usually based upon best practices, business knowledge, etc. They are placed on the project diagram where the team members would like them to occur.

Since discretionary dependencies are more arbitrary, they should be fully documented so the reasons for their placement can be maintained and available during future revisions. As a project progresses and adjustments are needed, discretionary dependencies are often reviewed for possible alterations.

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com:

The Six Sigma process uses which of the following quality cycles?

A.) Plan-Do-Check-Act
B.) Plan-Perform-Verify-Act
C.) Plan-Execute-Monitor-Run
D.) Plan-Do-Control-Act

 

Hint:

Deming proposed this quality cycle.


All our questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Stop by at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com and try the PMP Exam Simulator free for 3 days. We also offer 110 free questions at http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

Please click here for the correct answer and explanation.

The PMP exam is a computer based exam with 200 multiple choice questions. This means that each question has exactly one correct answer. The exam will give you exactly four hours to answer these questions. If you prepared well, this should be a breeze. Most find four hours to be more than sufficient for the exam. (It took me 3 hours and 58 minutes because I wasn't feeling well on that day.) Out of these 200 questions, 25 questions are pretest questions. These are randomly places through out the exam and are used for research purposes. These questions will not count towards your final score. But even though you will only be evaluated on the basis of 175 questions you still must answer all 200 because you won't know which are the 25 pretest questions.

PMI does not release the actual score that is required for you to pass the exam. All they tell us is that "The passing score for all PMI credential examinations is determined by sound psychometric analysis." So nobody but PMI knows how many questions you have to answer correctly in order to pass.

This is important: Remember that there is no negative marking on the exam. This means that you are not penalized for questions that you answered incorrectly. There is just "correct" or "wrong" for the scoring. This means that if you leave a question unanswered your answer is "wrong". So remember not to leave any question unanswered. You need to answer them all.

After you click on finish and submit the exam, you will see on-screen whether you passed or failed. This takes about 10 seconds but feels like an eternity. You will also receive a printed examination report that tells you how you did in the various process groups.

To feel confident that you can do it, you must have undergone enough preparations and must have taken practice exams several times based on the lessons learned from the study materials of your choice.

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com:

Maintaining a realistic project schedule is very important for the successful execution of a project. When you develop a schedule, which of the following items from the Project Scope Statement will impact the schedule?

A.) Work Packages
B.) Activity List
C.) Assumptions and Constraints
D.) Activity Attributes

 

Hint:

Think about different parts of the Project Scope Statement.

All our questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Stop by at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com and try the PMP Exam Simulator free for 3 days. We also offer 110 free questions at http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

Please click here for the correct answer and explanation.

You have studied the PMBOK® Guide and numerous additional materials; you believe you have a solid understanding of project management theories and the application of those theories; and you have taken the steps to schedule your PMP Exam, there is just one lingering question…how can you make sure you are able to identify the best answers when it comes time to take the PMP Exam?

The PMP Exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions that need to be answered in four hours. For each question you are provided a scenario along with four answers to choose from. Your job is to choose the correct answer, which can be difficult when more than one answer may look correct. One thing to remember that no matter your personal experiences or even other project management training, the PMBOK® Guide is the basis for answering PMP Exam Questions.

There are several strategies you can use to help yourself determine the best answer when taking the PMP® Exam:

1. After you read the scenario, come up with the answer in your head before taking a look at the answers supplied by the exam.

   You may already know the answer without taking a look at the four answers provided. There is no need to allow the answers provided to confuse you if you know the answer.

2. Read all of the answers provided before choosing one.

   There is no way of knowing if you have made the best choice if you do not read all of the answers.

3. Answers questions that you know and return to those you have not answered later.

   Return to the more difficult or complex questions after taking care of the questions you know. This allows you to obtain the easy points and spend the remaining time on the questions you skipped.

4. Eliminate any answers you know are not correct.

   There are going to be times when you are going to be able to completely eliminate an answer or two which will make answering the question a lot easier.

5. Question answers that contain absolutes such as always, all, every, never, none, and only.

   These answers may look good, but remember absolutes are a dangerous area since there can be exceptions to them. Make sure you consider the restrictive nature of an answer that contains an absolute.

6. Doubt answers that are not familiar to you.

   If any of the answers provided do not seem familiar to you or don’t seem to fit in with the PMBOK® Guide language or terminology, there is a good chance this is not the answer to the question.

7. When two answers seem correct, compare their differences.

   In the case of two answers that seem to both be correct, compare the differences to determine which one is the best answer. There will be differences even if they are slight.

8. Select the answer most logical to you, based on the PMBOK® Guide.

   Based on your knowledge of the PMBOK® Guide select the option that seems to be most logical to you.

9. Answer each question even if you just guess.

   There is no penalty for guessing on the PMP Test. Make sure you select an answer for all 200 questions on the exam even if you guess…you have a 25% chance of getting it correct.

10. For computational questions you are familiar with do the work and then refer to the answers provided.

    If you are familiar with the required calculation to find the correct answer, work the problem before looking at the available answers.

11. For computational questions you are not familiar with work the problem backwards.

    Four possible answers are provided that you can use to work the problem backwards to determine which the correct answer is.

12. Check your answers; only change an answer for a really good reason.

    Your first answer is generally your best so only make changes if you are sure or if clues within the text cue you another answer.

Remember, PMP Questions are based on the PMBOK® Guide and it is your job to find the “best” answer to the scenario provided while taking the PMP® Exam. It is entirely possible that the correct answer may not seem to be evident even using the strategies listed above. Even if there are a couple of questions that seem unanswerable, make sure you at least guess…you have a 25% chance of answering correctly when guessing, where if left unanswered you have a 100% chance of getting it incorrect.

The best method for learning how to put the strategies above to use is practice, practice, practice. Using a PMP ExamSimulator will provide you with that kind of experience. The PMP Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com closely replicates the actual PMP® Exam environment, is based on the current PMBOK® Guide, contains hundreds of sample questions, and provides detailed explanations for all answers. When you are ready to put these test taking strategies to practice and prepare for your opportunity to take the PMP® Exam go to www.pm-exam-simulator.com for free three day trial of a PMP Exam Simulator.