Certification Insider
by Cornelius Fichtner
Cornelius Fichtner help you with your PMP Exam Prep (https://www.project-management-prepcast.com) as well as earn free PDUs (www.pm-podcast.com/pdu). Passing the PMP Exam is tough, but keeping your PMP Certification alive is just as challenging. Preparing for the exam requires an in-depth study of the PMBOK Guide and dedicated study discipline. And once you are PMP certified, then you are required to earn 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) every 3 years to keep your certification alive. Let me help you make this journey easier with tips and tricks on how to prepare for and pass the exam as well as efficiently earning your PDUs once you are certified.
Recent Posts
Episode 549: How to Bring Clarity to Chaotic Projects
Episode 548: From Project Delivery to Value: How Project Managers Create Real Business Impact
Episode 546: The Real Reason Project Requirements Keep Changing
Episode 544: The Four Pillars of Project Success
Episode 543: Catch Project Trouble Early and Protect Your Delivery
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The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com - The answer is at the very bottom:
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You are developing your project’s Human Resource Plan. Your sponsor asked you to take the historical information from previous projects to determination the project’s human resource roles and responsibilities. Which of the following sources contains this information?
A.) Organizational Process Assets
B.) Enterprise Environmental Factors
C.) Project Management Plan
D.) Project Charter
Hint:
Look for the keyword phrase 'historical information'. Only one of these options contains historical information.
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.
ANSWER AND EXPLANATION:
The correct answer is A
Explanation: Organizational Process Assets contain historical information about previous projects.
Reference: PMBOK Guide 4th Edition, page 219
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Posted on: May 25, 2012 10:01 AM
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 “Decomposition” and “work breakdown” are probably not the first words you want to hear with respect to the project you’re managing. However, Decomposition is perhaps the most important technique to understand when it comes to the Scope Management section of the PMP exam. Decomposition involves breaking down the overall project workload into smaller, more manageable tasks. These tasks can subsequently be broken down into smaller tasks until each piece of work can be prioritized, assigned to resources, and tracked in the form of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The idea is to move from large, general deliverables to the specific work packages and tasks that make up each deliverable. In essence, you’re carving up the individual puzzle pieces that make up the puzzle as a whole.
PMI places great importance on Decomposition—you’ll need to know the technique and understand how it is applied to projects. So, what better way to learn about Decomposition than by jumping feet first into the fire (surely there’s joke there…decomposition – fire…but, I digress)! Anyway, why not give it a try on one of your current projects? Apply what you’re studying in real life! Here’s how to get started:
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Determine your main project deliverables
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Create a high-level Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) by ‘chunking’ work into smaller tasks
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Continue to break down high-level tasks into smaller tasks
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Create a system for tracking each task
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Verify that the resulting tasks are manageable
Just one word of caution: Make sure that you’re not spending more time ‘decomposing,’ tracking, and managing tasks than it would take to simply get the work done. Your job is to simplify—not to create more work!
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Posted on: May 24, 2012 03:51 AM
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| Everyone has different ways of studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification. You may carry the PMBOK® Guide around with you, or use flashcards. You may join your local Project Management Institute (PMI)® Chapter and study in a group. Whatever your study path, someone has been there before you.
While everyone has a slightly different story to tell, there are some things that make a big difference to your chances of success with the PMP Exam. Luckily, exam candidates are very happy to share their stories and lessons learned with you. We have reviewed and analyzed a number of lessons learned from the PMP Exam that successful exam takers have posted on our website. Here are our top 7 lessons learned.
 1. Make a plan
“I had a plan laid out and had to rebaseline it twice but it helps to view where you are and align it once every 2-3 days,” says one student on our forum. Create a plan in a format that works for you and stick to it. It’s OK if it changes every so often, but having a plan will allow you to assess if you are on track with your studies. And you can take corrective action if you are not.
2. Read the PMBOK® Guide
You might think this is obvious, but it really does help to have a copy of the PMBOK Guide. “Get a copy of the current edition and read it twice,” recommends one successful student. “The first time highlight the important parts and the second time make flashcards of those highlights. Doing the flash cards will help get the information into your head.” You can then go through your flashcards daily to remind yourself of the key points in the PMBOK® Guide. “It is also a good reference,” the new PMP adds. “Go through the glossary twice… you will notice a few interesting definitions like Elapsed Time and Duration.”
The PMBOK® Guide is the basis for the majority of the questions in the exam, so you really do have to know the concepts and the terminology thoroughly.
3. Take sample exams
Several successful students recommend taking full PMP exams. “The use of full exams besides learning is to get to a discipline in taking the 4 hour exam,” one explains. “If you build on your mistakes, analyze why you are wrong, the final exam will be much easier. I also advise you to mark those answers which you guess, as next time you may guess wrong!”
Note what you got wrong in your sample exams. “You should try to understand why you answered incorrectly,” recommends another successful candidate. “I made a list of some categories such as ‘ITTO knowledge’, ‘Concept not understood’, ‘Question misunderstood’.”
Taking sample exams will help you establish where you need to concentrate your remaining study hours by flagging up the areas that you don’t fully understand.
4. Make the most of your study time
One exam taker explains how they found extra hours in the day to study. “Commuting to my work and back takes 2-3 hours so I decided to utilize this time effectively by listening to The PM PrepCast.”
Find moments in your day where you can study. “If you have an iPhone download an app that will allow you to practice all your ITTO’s,” recommends a student. “It will make it fun to practice.”
Passing the PMP exam successfully requires a lot of study – more than perhaps you first thought. Seek out extra time in the day where you can revise concepts to boost your study hours.
5. Be confident
“Trust yourself,” advises one new PMP. “If you can score around 75-80% in an exam simulator, you can feel confident about passing the exam.” Building your confidence is a key strategy to successfully passing the exam. You want to enter the exam room knowing you have the skills and knowledge to pass the PMP Exam. It will make you feel better about the exam itself, especially if you have not taken an exam for some time.
6. Time yourself
Four hours may seem like a long time but PMP certification holders know that it goes quickly. “Plan on your exam time expanding during the real exam,” suggests one student. “I had been taking practice exams in about 2.5 hours. On the day of the exam, I had under 3 minutes left on my timer when I hit submit. I spent much more time analyzing questions than I had before.”
You don’t want to run out of time in the exam so make sure you know what 4 hours feels like. Check you can get though a complete sample exam in that time.
7. Listen to others
Yes, lessons learned are a great way to prepare! Talk to previous students, discuss your study plans with members of your local PMI Chapter and listen to as many people talking about their own journey to becoming a PMP as you can.
One successful student on our forums recommends listening to interviews through podcasts. “People are asked about their experiences during their preparations and the exam itself,” the new PMP says. “Listening to the different opinions and experiences motivated me a lot. At the beginning of your study time you get an understanding of the effort it takes to pass the PMP Exam.” Talking and listening to others will help you establish if your study plans are on track.
Want more PMP lessons learned? Go to www.pm-prepcast.com/ll to read more advice from previous PMP candidates. There are always great ideas and suggestions that people have for other exam takers. For even more PMP Exam support, take a look at The PM PrepCast for your exam preparation. It’s full of advice, interviews and lessons from people who have successfully taken the journey to becoming a PMP. And when you’ve completed your own PMP journey, don’t forget to come back and share your experiences on the forum as well!
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Posted on: May 24, 2012 02:42 AM
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The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com - The answer is at the very bottom:
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You are developing your IT development project team. Some of the team members need training on the latest software that you are using in your project. Which of the following documents is most useful to find out the information regarding the scheduled training for the team members?
A.) Project Staff Assignments
B.) Training Management Plan
C.) Staffing Management Plan
D.) Human Resource Plan
Hint:
Training needs are developed during the early stages of planning.
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.
ANSWER AND EXPLANATION:
The correct answer is D
Explanation: The Human Resource Plan is used to document details about training and training schedules.
Reference: PMBOK Guide 4th Edition, pages 218, 232
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Posted on: May 18, 2012 08:27 PM
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|  This video:http://bit.ly/M0c0cW is a 30-minute sample from one of our live PMP Exam preparation coaching calls. Each online class consists of over 10 of these calls and each call is about 1:15 hour long. Here you can hear and see the "best of" from Call 07.
The PM StudyCoach Live combines recorded training materials with live, online coaching for your exam success. |
Posted on: May 18, 2012 07:04 AM
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If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat.
- Mark Twain
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