I'm looking for some guidance on the best way to study for the exam and major focus areas, can anyone help me? I'm also looking for local study groups. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Oct 17, 2016 8:38 PM
Replying to Daryn Clark
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I joined the chapter but don't see where to sign up for this, where is it on the site? I also paid for the chapter however I have not been granted full access yet.
Daryn, I had not realized the study group was not part of the DVC. Here's a link
David GentryPresident| Lean-Agile Advisers, LLCHillsborough, Nc, United States
Here is what helped me:
1. PM Training at pmtraining.com. This is an excellent online course with a live instructor. There are also excellent supplementary materials given with the course.
2. "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try" by Andy Crowe. There are several books to supplement the PMBOK. The PMBOK is not easy to read.
3. Joining a local PMI chapter and getting advice about passing the exam.
4. A lot of study and taking practice exams. I had a period of relatively free time and between taking the course, studying, applying to take the exam (a lengthy process in itself) and taking the practice tests, I consumed about 4 hours per day for 5-6 days per week for 3 months before I took the exam.
Best of luck! Do not underestimate this exam. It is not a slam-dunk.
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1 reply by Anupam
Oct 18, 2016 10:21 PM
Anupam
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The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try by Andy Crowe is a good supplement book. You also get free trial subscription to 'InSite' online prep tool, and question bank.
1. PM Training at pmtraining.com. This is an excellent online course with a live instructor. There are also excellent supplementary materials given with the course.
2. "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try" by Andy Crowe. There are several books to supplement the PMBOK. The PMBOK is not easy to read.
3. Joining a local PMI chapter and getting advice about passing the exam.
4. A lot of study and taking practice exams. I had a period of relatively free time and between taking the course, studying, applying to take the exam (a lengthy process in itself) and taking the practice tests, I consumed about 4 hours per day for 5-6 days per week for 3 months before I took the exam.
Best of luck! Do not underestimate this exam. It is not a slam-dunk.
The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try by Andy Crowe is a good supplement book. You also get free trial subscription to 'InSite' online prep tool, and question bank. Saving Changes...
If you go back to the beginning of my blog, you'll get my experiences and ramblings covering a 25 week period as I prepared for the PMP exam. I don't recommend it, but it is there.
What I do recommend to anyone preparing for the PMP exam is:
* Know your learning style(s). There are videos, podcasts, books, flashcards, apps, practice exams, boot camps, etc... There are many free or cheap resources. You may learn best using more than one approach. Know how you learn best, and mix it up to keep your mind fresh. Employing a weak learning style can cause frustration and be counterproductive to the learning you are trying to accomplish.
* Unless one of your strongest learning styles is reading encyclopedias, don't try to read the PMBOK straight through. Use it as a reference in conjunction with another exam prep book. The good exam prep books I've seen will point you back to specific parts of the PMBOK, while providing you with additional information that you can stay awake while reading.
* I didn't take a boot camp, but they are not a bad thing. Just don't fall for the promise that you can attend the 4-day boot camp and take the exam on the fifth day. That only works if you already have approval to take the exam, which means you already have to have the education units - the boot camp only gives you the education units you need if you complete it before you apply to take the exam.
* Practice writing the formulas and the process groups/knowledge areas. I'm assuming you still get a piece of paper when you take the exam. If you can fill it with the formulas and the process groups/knowledge areas, it will be easier to use this information when you are in the middle of a question.
* Give your brain a break. The night before the exam, avoid studying. Relax. Work out. Get plenty of sleep. You want to be mentally and physically rested when you take the exam. Saving Changes...
Praveen MalikIndependent Consultant| Independent ConsultantNew Delhi, India
Hi, I have written a post that describes 15 Reasons Why People Failed the PMP Exam - You should read this and imbibe all the points written in the post. This will help you in determining what you should do and what you should avoid. For example you must attend a training course and you should read PMBOK Guide. But you should not overtly rely on free sources (some free sources are good). All the best.
All comments listed on here are valuable. I just recommend you that you plan well as if you plan for your project, and you should know where you have to go and where you currently are during the preparation of the exam. So you might need to gauge your readiness in some point of preparation, please devise your own way to monitor your readiness and adjust you plan as needed. Saving Changes...
I would recommend reading PMBOK over and over. I also bought a membership from Career Academy (http://bit.ly/2fnjzjJ) and took their online PMP training, it helped me prepare for the certification exam and it gave me the 35 PDU's that I needed. Lastly, you should take some simulator exams to gauge if you are ready or not. Saving Changes...
Markus KopkoAI Enabler for Project & Program Mgmt | Founder PMotion.ai / The PM
AI Coach| PMotion.aiHamburg, Hamburg, Germany
If you are actually preparing for the PMP exam the following information might be useful for you.
I have written a blog about the timeline to become a PMP this year, before the exam will change based on the upcoming new PMBoK Guide.
This blog shows a sample timeline when you should have started if you want to assure to have the option to go for all three attempts if necessary.
If you are searching for a proper online course (which provides also the needed 35 contact hours for the PMP exam application) then please have a look at another blog from me:
I have used this one by my own and from my perspective it is probably the best prep course available out there.
They do offer a great bundle package this month where the course is bundled with their also great simulator for a really nice discount.
You can't get more value actual!
If you are in the final zone of your preparation you might just need a good simulator to validate your knowledge and to assess your exam readiness?!
Well besides the great simulator by the PrepCast team there is another good option to go for, the simulator by PMAspire.
And they do also offer a nice discount this month; please have a look here:
And please do not hesitate to ask any further question you might have in the context of the PMP exam preparation.
Regards,
Markus
PS: If all this stuff is overwhelming you (what is really normal for most of the aspirants in the beginning) than our "let me be your PMP prep guide" - program might be of interest for you.
Please have a look here how to apply to this one:
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