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PMP® Examination Tips

How to Study PMBOK ®?

• Most important page of PMBOK is Page no. 43, Table 3-1 and the Data Flow Diagram for every process. One must be thorough with process flow diagrams on these pages which show process interaction.
• PMBOK Guide refers 3 PMI standards - Standard for WBS, Standard for Scheduling Practices and Standard for Earned Value Management. Read these standards also before appearing for exam. As a PMI member you can access the soft copies of these standards.
• Read Appendix G of the PMBOK Guide. It explains in brief various interpersonal and managerial skills which you should be conversant with for the exam
• Also download the PMI Code of Ethics Document from www.pmi.org. You need to read this document thoroughly in order to answer the Professional Responsibility questions in the exam.
• Remember your success formula from your past academic successes and follow the similar study pattern.
• The first reading should start with Appendix which gives overall idea of PMI and read thru' Definitions and Acronyms completely, which will help you to understand the vocabulary of Project Management used in the chapters.
• First reading should be done as per process groups i.e. IPECC (page no 43, Table 3-1 vertically). While reading - cross reference the book. This helps to understand the sub processes grouping in IPECC.
• Thorough practice of PERT, CPM, EVM, EMV numericals is a must.
• Be aware of tools and techniques used in Time, Cost, Quality, and Risk Response Planning.

Mock Examinations

• Start mock quizzes (www.pmsoft.com) only after reading PMBOK ® once thoroughly
• Failure in mock quizzes does not mean you will fail in PMP® examination
• Mock quizzes should be used as an indicator of depth of your preparation
• Respect Intellectual Copyrights of the authors by not photocopying or circulating the Question Banks thru. Mails etc.

Question-oriented Tips

• There are certain questions that contain extra information. This information is irrelevant and it does not relate to the correct answer. Beware of such questions and remember it isn't necessary to use all the information provided to answer the question.
• Each question has only one correct answer. You need to select the most correct or the one which is close to given situation. Beware of choices that represent true statements but are not relevant. Be sure to read all the options before you select any one.
• While answering the question remember that the first priority should be given to the option which is proactive and in favor of the project.Second priority should be given to the project stakeholders.
• Avoid the answers which are in favor of the seller's organization which could not be favorable to the project.
• Any conflict should be resolved in favor of Project and/or project stakeholders
• Beware of following words in questions. At Least, At the Most, Not True, Not False, Except.
• You need to answer the questions from a PMI® perspective-not from your own perspective, which you acquired through experience. Remember that PMI® is trying to present an ideal environment for project managers that might be different from your own experience.
• Beware of answer choices that represent generalizations, which may be characterized by words such as always, never, must, or completely ; these are often the incorrect choices.
• Look out for choices that represent special cases. These choices tend to be correct and are characterized by words such as often, sometimes, may, generally, and perhaps.
• Beware of answer choices which containing words like primary, overall responsibility
• Remember the option choice "Discuss with Senior Management" will be incorrect in most of the cases. Once the project charter is issued by senior management, project manager is responsible for all the decisions
• The correct options may not fit grammatically correct with the question.
• Please note that there are hardly any straightforward questions appearing in the exam, like asking for a definition or asking the Input/Output for a particular process. Instead, these questions will be in a form of a scenario/story in which these processes will be integrated. You need to study the scenario and concentrate on the PMI KEY WORDS appearing in it.

PMI® Concept-oriented Tips

• The project manager takes an active approach to the job by not waiting until a risk materializes and becomes a problem. This is an extremely important concept that might affect many questions on an exam. The project manager does not escalate problems to upper management or to the customer before fully analyzing them and identifying options. When answering a question related to what the project manager should do in a specific situation, you should rephrase the question to: What is the first thing the project manager will do given such a situation and given his or her proactive nature?
• Assume that lessons learned and historical databases are available. This might not be true in a real life situation.
• PMI® does not approve adding extra functionality without benefits or gold plating.
• Project managers have all kinds of soft and hard skills.
• The Work Breakdown Structures (WBSs) are wonderful tools.
• Roles and responsibilities need to be properly defined.

General Tips

• You should memorize all formulae, especially the Earned Value and PERT.
• Practice eliminating the completely implausible options first.
• There is no penalty for guessing; thus, do not leave any question blank.
• There will always be those situations where you have no idea what the question is asking. Use educated guessing to select the most appropriate option. Remember, you have only 80 seconds for each question. If you do not know the answer of a question, mark it and move on and revisit it later if you have time.
• Answer the questions based on the PMBOK® concepts first, and then consider your experience. If they are in conflict, the PMBOK® wins.
• Remember your rough work should be fair particularly for Numerical. There could be multiple questions on the same numerical for CPM & EVM
• Do not mark the answers for review selected purely by educated guess .Generally first instinct is right.
• Use review option judiciously. You should not control because you can control. Remember control also costs. There is also a possibility that you may change correct answers during review and go below the Golden Figure

Who recognizes the PMP® certification?

• Major companies and government agencies worldwide recognize the PMP® certification. Several Fortune 1000 companies demand that all of their employees or subcontractors that are engaged in project management activities should be PMP®. In other words, the PMP® certification has become a market differentiator; companies that do not have PMP® certification programs are at a competitive disadvantage.

Did Not Find What You Were Looking For?

• For any other related information which you think is not addressed above: Please write to elearning@pmsoft.com

Share Your Tips

• Did you find these tips and techniques helpful? What other tips would you offer your peers who are preparing to sit for the PMP® exam? Drop a mail to elearning@pmsoft.com

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