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Welcome to the first issue of our PMP Exam Tips Newsletter. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to one of our PMP Exam preparation newsletters and you may unsubscribe here...

Week after week you will receive PMP Exam tips, sample questions, links to free videos, lessons learned from successful exam takers and much more from us to help you put those three letters "PMP" behind your name.

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We are looking forward to helping you with your PMP Exam preparation.

Until Next Time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has developed a set of criteria and credentials for recognizing Project Management Professionals (PMPs) worldwide. The credentialing process is fairly rigorous, including: three to five documented years of work experience in project management, 35 hours of project management related training, and successful completion of the multiple-choice PMP Exam. The amount of material on the PMP Exam is vast and can seem overwhelming, but don't be intimidated! Having and using the 7 items in this article will ensure you are prepared to meet the exam head-on and achieve optimal results both on exam day and in your future career.

1. PMP Credential Handbook

Including everything from an overview of the PMI certification program to exam policies and procedures, the PMP Credential Handbook is available for free online at: http://www.pmi.org/Certification/~/media/PDF/Certifications/pdc_pmphandbook.ashx. The first 20 pages of the handbook cover many exam basics and are a must-read for every potential examinee. Becoming familiar with the application process, payment policy, and examination administration rules will go a long way to making the actual exam day less stressful.

2. Time

The material on the PMP Exam is vast and detailed. This is not an examination you can "cram" for in a couple of weekends. Plan to take the exam after spending 10-12 solid weeks of studying for an hour or two nearly every day. Naturally, this schedule will have to be flexible enough to fit in with the rest of your responsibilities and commitments.

3. A Study Plan And Schedule

As project managers, we are well aware of the importance of a plan and schedule. Create a study schedule over 10-12 weeks that fits with the rest of your responsibilities. Depending on your job and household commitments, you may need more or less time. Take a practice exam to evaluate your weaknesses and consider spending more time on those areas. Be realistic in how much material you can cover each day and set weekly goals to track your progress. Don't forget to include time for refreshing breaks and activities that you enjoy.

4. PMBOK Guide, 4th Edition

The PMP Exam is based on the most current version of the PMBOK Guide. Specific principles include communication, cost management, human resources, integration, procurement, quality, risk, scope, and time management. It is essential to understand each of these topics individually and how they work together for overall project management success.

5. Self Study Course

It bears repeating: The PMP Exam covers a large amount of material in a relatively short period of time. Don't be discouraged! While many project managers are able to successfully schedule their time to achieve optimal results, almost everyone can benefit from an online or self study course.

The latest generation of self study courses come to you as PMP Podcasts/Videocasts, that you download to your laptop or portable player. In this way your PMP Exam preparation becomes completely portable.

Self study PMP Podcasts help divide the material into manageable portions and assist you in developing a successful schedule. Focused instruction over a specific timeline will help you meet your study goals and may count toward the required 35 hours of project management instruction.

6. PMP Exam Prep Book

There are a wide variety of PMP Exam prep books available. Some people call them "study guides". They complement and explain the dry concepts from the PMBOK Guide and having one at hand in your studies is an absolute must. Go to your local bookstore and select one that fits with your style of learning and covers a variety of high- and low-yield topics.

7. Questions. Questions. Questions.

A large number of free PMP Certification sample questions are available from hundreds of resources on the internet. These free mock exams are a good start, but because they are free they will only go so far for you. You will also want to subscribe to an online PMP Exam Simulator to have access to the highest possible quality of samples.

Your study plan must include answering as many practice questions as possible including at least seven to eight complete 200-question practice exams. This type of preparation will help gauge your study progress and prepare you for the format of the real thing. You will be nervous on exam day, but becoming intimately familiar with types and formats of questions will help reduce anxiety and prepare you for success.

To sum up, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure you are prepared for the PMP Exam. Including these 7 items in your studies will reduce anxiety and eliminate stress associated with the exam day. Study hard and good luck!

How do you manage your time during your PMP Exam?

We have created this short video on YouTube to give you a few ideas on how to approach the PMP exam from a time management perspective.

Just watch this YouTube video and learn how: http://bit.ly/videotips003

This PMP exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com:

You are managing a construction project and your project budget is $20,000. You have spent $17,000 so far and the project is 75% complete. A new project budget of $25,000 has been approved. What should be your cost performance if you want to complete your project within the new approved budget?

A. 1.667
B. 0.882
C. 0.625
D. 0.521

Hint : Calculate the TCPI based on EAC.

Please scroll down to find the answer to this question.

One of the important aspects of preparing for your PMP Certification is going through a process of answering a series of sample questions that are purposely meant to test your readiness for the big day. As you may already have realized, studying for the exam requires a lot of work, including taking numerous sample tests to find out if you can cope with the question format of the actual exam.

This is why we recommend that you take at least 1,000 PMP sample questions. This means that you simulate a complete 4 hours exam to gauge your ability to finish the actual exam on time. As a general rule of thumb: If you are able to correctly answer at least 85% or more of the practice questions on your first try, then you are ready for the PMP Certification Exam.

It is important that you take these sample exams as they prepare you for the rigors of the exam day, and the type of questions that will be asked. It is even possible that you will encounter questions similar to the ones on your sample tests during the actual exam.

Remember that PMI does not release the actual number of questions that you need to answer correctly in order to pass. They are very vague about it and you can read up on the exact scoring system in the PMP Handbook. The best that you can do is to take a shot at practicing with sample exams. That helps you to get prepared.

The correct answer is: C

Reference PMBOK4 - pg:185

Explanation: Since you need to calculate your desired future cost performance, you should calculate the TCPI based on EAC by the formula TCPI = (BAC-EV)/(EAC-AC) = (20,000 - 15,000) / (25,000 - 17,000) = 5,000/8,000 = 0.625. Choice C is the correct answer to this question. 

First I want to thank Harwinder for helping PMP aspirants through his Blog, I had no direction where to start and which books to refer, 'Deep fried Brain' has helped me a lot, In my view 'Deep fried Brain' is a one stop for all the PMP aspirants.

Preparation time: 4 and half months

I have earned 35 contact hours certificate through PM Prepcast, I used to listen daily in my car while commuting to office and home . Pm Prepcast is the most efficient way to learn while traveling thanks to Cornelius Fichtner.

I have stared my preparation with 'Head First PMP' , after completing I have to go Onsite (Sweden) for one month and I carried PMBOK with me and was able to complete one round of study( as I was alone and was able to utilize time)

Had studied Rita Mulcahy once and took all chapter end exams, then read PMBOK twice before taking Mock full length exams.

Last two weeks I was only solving questions.

Andy crowe chapter end exams( good book)
Oliver lehmann 175 questions scored 61%

Closest to the exam is pmstudy mock exams, I took three exams and was scoring in the range of 70-75%. As my scores was consistent for three exams I was confident that I will be able to score the same.

On day before the exam I have scanned PMBOK completely to keep everything in mind, and also ensured to have good sleep , but still I was feeling exam tension so woke up in the morning and went for Jogging ( Usually Jogging is my stress buster) I was feeling fresh and ensured to remain the same till exam.

Started my exam and took one break after 2 and half hours for 3 min,was able to complete the exam in 3hrs 20 minutes. I utilized my remaining time to review the questions. I feel exam to be easy what counts is how cool you are during that four hour duration.

Key to success is to solve as many questions as possible .

Regards
Ravinder

This lessons learned was originally posted here...