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It's time for the next issue of our PMP Exam newsletter. My how time flies when you have an exam to get ready for...
But first... we have a special offer for all our loyal readers: Get a $15 discount on The PMP Exam Simulator for the price of a tweet or a Facebook post. Click on the following for details:
http://www.pm-exam-simulator.com/index.php/pmexamsim15-promo
Here is what you will find in this week's issue:
- Article from guest writer Jessica Parklanes about "The Right Approach to a PMP Certification Exam"
- PMP Exam sample question
- PMP Exam tip
- PMP Exam video about the value of practicing the PMP exam in a realistic environment
- Lessons learned from Abdallah Timoulali
Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
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The Right Approach to a PMP Certification Exam
By Jessica Parklanes |
The 200 questions that will make or break your career advancement are the questions of the PMP Certification Exam, so pay attention to your PMP preparation as if your life depended on it; it does. But during the exam, it will be a different story so read on.
What Goes On During a PMP Certification Exam?
The exam simply requires you to pick out the best answer from multiple choices. There will be 25 pre-test questions randomly positioned yet these are not scored but you will have to answer a minimum of 106 out of 175 questions to earn your PMP certification.
The 4-hour PMP Certification Exam is computer-based but you will need your calculator, rough sheets, pencils, and an ear plug. After you submit exam, a mark-sheet in the Prometric center will let you know how you have fared. The 4 hour ordeal is over.
Organize Your Study
The bulk of the preparation are case studies on different management situations and theories. It will be about the HOWs or WHYs a project manager responds to project crisis in relation to several resources, planning and monitoring of the project. But note that each case will be unique and will require a specific action or theory.
Study Guides
Refer to the study guides and take the mock quizzes after you have completed a lesson. If you have botched it, review the entire lesson, focusing on the area where you have failed. Also, time your quizzes - to get used to the idea of a 4 hour PMP Certification Exam.
Review Previous Notes
If you have taken a course previously, take out your old notes. You can see threads of similarities because the course dwells on the standard knowledge in project management. Your previous notes will eventually broaden your understanding of the different subject areas.
Understand what you Are Reading
Memorizing your notes is helpful but remember that the situations that will vary. Understand their relationships and applications best suited for each case. No matter how the case is presented as long as you have understood the principles you can easily pick out the correct answer from the four possible answers in the multiple choice exam.
Try the Free Online Practice Exams
There are several of these exams online. Try them out so you can learn from the inputs along areas where you have chosen both right and wrong answers. These useful inputs can be added to your store of knowledge.
Strategize Your Preparation
The roadmap to your PMP Certification Exam gets a much needed boost from professional coaching. If the whole idea is to attack a course that's related to your management expertise, anticipate the questions to be directed in handling people in a team, their learning styles, procurement strategies, and applicable theories.
Concentrate on the answers you got wrong. Review the crib notes to understand the how the correct answer relates to the question. Get books on the topic or do your research on online libraries. The more explanations you come across, the deeper your understanding of the theory and practice.
The responsibility to learn is yours. These strategies help you lessen that mental load and steer you towards the right direction for your PMP Certification Exam. Anybody can take the course but not everybody uses strategic learning tricks.
A thorough PMP certification exam or PMP exam prep is the hallmark of an excellent PMP training.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Parklanes
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Practice, Practice, Practice
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 Reading the PMBOK Guide and learning project management theory as part of your exam preparation only goes so far. At some point you are going to have to ask yourself: "Am I ready to take the PMP Exam?". Here is the secret to answering this question and passing the exam on your first try: Practice - practice - practice!
The PM Exam Simulator offers you the opportunity to take 9 computer-based sample PMP Exams before heading out for the real thing. Be ready to succeed on exam day!
Watch this YouTube video and learn more: http://bit.ly/kTBVtG
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Sample PMP Exam Question
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This PMP Exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com:
Question: You are managing an amusement park development project. You have received the following estimates for site excavation and area development activity that is critical to the success of your project. The most likely estimate is $100,000, the optimistic estimate is $90,000, and the pessimistic estimate is $120,000. What is the expected activity cost?
A. $ 101,666
B. $ 100,000
C. $ 120,000
D. $ 90,000
Hint: Use the PERT Formula
Please scroll down to find the answer to this question. |
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Exam Tip: Read and understand your books |
 The PMP Exam is mainly based on A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). The most current version was published in 2008 and most people find a bit difficult to read. But due to the fact that the exam is based on this book, it is important that you actually read and understand all that it contains. As a supplement to studying the PMBOK Guide in preparing for the exam you need to get additional reference material. I recommend that you buy a separate PMP Exam
Prep book that will further enhance your understanding of the subject matter. These books will help make the complicated concepts from the PMBOK Guide clearer and they also give you more information and tips on how to prepare for and pass the PMP Exam
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So here is my tip: read and understand the concepts from the PMBOK Guide and from a separate PMP Exam Prep book. Also work through the sample questions and exercises in your prep book. And lastly, take as many sample exams as you can to gauge your understanding of the concepts. Go back and review the sections in the books that you did not score well and try again.
When you start scoring above 80% the first time you take any mock exam then you are ready for the real exam. Remember that it takes a lot of preparation to make sure that you pass your PMP Exam and receive your certification. So study hard, learn well and be confident of your ability to get your certification.
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Solution
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 The correct answer is: A
Reference PMBOK4 - pg:173
Explanation: PMBOK recommends the use of PERT in estimating durations and costs. The PERT estimation formula is (Optimistic + 4xMost Likely + Pessimistic) / 6. For the given data, this results in 101,666.66. Hence choice A is the correct answer to the question.
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Lessons Learned from Abdallah Timoulali
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The 23/6/2011 was a great day for me. I passed the Pmp exam for the first try after officially 3 month of studying.
Study material :
- PMBOK English version
- PMBOK French version
- PMBOK Arabic version
- Study material from our training center
- The PM Prepcast
- PMP Formula Study Guide
- Free pmp exams as possible
- 4 PMP Simulated Practice Tests from PM study for the last.
As English is my third language after Arabic and French I used the translated version of PMBOK in French and Arabic witch I download from PMI as PMI member. I needed to understand the concept behind the words.
Read more here...
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