|
In this issue... |
|
 Hi ,
You've read the PMBOK Guide, you've studied hard and you
feel that you are ready to take the PMP exam. But understanding the
topics isn't the only thing you'll need to make a success of the exam.
Wouldn't it be great to have the chance to take some sample questions,
so you really know what the exam is going to be like? You can use a PMP exam simulator to give you an insight into what sort of questions you'll face during the exam. Read this week's articles to know the Top 10 Features of a Great PMP Exam Simulator.
Also see how The PM Exam Simulator helped Srinivasa Chekuri pass the PMP exam. Plus get a usual dose of exam tips and tricks.
Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
|
Recommended Study Materials
|
 PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide by Kim Heldman, PMP
Written by project management expert Kim Heldman, PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide (Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate) is an excellent book that will guide project managers on their way to the PMP Exam. It provides comprehensive coverage of the exam objectives, essential PMP topics, concepts, and key terms.
Your benefits are:
- Prepare you to take the PMP Exam and the CAPM Exam both offered by PMI. It covers all essential procedures and concepts from PMBOK Guide, 4th Edition.
- Uses real-world scenarios and How This Applies to Your Current Project sidebars to fully illustrate concepts.
- Includes CD with testing software, practice exams, electronic flashcards, and over two hours of audio review.
- Serves as a valuable go-to book to keep on hand -- even after the exam.
Project managers who took the exam noted how PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide is exceptional in teaching useful information that consistently appeared on the test.
For more information and customer reviews, click here!
Full Disclosure: PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide is an affiliate product. If you click and choose to purchase the book, we will earn a commission.
Source: http://www.project-management-exam-guide.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7
|
|
Top 10 Features of a Great PMP Exam Simulator |
You've read the PMBOK Guide, you've studied hard and you feel that you are ready to take the PMP exam. But understanding the topics isn't the only thing you'll need to make a success of the exam. Wouldn't it be great to have the chance to take some sample questions, so you really know what the exam is going to be like?
You can use a PMP exam simulator to give you an insight into what sort of questions you'll face during the exam. Here are 10 things to look for when choosing which PMP exam simulator to use:
1. Does it have full exam mode?
Choose a simulator that offers full exam mode. This will show you what the PMP exam is really like. With full exam mode, you can take a complete practice exam in your own home or office. It's very realistic, and taking practice exams like this will help you understand what to expect on the day.
2. Does it have lots of questions?
You don't want to be sitting at the computer after a day of studying and find that the same questions appear on the screen time and time again. Choose a PMP exam simulator that has lots of questions, preferably over 1,500. This will give you plenty of variety. Varied questions are more challenging, more interesting for you, and make your experience of the simulator more realistic.
3. Are the questions presented in the same proportion as in the exam?
Having lots of questions is only half the story: you also need to make sure that the questions presented on screen are shown in the same proportion as in the PMP exam itself. For example, in the real exam, 13% of the questions will come from Initiating a Project. If your PMP exam simulator shows too few or too many questions from this section, you won't get a realistic view of what you'll be presented with on your exam day.
4. Is the vendor a PMI Registered Education Provider?
A Registered Education Provider (R.E.P) is an organization approved by PMI to issue PDUs for its training materials. You might not have your PMP certification yet, but get into good habits now and make sure that you use a PMP exam simulator from a reputable, PMI approved company.
5. Who wrote the questions?
You want to know who is behind all these questions, don't you? Try to find a PMP exam simulator that has questions written by a group of PMPs. That way, you know that behind the scenes the question writers have adapted a variety of styles, debated over the answers and the phrasing, and peer reviewed each others' work.
6. Is there a 'mark for review' feature?
In the real exam, you'll see the 'mark for review' feature. This enables you to put a question to one side for the moment and return to it at the end. Don't let a difficult question take up all of your time. In the real exam, you'll want to skip it and complete as many of the questions as possible, then go back to the ones you have marked for review. A good PMP exam simulator will let you do the same.
7. Does it have a learning mode?
There's more to PMP exam preparation than just taking practice exams. You can also use a PMP simulator to help you learn. In learning mode, you can get hints for the questions, or you can see the answer to the question. This is useful if you want to consolidate what you have learned so far.
8. Does it explain why you got questions wrong?
You also need to know why you got questions wrong! It's very frustrating to just see 'Wrong' on the screen without an explanation or a reference back to other materials so that you can revise your understanding of that concept. A good PMP exam simulator will explain the rationale and help you understand why you made a mistake.
9. Is it based on the most recent PMBOK Guide?
This is an obvious one: you need to choose a simulator to help with your PMP exam prep that is based on the most recent PMBOK Guide! If it isn't, you can't guarantee the relevance of the questions or the accuracy of the answers.
10. Will it let you take the tests multiple times?
A great simulator won't limit the amount of times you can take the tests. Repeating the tests (especially if you got some of the answers wrong) is a good way to gain confidence and improve your exam results. Look for a PMP exam simulator that allows you to retake the tests as many times as you like.
Last but not least, your PMP exam simulator will not only help you prepare properly for the exam, but it will also help you approach the exam environment confidently. You'll know what to expect, and prior knowledge is a great stress reliever! A great PMP simulator will give you an important edge in passing that all-important exam.
|
|
Finding the Best Answer to PMP Exam Sample Questions
|
|
 The PMP Exam is not an easy exam. You have to find the correct answer to 200 multiple choice questions within 4 hours. That's just 1.2 minutes for each. And sometimes it looks like more than one of them are correct. In this free episode of The PM PrepCast we discuss 2 concepts and 4 techniques of how to approach questions and finding the "best" answer. This episode is a good example of a series of episodes in which we discuss study tips and tricks. We empower you.
Watch this video we have prepared for you: http://bit.ly/o6kDMj
|
|
Sample PMP Exam Question
|
|
|
The following PMP exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com.
You are managing a software development project. Your project team has developed a software product with many features but poorly organized documentation. Which of the following is correct in this scenario?
A.) It has low grade but high quality
B.) It has high grade but low quality
C.) It has high grade and high quality
D.) It has low grade and low quality
Hint: Grade and quality are not the same. Grade is a category assigned to products, whereas quality is "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements".
|
|
|
Exam Tip: Interpersonal Skills a PMP Needs: 5. Influencing |
In Appendix G, the PMBOK Guide discusses Interpersonal Skills for the project manager. We are currently reviewing these one by one in our weekly PMP exam tip. This week's topic is influencing.
If you want to become a successful project manager, it is important to be able to influence people. Just as critical is understanding when and how to use those skills and to ensure that you don't become a manipulator. There is a fine line.
The role of a project manager is to bring together people from various departments and getting everyone to work together toward a common goal. Sometimes it can be difficult to get all of these different people to understand and agree on the details of reaching that goal. A good project manager will use her skills to influence people and help them to come to an agreement.
As you consider the influencing skills needed, remember your goal as a PMP should be long term collaboration. Not just during the project but also after the project has long finished and your project's result is being used by the end user. This will allow you to foster an environment of trust among all the team members both during and after the project's duration.
|
|
| Answer |
|
 Answer: The correct answer is B
Explanation: It has high grade and low quality. Quality is the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements. Grade is a category assigned to products or services having the same functional use but different technical characteristics.
Reference: PMBOK4 - pg:190
|
|
Lessons Learned from Srinivasa Chekuri
|
I am happy to share my success of PMP Certification. I am thankful to you all for your valuable suggestions and guidance provided through this forum as well as other forums. My special sincere thanks of appreciation and respects to Cornelius Fichtner and authors of various books related to Project Management who have made this possible with their valuable resources.
My PMP Certification Plan:
I can say it took me around 4 months. The following are the resources used.
1.PM Prepcast Project Management Course - I can say this is one of the best resources to start with and Cornelius has done a wonderful job of explaining the concepts thoroughly that can be easily understood. I got 35 Contact Hours after going through this course and taking an examination at the end.
2.PMP Exam Preparation - Rita Mulcahy. A great book in terms of information, content and concepts. This is the only book I read through once completely.
3.Head First PMP - You will enjoy reading this book but I read only about 4 or 5 chapters overall.
4.PMI's PMBOK - This is a must but after going through PM Prepcast and Rita Mulcahy book I hardly found any time and completed this in about 10 hours as though someone is chasing me with the fear that how am I attending a PMP certification without reading PMBOK just 2 or 3 days before exam.
5.PM Exam Simulator - I found this very useful and this is the only resource I have used for practice exams apart from the chapter tests from Rita's book and Head First free exam. Read more here..
|
|
|
|
