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In this issue... |
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 Hello ,
Welcome to another issue of the PM Exam Tips Newsletter. Here is what's in store in this week's issue:
Last but not the least, Congratulations to our new PMP's!
Until Next Time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
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Recommended PMP Exam Study Material: Head First PMP: A Learner's Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam
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The Head First PMP: A Learner's Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate) offers a fresh perspective on preparing for the PMP Exam certification. Not the typical, dry PMP preparation book, this one explains the current principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, 4th Edition in a clever and entertaining way.
Instead of simply loading yourself with heavy words and formulas to memorize, Head First PMP works with the brain by using a very engaging, visually rich format: mental games, stories, questions, answers and graphics. The author uses the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory to simplify the difficult four-hour PMP exam. The multi-sensory approach makes it very easy for you to retain the information that you need for the exam.
This book will help you:
- Pass the certification exam with flying colors. It has a strategy on the underlying concepts that make The PMBOK Guide principles more manageable to understand.
- Learn everything you need to know for the exam. It has one hundred percent coverage of the latest principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, 4th Edition.
- Test yourself thoroughly and effectively. It has hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies that will gauge your readiness to take the exam.
- Explore the material through puzzles, games, problems, and exercises that make learning easy and entertaining. It has all these fun and witty methods designed for you not to get bored!
With Head First PMP: A Learners Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam, you can apply the principles not only to the exam, but also to your everyday work life.
For more information and customer reviews, click here!
Full Disclosure: Head First PMP: A Learners Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam is an affiliate product. If you click and choose to purchase the book, we will earn a commission.
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| Congratulations! |
Our warmest congratulations go to the following students of ours who have recently passed their PMP Exam:
- Amin Abdelsalam, PMP
- Mohammed Shahjahan, PMP
- Pedro Ortiz, PMP
- Larry McPhail, PMP
- Faiz Zahir, PMP
Have you passed your exam as well? Then let us know by writing to examtips@pm-prepcast.com
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| A PMP Exam Simulator will help you pass your PMP Exam |
 The Project Management Professional (PMP) credential is considered all over the world as a mark of a professional project manager. Employers take the credential into account when recruiting, and it also provides individuals with confidence in their own abilities. However, becoming a PMP requires a pass mark in the exam as well as practical experience, so preparing fully for your exam day will give you the best possible chance of becoming a PMP.
Reading the PMBOK Guide and learning the project management theory is only part of the preparation you can do. There are a number of PMP exam simulators available and these products help you prepare for the style of exam by providing the opportunity to take sample exams before you sit the real thing. Here are 5 reasons why an exam simulator should be an essential part of your preparation for the exam.
Reason #1: You can practice under test conditions
Taking computer-based exams is a relatively new thing, and it is probably not how you took exams at school. A PMP exam simulator will give you the opportunity to practice with the computer-based format before you have to take the real thing. You can have a go at a sample exam at home or at work and this will make sure that you know what to expect on your exam day. Use a simulator to get acquainted with the simulated testing environment and all the features that it offers, like the ability to mark questions for review.
Reason #2: You can experience a 4 hour exam
Under exam conditions you will have 4 hours to answer 200 questions for the PMP exam. Four hours is a long time to sit in front of a computer answering questions, so it is useful to have the experience of what this feels like before you take the real exam. A useful part of your PMP exam preparation is to take a full sample exam with a full set of 200 questions. You can use this practice time to test your time management skills. Check that you have enough time to complete all the questions, and that there is still enough time left to go back and check any that you have marked for review. This will give you the confidence to know that you will be able to make it through all the material during the actual exam.
Reason #3: It helps build self-confidence
You would never take a driving test without having driven a car, would you? It's the same thing with other types of exam. The more practice you have at the format of the exam and the content of the questions, the more confidence you will have that you will be able to take the real PMP exam and pass successfully. Using a PMP exam simulator gives you the opportunity to review your learning and check your abilities. Once you have tried several sample exams in full exam mode, you will know what to expect and have the self-confidence you need to tackle the PMP exam head on.
Reason #4: It enables you to check your learning
Using an exam simulator is, of course, not the only test preparation that you will do for the PMP exam. You might have chosen an online course, books or maybe even a classroom-based course to supplement your own reading and study for the exam. An exam simulator provides the advantage of verifying that you are able to apply your PM own experience and the concepts you have studied to realistic exam questions. In other words, you are checking that you can translate the theories and ideas you have learned into a good chance of success in the exam. Becoming a PMP, however, is about more than just passing the exam: you should be able to apply the concepts to the project you manage at work too. But a simulator will give you a chance to check that you have understood those concepts accurately.
In addition, using a simulator will expose you to a variety of scenario-based project management questions, and understanding these short scenarios and being able to apply personal experience and the concepts of the PMBOK Guide is what the exam tests.
Reason #5: It fits around your schedule
Don't let a busy scheduled be an excuse for not spending time studying for your PMP exam. An exam simulator is a great solution for busy project managers. PMP exam simulators are available either to download and install on your PC, or they are available online. If you are often travelling or want to make use of downtime, choose a simulator that is accessible online from anywhere and you can use those moments stuck at airports or between meetings to fit in some study.
Preparing for any exam requires you to dedicate time to studying. The PMP exam is no different, and you can increase your chances of success by preparing thoroughly and using a PMP exam simulator. This will give you exposure to the format of the exam questions, experience of a full practice exam and working under test conditions to complete it, and the opportunity to build your self-confidence before you take the real PMP exam.
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| Exam Tip: What's an Example of a Start-to-Finish Relationship? |
The Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) is a tool for scheduling and sequencing events in a project plan based on their relationships with other events. The model allows you to visually map activities and their dependencies. Within this model there are four types of dependencies or logical relationships that are possible: finish-to-start (FS), finish-to-finish (FF), start-to-start (SS), and start-to-finish (SF). The start-to-finish relationship seems to be the model that causes the most confusion for students of the PMP exam, perhaps because there are not many good examples of this relationship. Start-to-finish occurs when "the completion of the successor activity depends on the initiation of the predecessor activity," or, said so that normal folks can process it: Activity A must start before Activity B can finish.
Think about how you would implement a new system and turn an old system off. You can complete (i.e., turn off) the old system as soon as the new system has started in production--but not before then. Let's try an example or two and see if it clicks:
Say you're building a new gas pipeline. You would first finish construction and implementation of the new pipeline before you would begin shutting down and breaking down the old pipeline. Similarly, implementation of a new accounting system has to be completed before you can begin turning off the old system. Make sense?
Don't spend too much time sweating over this particular model, however. Even though it's not a difficult concept, the start-to-finish relationship is rarely used.
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| Sample PMP Exam Question |
Joe is running a public transportation system project. He believes there are numerous scenarios that could affect his project's schedule. Some of the scenarios include delays in a major component delivery or a strike by local workers. He wants to see how these scenarios will impact the project schedule. What is the best technique to use in this scenario?
A.) Resource Leveling
B.) Monte Carlo Analysis
C.) Run Charts
D.) Tornado Diagram
Hint: This technique is also called What-If Scenario Analysis.
Please click here to give your answer and see the explanation...
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The PMP Exam is a test of project management practices
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In order to succeed in the PMP Exam, you should  have hands-on experience in project management.
Watch this week's PMP Exam tips video and see how the PMP Exam is a test of project management practices.
Click here to watch the video.
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Any "Lessons Learned" you would want to share from your PMP Exam journey? |
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 " Whew! It's over...I passed on the first try. I relied pretty heavily on those that had already passed their exams for tips so I wanted to pay it forward and hopefully do the same for someone else..." Read more about what Lindsay Pineda,PMP has to share here..
Care to share your lessons learned from your PMP exam journey? Then let us know by writing to examtips@pm-prepcast.com
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Free Exam Resources
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Want access to free episodes of The PM PrepCast and other free PMP Exam resources?
Get 6 other free PMP Exam resources like worksheets, exam tip videos and an ebook called The Short Guide to Becoming a PMP.
It's absolutely free!
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