But let me qualify this: No two people have the same experiences or expertise, nor does everyone learn in the same manner. Therefore, the best way to study for the PMP exam will be based on your personal learning likes and needs. Additionally, there is no reason to be overwhelmed at the prospect of developing study plan, as there is a wealth of resources available to exam candidates that allow you to mix and match resources fit to your specific needs, style of learning, and individual circumstances while you prepare for the exam.
However, there are many ways to prepare; on the top of the list is becoming involved in your local Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter, which is full of folks willing to share their knowledge and experience on how to study for the PMP exam and pass. Additionally, there are numerous published books and online resources that provide invaluable insights and tips on how to pass. Most of these resources provide study guides, assistance with concepts, tips for studying and passing the PMP exam, as well as practice exams that let you gauge your comprehension and learning progress.
PMP Exam prep: An overview of your study-plan
The best way to start your preparations is to read and understand the entire PMBOK Guide. And while the Guide is not the only reference for the exam, it's likely the most important one. If you have many years of experience in project management, reading the PMBOK Guide and understanding what's in it is essential. One of the main reasons unsuccessful candidates have cited for not passing the exam on their first attempt was because they assumed their years of project management experience were all that was needed to pass the exam.
Baselining your project management knowledge against the PMBOK Guide is considered a best way to develop a preparation/study plan. It is very important to identify your areas of strengths and weakness (gap analysis) relative to the PMBOK Guide, as this provides feedback on where you need only to review and polish your understanding versus those areas that require more effort and/or serious study to overcome the gap between what you know and what you need to know to pass the exam. It is also important to continuously evaluate your study progress to make sure you baseline knowledge gap is being closed.
Whatever schedule you develop, it is crucial that you are honest with yourself with respect to your ability to maintain the schedule and close the knowledge gap. Life happens, it is better to re-baseline your study schedule and/or reschedule your exam than it is to rush your studying and show up for the exam ill-prepared and risk not passing.
Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that what works in higher education is also one of the Best Practices for passing the exam: Study with a group, or have a study partner that can help "push" to dig deeper and try harder, as well as to provide support when the challenge seems overwhelming, or to share in your successes as learning mile stones are achieved on your journey to your certification.
Your co-workers or colleagues at your local PMI Chapter are a great place to develop a local exam study group. In today's day and age, however, it is almost easier to find your study partner online. One of my students posted a 'looking for a study partner' message in our forums and received almost 100 responses!
There is no substitute for being well studied in preparation for the exam and using practice exams to hone your knowledge and test-taking approach. However, most successful candidates also have a simple, direct strategy and timetable for taking the exam.
The best part about doing it this way, is that by the end of this you will have read 25 lessons learned from other students and you have now become an expert in planning and scheduling your own PMP exam studies. This approach is incredibly beneficial for you!
Although a solid PMP study guide will increase your chances of passing the PMP exam on your first attempt, no one can guarantee 100% PMP success since it depends on many factors such as the background of the PMP certification aspirant, PMP prep course he or she attended, PMP study plan he or she followed and so on.
As Master of Project Academy, we have helped more than 500,000 professionals in more than 180 countries to clear their PMP exams with our PMP Training. While we had students who cleared the exam only in 15 days, we had students prepared for the PMP for 6 months as well. Briefly, it all depends on your background in project management, your availability, and your dedication to PMP preparation.
If you wish to succeed, you need to determine an attainable target first! Determine when you will sit for the PMP exam. This is the first step of the PMP Study Plan. This does not mean that go and schedule your PMP exam date. Just mark a date that you will be ready to take the PMP exam. It all depends on your schedule, availability, and dedication, but our recommendation for a regular full-time working professional is to plan 3-4 months for PMP preparation.
Important Note: Before setting your PMP exam target date, first, we recommend you check whether you are eligible to take the PMP exam. There are certain PMP certification requirements that you must meet before PMP application. You must have project management work experience and you must have attended a 35 contact hours of project management education to be eligible to sit for the PMP exam. You can read more about the PMP requirements.
If your PMP exam prep study materials include a PMP cheat sheet, it will be good to go through this cheat sheet during your PMP study to remember the important points. If you do not have a PMP cheat sheet, you can create your own PMP cheat sheet and write down critical points during your PMP study.
Most PMP certification aspirants look for Free PMP Questions on the web. However, most of these exams might be outdated, giving wrong answers or rationales. Free PMP materials not only lack the comprehensive PMP exam content but also guide you inappropriately during your PMP study. Therefore, be careful if you will use free PMP material during your PMP study.
Mark your answers and check whether you can score over 70% on each quiz and from sample PMP exams during your PMP study. Our recommendation is, that if you can score over 70% from quizzes and sample exams of our PMP Training and from PMP Exam Simulator Exams, you can confidently pass the Real PMP exam as well.
The best way to keep your mind ready for the PMP exam is by going over your notes frequently. PMP preparation is a long journey, and sections you completed earlier might be harder to remember when you come to the further sections.
Master of Project Academy will help you to pass the PMP certification exam in your first attempt. Master of Project Academy students had a 99.6% first attempt pass rate in certification exams. Besides, a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered if you will not be satisfied with the content.
The Project Management Professional certification exam consists of 200 multiple choice options. 25 of the multiple-choice questions are based on quality control and monitoring. These specific questions, however, are placed randomly throughout the exam. They are not marked as part of the results, but you need to answer each question of your PMP exam carefully.
Project Management Professional certification exam prep takes a serious amount of time. If you are already working in an industry and pursuing certification in your spare time, you need a quality PMP study plan to ensure you are using your valuable time effectively.
If you can dedicate around 6-8 hours of study a week for PMP study then you should be able to achieve your study goals across the period of 3 months. Setting an exam date around four months ahead is a reasonable for most people, but if you have a busier than regular schedule or have holidays in that time, you may want to either dedicate more time to study each week or choose a date further in the future.
Studying for your PMP certification exam can be done in three different ways. Depending on the time you have on your hands and your specific situation, one method might be better than the others. The most important thing to note is that you need to be able to commit to your study plan in order to succeed, so if your circumstances make it difficult to study in one way, consider an alternative method.
The American Psychological Association suggests stretching your study time over a more extended period to help you better retain information. For example, if you aim to complete 35 total hours of studying, it is better to study for three to four hours per week for nine to 11 weeks rather than 12 hours per week over three weeks.
This free 200-question practice exam uses Google Forms. Once the test is complete, your results include a final score and provide feedback that references specific sections of the sixth-edition PMBOK Guide.
Unlike the other free practice exams on this list, this resource offers three difficulty levels. The easiest level is not timed and gives instant feedback after each question. The second has a two-hour time limit and provides feedback at the end. The third and most difficult level limits your time on each question.
This exam comprises 90 questions and explains the correct answers after submission. The test also shares your accuracy on each of the PMBOK Guide performance domains, helping you identify areas that might require more study time.
This is when you train for the exam, either through coursework or on your own. Several exam prep providers recommend spending 60 to 120 hours studying. This can take several months depending on how frequently you study.
Learning new skills: You are also likely to learn a significant amount about project management as you prepare for the exam. Taking hours out of your life to master project management fundamentals like conflict resolution and budgeting can bolster the skills to make you a better project manager. 2ff7e9595c
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