10 Best Tips To Pass The PMP Exam On First Try

 “How to pass the PMP exam on the first try”?

Is that the reason you landed on this blog post?

In either case, the reason you are here is because you desire to be a Project Management Professional PMP. And just like many out there, including me, you want to attempt the PMP exam and give it your best shot to crack it on your first attempt!

First things first, this post will walk you through my personal journey on how, I, in particular, approached the PMP exam. It does not necessarily advocate the ONLY best practices out there. But it shall rather walk you through the usual works of how to go about getting yourself PMP certified from my perspective. It would also be a good idea to first go through the PMP Handbook as a first pass review to get yourself familiar. Again, I would urge you to also explore and find your own style of learning, preparing and approaching the PMP as you embark upon this journey. All along the way you can always keep coming back to this post to refer to any tips and tricks which you might feel shall benefit you.

The idea to pen down this information is due to the fact that I personally took help of many such blog posts to prepare myself. Thus, I am going to try and give you abundant information on the PMP application process, PMI membership, PMP exam prep, reading materials, tests, strategies and other tips and tricks! Anytime you feel overwhelmed with the flow of knowledge in this post or get tired reading the long text, take a break, drink some water, and come back and re-focus. After all, the end result of being a certified Project Management Professional is going to take away all the pain that you went through!

PS: If you would like to jump straight to the “10 Best Tips To Pass The PMP Exam On First Try” – then scroll to the bottom of the post and skip the preparation journey aspect of this blog post!

PMI Membership

If you are going to be a certified PMP, you might as well become a member of the prestigious PMI organization. The benefits are manifold as indicated here. You not only gain access to their knowledge database but also get an opportunity to interact with other PMPs within your chapter. For ease of comparison following table indicates if you do become a member eventually you end up paying $11 less for your examination fees. Plus you also entail the benefits of being involved with the PMI organization.

PMI Membership Fees		$139
CBT Test Fees	Member	$405
	Non-member	$555
Reexamination CBT Fees	Member	$275
	Non-member	$375
Total Fees	Member	$544
	Non-member	$555

PMP Exam Application Process

While I was working on this post, I had originally planned to describe the PMP exam application process in here. But then I created a separate blog post since the application is a project in itself and best be explained separately. Click Here to read about the PMP Exam Application Process in detail and how you can avoid an audit for the same.

PMP Exam Prep

Diving right into the crux of how one should approach the PMP exam I will highlight a few important guidelines on how I prepared myself.

§  Time commitment – I took a total of 3 months to prepare for the PMP. I work full-time and so I used to study approximately 2-3 hours every day. During my last 3-4 weeks I bumped it up to 4-5 hours a day. During my last few days I went on to read at-least 6-8 hours a day.

§  Initial Approach – I used to read one chapter every day, attempt a few questions on that chapter and write down my notes from that chapter. I would highlight a few points which I feel were important for that chapter and make a quick reference guide.

§  Final Approach – As I moved closer to my exam date, I would review my notes, dump sheets that I created during my initial reading, and attempt full set of 100-200 questions per chapter available online.

Following are the details of how I recommend one to carve out a study plan. Again, this could be transformed as per one’s own liking and style of studying.

§  Primary Reading Material:

1.      Rita Mulcahy, 8th Edition 2013 - Click Here)

2.      PMBOK, 5th Edition (Click Here)

3.      Head First, 3^rd Edition 2013 (Click Here)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ksevy06qrjsgc8/Head%20First%20PMP%203ed.pdf

§  Tests:

1.      Rita Mulcahy’s Fast Track, 10 Knowledge Areas’ Test + 5 Process Groups’ Test.

2.      Rita Mulcahy’s Fast Track, Super PMP Test ( a Simulation Test of 200 Questions and 4 hours duration)

Hint: Rita Mulcahy said: DO NOT go to the Exam unless you get 80% on her ast Track Super PMP Test.

My PMP Exam Study Plan

Following is a detailed description of my PMP exam preparation journey. Feel free to adjust these per your studying style and other information you might find online.

§  Step 1: Head First, 3^rd Edition 2013, enjoy reading it

1.      Read it and enjoy solving many types of puzzles and the questions at the end of each Chapter.

2.      Solve the 200- question Full Test, the last Chapter.

§  Step 2: Rita Mulcahy’s 8th edition, read page to page

1.      During this read I was focusing only on learning this subject rather than cramming any information.

2.      I would read one chapter a day and attempt the questions at the end of the chapter.

3.      I did not spend a lot of time on the exercises described within the chapter itself.

§  Step 3 (optional) : PMBOK, 4th edition, page to page -

1.      During this read, I tried jotting down my own notes based on what I felt was an important point or a formula or a concept.

2.      I had planned to use these notes as my last minute review material.

3.      Would read one chapter a day and then attempt Rita Mulcahy’s Fast Track knowledge area test.

§  Step 4: Read Rita Mulcahy and Head First again -

1.      During this second pass of both the books, I would skim the pages a little faster by trying to recollect most of the concepts, definitions, processes and other information.

2.      I would try to relate my knowledge gaps and find out answers that can solve those queries.

1.      Step 5: Final Step: Attempt the Super PMP (tough) from Rita Mulcahy- Many Times.

Finally, based on the above 7 steps, I can give you the 10 best tips that I find you can follow to pass the PMP exam on your first attempt.

10 Best Tips To Pass The PMP Exam On First Try

1.      Make sure to read PMBOK and Rita Mulcahy at-least twice – once in detail, once just skim through it.

2.      Attempt all the individual chapter tests in Rita Mulcahy’s book + all the individual chapter tests on Rita Mulcahy’s Fast Track CD.

3.      Enroll for as many question banks + mock tests you can, and try to take as many as you can early on. This will help you identify gaps in your learning and knowledge to help you focus better on your lacking areas.

4.      Make sure you review ALL your answers – correct and incorrect ones to solidify your understanding about the concepts.

5.      For ITTOs, I had created 9 charts on A4 size papers and had pinned them on to my bedroom wall. Every time I would walk past it, I would stop for 15 minutes and work on 3 charts. This helps if you have a photographic memory.

6.      Make a habit of creating dump sheets. This will help you a lot to quickly review information instead of skimming through long texts.

7.      If you have a smart phone download PMP related applications to keep you engrossed while on the go. I found it quite effective to keep my mind active.

8.      Join one of the online PMP forums to share your concerns, experiences and gain access to many resources of PMP related information. One such interactive forum is PMZilla. It will help you interact with similar PMP aspirants, share your thoughts, express your queries and get more knowledge to help you prepare better.

9.      A day before the PMP exam, relax, listen to some music, take a walk. You are not at war and this exam is not the last one you will take in your life! So chill out!

10.  On the day of the PMP exam – be prepared to create a dump sheet of the math formulas + processes across the 9 knowledge areas / 5 process groups. Also be prepared to attempt 200 questions in 3 hours, and mark about 30-40 questions for review. That way you will have 50-55 minutes to review them at the end.

With this, we come to an end of this long post on how to prepare for the PMP exam. Feel free to drop me a line at thewisdompearls@yahoo.com or post a comment in the section below if you have any questions/concerns or need help for your PMP exam preparation. I would be more than happy to help you out! Good Luck and Happy Studying!