Effective PMP Exam Prep: PMP
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PMP Exam Prep
Whether it’s deciphering the questions, learning “insider” tricks and traps, or just Best Practice Time Management – we have a number of mental key points to consider.
Reading the questions – A critical step to parsing the PMP is to read and understand each question. Questions on the exam may be long and have many twists and turns. They are often form of irrelevant information thrown in intentionally to distract you from the relevant facts. Those who pass the PMP know to read the questions carefully. Many times, the only relevant information is contained at the very end of the question, so develop a reading technique that skims quickly through the question text to swiftly identify what is being asked of you.
Guessing on the PMP, does not have to be left purely to chance, if you do not know the question on some easy Italy, begin by eliminating wrong answers, all ones you suspect are wrong.
Even if you can’t eliminate one wrong answer you will have significantly increased your odds of choosing the right one.
Identifying Tricks and Traps – The exam does have trick questions, they are designed specifically to catch people who are coming in with little formal process experience, those who have skimmed the PMBOK Guide a few times and are now going to take the exam. Such people try to rely on their work experience which often does not live up with PMI’s prescribed method for doing things.
These trick questions can also fool a seasoned professional, and so here are some techniques you can use so that you will not fall into those traps:
Follow the Process – This is always the right answer. There will be questions on your exam that give you “common sense” scenarios that will give you a seemingly innocent way to skip the formal process and save time, or perhaps avoid some conflict by not following procedure. This is almost certainly a trap.
The right answer is to follow PMI’s process. Do not give in to pressure from irate customers, stakeholders, or even your boss to do otherwise.
Don’t take the easy way out! There will often be choices that allow you to postpone a difficult decision, dodge a thorny issue, or ignore a problem. This is almost never the right thing to do for questions on the exam. Act directly and Say what you mean
In PMI’s world, Project managers communicate directly. They do not dance around the issue, gossip, or imply things, and they do not communicate through a third party. If they have bad news to tell the customer, they go to the customer and tell them the facts – the sooner, the better. If they have a problem with a team member, they confront the person, usually directly, although at times it may be appropriate to get the team members functional manager involved.
Study the roles
By the time you take the exam, you should be confident about the roles of stakeholders, sponsors, customers, team members, functional managers, the project office, and most importantly, the project manager. There are other roles.
Expect several “Who should perform this activity “ type questions. If you have absolutely no clue, guessing the “Project manager “That is a good idea. Additionally, understand the difference between the different types of organizations (projectized, matrix, and functional).
Most of your questions will pertain to matrix organizations, so focus your study on that one.
Project manager’s role
Expanding on the previous point, project managers are the ones who make decisions and carry them out. They have the final decision on most points, can spend budget, can change schedules, and can approve or refuse scope.
For the exam, assume that the project manager is “large and in charge!”
Another attribute of project managers is that they are proactive in their approach to managing tasks and information. To they do not wait for changes to occur. Instead, they are actively influencing the factors that contribute to change.
Instead of waiting for information to come to them, they are actively communicating and making certain they have accurate and up to date information.
Don’t get stuck
You should expect to find a few questions on the exam that you do not know how to answer. You will look at these and see four correct answers in your head, making it impossible to pick just one.
In such cases, do not agonize, even using every goods technique, you will still have to make an educated guess at some questions. Some test takers can get quite upset that this, and it can undermine their confidence.
If the question starts you, simply market for review and move on. Never spend 15 minutes sparing at a single question unless you have already answered all others in the exam.
One question is only worth a fraction of a percent on the exam, so if you do not know the answer, do not obsess over it.
You may even discover that a block of questions seems especially difficult for you, this experience can be discouraging and may cause or confidence to waver.
Do not be alarmed if you happen upon several difficult questions in a row. Keep marking them for review and keep moving until you come to more familiar ground.
You may find that questions later in the test will offer you hints or jog your memory, helping you with those you initially found difficult.
Exam time management
You will have a few minutes at the beginning to go through a tutorial. You probably won’t find much value in the actual tutorial; however, you absolutely should take it.
Often going through it, you will be given a chance to wait before taking the test. Use that time to write down the sensual formulas and process is on your scratch paper.
Scratch paper
You will be given 5 to 6 sheets of scratch paper when you walk into the exam. You may not carry your own paper into the test. When you sit down to begin the exam, you should write down a few key things.
Regardless of how well you know this material, at a minimum, like the following on your first sheet of scratch paper:
- Earned value formulas – All 12 of them
- The time management formulas for the Three point Estimates and standard deviation
- The communication channels formula
Even if you are tempted to skip this step, don’t!
When you come to a lengthy and confusing question that requires you to calculate several different values, you will be glad that you already have your formal as written down for review as this will free your mind to concentrate on the specific question rather than on recording a formula
Budgeting your time
Going into the exam, you may be fast, or you may be a slower test taker. Everyone should walk into the exam with a strategy for managing their time, based on their own pace.
Do not underestimate how hard it is to sit for a 200 question, for at the exam as the test taking process is strenuous and mentally and physically taxing.
If you have a test time management strategy that has serves you well in the past, you should use that. If not, here is a generic strategy that many people have used to take and pass their PMP:
- Sit for the tutorial and download your information to your scratch paper
- When the exam begins, take the first 75 questions, placing yourself to take approximately 45 minutes
- Take your first break. Spend 5 minutes stretching and get a bite of food from your locker
- Take the next 75 questions, a gain pacing yourself to take 45 to 50 minutes
- Take your second break. Spend approximately 10 minutes, go to the buffet and, and get a snack
- Answer the final 50 questions and then return to answer any ones you did not answer the first-time periods budget approximately 45 minutes for this as well. You may not take that long, but it is normal for your pace to slow down as the test wears on
- Take a bigger 15-minute break, relishing the fact that you have now wants and all the questions on the PMP
- At this point you should be about 3 hours or less into the test
- Perform a review of the first 100 questions. Pace yourself to finish this in about 25 minutes
- Take a short 5-minute stretch break if needed
- The last 100 questions and any other ones in your remaining time
Managing your review
When you make a review pass through the exam, you will come across questions that you missed the first time, but that are apparent when you look at them for the second time.
This is normal, and you should not hesitate to change any aunts as that you can see you missed. Many people change as many as 10% of your answers on their review. If you catch yourself changing more than that, be careful, as you may be second guessing yourself and do more harm than good
When you go through your review pass on the exam, do not take the whole test over again, instead, employ three rapid fire steps:
- Did you read the question correctly the first time?
- Did your selected answer match what was being asked?
- Perform a complete check of your math where applicable
Managing anxiety
Finally, if test taking as a was benefit and using activity for you, there is one simple strategy that may help you manage the physical symptoms of anxiety so that you’re thinking, and memory are not impaired:
Take a deep breath. This may sound like obvious advice, but it is based on sound research. Studies in the field of stress management has shown that feelings of anxiety (The “The fight or flight “response), On links with elevated levels of adrenaline and so some brain chemicals.
One way to bring your brain chemistry back into balance is to draw a deep breath, hold it for about 6 seconds, and slowly release it. Repeat this breathing pattern whenever you begin to fill panicky over questions. It will help to slow your heart rate and clear your mind for greater concentration on the task in hand
Another thing to remember is that many people who take the exam do not pass – especially on their first attempt. While no one wants to fail their PMP Exam, you can turn around immediately and apply to take it again at a reduced rate.
You can take the exam up to three times in a year starting with the time you receive your letter of eligibility from PMI
If you must take the exam again, use it as a learning experience as you will have a much higher chance for success on your next attempt, and you will have your post exam a valuation sheet that gives you a breakdown of where you need to study.
