PMP Exam - Hard question Tips and Tircks

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The project manager as problem solver

The main job of the Project Manager is as a problem solver, so read the entire sentence in the answer options, because just one thing could make an option wrong

Dealing with vague and long-winded questions

One of the things that I recommend is practicing on mock questions that represent those extra-long and vague questions that can slow you down in the real exam.

Read the entire answer sentence

Get used to “scanning” these and checking out the last sentence first, as it is often the accrual question and all the rest was padding.

Assume a strong matrix/projectized organization

Unless stated, assume you are in a strong matrix or projectized organization.

Answer ALL the questions

Good time management is vital, so be sure to answer all the questions in your PMP exam as you will not be penalized even if you guess so you've got a 25% chance of getting a question right even if you guess the right answer.

Pacing is vital

For that reason, pacing yourself is very important. You will want to develop a feel for the kind of answer velocity that you can generate on your exam, and the best way to get this feel by is by taking lots of mock exams under strict exam time conditions.

Take breaks when you need to

How many questions can you storm through in an hour? About 20? practice on mock exams and find the right break time and frequency for YOU.

Do not get stuck in sequence

When answering questions, you can get into a pocket of questions that slows you down.

So consider scanning ahead, as you will almost certainly find many questions that you can answer easily, and that approach and strategy can get you through your PMP exam.

It is easy to get emotionally involved when you come across a pocket of questions you can´t answer, and that leads to panic! So, don't waste too much time answering questions that provide a brick wall of difficulty.

You get to know the exam better as you take more and more mock exams you get to know the timing of breaks and which work for you by trying out those breaks out on your own before you go into the real exam.

After you have taken mock exams, you will have a better idea of your velocity -  what works and what does not.

Decision-making questions

These questions test your decision-making obviously!  

First, look at the impact of that decision, then evaluate alternatives

Discuss with the sponsor to get sponsor approval and then get customer approval.

For decision-making questions, the above four steps can evaluate the impact, or you could evaluate alternatives, depending on what the question states.

The question may state that you have already analyzed the impact, or it may not say you've evaluated alternatives. It may also say you've evaluated alternatives.

What should you do next - do you just implement without consulting the sponsor?

No!

How about implementing massive change, since the sponsor agreed, or the customer didn't?  You do not do that.

As the project manager I would need to assess the impact of this decision in the question, and then analyze the impact of what is at stake.

The next step would be to evaluate alternatives. Do not just do one, rather you evaluate what is best and then discuss with the sponsor and get customer approval.

So here is the sequence for decision type questions:

PMP exam formula questions

Write formulas on a crib sheet at the exam start

Write the formula on your crib sheet at PMP exam start as this could save you a lot of time, especially if you're the kind of person who forgets formulas under exam conditions.

This is quite normal by the way! So, writing the formula down before doing the PMP exam is a smart move.

Ensure that it is a calculation-type question on the exam 

Watch out and do not be surprised if a question gives many numbers or statistics. Do not be fooled into wasting time by attempting to solve it.

Do not do anything until you have ensured it is truly a calculation question.

Do not be tempted to guess

Do not guess unless you really don't know or are not sure if you are sure.

Work out the question by using the formula, and use logic to work it out.

Do remember that you have written down the formula, so take those numbers, plug them in, and then check your work.

Call a meeting of all the stakeholders to recommend schedule compression approaches

You could do this, but the question does not state if it is a schedule issue

To me, it does not sound correct to call a meeting of all the stakeholders. Why would you call all the stakeholders if you're going to talk about schedule compression approaches?

Speak to your customer immediately and share the bad news early before it´s too late

It's too early to go speaking to the customer about a problem that is not stated in the question.

Research the problem to identify a possible solution using expert judgment and historical information from similar past projects

We may not need to use historical information, and may not have similar past projects, so researching the problem to identify a possible solution using expert judgment, sounds like a good thing to do before I do anything else.

Before I decide, lets look at the last answer option:

Call your boss and let him know the bad news. He should not leave the office with this incorrect information

Who said that the information was incorrect? It could be a schedule issue, or it could be a scope issue, so answers B and C are rather presumptuous since we do not know what the problem is.

So, answer D looks wrong.

Neither can we assume that the news has anything to do with the project status, all we know is that there is a problem that needs to be solved.

So, C is really the best option. research the problem to identify a possible solution to using expert judgment.

If you follow the rules of solving the problem after you've analyzed it, make sure you've got the right solution to solve the problem and be proactive.

Do not assume it's a schedule, or cost, or scope issue, remember, even if there's a problem or issue, you need to research it and look for solutions first before sharing it.

Difficult question Example 2:

“Your project team appears to have been demotivated by a recent company announcement regarding project XYZ, and you realize you need to motivate them.

Which of the following will best act as a motivator for your team?

I probably need to motivate them to continue with the project or to continue putting in the same amount of effort as they were previously.

Ensuring challenging work for individuals while on a project XYZ and hygiene factors

The nature of the work wouldn't really change, so let´s look at B:

Maslow's theory and individual professional responsibilities in the efforts at hand

This states using Maslow's theory and individual professional responsibilities in the efforts. Maslow's theory states the lower levels of the pyramid need to be met before the higher levels. And individual professional responsibility seems vague.

The magnitude of importance of the team’s effort and project priority

This sounds plausible. The team's effort is important, and the project's priority is important sounds plausible.

Expectancy theory and intrinsic motivation of all individuals on the project

The Expectancy Theory is when people put in hard work and they expect to be rewarded.  I am not sure that this applies to all individuals on the project.

It sounds incorrect and doesn't seem like the challenging work is the issue that might discourage them after whatever this announcement has been I don't know, but it doesn't sound like it adds up, so it is disqualified.

What about B and C?

Using Maslow's to motivate my team sounds a bit vague and then it says and individual professional responsibility. What is the code of ethics?

So I will disqualify answer B, leaving me with answer C. The magnitude of importance of the team's effort get the team to realise that their work is important, the effort is important, and the project priority.

This would be the best of the four options that have been given here

Difficult question Example 3:

¨You are working with a risky vendor who has been known to under-deliver in previous projects. What should you do before executing?

Fire the vendor, answer B doesn't does not solve the problem.

Create a performance report is what should you do before executing since you cannot create a performance report if there has not been any performance.

So, answers B and D are wrong.

Looking at answers A and D.

Purchase performance bonds are used to guarantee in some way a level of performance and if that level of performance isn't achieved, then the other party can use those performance bonds it to demonstrate that you are able to do the job, thus removing an element of risk in the buyer’s mind.

Now to answer C.  A what-if scenario analysis sounds reasonable, so I would go with answer C

You need to get into that frame of mind when you're analysing questions.

Ask yourself, does it make sense - is the Project Manager solving the problem?

Is the Project Manager just escalating the problem, or is the Project Manager analyzing the problem in search of answers? Also ask, has the problem been solved, or is it still a problem?