I wanted to share my PMP Study method with you in case others found it helpful. I passed the PMP exam in January 2017 without using flashcards or doing an exhaustive brain dump at the beginning of the exam.
PMP Study Books
I took a prep course in January of 2016 but did not find the prep course materials very effective, so I decided to look into other prep books.
I used the following books during my prep:
- Shiv’s Crack the New (2016) PMP Exam in Four Weeks
- PMBOK
- Head First PMP by Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman
- Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep
My Study Approach
Due to a heavy work schedule, It took me three months of studying to feel ready for the exam. I used a 3-step approach to save time and get better understanding quickly –
Also Read: How Mario Büttner passed his PMP on second attempt!
Step 1: Studied all the concepts first
I read through all of the prep books first and completed all learning exercises to help solidify my understanding of each concept.
While I was initially reading all of the study material, I reviewed one knowledge area at a time using each of the three prep books that I selected (based on Shiv’s recommendation in his book, Crack the New PMP Exam).
This kept the review interesting and helped me to better understand all of the concepts.
Head First PMP provided a great overview of each concept, making difficult concepts much easier to understand.
I used the Earned Value formulas listed in Head First for the Brain Dump since it offered a simplified review that was easy to remember.
Step 2: Dug deep one PG/KA at a time
Once I felt like I had a strong understanding of each knowledge area, I used Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam prep book to help me better understand each process group, the knowledge areas involved, and how each process group related to other process groups.
Step 3: Took practice tests
I then went on to complete practice exams to gauge how I was performing in each knowledge area.
After each practice exam, I would review the questions that I got wrong to develop a list of knowledge areas that I needed to re-review.
I also highly recommend using Rita Mulcahy’s prep book to understand how to approach test questions. Her strategies definitely helped me do well on the exam, and cover any questions that I had about how to best approach test questions.
I hope these PMP study tips will help you. Good luck!
Jaclyn Castello, PMP
Connect with Jaclyn on LinkedIn, here.
Also Read: How Ramya Manickam used this one simple technique to answer more questions in less time.
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