Project Management Professional Pmp Certification Exam Prep

To those of you who consider ratings of importance when deciding on which PM study guide to purchase, hopefully you will find my ratings of the following PM Study Guides listed below useful in your quest to pass the PMP test! Since I have no affiliation with any of the Authors mentioned below, I can safely say there was no bias in my recommendation.I used the following criteria to rate the guides:A) CostB) Comprehensive coverage of what to expect on the testC) Multiple methods presenting same material to increase comprehension through redundancyD) Using Real-Life case studies to "drive home" complex and/or complicated concepts (look up the difference if you don't know) as they relate to Project ManagementE) How well diagrams, tables, graphs, charts, and presentation examples were utilized to put the 10 Knowledge Areas in context with their specific Process GroupsF) Amount of hints/guidance in order help decipher test questionsG) How right and wrong answers test questions were covered at the end of chapterH) How consistent subject matter focus was line with the percentage of test questions. I) Ratings (# of stars) to number of ratingsJ) Online test bank availabilityGuides I purchased and reviewed:1) Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep, 9th Ed. (4 ½ stars)2) Belinda S. Goodrich PMP Exam Study Guide (3 stars)3) Sohel Akhter, Exam Prep Book, 6th Ed. (5 stars)4) Kim Heldman, PMP Project Management Professional Exam, 9th Ed (3 ½ stars)5) Andrew Ramdayal, PMP Exam Prep Simplified (2 ½ stars)6) PMI PMBOK Guide, 6th Ed (3 stars)7) Andy Crowe, PMP Exam, How To Pass On Your First Try, 6th Ed (3 stars)Based on my reviews using the criteria I've specified above, I would highly recommend "Sohel Akhter, Exam Prep Book, 6thNonetheless, only you good people know what does and does not work for you. Good luck passing any and all tests you decide to take!Kind regards,-Michael

I read both this book and the official PMI PMBOK guide. First, I read this book, took PMP Exam Prep class and then read the PMBOK Guide.The PMBOK Guide is very dry and doesn't have many examples, so if you're relatively new to Project Management or not familiar with its many tools & techniques, reading PMBOK Guide will not be enough. You're going to need to supplement it with something else that goes into more details and has more illustrations.With that said, this book is actually perfect in my opinion. It covers the same exact material as PMBOK Guide + it goes into every topic deeper and the author gives plenty of examples (which PMBOK Guide severely lacks) in forms of graphs, charts etc. It's lot easier to understand the concept of PMP reading this book than the PMBOK Guide.There are questions throughout each chapter + series of questions at the end of each chapter. Again, PMBOK Guide has no questions whatsoever, so it's hard to validate your knowledge just by reading it.This book has a final 200 questions exam (you get 200 questions on the real PMP exam as well) and this mock exam was the only thing that I wasn't a huge fan of. It was too easy. I got over 80% on this mock exam, but failed my first PMP exam. I took 2 real PMP exams and the questions on these exams where nowhere as easy as questions on the mock exam in this book.However, I still highly recommend this book regardless of your knowledge level. Now, I paid $22 for it about 7 months ago and I see that it's actually $90, but I would've paid $90. It's worth it.With that said, you're probably going to need to read the official PMBOK Guide too since you need to get used to the terminology and lexicon PMI uses.There are are some great mock exams on the WEB too. I took some free ones and they were a bit easy. Do your research and good luck!

This book is complete, comprehensive, precise, and easy to follow. The concrete examples illustrate the abstract concepts very well. The tips on how to pass the exam are excellent.I already have CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management & passed them on 1st try) 4 years ago so instead of renewing for the CAPM, I signed up for the PMP certification. I know project management concepts in and out and use them a lot for my own process improvement projects. When I'm studying project management now, my goal is broader than just passing the exam. I want to update myself with the new knowledge and skills based on the updates in PMBOK 5th edition, understand what and why there are changes and how to apply them to my current work projects. This book satisfy and exceed my expectations. I'm very confident to pass on the first try with just this book.My personal thought is that CAPM and PMP exams are relatively easy to pass comparing to the difficult and super technical actuarial exams or any engineering exams based on my actual experience. Therefore, don't stress yourself out too much! The PMP is not as hard as you might think. It is merely testing your knowledge of project management and the skills of how to apply these knowledge in various scenarios based on the PMI framework.The key to pass the exam is then:1. Knowing all the "WHAT" (terms, concepts, processes, ITTO etc).2. Understand "WHY" they have these processes set out in a certain sequence.3. Understand "HOW" various items in ITTO are related.4. In the exam, always assume you are a project manager, know "HOW" to apply your knowledge to solve problems in various situations. Remember to do what the PMI framework recommends, not necessary the way you actually manage your project.

Brilliant book and a great way to study for your PMP exam. I've read all the top rated ones (Rita, Heldman, Crowe etc) and this is easily the best of the lot. The end of chapter quizzes and supplemental exercises are a great way to reinforce the knowledge. The book is laid out in a logical order and the grammar is spot o.Check out all the favourable reviews on Amazon.com if you are on the fence about this one. I also ordered his quick reference guide from the US and it is miles ahead of the Andy Crowe one that you can get in the UK. Thanks Sohel!!

Was my sole source of prep and passed easy on first attempt 3 years ago. Provides a smooth read and good understanding of the subject

The information flow well, good examples and exercises - The questions at the end of each chapter are deep enough to get a strong review on the information. I found a few errors and emailed the author and within days had my questions addressed. Really pleased. Especially with the exam tips at the end of each chapter.

Detailed and comprehensive. It is definitely an added help along with PMP edu hours .