PMP Certification – Tips, Tricks, Hints, Literature

PMP Certification - Tips, Tricks, Hints

Current version of the PM BOK®-Guide is edition 3 (2004). PMI plans to publish edition 4 (2008) towards the end of 2008. If PMI follows the same plan than with publishing PM BOK3ed, edition 4 will not be used for the examination before September 2009. (We will publish an update on the situation as soon as PMI will announce further details.)

 

In Finland the examination can only be taken in Helsinki: Fullbright Center, Kaisaniemenkatu 4

 

These hints are mainly intended for a person not familiar with the PMBOK®-GUIDE, but may be useful even for a more experienced PMP applicant.

 

  1. Start by skimming through the Table of Contents - this will give you a good big picture.
  2. Skim through the Glossary in Section V.  It's helpful to know where to find all those acronyms and definitions, when you encounter them in the text.
  3. Read through Appendix F (Section IV): Summary of Project Management Knowledge Areas.  It describes the knowledge areas and processes in brief.
  4. Get acquainted with
    1. Figure 1-1. Overview of Project Management Knowledge Areas and Project Management Processes (page 11)
    2. Table 3-45. Mapping of the Project Management Processes to the Project Management Processes Groups and the Knowledge Areas page 70

These are two different views upon the total contents of the PMBOK®-GUIDE, and will give you an idea on how the knowledge areas, the process groups and the processes relate with each other.

  1. While reading pay attention to the following things:

-       In the exam, there will be questions that relate to the sequence of the processes, the inputs, tools and techniques and outputs of the processes. For a quick and solid understanding of these see figures 3-6 through 3-10 in Chapter 3 (Relationships among the processes) and the Inputs – Tools & Techniques – Outputs figures for each process (Tables 3-1 – 3-44).

-       Professional Responsibility is an additional performance domain, which is not described in the PMBOK®-GUIDE at all. Here is a copy of the current version of the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
Questions of this domain will test your situational understanding of project management.

One aspect worth noticing is the language issue - the PMBOK®-GUIDE is written in International English with a strong touch of American English. The text is quite easy to read, but as a non-native English speaker you might need a dictionary at hand, and this will of course slow down your studying.

            Do not forget to utilize the Glossary in Section V!

You should reserve time for reading the PMBOK®-GUIDE through thoroughly at least once, and a couple of rounds for skimming through the tricky topics.

            Studies have shown, that if you visit a topic three times, you will remember it!

If you are fully familiar with the PMBOK® GUIDE 1996 and/or 2000 Edition and its contents, you basically just need to brush-up your knowledge by skimming through the new version and checking the tricky and rewritten topics.  This might still take you a few days.

            Hint: Read first the Preface of the 3rd Edition to get an idea of what has been changed. The Appendix also includes a chapter on these changes.

The PMBOK®-GUIDE contains 403 pages in total, of which 297 pages are content and only some 30 pages are not important to read for the exam. (403-297 pages are Appendix)

How much time you need for reading through the PMBOK® GUIDE depends, of course, very much on your individual learning/reading techniques.

Most people claimed that 30 pages per day are a good amount and more than 70 pages is almost impossible

If you get the credential as part of your company’s development please remember: As your manager approved this credential and the exam s/he also approved that you use work time for completing your studies. Make sure that you and your manager do not forget this!

Form a study group: Find one or more people also going for the credential and occasionally check the learning progress and discuss the learning content.

Regarding study groups: PMI Finland Chapter may help out and organize such groups. Please, check our event calendar (click on Events > Upcoming Events).