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Free Tips on Passing the
PMP® Exam
WHAT IS THE PMP EXAM?
PMI’s website states: “The Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
Examination measures the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques that
are utilized in the practice of project management. The examination specifications were
established in 1997 after the Project Management Institute completed a job analysis
study. The PMP Certification Examination is comprised of 200 four-option multiple-choice questions that are developed and validated by PMPs. Examinees must obtain a
score of 124 in order to pass the examination. The examination is reviewed and revised
annually to satisfy the examination test specifications and to ensure that each question
has a referenced source.
WHY TAKE THE EXAM?
Let me quote from one of my students. “The exam is a life changer. The process of studying for the exam, taking the classes and passing the exam has changed how others look at my abilities.”
Another reason to take the exam is to set you apart from others. By passing the
exam, you can say that you have passed an international exam designed to prove your
knowledge of project management. When you pass the exam you are proving your
knowledge. Since the exam focuses on situations you might see in the real world,
passing really means you are experienced. The PMP certification is an impressive way
to set yourself apart.
There are other benefits.
PMI’s salary survey has found that PMPs are paid at least 10% more than non-PMPs in
the United States (and even more in some other countries), and I have had many
students who have received a US $25,000 bonus AND a 20% raise when they passed
the exam. Others have said they got a job over 200 others because they were a PMP.
These are good reasons to finally get around to taking the exam.
WHAT TO DO TO TAKE THE EXAM
To qualify for the exam, you must submit an application to PMI®. Response time is
significantly shorter if you apply online at www.pmi.org. The application requires
documentation of your experience and training in project management. The trick here is
to remember that PMI must know that most people do not have detailed records of their
previous projects and that the only way the application can really be filled out is with an
educated guess as to the time spent in various areas of project management.
Applications may be audited by PMI. If you are audited, you will be required to provide
copies of diplomas and signatures of managers of projects referenced on your
application.
Upon approval of your application, you will receive a letter from PMI authorizing you to
take the exam. PMI often makes changes to the way the exam is administered. Read the
authorization letter carefully. Once you receive your authorization letter, you must
take the exam within six months! In North America and much of the rest of the world,
the exam is computer-based, and given by appointment through Prometric Testing
Centers. The cost of taking the exam is US $405 for PMI members, or US $555 for non-
PMI members. A one year individual membership to PMI costs US $129.
Here are some tips to help you complete you get ready for the exam efficiently.
• Compile your information and complete PMI’s application form. Remember it will
save time if you submit your application electronically. Allow time for any delays
or audit requests by PMI.
• Schedule your exam as soon as you are approved, to give yourself a target date
to work towards. The testing center may not have immediate openings.
• Create and follow a study schedule.
TAKING THE EXAM
You must bring your authorization letter from PMI to the test site as well as two forms of
ID with exactly the same name you entered on the exam application.
Once you arrive at the test site you will be given scrap paper, pencils (and possibly even
earplugs) and have the chance to do a 15-minute computer tutorial (if your exam is given
on computer), to become familiar with the computer and its commands.
When you take the exam, you will see one question on the screen at a time. You can
answer a question and/or mark it to return to it later. You will be able to move back and
forth throughout the exam.
The exam does not adapt to your answers. This means that 200 questions are
presented when your exam starts and those 200 do not change.
You will have multiple chances to indicate if you are finished with the exam. The exam
will not be scored until you are ready or your time is up. If you pass the exam, the
computer will print out a certificate and a report, and you will officially be certified. If you
do not pass the exam, PMI will be notified and they will send you information on retaking
the exam. You will have to pay an additional fee to retake the exam.
THE EXAM
Keep in mind two things. First, THIS IS NOT A TEST OF THE INFORMATION IN the
PMBOK® Guide! Second, you cannot rely on real-world experience. It is training in
project management using PMI’s project management terminology that is critical! This
does not mean that you need weeks of training or a masters certificate in project
management to take the exam.
WHAT IS THE EXAM LIKE?
The PMP exam includes 200 multiple-choice questions with four answers per question.
The exam must be finished in four hours. (HINT: If your study material has five choices
per question, don’t use it! It is either related to the old exam and therefore at least four
years out-of-date, or it has not been created using the same modern test creation
standards as the exam.)
The PMP exam is knowledge, application and analysis-based, and includes many
situational questions. The exam questions are randomly generated from a database
containing hundreds of questions. The questions may jump from topic to topic and cover
multiple topics in a single question. You get one point for each correct answer. There is
no penalty for wrong answers.
For many people, the toughest knowledge areas on the exam are Integration,
Procurement and Time. The toughest process groups are Controlling and Closing. Make
sure you study these carefully.
WARNING: The PMP exam is not like any exam you have taken before. The passing
score may be 124 out of 200 in 2009 (about 62%), but because the exam is written
psychometrically, there are questions on the exam that even experts find difficult! Do
not get frustrated!
ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE EXAM?
Consider the following:
You are not ready to take the PMP exam if you have not had basic project management
training using PMI terminology! From my experience, 90% of those who fail the exam do
so because they have not had project management training that uses PMI terminology.
Take this seriously! Real-life experience or just reading the PMBOK® Guide is not
enough to pass this exam! This is so important that PMI now requires 35 contact hours
of project management training before one can take the PMP exam. Be careful! PMI
may accept most classes that relate to project management to meet this requirement.
However, even though classes in using project management software, quality or some
other such topic might be informative, and PMI might accept them toward the 35 hour
training requirement, they are not enough. You should have at least one basic project
management class using PMI terminology before you takes the exam.
If you have not had formal training in project management, or are unfamiliar with the
step-by-step process of project management, I suggest IITA Project Management course.
Passing the exam is guaranteed when you take our course!
How do you know if your training was adequate?
1. Your training may be inadequate if you experience many of the following
Problems on projects:
• Cost or schedule overruns
• Unrealistic schedules
• Changing scope of work or schedules
• Poor communications and increased conflict
• Running out of time near the end of the project
• Unsatisfactory quality
• Low morale
• People on the team are unsure of what needs to be done
• Excessive rework and overtime
• Too many project meetings
2. Your training may be inadequate if you do not understand, or do not use, two or
more of the following:
• A step-by-step process for managing projects and why each step is
necessary
• The project manager, senior manager, sponsor and team roles
• Project charter
• What is a work breakdown structure, how to create it, and what is not a list in
- a Gantt chart
• How to manually create a network diagram
• Critical path - how to find it and what benefits it provides the project manager
• PERT and estimating with PERT
• Monte Carlo simulation
• Earned value
• Schedule compression, crashing and fast tracking
• Dealing with unrealistic schedules
• Communication planning
• Creating management and control plans
• Project plan development – creating a realistic and approved project plan
• Project plan execution – managing the project to the project plan by looking
for exceptions to the plan and taking corrective action
• Risk management process and creating plans for what to do if a certain risk
occurs
• Expected value
• Calculating budget reserves and their relationship to risk management
• Controlling the project to the project plan
HOW ARE THE QUESTIONS WRITTEN?
Feedback from many of our students has provided the following insights:
• The PMP exam tests knowledge, application and analysis. This makes the PMP
exam more than a test of memory. You must know how to apply your knowledge and
be able to analyze situations involving this information. Do not expect the exam to
have all straightforward, definition-type questions.
• It is important to realize that the PMP exam deals with real-world use of project
management. It contains many “what should you do in this situation?” questions
(situational questions). These questions are extremely difficult if you have not used
project management tools in the real world or do not realize that your project
management efforts include common errors. You have to have been there.
• The exam emphasizes the process of project management (project management life
cycle or process groups).
• There are a few instances where the same set of data maybe used for additional
questions later in the exam. This is particularly true of network diagram questions.
• Only a few questions on the exam expect you to MEMORIZE the step-by-step
PMBOK® Guide processes. Only ten to twelve questions expect you to MEMORIZE
the inputs or outputs from the PMBOK® Guide.
• There may be only eight to ten formula-related calculations on the exam.
• There should only be ten to twelve earned value questions on the exam. Not all of
these require calculations using the formulas.
• Most acronyms (e.g., WBS for work breakdown structure) should be spelled out.
• The correct answers should not include direct quotations from the PMBOK® Guide.
• Most students feel uncertain of only 40 of the 200 questions on the PMP exam.
• Many students have needed only 2½ hours to finish the PMP exam and then taken
the rest of the time to review their answers.
TYPES OF EXAM QUESTIONS
Many people ask me what the questions on the exam are like. The questions are mostly
situational, many are ambiguous and some even seem like they have two right answers.
Be prepared for these types of questions so you will not waste time or be caught off
guard when you are taking the exam.
1. Situational questions on the PMP Exam – These questions require you to have
“been there.”
You receive notification that a major item you are purchasing for a project will be
delayed. What is the BEST thing to do?
A. Ignore it, it will go away
B. Notify your boss
C. Let the customer know about it and talk over options
D. Meet with the team and identify alternatives
The answer is D.
2. Two right answers – Questions that appear to have two right answers are a
major complaint from many test takers. You should be prepared for this and
realize that only those with inadequate project management training before
taking the exam think they have a lot of questions with two right answers.
Let’s look again at the question above. Couldn’t we really do all of the choices? The
“right” answer is certainly D, but isn’t it also correct to tell the customer? Yes, but that
is not the first thing. Essentially this question is really saying, “What is the BEST
thing to do next?”
3. Extraneous information – It is very important to realize that not all information
included in a question will be used to answer the question. Here, the numbers
are extraneous:
Experience shows that each time you double the production of doors, unit costs
decrease by 10%. Based on this, the company determines that production of 3,000
doors should cost US $21,000. This case illustrates:
A. Learning cycle
B. Law of diminishing returns
C. 80/20 rule
D. Parametric cost estimating
The answer is D.
4. Out of the blue questions – No matter how well you study, there will ALWAYS
be those questions where you have no idea what the question is asking. Here
is an example:
The concept of “optimal quality level is reached at the point where the incremental
revenue from product improvement equals the incremental cost to secure it” comes
from:
A. Quality control analysis
B. Marginal analysis
C. Standard quality analysis
D. Conformance analysis
The answer is B.
Words you have never heard before – Sometimes words that you have never heard
before are used as possible choices. How many of you understand that a “perk” is an
abbreviation for “perquisite?” Non-English speakers – practice dealing with this before
you take the exam.
Parking spaces, corner offices and access to the executive dining room are
examples of:
A. Perquisites
B. Overhead
C. Herzberg’s “motivators”
D. Entitlements
The answer is A.
5. Where understanding is important – In order to answer many of the questions
on the exam, you must understand all the topics. Memorization is not enough!
The process of decomposing deliverables into smaller, more manageable
components are complete when:
A. Project justification has been established
B. Change requests have occurred
C. Cost and duration estimates can be developed for each work element at this
detail
D. Each work element is found in the WBS dictionary
The answer is C.
6. New approach to known topic – There will be many instances where you
understand the topic but have never thought about it in the way the question
describes.
In a matrix organization, information dissemination is MOST likely to be effective
when:
A. Information flows both horizontally and vertically
B. The communications flows are kept simple
C. There is an inherent logic in the type of matrix chosen
D. Project managers and functional managers socialize
The answer is A.
KEYS TO ANSWERING PMI’S QUESTIONS
1. Understand the material thoroughly. Do not assume this exam tests memorization; it
tests knowledge and application!
2. Have real-world experience using all the major project management techniques.
3. Read the PMBOK® Guide fourth edition.
4. Understand the areas PMI emphasize (PMI-isms).
5. Be familiar with the types of questions.
6. Be familiar with and practice interpreting ambiguous and wordy questions.
7. Practice being able to pick an answer from what appear to be two or three right
answers.
8. Get used to the idea that there will be questions you cannot answer.
MORE TIPS ABOUT THE EXAM
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE EXAM
With people from many countries attending our courses, There are many things being said about the exam that can be misleading. To answer more questions correctly, understand these common misconceptions and the following tips.
Misconception – People expect that they can get most answers right on the exam!
This test is written psychometrically, which means, in part, that there are questions on
the exam that even experts find difficult to answer. Be prepared for this when you take
the exam. Many people get so frustrated at the questions that it slows down their
response time and causes them to get more questions wrong than they should. Not you!
You will be prepared!
Currently, the minimum passing score is 124 out of 200. Do not be frustrated; just mark the questions that you are unsure of for later review. Take your best guess after narrowing down the answers as much as you can. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.
Misconception – People think they need to memorize the inputs and outputs from
the PMBOK® Guide.
If you have heard that you need to memorize all the inputs and outputs, ignore the suggestion. Let’s take it a step at a time and perhaps we can save you some effort.
First, what is an input? It is something that is needed before you can do something
else. For example, can you name an input to risk management? Come on; don’t read
ahead for the answer. Try to answer the question on your own.
Your responses could include a project charter, a WBS, or a network diagram. If you
know what risk management is, you should understand that risks are identified for a
project but also for each task. Therefore, you need the WBS before you can start risk
management. Make sense? Now ask yourself why you would need a charter or a
network diagram. If you can answer this, then I prove my point. These should not be
something to worry about when you take the exam IF you know project management.
How about outputs? What is the major output of activity sequencing? Of course, it is network diagram. SO, just interpret any mention of activity sequencing on the exam to what is needed to create a network diagram. Get it?
When you take the exam, use the interpretation trick. Any time the word input is
on the exam, just interpret it to read “what do I need before I can complete…”
When you see the word output just read it as “what do I have when I am finished
with…”
Misconception – The PMBOK® Guide is not real-world.
Be very careful. The PMBOK® Guide was not created by some company trying to sell
you a methodology. It was created with input from hundreds of your colleagues around
the world. It is real-world to them. In our classes IITA quickly helps people understand
the PMBOK® Guide. IITA discovered real-world techniques that could have been helping many over the years to more easily manage their projects.
While you are studying, think to yourself why what you are learning would make sense in
the real world. Maybe it would make sense on projects larger than yours, ones that are
international, ones that have more support for project management. Not only will that
help you in the real world, but it will help you answer many of the questions on the exam
that calls for real-world understanding of PMBOK® Guide terms.
Misconception – You should answer each question as it is presented to you.
How would you feel if you were taking the actual exam and had no idea of the answer to
the first question? You move on to the second question and you again do not know the
answer. You move on to the third question and still do not know the answer. Would you
be getting upset? Be prepared because this may happen to you on the real exam.
It always seems to people that the first few questions are the hardest on the exam. They
are not; people are just not ready to answer questions. Why suffer through the first
questions while you get into test-taking mode? Mark any that you do not immediately
know the answer to for later review, then go on until you can start quickly answering
questions. When you are finished, go back and review the questions you marked. You
may be surprised to find they look easier the second time around.
FIND THE GAPS IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE REGARDING EXECUTING AND
CONTROL!
In order to pass the exam, you must get over a hurdle that causes many people great
difficulty. To pass the exam, you must be able to score well on questions that address
what to do when the work is ongoing, ASSUMING YOU HAVE PROPERLY PLANNED
THE PROJECT! You must therefore know what to do during Executing and Control.
For many people, what the PMBOK® Guide says about how to plan a project is
new. Before studying for the exam, they might have thought project planning was just
creating a Gantt chart or they may never have heard of the all-important management
plans before. How about you?
SOME OTHER ACTIONS A PROJECT MANAGER SHOULD BE TAKING INCLUDE:
• Exercising judgment to determine what variances are important
• Refining control limits
• Collecting data
• Holding meetings regarding controlling the project
• Identifying the root cause of problems
• Issuing updates to the project plan
• Obtaining formal acceptance of deliverables and the project
• Re-planning
• Documenting lessons learned
• Managing time and cost reserves
• Recalculating how much the project will cost and how long it will take
• Holding periodic inspections
• Ensuring that authorized approaches and processes are followed
• Making decisions to accept or reject work
• Evaluating the effectiveness of corrective actions
• Reassessing the effectiveness of project control plans
• Improving quality
• Distributing information
GET FAMILIAR WITH HOW QUESTIONS ARE ASKED!
It is important to get familiar with the types of questions on the exam, as the exam will
find any gaps in your knowledge. Complex, situational questions can be difficult without
practice. Try this sample question
QUESTION: You have just discovered that one of the sellers on your project has not
submitted a weekly status report for the last four weeks. This report is required by the
contract. What is the BEST thing to do?
A. Send a letter to the seller letting him know that he has breached the contract
and demanding corrected performance in the future
B. Determine if the report is important to the project before doing anything
C. Suspend payment
D. Call the seller and ask when the report will be issued
ANSWER: The answer is A
EXPLANATION: This will be a hard question for many people. Generally, ANY part
of the contract not performed is some kind of breach of the contract. In order to
maintain control, a letter should be sent. You can rarely suspend payment as that
would make you in breach of your contract and make you equally wrong.
SOURCE: PMP Exam Preparation, 4th Edition PAGE: 271
You might do Choice D after Choice A. If you picked Choice C, read it again. If
you were to not make payment at all, you would also be in breach of the contract, and
now also liable. It may not be a bad choice if it said, “Stop payment for the work in
question” but it does not. Many project managers who do not realize that a contract is
legally binding pick choice B. Generally, if it is in the contract, it must be done.
It will not come as a surprise to hear that the PMP exam is a most difficult exam. I hope
that these tricks and tips will make you more comfortable in preparing for it. IITA offers
PMP Exam Preparation training and support for you toward preparing for the exam, and
throughout your project management career.
TAKE A COURSE
How would you like to be guaranteed to pass the PMP exam? How about learning new
information useful in the real world? People from many parts of the world have taken our
classes because we focus on real learning useful after passing the exam, not just mind numbing rote memorization.
OUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRICKS OF THE TRADE® COURSE
This course is so focused on what you need to know in the real world that even PMP
certified project managers and those with master’s certificates in project management
have rated this course close to a perfect 10! In fact 74% and more of those that only
take our PMP Exam Preparation course wish they also took this course! Come and see for yourself how much you will learn.
This course is designed for project managers, team members, PMPs, managers of
project managers and project office personnel. Those with little project management
knowledge and those with years of experience will benefit, as all needs are really
addressed in this course without insulting the intelligence or confusing any of the
attendees. It provides a comprehensive foundation for project management while
helping translate the international standards for project management (the PMBOK®
Guide) into the real world and is thus extremely helpful to those preparing for the Project
Management Institute’s PMP certification exam.
Why take this course if you are preparing for the PMP Certification Exam?
• An astounding 74% to 81% of students who have taken the PMP Exam
Preparation course wish they had taken this course but did not know they
needed it.
• This course covers the process of project management (over 50
questions on the PMP exam), situational analysis (over 75 questions on
the exam) and is a great refresher course.
• Most of the students who do not pass the PMP exam attribute it to poor
training in project management and their inability to get their minds
around the PMI approach to project management – not a lack of practical
experience.
• If you’re current project management training consists of a series of
outdated and/or unrelated courses in project management, you should be
warned – you may not be able to pull it all together well enough to pass
the PMP certification exam! This course will fill that gap.
• This course counts towards the 35 hours of project management training
required by PMI to take the PMP certification exam.
OUR PMP EXAM PREPARATION COURSE
This course will help you find the gaps in your knowledge before they find you at the exam! Never stagnant, IITA Project Management works hard to constantly update and
improve this course to keep it the best available course to get ready for the PMP exam.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM IITA’S PMP® EXAM PREPARATION COURSE:
• Understand PMI’s approach to project management
• Focus on areas where people struggle on the exam
• Find the gaps in your knowledge BEFORE you take the exam
• Receive additional materials in class, available only to our students
• IITA guarantees that our students will pass the PMP exam
• 71% of those who attend our courses are referred by others
• Gain tips for improving your real-world project management
• This course has a 99% passing rate
• Get $422 worth of materials free in class
• Decrease your fears about passing the exam
• Receive personal attention in class
• Create your own personalized study plan in class
• Reduce your study time to 40 hours or less