1. 6 Simple Steps to Help you Pass the PMP Exam
1) Forget what you know at the door. The exam can become a nightmare for veteran project managers. The PMP exam is not testing you on your personal experience as project manager but knowing the framework and process of project management. Project managers often get road blocked in passing the PMP exam because they think about their personal experience which hinders them to make the correct PMI answer. First train of thought is “I am a good project manager so my way is the right way.” It might be the right way but is it the PMI way? Again, leave what you know at the door when you prep for the PMP test.
2) Take PMP in Person Boot Camp. I cannot stress this enough. There are plenty of good PMP boot camps out there in person. I of course push PM Higher Learning as the place to go. The reason why I recommend in person vs. online is that you lose that personal experience, finding a study buddy and different point of views. Even though the in class boot camp is more expensive than online you will thank yourself that you invested wisely in an in class PMP boot camp. The passing rates for PMP online vs. in person is dramatic. There is a reason for this!
3) Practice questions over and over again. Practice makes perfect! This old saying goes right in line with passing the PMP exam. The PMP exam is 200 random questions, in order to feel comfortable in passing the PMP exam you need to practice numerous different styles of questions.
4) Read PMBOK at least twice and Rita twice. I recommend both of these books to all my students preparing for the PMP exam. The PMBOK may look foreign at first but the more you read it the more it will make sense.
5) Creating your own flash cards vs. buying them. If you create your own flash cards you have to put forth the effort to find the word, definition, write it down and then review the cards. If you just simply buy flash cards you will have a harder time memorizing them. Think about it, if someone caught you a fish vs. you catching it yourself which one gains knowledge from it? The one that put forth the effort in catching the fish.
6) Get a study buddy. A study buddy will help you push harder, learn from each other’s answers and questions. I have seen numerous examples where an individual had a hard time passing the PMP exam, but once with a buddy, passed the PMP exam.