TOPIC: Preparation to PMP exam before 11th of jan 2015

Hi all,

may I introduce myself first, before placing my questions

My name is Alex, I live and work in germany and my profession is project management in an IT corporation. Since i want to develop myself and to proove my long-year experience in project management, I want to do the PMI PMP exam.

I know, there is a lot work to do, but I am highly motivated by many of your experiences and comments here in the forum and the prepcast Cornelius offers. I have watched the first lessons now, and I really like and enjoy the style the prepcast works.

I aim to to do the PMP exam in the mid of dec 15, in order to have some spare time, if I would have to do the exam again, when failing on first try. I do not really want to take the exam after 11th of jan 16, due to the coming changes, although I am not so much afraid of them. So right now, I am in the middle of the setup for my personal study plan and have a few questions left, where I hope you can help me on a bit.

1) I want to work with the prepcast, the PMBOK Guide, flashcards and one additional prepbook. I am still unsure which one to buy. This site gives a comparison of the most popular ones: pmexamlessonslearned.com/pmp/pmp-exam/pm...eldman/#.VefoPSXtlBc
Q: according to my timetable and a changing exam outline, is there a book recommendation and to which version would it be?

2) Due to my job and family situation with 2 little kids, I can invest "only" around 2-3 hours on 6 days per week for my studies. As is just started, I don't have a good estimation, if my planned exam date is realistic and when to apply for it earliest. I planned to apply for the exam after taking all prep cast lessons.
Q: what can you recommend as the earliest date to apply for the exam and what time buffer for studying should I calculate until the exam date out of your experience?

3) How is the PM prepcast already adapted to the new exam outline, do I/we already recognize changed content? I still have in mind, that i might not can't make it before 11th of jan 15.

4) Do the books mentioned above already cover the changing exam content?

Thanks for your effort in answering my questions and for sharing your experiences. I will do as well for others, to give back something to the PMP community.

Yours, Alex

Alex, you have the right mindset. You have a plan, you have questions, and you are reaching out to a body of experts. Study well and you should have no problem. It's September now, so three months from now is possible, but you have to plan on spending about 2 hours per day and a lot more on weekends to gain the confidence that most people feel before they say "I'm ready for the test." See some of my other answers below. I don't know answers to #3 and #4.

1) I want to work with the prepcast, the PMBOK Guide, flashcards and one additional prepbook. I am still unsure which one to buy. This site gives a comparison of the most popular ones: pmexamlessonslearned.com/pmp/pmp-exam/pm...eldman/#.VefoPSXtlBc
Q: according to my timetable and a changing exam outline, is there a book recommendation and to which version would it be?
A: You need the PMBOK, so plan that first. The Prepcast is also a training aid for the 35 contact hours, so if that's your choice of study, then buy it, or you can pay for a 1 week bootcamp class if there is near your home. That's a matter of budget and time. After that, there are numerous free resources to practice exams on the internet. see my attached file for recommendations of study materials. not all are free.



2) Due to my job and family situation with 2 little kids, I can invest "only" around 2-3 hours on 6 days per week for my studies. As is just started, I don't have a good estimation, if my planned exam date is realistic and when to apply for it earliest. I planned to apply for the exam after taking all prep cast lessons.
Q: what can you recommend as the earliest date to apply for the exam and what time buffer for studying should I calculate until the exam date out of your experience?
A: If you start now, you can be done by the end of September, so apply during that first week of October. Digitally save all your study completion certificates. You will need them when uploading documents for the application.

3) How is the PM prepcast already adapted to the new exam outline, do I/we already recognize changed content? I still have in mind, that i might not can't make it before 11th of jan 15.


4) Do the books mentioned above already cover the changing exam content?

Alexander,

Here are my "quick fire" answers for you:

1.) All books that are currently on the market are based on the current PMP Exam Content Outline. I am not yet aware that anyone has published their updated book.

2.) Cannot help you with the scheduling, but don't forget that you can also study on your way to/from work. Just listen to the PrepCast lessons each way.

3.) PrepCast is based on the current exam content outline. The upgrade project will start later this month.

4.) Not to my knowledge.

Michael and Cornelius,

thank you for your recommendations, I appreciate it. Most of your advises cover well with my plans, so I feel confirmed and confident. I actually already do use any time, that I have for studying, also on my way to work and also during my job breaks. Though, I did my calculations on the time, based on worst-case scenario

I am still unsure which additional book to choose. On Amazon, all of them have very high ratings. Maybe you can help me again, if I specify my requirements a bit more.

I see my time available a bit limited, so I don't need another book that presents the material dry and academically. I like the style of Cornelius' approach with his prepcast very, very much. So a book, that tries to bring knowledge to you in a similar sympathic way would be perfect - one book is described as condescending. Furtheron, I really like, if concepts and ideas are being explained in a different way compared to the PMBOK guide. What I really don't know, if I am the type of student, who lerns best with a lot of graphics and schematics - one book aims on that, I think.

Again, thanks a lot.
Yours, Alex

I understand studying with two little ones around. I had this to cope with as well. I put them to bed at 8 and I started studying.

For your book question, I can tell you I enjoyed the Head First PMP. It had a very visual way of teaching. I found their explanation of Earned Value second to none. That was a turning point for me. Of course this will have to accompany the PMBOK.

If you have a Dec 15th date set, that's a great first step. Just start working back from there to schedule your time. Plan on taking two full length tests the 5 weeks leading up to the test ( www.pm-exam-simulator.com/ ). Start taking smaller practice exams before then. There are practice exams available with 50 questions. These can be taken in about an hour which will give you more time to study. I did this at least every other night when studying. Besides the practice tests, just work backwards in scheduling the videos and podcasts. You will want to allow a little flex in your schedule as life with kids does get in the way.

Keep at it my friend!!

Hi Alex,

based on what you have written so far i would also recommend Head First PMP to you.

I am personally have used Rita's and Head First and a german one in addition.
Rita's has this more academic approach but also has a lot of very good tipps and tricks for exam.

Her is the Link to the german prpe book, as far as i know the only one in german language but also very good. I had my first boot camp training some years ago with the aothor of this book as trainer and it was one of the best trainings i ever had ...

Das PMP-Examen: Die gezielte Prüfungsvorbereitung by Thomas Wuttke (☛ www.amazon.de/Das-PMP%C2%AE-Examen-gezie...siness/dp/3826694767 )

In addition iw ould aslo suggest you to get in contact so i could be some kind of mentor if you want. I did the exam on August the 24th, so i have very fresh experiences i could share with you.

I wish you anyway best of luck!

Regards,

Markus