PMHUB PMDigest

This message is a description of my study regimen for the PMP exam. I studied a LOT of different sources. (I've always been a bit  obsessive!) Here's the overview – I'll give my impressions of each source later in this message.

1) I took an online prep class from ESI International. This
included reading the PMBOK3 as part of the curriculum. There was an
instructor who graded the four class assignments, and was available
by email for assistance. There were full sample exams (i.e. 200
questions, four hours) to take as part of the class.

2) I used several different textbooks, as described below:
- "Passing the PMP Exam, How to Take It and Pass It" by Rudd McGary
- "PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing
the PMP Exam" by Rita Mulcahy
- "PMP: Project Management Professional Study Guide, 3rd Edition" by
Kim Heldman
- "PMP Exam Cram 2 (2nd Edition)" by Michael Solomon

(People kept recommending other textbooks, so I kept buying them! I
*love* books.)

3) I used the PMPTools exam simulation software.

4) I used a program called Quizzler on my Palm PDA to quiz myself.
You can create your own quizzes in text files, and then download to
the Palm.

If you're still awake, here's the detail on each of the above
sources:



Online PMP Prep class from ESI International: This class was funded
by my employer (EDS). It took me 2 ½ months to complete the class.
They wanted me to finish it in 1 ½ months, but I work a very
demanding job, and I told them I couldn't do it that quickly, so
they gave me an extension. The best thing about this class is that
it forced me to read a chapter of the PMBOK3 as part of each
lesson. I found the PMBOK reading very slow going. I took copious
notes as I read it. I kept a file in a Word document where I listed
each thing that I learned, both in the class and in the PMBOK. It
was set up in a table form, and I sorted it like a dictionary (first
column was the item name, 2nd column was the description.) I
included each process, each input/output, and the tools/techniques.
I also kept track of each time an input/output was used. I also
kept notes on all of the other terminology used. So, when I was
done with the PMBOK, I had a very comprehensive set of notes. For
example, I had a list of all of the processes that used "Expert
Judgment" as a tool/technique (there were 14 of them, plus it was
listed in the description of the Data Gathering and Representation
technique in the Quantitative Risk Analysis process.) I would refer
to it from time to time, but the best value I got was in just
compiling the list, because doing so helped me to remember all of
that stuff. The class also included access to ten full-length
sample exams, as well as a pretest which was also a full-length
exam. That means, I took 11 full exams as part of that class. That
was certainly good practice for the real exam.

While I was taking the class, I was reading "Passing the PMP Exam,
How to Take It and Pass It" by Rudd McGary. I think this is an
excellent book for learning this material the first time. It was
very readable. I could read it while I walked on the treadmill. He
has a nice style where he describes a topic, then asks a question
about it, then gives the answer, and then describes it again. You
might think so much repetition is boring, but it really wasn't and
it sure made me remember what he was saying. It came with software
for sample tests. I think the sample test here, which are derived
from the questions in the book, are easier than the real exam
questions as a whole, but it was helpful to take them.

Then, because so many people were extolling the virtues of Rita
Mulcahy, I bought her book. I've got to say, this was my least
favorite book. I really didn't like the exercises where she had a
blank table that you were supposed to fill in with your idea of what
is included in the initiation process, or whatever. That was
annoying to me. I have an excellent memory of what I write down,
and I didn't want to be writing down any wrong information! Now,
maybe if I was in a study group with a bunch of people and we were
discussing these topics it might have been helpful, but after the
first two of these, I just skipped them. I did go through the rest
of the text in each chapter, and I thought the questions at the end
of the chapters were very good. I wasn't crazy about the writing
style in this book either, which seemed to be rather condescending
to me.


Because I wasn't happy with Rita Mulcahy's book, I decided to try
another, so I purchased Kim Heldman's book. I thought this book was
good for reviewing the topics. Both this book and Rita's book I
thought were helpful after I already learned the basic material
(from my class and from McGary's book), so I was reviewing and
getting additional details. I think if I was trying to learn this
stuff the first time from these books, I think it would have been
difficult. This book also had an accompanying CD with the whole
book in a PDF (which was useful for searching) as well as the
chapter quizzes and two sample tests. I thought the quality of the
questions was very good. I was disappointed that each of the two
sample exams had only 74 questions each. I think it is important to
get used to answering 200 questions at a time, so that you don't get
tired out on the real exam.

I also purchased the Exam Cram 2 book to give me a high level book
that I could study for short bursts. I carried around in my purse.
It also had a CD with sample questions. There were only 50
questions on it, but it was helpful.

Since my goal was to practice a lot of questions from a lot of
sources, I purchased the exam simulation software from
PMPTools.com. I wanted something that I could use on my laptop when
I wasn't necessarily connected to the internet. I liked that I
could set this up for full 200 question exams. However, I found a
lot of errors in the questions on this software. Now, the other
sources I was using were not error free. I found errors in Rita's
questions as well as Kim Heldman's questions. But I found a LOT of
errors in the PMPTools questions. Also, the wording on a lot of
these questions was confusing. If I had to do it over again, I
would pick a different source of sample questions to purchase.

I think the MOST IMPORTANT think I did in my studying (why did I
bury this important fact so far down in this message????) is that I
really STUDIED the questions that I got wrong, no matter the
source. This is why I know that some of the questions I took had
wrong answers. I took notes on what I got wrong and why. I looked
things up in the PMBOK to make sure I understood why I got it wrong.
I put each wrong question into a quiz that I could take on my Palm
PDA. (I have a Tungsten C.) I used a program called Quizzler,
which lets you create your own quizzes. It randomizes the order of
the questions, and also randomizes the answers. It keeps track of
your scores, too. It's a very nifty little program. I created a
text file with the questions I missed from each source, and quizzed
myself on them. (You can even reference graphics, if you put them
in a .jpg file that you store on the Palm.) I figured for any
question that I got right the first time I saw it, I would still get
it right if the exam had a similar question. So all my
concentration was on the questions that I had gotten wrong. I have
to tell you, some I would continue to get wrong on these quizzes.
But I learned a lot from studying them. I could do these quizzes on
my Palm while standing in line at the grocery store, or anywhere I
had a minute or two free.

In the days just before the exam, I reread all of Jim Owens'
excellent columns on PMHUB. They are nice overviews of various
topics.

I know a lot of people have said they "read the PMBOK three times
and read Rita Mulcahy's book three times" as prep for the exam.
That really wouldn't have worked for me. If I had had to read the
PMBOK more than once I would have gone crazy. Of course, the WAY I
read it (as described above) was long and intense, since I was
taking such copious notes. And I did go back to it often to look
things up. But I could never have stayed awake long enough to read
it a second time! I also didn't reread any of the various books
that I purchased (not that I would have had time.) This is just me
personally, but I get a lot more out of reading a pristine book and
highlighting important information that I get from reading a book
that is already highlighted (even if I was the one who did the
highlighting!) Of course, different people have different learning
methods, so your mileage may vary.

Well, that's what I did to prepare. During the weeks before my
exam, I had to travel to California for a big, family Thanksgiving
celebration. This was supposed to be my vacation, but I spent much
of my time studying. Not that the quality of that studying was so
great, since I was in a room full of people talking constantly, but
I did manage to get a fair amount of work done.

I studied very hard for this exam. I was doing it with the
expectation that I would have to score 82%, so I wanted to be able
to score 90% on sample exams. Sometimes I was able to do that,
sometimes not. If I had known at the outset that I only had to get
a 61%, I might not have put so much time into it. I certainly would
have done the ESI course and PMBOK reading with the same intensity,
because that's just the way I approach learning new material. But I
might not have purchased so many extra texts.

Well, that's it. If I had to recommend one single thing to
prospective PMP candidates, it would be to take sample tests and
study and analyze why you got each question wrong. Good luck to all!

Leti