In our previous article we discussed the 7 questions that
most of our PMP Exam coaching students ask us as they start out their journey.
However http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/drew-hutchison/ ,
over the years we have identified a second set of 7 questions - the questions
students SHOULD be asking us but they don’t. Here they are:
1. What’s
the most important brain dump or diagram to learn?
This is an easy
question! It’s Table 3-1 in the PMBOK® Guide. This covers the Project Management
Process Group and Knowledge Area Mapping. It’s a complicated matrix and a very
important visual representation of Project Management Body of Knowledge and
Project Management framework. It is very much a guiding tool for approaching the
PMP exam and one of the most important brain dumps that you could have in the
testing center to help you.
2. What formulas do I need to know for the
PMP exam?
There are many formulas in the PMBOK® Guide; upwards of 20 or
30 that could be referenced in the PMP exam. A PMP exam coach would tell you
that you will probably only see somewhere in a range of around 15 formulas on
the exam itself.
If time is short and you want to focus your learning on what
will really make a difference to your success in the exam, identify the formulas
that are most likely to come up and make sure you fully understand those. A
formulas study guide, coach or PMP exam tutor will be able to pinpoint the most
important formulas for you. Start by memorizing those to maximize your learning
time.
3. What are these Inputs http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/aaron-altherr/ ,
Outputs, Tools and Techniques (ITTOs)?
ITTOs tend to scare a lot of PMP
students and some exam candidates have confided that they didn’t understand or
know about them before they took the exam! They are very important for
understanding how project management concepts and processes fit together, both
for the exam and also for managing projects in ‘real life’ after the
exam.
Make sure you spend enough time learning about their
structure http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/tommy-joseph/ ,
and how you are likely to encounter them on the PMP exam. You can do this
through studying the PMBOK® Guide, and using other study guides and flashcards.
Taking practice PMP exams is another good way of testing your knowledge of ITTOs
as you will get to see how the questions are framed on the exam and learn how
best to respond to them.
4. What are some tricks to answering these long
scenario-based questions on the PMP exam?
This is an excellent question
that PMP exam coaches don’t hear often enough! The best students want to know
how to deal with the long paragraphs that they see on the PMP exam.
These
long questions are often a source of great difficulty for many students. The
content of the question is often in a strange order and there are facts that are
added in simply to distract you. The answers are also often longer than normal,
so scanning through and making a quick judgment about how to answer is tricky.
So how can you deal with these scenario-based questions?
Something that
works well for many exam candidates is to read the last part of the question
first. You can also use a process of elimination on certain answers by referring
to your brain dump of Table 3-1 http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/rhys-hoskins/ ,
the Project Management Process Group and Knowledge Area Mapping, or your formula
sheet.
Practicing with an exam simulator and talking to your colleagues
and coaches will help you understand and practice these long scenario-based
questions.
5. How can I manage my time on the exam day?
Four hours
seems like a very long time and in the past students were often able to complete
the exam comfortably within this time. Now PMP exam tutors learn from their
students that the test seems to be taking longer. You can still complete it
within the 4 hour window allocated, but students are reporting that it is taking
the full allocation of time so they don’t have the opportunity to leave
early.
This could be for any number of reasons http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/nick-williams/ ,
including that students are now better prepared and are marking more questions
for review. It could also be that earned value calculations are playing a great
part in the exam and for many students, they add additional time. Whatever the
reasons, you do need to manage your time carefully on the day to ensure that you
have enough time to finish without being rushed.
Once you get on top of
your time management you have a much better chance of passing the PMP
exam.
6. What’s the best approach for learning all the
content?
The best approach for learning all the content (and there is a
lot of it!) depends on your learning style. Some people learn best by reading
and absorbing information in their own time. This allows them to make notes and
create their own flashcards http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/mitch-williams/ ,
for example. If that sounds like you, a PMP study guide would be a good starting
point.
Other people learn best through visual means, and if that sounds
like your preferred learning style then the best approach that you could
possibly take would be to find yourself a world class set of video learning
lessons which will provide you with all of the content on all of the
processes http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/larry-andersen/ ,
the framework, and the body of knowledge in a visual way.
Others learn
best in an environment with other people. A classroom course or PMP exam
tutoring in a group can be a good solution if you prefer to learn in the company
of others. Of course, you also have the option to learn one-on-one with a study
buddy (a peer who is studying for the PMP exam at the same time as
you) http://www.cheapmlbphilliesjerseys.com/tug-mcgraw/ ,
a mentor or PMP coach. Don’t limit yourself to having to meet in person as there
are online options that also give you the personal touch without physically
having to be in the same location, such as coaching via Skype.
Considering
the fact that ancient event.