PMP Exam Prep, Eighth Edition - Updated: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam

I just successfully passed my PMP Exam on the first attempt. It took me four months to achieve this goal once I set my mind to seriously preparing for it. Keep in mind, that I was randomly selected for PMI's 20% Audit of my application, so this added about 2 months to my prep time. I cleared the audit with no issues, but it did take time due to the process. This book is the single biggest reason that I was able to pass on the first try, and I strongly recommend using it as your primary source for preparation. Each chapter corresponds to a chapter in the PMBOK 5th Edition, so I would read each chapter in Rita followed by the PMBOK Chapter. Once I completed each set of chapters in the 2 books, then I would move onto the next chapter. I would highlight key concepts in both books as I read them. Once I made the first run through each book, I went back through Rita again, and answered each of the review questions at the end of each chapter. I also reviewed each corresponding chapter of the PMBOK, but focused on the key concepts' that I previously highlighted only in both sets of books. I also purchased the corresponding Rita Flash Cards and reviewed these when I had a few minutes of down time at my Kids' soccer practices or on my lunch hour. This reinforced the concepts in the Rita Book and PMBOK. Finally, I took 4 x full length practice tests and answered a total of about 2,000 practice questions (using PMP apps on IOS that you can purchase at a reasonable price) prior to the exam. 4 days prior to the exam I went through my highlighted areas in each Rita Chapter again. 2 x days before the test, I took a full length practice test (one of the 4 I previously mentioned). The day before the test, I went through the flash cards again. All of this helped me successfully pass. I spent no more than 2 hours per day studying due to job and Family constraints. Plus, after 2 hours, i would lose focus. The bottom-line is that this is a very difficult test, and you must thoroughly prepare or you will fail. However, this book is great focal point for your preparation, and if you follow it and thoroughly prepare, then you should be able to pass on the first try. I use this book regularly in my job as a good reference.

I passed the PMP exam last week (first try) and I don't believe I would have passed if I hadn't used this book. It is very well written and was super helpful. Some background, I have 20+ years of experience managing software development projects of all sizes and complexities and would consider myself a highly experienced project manager. I've learned how to deal with all manner of issues. I wanted to get the PMP credential to add to my resume. The PMP exam does not test you on your real-world experience, however. It tests you on how well you understand the principles and practices that are documented in the PMBOK. This is key to understand. It is a BEAST of an exam. 200 questions in 4 hours with, what felt like, trick questions sprinkled throughout. Each question is multiple choice and many of them have four very valid answers as choices. You need to learn how to answer the questions the way the PMI expects you to answer them. They have a very specific and rather rigid way of expecting project managers to approach the process of managing projects. And, this is where Rita's book came in. She makes it clear what the PMBOK expects a PM to do. She explains the various process groups really well and provides many tips and hints on what to expect on the exam. I had already taken a PMP class and took about 3 months to read the PMBOK, a few hours a week. In the last two weeks before the exam I studied Rita's book, reading a chapter a night. The weekend before the exam I took a full practice test and memorized formulas and definitions. There are a lot of practice questions in the book and these were also really helpful, although, I found her questions to be easier than the exam questions. (Again, this exam is rough.) I would have liked more practice questions but fortunately had some from my PMP class. As for the exam itself, in my case, the majority of the questions were situational ("what should you do next if xxxx has happened"). These are tricky since you need to answer the way the PMP expects which is not necessarily what you would do at your company. There were probably less than 8 questions (out of 200) that required any math or memorization of a formula and NO network diagram questions. I had memorized all the formulas and how to calculate critical path and float, per Rita's guidance, but that didn't turn out to be required, at least on my exam date. That was disappointing since these are the easier questions. However, I passed. Phew! This book really helped.

Working in IT as a test lead/PM for more than a decade, I'd worked on project management teams, but I didn't have a lot of formal experience managing projects from beginning to end (e.g. creating budgets, creating WBS's, gathering lessons learned, etc). I still figured I had a decent foundation on which to build up enough knowledge to eventually pass the PMP. I started out by reading through the PMBOK, but I had a hard time retaining the material and staying engaged because of the dryness of the read. I floundered between videos online and the PMBOK for several months, and I even considered spending $3,000 to attend a PMP boot camp at one point. I came across Rita's book while searching for tips to passing the exam; Rita's book kept coming up as a primary study aid for exam takers who'd passed. So, I decided to buy it. Once the book arrived, I immediately started reading. I was impressed by the book's flow and approach. The one thing I liked is that it helped to develop a mindset about project management and passing the exam in particular. The tips in the book are great for helping to focus on areas of importance for passing the exam. After reading a couple chapters, the PMBOK sat on the shelf, never to be opened again. I recently passed the PMP exam on the first attempt, and I'm convinced that Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep was the key. Here's how I prepared for the exam: (1) Simplilearn PMP course to complete the 35-hour requirement (2) Tamilselvan Mahalingam PMP videos on YouTube - great videos (3) PMBOK (only read it once) - material is very dry. As I mentioned, I lost interest for a while until I found Rita's book. (4) Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep: - Read and completed exercises in book. Read about 1/2 chapter per day. - Re-read book (bumped up to 1 chapter per day, since I was more familiar with the material), answering the questions at the end of the chapters and doing the exercises. I answered each chapter's questions on separate stickies and stuck them in the book for that particular chapter so I could compare the results to subsequent test results. - Re-read book, answering the questions at the end of the chapters and doing the exercises again. Compared results to last test run to find areas of weakness. - Skimmed book, focusing on areas of weakness the week before the exam. - Skimmed book a second time the day before the exam, fleshing out any remaining areas of weakness. (5) Some online testing - not much, though I took about a year to complete the exam, but I took some time off from my studies during that year. I'd say that I averaged about 1/2 hour per day over that period of time. If you're trying to decide which study guide to buy, or you're trying to decide whether you should attend a high-priced boot camp, I'd give Rita's book a shot first.

This book is a pretty good study companion to the PMBOK guide. I just took my PMP certification exam today and passed ! Below is my review on this book. If you are interested in how you might best prepare for the PMP exam - read on - further below. - this is a good study companion to the PMBOK guide. - it does have some tips for memorizing things (like math formulas, theories on motivating employees, etc.) -- I found these tips helpful for the most part - this book also has some tips on items to focus on (because higher chances of them being on the PMP exam) and those not to focus on too much (because lower chances of them being on the PMP exam - based on historical data) - This book - is a bit wordy - it probably weighs about 50 lbs (ok, I'm exaggerating) and has about 600 pages. - however, the wordiness is meant to make it less 'dry' it seems (try reading the PMBOK - now, that's dry) - chapter practice tests - were very helpful for me (it is how I best learn) ONE THING THAT I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND -- do not try to memorize the "Rita's Process Chart" - and don't bother with "Rita's Process game". Ugh - what a waste of time! I am a veteran Project manager (finally obtained my PMP after 27+ years in the field) -- and Rita's process is confusing and just not helpful at all. stick with the PMBOK version of the process/knowledge matrix table - it is far more reasonable. For those of you interested in learning how to best prepared for the PMP exam : Here is what I recommend - whether you are an experienced project mgmt veteran like me, or someone new to the field. 1) Absolutely - Get the PMBOK guide (if you are a PMI member, you can download the PDF version of the document for free from their website) 2) Get a second book as a study companion (I chose this book - Rita Mulchahy's) 3) Do not get anymore books. Two is more than enough. You won't have time to read more than two books!! these are hefty books! 4) Read the two books together - one chapter at a time. What I did was read a chapter in PMBOK - then I read the corresponding chapter in Rita's - then took the chapter test in the Rita's book 5) I did that one pass through with all the chapters. It took me about 2 months to get through the two books and the chapter tests (Studying on average 5-6 hours per week) 6) you should be getting about 75% correct on the rita's chapter tests by the time you schedule you exam date. Leave yourself couple of weeks for the final push. 7) During the two weeks leading up to your exam date - do the following : (plan on spending at least 2 hours every day to study - the last two days - I took the day off from work and just studied all day) a. refresh your memory and create a summary sheet (limit to 1 page) for each chapter of the PMBOK - with your own notes about the basic concepts and processes. Put notes in there that will help you memorize important facts, distinctions, and concepts you must understand. Keep these summary sheets as "working" notes as you do practice tests and learn concepts that you missed before b. During the two weeks memorize the folllowing two things (what I did was type them out on my PC - at least once a day for most of the two weeks) ; i - the PMBOK table that maps the process groups and knowledge areas - Table 3-1 in the PMBOK guide. as you memorize you will hopefully remember what happens in each process - and why they go in that order. ii - the math formulas - Rita's book has a summary sheet in the back section that was very helpful to help with memorization. But again try to think about what the formula is trying to calculate as you memorize them, instead of just blindly memorizing them. b. Retake the Rita's chapter tests - there are 14 chapters in this book - each with it's own tests. Figure out why you missed a question. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn and how everything comes together when you spend the time to research and understand your errors. You should be getting about 70-75% correct in these tests c. then go out there and find one or two good practice tests - google "PMP practice tests". There are many you can pay for -- and then there are a whole bunch of free ones. If you opt for the free ones (like I did) - choose carefully - and choose just 1 or 2. I started with the Oliver Lehmann's free practice tests - 175 practice questions - down loadable. took the practice exam without using any of my notes to test myself. then reviewed the questions that I missed or had to guess really hard at. Oliver Lehmann site provides references to look up for the rationale for the correct answer. anything new I learned - I added to my summary sheets. Then I took Oliver Lehmann's online free practice test (75 questions - with a timer to help pace yourself). Again - if I missed any questions or had to guess really hard, I researched it and tried to learn the concept that the question was trying to convey. Anything new i learned - I added to my summary sheet. d. I tried a few other free practice tests that are out there (Oliver Lehmann website lists many of the free ones on the internet) -- but I would tell you not to waste your time on them. Some of them had ridiculous questions that were overly difficult -- that did not reflect at all what the real PMP exam would ask. It will only discourage you. If you want to use free practice tests - I would only recommend the Oliver Lehmann's e. the night before or the morning of your PMP exam, look over your summary sheets that you have compiled over the two weeks - and study it. Review your practice questions and try to remember how the questions were asked. f. go the the test site - be positive - you've prepared hard for this and you will pass the exam! Good luck!

This book was instrumental in helping me pass the PMP Exam on the first try. Just reading the PMBOK is not enough. You need a book like this specifically designed to help prep for the exam. Here's how I studied and I recommend the same: 1. Get your 35 PDUs from an online provider in a course designed for exam prep. This is good intro to the exam concepts and you get your 35 PDUs necessary to apply for the exam. I used Simplilearn and they were great. Their practice exams were fantastic as well. 2. Buy Rita's book and read it all the way through completing all exercises but skip the end of chapter exams for now. Highlight important concepts. Cut out the pages and play the process games at least 10 times. Make your own flashcards for all important formulas and other things that the book tells you to memorize and review them every other day (only about 10 to 15 flash cards). 3. Read the PMBOK. I bought a hard copy but you also get a free pdf version when you become a PMI member. Don't focus on memorizing the process inputs and outputs as it's better to understand than memorize and you will understand after reading Rita's book. 4. Skim back through Rita's book reviewing your previous highlights and this time complete the exam questions at the end of each chapter. Highlight the questions you get wrong and understand why you got them wrong. 5. Take at least 10 practice tests. Review every question you get wrong and understand why you got them wrong. Simplilearn has an app for your phone that is very good and allows you to do these tests. This is very handy and allows you to take practice tests where ever you are. You can pause them too so instead of browsing Facebook or Twitter do some practice questions! 6. Once you have scored over 80% on at least two practice tests you are ready. 7. Take the exam and it will be a breeze. The above took me about 2 hours of studying per day for 2 months. You could probably get away with less but following the above is a sure fire way to pass on your first try. Good luck!

This is hands-down the best book on the market for PMP exam prep. I've gone through SEVEN exam prep books (I have 5 of them on my desk right now...) and this is the only one I recommend. Andy Crowe's book is great and so is Kim Heldman's prep guide. Head-First PMP is great (and very visual) and PMP for Dummies is surprisingly well written. I still recommend Rita's over all of them. **Exam Prep Recommendations** This assumes you have already gone to PMI.org and verified you meet the criteria. You need to document and submit all of your PM experience/hours/info on their website before you can even pay for the exam. You may also be randomly selected for an audit RIGHT after you pay! Before you can submit your experience, you also need to obtain 35 hrs of formal PM education (aka a Boot Camp or an online class) at some point. I recommend taking a 35 hr online or in-person "PMP Boot Camp" session RIGHT before you take the test and after all of your own self-study. If you take a live boot camp class first, it will be VERY overwhelming (think: drinking water from a fire hose) and you will NOT retain a lot of what the instructor is saying! Read Rita's PMP Exam Prep! Take each of the chapter tests (on separate paper!), review your answers and figure out why you got the answer wrong AND right (you may average in the 50s-70s score-wise the first time). Download the PMP Examination Content Guide (google it - its on PMI.org) and understand the different tasks and ORDER of those tasks for each of the Process Groups. Then read the entire PMBOK. Yes, you need to read it! This is expensive and time-consuming exam. Don't mess up being lazy, even if you know a guy who knows a guy who said they didn't read the PMBOK! Once you finish the PMBOK (or you can do this part chapter by chapter as well), take all of the chapters tests again (you should now be in the high 80s to 100% range now). Go online and use good quality free mock 4-hour PMP exam resources, like PM Study, SimpliLearn, Edwel HeadFirstLabs and (if you want to cry...) Oliver Lehmann. Study each question you get wrong (or accidentally right!) through the PMBOK (and Rita it you'd like) before you take a different test. Don't bother re-taking these mock exams. If you can score 80%+ on the mock exams (the first time - repeats don't count!) then you are good (Olivers Lehmann test? 70% is good as his test may be slightly harder than the real one). You can easily memorize the Knowledge Areas, Process Groups and processes. You definitely do NOT need to memorize the ITTOs (unless your just wired for memorization) but you should UNDERSTAND them. It you understand each process, you can recall what Input/Tool/Technique/Output would be used. I could 'logic' my way into 75% of the ITTOs when I took my test but I never practiced rote memorization of them. You also want to understand them well enough that if a technique is 'described' you can identify it and possible understand what process you are in, thus answer what your next step should be. Oh, and you definitely need to know the formulas! All the Earned Value and Forecasting formulas, Communication Channels, Expected Monetary Value, etc. Be careful if you have a decade or more of PM experience. You'll need to LET IT GO in most cases to accept and absorb the PMBOK's best practices. Don't argue with the source materials! The exam is based off of the PMBOK NOT your experience at your companies! If you have little to no project management experience, please move along! This is for those that already have experience and want to certify it. Not only do you not qualify for the exam without quite a few years/hours of verifiable PM experience, you will have serious struggles even grasping the context of the materials! Most of my students with a good mid-range of experience (5-10 years professional PM) took 2-4 months to study for, take and successfully pass the exam. These tips from someone with 15 years PM experience and 5 years of PMP Boot Camp/Exam Prep Instructing experience and a high student passing percentage. Oh, and when I had to prep for and take the test in 4 weeks due to our original instructor bailing on us (and I didn't have a the cert yet) I developed method. Then I had my students apply it with great success over the years. All you need is PMBOK, 4-5 quality free online mock exams and RITA'S PMP PREP! Good Luck and Happy Studying! :)

I’m so glad that I passed my PMP exam last week! I would say Mulcahy’s book helped a lot during my 4-month preparation. Based on customer reviews, I bought this book alone with Crowe’s book after completing an online PMP prep course. As soon as I received this book, I carefully read each chapter and worked on questions at the end of each chapter plus some of the exercises within the chapters; took notes for questions that I did wrong and those I wasn't confident about. In the meantime, I collected bunch of free online practice questions to work on. These questions re-enforced the concepts that I learned from Rita's book. One month before the test, I started working on several mock tests (from 15 minutes to 4 hours). Again, these are free online ones. I continued practicing them until my scores reached 85% or above. For any knowledge gap, I then re-read Rita’s book and used Crowe’s book as reference in case I wasn’t able to fully grasp the concepts. I also created my own flash cards for important definitions and terms from PMBOK (including all ITTO definitions, mostly from pp. 526-567), tried to read and memorize them during my daily commute on the train. I need to admit that I didn’t spend too much time on PMBOK – it was too dry for me to read though. The actual test was much more difficult than those mock tests I practiced. There were about 30+ math questions out of 200. I spent about half an hour or so to do all of them (not complicated though). There were lots of questions on Risk and Quality management, some in Human Resource/Communication/Stakeholder Engagement management (which I think I didn't do well), and several in Integrated Change Control process. I believe the 200 test questions were randomly selected, so every one’s question set was different. There were lots of people taking PMP exam at the test center I went to. I think people were trying to take the test before PMP changes its test on Jan 11, 2016.

The three PMP Exam books that I reviewed: 1. PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy, Eighth Edition, Copyright 2013. Keep in mind that Rita has been dead since 2010 and the book just lives on without her. The book was good but felt like the ESI class that I took. It was a little dry and mostly focused on teaching you Project Management as opposed to passing the exam. Plus, it had many other products to sell you that I felt should have been included in the book that cost me about $80 to buy. http://www.amazon.com/PMP-Exam-Prep-Eighth-Edition/dp/1932735658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393072529&sr=8-1&keywords=pmp+exam+prep+8th+edition+by+rita+mulcahy 2. The PMP Exam, How to Pass On Your First Try, Fifth Edition by Andy Crowe, PMP, copyright 2013. I found this book much more helpful than Rita's. It was also the book that folks at work were telling me to buy. It was more fun to use and grouped thoughts together much better for me. It had online extra's that you accessed with your key card that came with the book. Plenty of practice questions and I found myself tabbing pages and enjoying it more. It could just be that I had been grilling myself over and over that this started to feel better. Like I said, I can only speak from my own perspective. This book cost me less than $40. http://www.amazon.com/The-PMP-Exam-First-Edition/dp/098276085X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393072580&sr=8-1&keywords=pmp+exam+how+to+pass+on+your+first+try 3. Head First PMP, 3rd Edition, Jennifer Greene & Andrew Stellman. Copyright 2014. Less than $90 to buy but this was the best book by far of the three. It was written in a very fun and user friendly fashion. The projects they used were easy to wrap your brain around; like building a Lounge (bar, textiles, furniture) or planning a wedding (facilities, photographer, catering). I don't know if it was because I was now on my fifth study guide and had taken about 8 full practice exams that I was now wrapping my head around it or what, but I did like this book the best. http://www.amazon.com/By-Jennifer-Greene-First-Edition/dp/B00HTK4A5A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1393071741&sr=8-4&keywords=head+first+pmp+3rd+edition I passed the Exam on my second attempt. It was a difficult exam for me with many trick questions. I will maintain my membership and credentials with PMi. I don't want to ever go through this again. Many Blessings to everyone and their projects.