Is Studying the PMBOK® Guide Enough to Pass the PMP Exam?

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Since 2004, PMPerfect has provided students with professional, high-quality methods of preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam. There is a reason why our exam preparation products are relied on by thousands of PMP students across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and India: they work.

• We employ the best PMP experts in the industryThe SSI Logic team includes multiple PMP subjectmatter experts and trainers who develop ourcourseware.

• O!er highly e!ective PMP courseware.All of the PMP courseware material developed by ourteam (or co-developed with our partners) undergoesa thorough quality assurance process

• Better learning through technology.By using simple, well-designed technical innovations,we've made it easier than ever for students to takePMP courses, learn material, and measure their PMPknowledge.

What’s in the ebook?

This guide will teach you why the PMBOK Guide does not work well as a primary study aide and we provide recommendations on the most cost e!ective and impactful types of PMP exam training material.

• Is the PMBOK Guide Enough?Find out why the PMBOK Guide is not enough

• Self-Paced PMP CoursesA fantastic tool to reinforce instructor-led training

• Live Online PMP ClassesGreat for students who need structure

• PMP Exam Prep BooksPerfect to reinforce existing training

• Simulated PMP Practice ExamsPerfect for students who want to test theirknowledge

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Is Studying the PMBOK® Guide enough to pass the PMP exam?

With the PMBOK® Guide sitting on your desk, you may assume that

reading and memorizing its content will provide enough understanding

to ace the PMP exam with !ying colors. This underestimates the

comprehensive nature of the exam, and vastly misrepresents what the

PMBOK® Guide really is.

While the PMBOK® Guide is a fantastic source of process de"nitions and

should sit on every project manager’s desk (much like an English

professor’s dictionary), it will do very little to help students understand

the critical concepts presented on the PMP exam. Much like trying to

study for an English exam with a Webster’s dictionary, you will waste

valuable time and energy attempting to memorize the vast amount of

information contained within the PMBOK® Guide without appropriate

training material.

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Quick Note: The PMBOK® Guide is designed as a reference manual for project management processes, and was not designed to be used as a study aide.

Passing the PMP exam means understanding

how to practically apply the critical processes

of the PMBOK® Guide in real life. No

amount of memorization will teach you how

these processes are applied, and this is why

we recommend aspiring students receive

proper training.

Below are recommendations on the most cost e!ective and impactful types of

PMP exam training material.

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Interactive Self-Paced PMP Courses

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Great self-paced courses (also referred to as “On-Demand” courses) are valuable both as a primary

source of study, and are also a fantastic tool to reinforce instructor-led training. It is important that

students understand the attributes of a great self-paced to get the most out of their courseware.

The PMP On-Demand courses available today are vastly superior to those o#ered only 5 years ago.

Long gone are the days where students needed to put up with 15 hours of monotone instructor

speeches recorded over PowerPoint slides.

Today’s high quality PMP On-Demand courses are carefully designed to optimize your learning time

and should include a combination of studio recorded audio/video, supporting exercises that can be

completed o$ine, cheat sheets of critical information and formulas, detailed practice quizzes, and

other supporting items.

Good courses will also include a progress checklist, so that you may track your activities. Higher quality

courses will track your progress online and provide you with a certi"cate of completion once you have

ful"lled the appropriate course hours.

If you are relying on a self-paced course as

your primary source of study material,

remember that 35 Contact Hours are

required to qualify for the PMP exam (you

will report these hours when registering

with PMI®). Make sure the course you are

registering for has been accredited by

PMI® to ful"ll these contact hours.

Courses that have been approved by PMI®

for contact hours will have a PMI Activity

ID.

Great for: Students who have great self discipline and can manage their time, students who need reinforcement after taking a class, students who may not have time in their schedule to take an instructor-led class, students on a tight budget.

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Live Online PMP Classes

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Until recently, instructor led PMP classes typically meant

taking time o# from work to attend a 5-day class and to

make a signi"cant investment of $2000(USD) or more for

a reputable provider. Luckily, with the advent of online

training technology, things have changed for the better.

It is now possible to "nd live online classes, taught be

reputable instructors, at nearly half the price of traditional

in-person classes. Even better, because these classes are held online, the schedules tend to be much

more !exible; with options that include nights and weekends class times.

High quality live online classes will provide you with real interaction between your instructor and other

classroom students. This will keep you motivated and engaged. If you have a speci"c date for when

you would like to take your PMP exam, a live online class can be a great option to keep you on track

due to the structured nature of a live class.

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With the growing number of live online PMP classes available, there are some critical items that you

should look for to make the best selection. Below are some of the most important items we

recommend when selecting a live online PMP class:

• The class is approved by PMI® for 35 Contact Hours

• Students are allowed one on one time with the instructors if they need it

• The instructors have deep real world experience in the "eld of project management

• Exam prep tools and study materials are included with the class

• The class provider o#ers assistance to students for activities such as applying with PMI®

• Students have someone to contact outside of the class if they have questions

• If you fail the PMP exam, the class provider will allow you to re-take the class

With the growing number of live online PMP classes available, students should feel con"dent that

there is a class that meets their needs.

Great for: Students who learn better with a very structured learning approach, students who may not have taken a formal project management class in the past, students who want more of a “guarantee” that they will pass their exam.

PMP Exam Prep Books

With the multitude of online classes, courseware, and

exam prep tools, it is important to note that

published books can still play an important role for

many students. In fact, of the PMP practice exam

tools utilized by our students, nearly a third still rely

solely on our PMP practice exam book versus our

online simulated exam system. And while the

number of book studiers appears to be slightly

decreasing each year, many students simply enjoy the

mechanics of studying from a publication better.

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There are three primary types of PMP exam prep

books available, each serving their own purpose for

students studying to become certi"ed. The

“course in a book” provides a comprehensive

curriculum to students who are self studying, and

often includes multiple study aides along with it.

Secondly, the “exam study guide” is designed to

reinforce existing training with key concepts,

formulas, and processes students can expect on

the real exam. And lastly, PMP practice exam

books provide a credible source of questions,

answers, and explanations valuable to any student

studying for the exam.

Great for: Students who like to learn “o"ine” and students who need reinforcement after taking a class.

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Simulated PMP Practice Exams

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With the huge amount of time and cost that goes in to

PMP exam preparation, it is mind boggling that more

students do not reinforce their project management

training with simulated PMP practice exams. While it is

critical to understand how practice exams can and cannot

help the average student, they play an essential role in

passing the PMP exam.

Finding a credible and e#ective PMP practice exam tool

can be a di%cult task. With the vast amount of online

brain dumps, plagiarized test material, and poor quality

content, "nding a reputable provider becomes a very

important task.

When looking for e#ective PMP practice tests, ensure they include the following features:

• Test results include a reference to the relevant PMBOK® Guide section so you can research the

right answer further

• PMP exam content is continuously updated to ensure accuracy

• Practice tests are delivered in a format and pace similar to the real PMP exam (time limits, marking

questions for review, and other attributes are the same).

• Scoring reports are provided to show your strengths and weaknesses

• The test simulator allows you to save and resume tests in progress

Sometimes it is hard to determine the weaknesses in your understanding through studying alone. Find

PMP practice tests that not only list your incorrect answers but also group them together by

Knowledge Area. A system that issues a post-exam report will give you a very clear indication of what

you need to review again.

Great for: Students who want to test their knowledge while (or after) taking a course, self studiers who want to gauge their readiness, test takers who want to practice the pace of the real exam.

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Conclusion

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Christopher Scordo (PMP, ITIL) is a published author and Managing Director of SSI Logic (www.ssilogic.com), owners of the popular PMP training website, PMPerfect.  

Visit PMPerfect.com for the latest on PMP exam prep, live online classes, and self-paced PMP courseware. 

In conclusion, students should be aware that the PMBOK® Guide is a great reference manual for the

project management processes you’ll be learning throughout your studies, but should not be your

primary study material. Use the PMBOK® Guide to verify, validate, and research the concepts you

learn throughout your course learning. Using proper training materials will improve your

understanding of the PMBOK® Guide and the project management processes, greatly improving your

chances of passing the PMP exam on your "rst attempt.