PMP Certification Exam
PMP Certification Exam
Studying for the PMP certification exam or any exam — whether it is a college final or the SAT — requires a great deal of preparation and diligence.
However, cracking the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam is more challenging than most. Passing the PMP certification exam takes a tremendous amount of time, effort and persistence.
The PMP is a widely respected professional certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
The exam consists of 180 multiple-choice questions that must be completed in less than four hours. The questions are written by management industry experts and are designed to be difficult. The exam tests your understanding of project management essentials, including mathematics, data analysis, problem solving and leadership.
PMP Certification Test
Even though the test is difficult, receiving this certification is worthwhile as it can substantially increase your earning potential. A recent PMI salary survey found that individuals who have a PMP certification earn 26% more than those who do not have this designation ($120K vs. $90K).
Serious preparation is key to your success on the exam, even if you have an advanced degree or several years of experience in project management. It is common for experienced professionals to underestimate the difficulty of the exam and fail to receive a passing grade after studying for only a few days. Studies estimate that PMP candidates who successfully pass the exam spend approximately 35 hours or more preparing.
In other words, preparation is critical. Project management is a wide knowledge area and you will need a good amount of time and a solid study plan to master all the material. Follow the PMP best practices below to increase your chances of passing this challenging test.
Formal PMP Certification Exam Prep Course
Enrolling in a PMP exam prep course is a good option for people who are serious about passing the exam on the first attempt. Brain Sensei’s exam prep course is designed to help professionals master challenging management concepts, terminology and formulae.
All of our courses are 100% online and self-paced. Everyone who enrolls in our 35-hour Complete PMP Exam Prep course gains access to a large database of study materials, practice exams and study tips specially designed to help you master challenging management concepts quickly.
Once you enroll in the course, you have access to all the materials for six months. This gives you time to study the material thoroughly and at your own pace. Even though the prep course has no formal instructor, you still have access to plenty of support.
PMP Exam Prep Support
If you have a question regarding any part of the course, simply contact us via email and someone on our team will reach out to you quickly with a solution. You are never alone, and we are here to help you succeed. All of our users also have access to a private Facebook group so you can interact with other participants and form study groups.
Our course material is highly interactive. Instead of just passively reading or watching videos, our interactive materials consist of highly dynamic content including quizzes, assessments and infographics to ensure you are retaining the information and enjoying yourself at the same time.
35-Hour PMP Exam Prep Training
Our 35-hour Complete PMP Exam Prep course comes with four complete practice exams. All of our practice questions simulate the actual exam to ensure you are prepared as possible when test day comes. You can access the practice exams for the entire six months of your subscription and can re-take the exams as many times as you want.
Brain Sensei’s 35- hour Complete PMP Exam Prep course comes with a 100% pass guarantee. If you do not pass the PMP exam within one year from the day you purchased the course, Brain Sensei will provide you with another three months of course content access at no charge. If you fail on your second attempt, you will be provided another three months of free access. If you fail after your third attempt, the money you spent on your initial purchase will be refunded.
Latest Edition of PMBOK Guide
The majority of PMP exam questions are based on a global standard, A Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). This guide should be an integral part of your study strategy. Plan to study one PMBOK Guide knowledge area each week.
You can break it down even further and study one process each day. The process groups are the phases that a business project must complete in order and the knowledge necessary to understand at different times during the process groups.
Project Management Knowledge Areas
- Project Schedule Management
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Resource Management
- Project Communications Management
- Project Stakeholder Management
- Project Procurement Management
These knowledge areas are the technical subject matter of any project management profession and are the main elements of the PMP exam. Many test-takers make the mistake of attempting to memorize everything about these knowledge areas. Memorization is rarely a good idea.
Understand the Core Concepts
Put in the effort to understand the core concepts well and study them in enough depth to ensure you can apply the concepts to real problems. Many questions on the exam are situational descriptions of an issue and you need to be able to apply your knowledge to answer these questions correctly.
After you finish reading the PMBOK Guide, take a break and study other materials for a while. Other study materials will present the information from a new angle and will help you understand the information more completely. Come back and review the PMBOK Guide a second time before taking the exam.
PMP Certification Examination Content Outline
Published by the Project Management Institute, the PMP examination content outline document is a great way to gain insight into certain aspects of the test. The outline document is free and is published on the PMI’s website. The outline breaks up questions by process area. If you find that you are struggling with certain process areas, this is a great way to get more practice in certain knowledge areas.
Review the examination content outline once you have already reviewed the PMBOK Guide. If something in the outline sounds very unfamiliar, go back and review that section in the PMBOK Guide.
Join a Study Group
There are several benefits to forming a study group to prepare for the PMP exam. Most importantly, forming a study group eliminates procrastination. Most people will put off prepping for the exam if they are studying alone on their own schedule. Forming a group that meets at a specific time keeps you accountable and ensures you study regularly.
Forming a group is also great because it helps you learn faster. Other members of your group will likely have different strengths and may be able to help you with areas you are struggling with. Preparing for the PMP exam is very hard work and can get very monotonous if you are studying alone. Studying with friends can make the process more entertaining and less repetitive.
All students who sign up for Brain Sensei’s PMP exam prep training course have access to a private Facebook group. This group is a great resource for finding other test-takers to be in your study group.
Complete Practice Tests Regularly
Practice tests are often a very good indicator of your level of readiness to take the actual test. They are also useful to help you identify knowledge areas where you are struggling. After taking a test, you will have a better idea of which areas you need to focus on.
Brain Sensei offers four practice tests to all students. In addition to identifying areas where you need to improve, taking these practice exams helps prepare you to sit in the same place for four hours. It takes four hours to complete the actual test and it is not easy to sit in one place and focus for that long. Sitting for that long can be a physically straining and mentally daunting experience. Taking practice tests on a regular basis can help prepare you to sit and focus for the entire duration of the test.
Use Flashcards
Flashcards are an affordable and effective way of studying for the PMP test. You can create flashcards on your own or download them and print them out from a study website. The key to success with flashcards is studying them for a few minutes frequently.
Take them with you and study them on the train, while waiting in line at the store or while watching television. After a few weeks of using flashcards, you will be amazed at the amount of information you will have retained.
Sign-up for a 7-day free trial! Try the first two modules of Brain Sensei’s story-based PMP and CAPM Exam Prep courses and a mini practice exam and see how it all works
Enroll in an Exam Prep Course
Properly committing to a PMP certification exam course takes a great deal of time, patience and dedication. While there are many techniques to help you study, enrolling in a Brain Sensei PMP exam prep course is a proven way to help you tackle this difficult test.
With interactive, online content that you can complete at your own pace, our prep courses are fun, affordable and highly effective. Visit our website today to find out how our PMP exam prep course can help you effectively prepare for the test.
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