Rita Mulcahy - PMP Exam Prep, Sixth Edition: Ritas Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam

Why Take the PMP Exam?

You are about to embark on a great journey. If you let it, this journey can help you expand yourself and your abilities. Think of the opportunity you have right now to become a better project manager, not just to pass an exam. This opportunity to learn is the main reason for taking the exam.

So how can this exam benefit you? Let me quote one of my students. "The exam has changed my life. (Could I be more dramatic?) The process of studying for the exam, taking your class, and passing the exam has changed how others look at my abilities."

When you achieve your PMP certification, you can say that you have passed an international exam designed to prove your knowledge of project management. The exam focuses on situations you might encounter in the real world, rather than just asking you to repeat data you have learned. Therefore, passing the exam proves your real-world knowledge and experience in the application of the art and science of project management. The PMP certification is a way to set yourself apart.

The Project Management Institute's salary survey has found that, in the United States and some other countries, PMP-certified project managers are paid at least 10 percent more than those without this certification. I have had many students who received a US $15,000 bonus AND a 15 percent raise when they passed the exam. Others have said they got a job over 200 others because they were PMP certified. In this economic climate, having a PMP certification can be the reason you get a job, keep your job, or are promoted. These are good incentives to finally get around to taking the exam.

Qualifying to Take the Exam

To take this exam, you must meet requirements as outlined by PMI (the Project Management Institute). The current requirements are described in the following table.

Remember, just because you might qualify to take the exam does not mean that you will be able to pass it! You must know project management and have experience applying it.

Consider taking PMI's CAMP exam if you do not meet the requirements in the previous table. You can find the requirements for the CAPM exam at www.pmi.org. Currently, test takers must document 1,500 hours of experience or 23 hours of project management education to qualify for this exam. RMC offers CAPM Exam Prep courses (classroom or online training) and a CAPM Exam Prep system of products to help you prepare for that exam.

Are You Ready for the PMP Exam?

In my experience, 50 percent of those who fail the exam do so because they have not had project management training that uses PMI terminology. Take this seriously! Understanding PMI's approach to managing projects is not as simple as reading the PMBOK Guide. The PMBOK' Guide helps you improve your knowledge; it does not teach you project management. And while this exam prep book will explain the project management process and help you understand it from PMI's perspective, if you find that many of the concepts and terminology presented in this book are new to you, you probably need additional project management training before continuing to study.

Another large percentage of the people who fail this exam do not have real-world experience. They may be managing a help desk or small projects (more on this throughout the book) or might not even work as a project manager. What some people do not realize is that this exam is designed to identify those who have not had project management training and who do not have experience. It is not an exam for a beginning project manager or for one who hopes to become a project manager. The more experience you have had working on large projects, the better prepared you will be for the exam, as the questions are written from the perspective of managing large projects.

The following are examples of large projects:

• Designing a new call center (vs. handling small call center projects)
• Designing a new manufacturing process (vs. manufacturing a standard product for a customer)
• Installing a PC desktop operating system and associated software updates (vs. installing commercial software across the company)
• Designing and constructing a new building (vs. getting an existing building repainted)

So do you know enough about project management to take this exam? Review the following list. You need to learn more about project management prior to taking the exam if you experience two or more of the following problems on projects:

• Large cost or schedule overruns
• Unrealistic schedules
• Excessive changes to the scope or schedule
• Poor communications and increased conflict
• Running out of time near the end of the project
• Unsatisfactory quality
• Low morale
• People on the team are unsure of what needs to be done
• Excessive rework and overtime
• Too many project meetings

Have you had enough experience managing large projects to take this exam? Again, review the following list. You may not have enough experience if you do not understand the following concepts and apply them to your real-world project:

• A step-by-step process for managing projects, and why each step is necessary
• Roles of the project manager, sponsor, and team
• Historical information from previous projects
• Lessons learned from previous projects
• Creating lessons learned on your projects
• Project charter
• What a work breakdown structure is (not a list in a bar chart) and how to create it
• How to manually create a network diagram
• Critical path-how to find it and what benefits it provides the project manager
• Three-point estimating
• Monte Carlo analysis
• Earned value
• Schedule compression, crashing, and fast tracking
• Managing float
• A realistic schedule (unrealistic schedules are the project manager's fault)
• The risk management process (risk management is not just using a checklist)
• Expected monetary value
• Calculating budget reserves and their relationship to risk management
• A realistic and approved project management plan that you are willing to be held accountable to achieving
• Controlling the project to the project management plan
• Managing the change request process
• Controlling change
• The professional and social responsibility of the project manager

On large projects, the project manager does not have time to do the wrong project management activities. The project can easily get out of control if the project manager spends time solving problems rather than preventing them or is baby-sitting people instead of making sure they know what they need to do before the project starts.

Applying to Take the Exam

You must submit an application to PMI to take this exam. Applications may be submitted by mail or online. Submit online if at all possible, since PMI's response time is faster for electronic submissions. You will receive a notice authorizing you to make an appointment to take the exam. You may be subject to an audit of your application, however. Be aware that an audit will delay your approval to take the exam.

The exam is usually offered on a computer at designated testing sites, but it might be different depending on the country you are in. Your authorization notice will give you specific instructions. PMI is quickly moving to offer computerized testing around the world in many languages.