Cynthia Stackpole Snyder - PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies

PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013944334

ISBN 978-1-118-54012-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-53973-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-61253-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-61244-6 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Introduction

T he PMP is the preeminent certification in project management. Getting your PMP certification will enhance your career opportunities in your current or future positions. In addition, studying for the exam really helps you understand project management principles. I know that I became a better project manager after months of studying this material!

About This Book

PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition is designed to be a hands-on, practical guide to help you pass the PMP exam on your first try. This book is written in a way that will take the information in the standard for project management, the PMBOK Guide, Fifth Edition, and help make it easily understandable so you can pass the exam.

This book provides all the information you will need to pass the exam (you just have to apply the time and effort) and practical information to help you in the real world. Except for the first chapter in Book I (which covers the nuts and bolts of taking the exam), each chapter covers various elements to help you pass your PMP exam:

As an exam prep guide, you will find all the information you need to pass the exam. And its presented in an easy-to-understand way in terms of inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs. This is how its presented in the PMBOK Guide as well as on the PMP exam. Pay particular attention to the For the Exam icons, which point out specific information you should keep in mind for the exam.

As a reference to help you on your job, you can rely on my years of experience as an active project manager, a professional trainer, and an author to help you see how you can apply this information on a daily basis.

Quick Assessment: Chapters start with a pretest to help you quickly identify what you already know or need to study in the chapter. These are simple fill-in-the-blank or true/false questions.

Icons: Icons draw your attention to information that will help you on the exam or in the real world. For more information on the icons, check out the later section, .

Key terms: So much of the PMP exam depends on your understanding the terms in the PMBOK Guide and the specific definitions associated with them. Throughout the book, I use definitions straight from the PMBOK Guide Glossary, and each chapter lists all these terms at the end of the chapter. You should quiz yourself and make sure you understand every term listed in the Key Terms section.

Chapter summary: At the end of chapters, I summarize the key points discussed. If youre unclear about something after reading these summaries, go back through the chapter for review.

Prep Test: Each chapter concludes with practice questions. These are presented as multiple-choice questions, just like the PMP exam. And, yes, I give you the answers there to explain the correct answer and tell you where to find that information.

The Online Prep Exam: The companion website contains a practice exam designed to mimic the real exam. This computerized test version will tell you how many you got right and how many you got wrong.

Web addresses appear in monofont. If you're reading a digital version of this book on a device connected to the Internet, note that you can click the web address to visit that website, like this: