Decoding the PMP?® Exam

PM Introduction Since the early asses, project managers have prepared for the Project Management Professional (PMP@) Exam through intense study of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI@) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (MAMBO@ Guide). Throw in a few ancillary primers and then take practice exam after practice exam and you’ve got a good chance of passing.

What this approach lacks is an intuitive understanding of what it takes to put the MAMBO@ Guide into practice. Many fresh-faced Amps can experience inefficiencies and extra challenges early on, until they overcome this handicap with on-the-Job experience. Depending on the scope and objectives of your project, this could have business-wide ramifications. Why learn from your mistakes when you can prevent them? The Task-Skill Method”* of PM Exam preparation offers a new approach that is more effective and offers more benefits than Just getting you ready to pass the exam.

The Task-Skill Method prepares candidates through intensive review of the expected roles and responsibilities of a Certified Project Management Professional as identified in Mi’s PM Role Delineations Study (REDS), also known as the PM Exam Blueprint. Armed with a fundamental understanding of on-the-Job requirements, you will better understand PM Exam questions and achieve higher overall scores. What’s more, you’ll be ready to immediately have an impact on your projects.

The Task-Skill Method Revealed The Task-Skill Method is the result of more than a decade of lessons learned and process improvement. The breakthrough change lies in the foundational approach. While traditional PM Exam prep techniques prepare you to pass by essentially caching to the exam,’ the new Task-Skill Method prepares you by teaching to the role of a PM The . ‘ Task-Skill Method still incorporates significant MAMBO Guide study, exam-taking skills and practice exams. However, they are used as reference standards and study or practice aids, rather than foundational requisites.

While most traditional approaches are built around the framework of Knowledge Areas, Process Groups and Process Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs, the new Task-Skill Method is built around the framework of the 37 individual Tasks and 65 individual PM Knowledge/Skill Sets of the PM Exam Blueprint. These are well defined and generally form the roles and responsibilities of a PM After . Taking into consideration overlap and redundancy, the Task-Skill Method boils down to 28 individual Tasks and 28 individual Knowledge/Skill Sets.

What’s more, these Tasks and Knowledge/Skill Sets serve as the foundation for all questions on the PM Exam, virtually eliminating any surprises. The 2012 PM pulse of the Profession study found that organizations with more than 35% PM certified project managers had better project performance. Keeping It Simple The Task-Skill Method reduces the amount of information you need to consume, sousing your objectives on what matters most and speeding up prep time. With traditional approaches, you can study up to 100 hours or more, but with the new Task-Skill Method, preparation time can be decreased by at least 25%.

In a facilitated classroom environment, preparation time can require as little as 35-40 hours. Forty percent of your preparation time should be focused on the 28 PM Tasks and another 40% on the 28 PM Knowledge/Skill Sets. All should be clearly identified, understood, studied and sufficiently mastered. You should focus on understanding when and where each Task is typically performed across the project lifestyle and here each Skill Set is most essential. The remaining 20% of your time should be devoted to PM practice exams. This will hone your test-taking skills and serve as an additional learning resource.

For example, in a 60-hour, self-paced, self-study plan, 12 hours would be devoted to Practice Exams, 24 hours to PM Tasks and 24 hours to PM Knowledge/Skill Sets. A Quick Look at the Exam The PM Certification Exam is a demonstration of your suitability to function as a Certified Project Management Professional. The exam includes 200 questions, many of them situational. Your score reflects your ability to: correctly identify recognized best practices; 2 use proper terminology; and 3 use logical reasoning to apply appropriate tools and techniques in given situations.

PM Practice Exams 28 PM Tasks Knowledge/ Skill sets To ensure you are truly deserving of the PM Credential, many questions are deliberately made extra challenging. If you pass, you are awarded the PM Credential. If not, you can retake the exam up to three times in a one-year period. The Tasks and Skill Sets identified in the Task-Skill Method serve as the foundation for all questions on the PM Exam. Must-Know PM Tasks As a PM you may be expected to perform en or all of these 28 identified PM Tasks at various times during your project management career.

The PM Exam will thoroughly test your understanding of each one by requiring you to demonstrate adequate knowledge of recognized best practices with respect to each Task. The PM Exam Blueprint identifies 37 individual PM Tasks. With many Tasks, there is overlap and some redundancy. For organization, efficiency and practical study purposes, the new Task-Skill Method effectively consolidates the 37 Blueprint Tasks to 28. Following is a detailed list of each must-know PM Task and the corresponding study aids. Evaluate Project Feasibility It is essential to establish a high-level understanding of the project early on.

Is the project high risk, low risk, straightforward, complex? What constraints and assumptions are in consideration? How will you structure the project life cycle? What strategies will work? Study: MAMBO@ Guide sections 3. 3 and 4. 1 Perform a Stakeholder Analysis Managing stakeholder expectations is considered the top priority each and every day by many Amps. Study: MAMBO@ Guide section 10. 1 3 Develop a Project Charter A Project Charter is the formal document intended to authorize a project (or project phase).

It briefly describes high-level project characteristics and identifies/authorizes the project manager. Study: MAMBO@ Guide section 3. 3 and 4. 1 4 Define Project Deliverables It is essential to get a firm understanding of the project scope-?what the project is and what it isn’t-?early in project planning. Study: MAMBO@ Guide sections 5. 1 and 5. 2 5 Create a Work Breakdown Structure Once scope has been determined and agreed upon among key stakeholders, it should be broken down into manageable pieces.