That article is an overview of the most popular PMP study materials you can choose from to support your PMP Exam Preparation.
You need to figure out, which of the materials does fit your learning preferences and behaviors best, and with this overview, we want to support your decision:1. The books you must have:
a) PMI's Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK® Guide)
The PMBoK® Guide is the essential PMP exam preparation tool.
And that is still true for the new PMp Exam, valid since 2nd January 2021! About 50% of the Questions are about traditional and predictive approaches.
Please note that PMI members get a free PDF copy of the PMBoK® Guide! But look, the PMBoK® Guide isn't a book which you can (nor you should) just read from cover to cover (well, of course, you can, but you will not like it this way, trust me).
Furthermore, you have to study and fully understand it contents like all the Knowledge Areas, Process Groups, the 49 project management processes and how they are interrelated and interdependent. Don't worry; you will ... for sure.
Regarding the right handling of the PMBoK® Guide, please refer to the "complete guide" which will assist you: PMBoK® Knowledge Areas for Project Management Guide - Process Groups and Processes - The Complete Guide
b) PMI's Agile Practice Guide
Agile Practice Guideessential in terms of
The Agile Practice Guide is also PMP exam preparation tool and also listed on the PMIs official PMP Exam Preparation Books Reference List! Since the new PMP Exam is about 50% on agile and hybrid approaches, the APG is also a must-read.
2. PMP Preparation Books
These are also known as PMP exam study guides and you should use them in companion to the PMBoK® Guide. They cover the same materials (and mostly structured in the same way) as the PMBoK® Guide, but in more fluid and more accessible language.PMP Prep books often explain the concepts in ways that are easier to understand and to learn. And they also cover some topics which are NOT explained in the PMBoK® Guide but nevertheless content of the PMP exam.
For further reading and my recommendation head over to my article:
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3. PMP Exam Training Course
Training courses come in many varieties.You could attend a course online or in a classroom.
You could study at your own pace or with an instructor.
You could choose a 5 day boot-camp or to study over many weeks.
Look for a PMP exam course that will give you the required 35 contact hours.
Our recommendations are the following (we have at least one for any option):
#1 Recommendation:
✪ PM PrepCast ELITE – The ULTIMATE prep tool to become a PMP® ✪
The PM PrepCast Elite combines 2 of our best-selling products, The PM PrepCast and the PM Exam Simulator.
With the PM PrepCast Elite , you get video-based training and access to 2,280+ realistic PMP Exam sample questions.
The PM PrepCast Elite gives you the “standout factor” you need to succeed on your PMP exam and makes the skills, knowledge, tools, and techniques required for passing seem like second nature...
Have trouble preparing for the PMP exam?
With so many things going on figuring out how to best prepare and what to study can be a huge struggle.
What if you can learn everything you need to pass the PMP exam?
With the PM Prepcast Elite, we made your PMP exam prep easier for you.
- ► Learn by watching video-based training
- ► Understand how concepts from the PMBOK® Guide work
- ► Prepare with 2,200+ Realistic PMP Exam sample questions.
- ► Familiarize yourself with the agile concepts with 11 hours of Agile Training.
- ► Download all lessons to your phone or tablet.
Are you ready to take the next step in your project management career?
You can try it for free: ☛ ✪ Free Prep Cast: ✪
The following Options are available:
PMPrepCast ELITE
Rating:
Apply your knowledge to 1,000+ realistic PMP exam sample exam questions. Track both your progress and weak areas. Get free help from Live Feedback™.
- get all of the Basic Package PLUS:
- 90-day simulator access
- 1,200+ questions in 6 exams
- Unlimited simulator exam repeats
for all the Features and Details click on the Button below:
PMPrepCast ELITE
Plus
Rating:
This package is your ticket to passing the exam. It is the most complete PMP prep training package and includes everything from both the PrepCast Basic and PrepCast Elite package, plus:
- PMP Formulas
- PM StudyCoach Guidebooks
for all the Features and Details click on the Button below:
PMPrepCast Basic
Rating:
Master the skills, knowledge, tools and techniques required for passing the PMP Exam through high-quality video lessons, either online or on your phone or tablet.
- Full-featured PMP training course
- Recorded, video-based lessons
- 35 contact hours certificate
for all the Features and Details click on the Button below:
#2 Recommendation:
✪ PMP® prep with a PUNCH: “Brain Sensei’s” story-telling PMP® Course [10% OFF! ] ✪
Become a PMP utilizing the world’s only story-telling based PMP Exam prep learning course! Brain Sensei’s unique and animated story-based approach provides a highly engaging way to prepare for the PMP Exam..
The preparation course offered by Brain Sensei is very up-to-date and very detailed. As part of the comprehensive course package, candidates will have unlimited access to the following content:
- ► 9 interactive story-based modules
- ► 3 Full Practice Exams
- ► 1 UNLIMITED Practice Exam with 180 questions randomized from a huge bank of realistic exam questions. A different exam every time!
- ► knowledge assessments to identify & review the blind spots that you lack
- ► 13 interesting storyline challenges to complete
- ► it gives the summary by mentioning the key points of each concept
- ► connection to a cocommunity-exclusiveacebook group
- ► Email-sereis filled with tips, reminders, and tricks
- ► track & review your progress by conducting multiple self-assessments in each module.
- ► excellent support with an average response time less than an hour
- ► 35 PMP contact Hours validation (fulfilling the application requirement)
Are you ready to take the next step in your project management career with a PUNCH!?
Find all the details, sample Pictures and Videos here:
You may try it for FREE:☛ Brain Sensei PMP Course Free Trial
#3 Recommendation (instructor-led!):
✪ Become a Project SUPER HERO with this intensive (instructor-led) PMP® Prep Training ✪
This complete training and learning package offers you an optimal preparation experience for your certification as a PMP®.
As an ATP® (authorized training partner) of PMI, Alvission works with the original training materials and original PMP® exam questions.
You will learn to assess the entire exam knowledge. You can thus optimally prepare for your PMP® certification through a combination of
- training (live-online or onsite)
- e-learning
- self-study, and
- exclusive learning support.
Learn more:
4. Professional PMP Exam Simulator and mock exams/sample questions
Utilizing a professional PMP Exam Simulator has become the probably most important and precise PMP Exam preparation tool over the last view years! With the help of professional Online PMP Exam Simulators and sample questions/mock exams, you are able to shine a light on your weaker areas.
Taking sample exams via an exam simulator will help you assess your readiness for the real exam. You can find a ton of free questions online, but you have to be cautious about the sources of that questions. Yes, there is good free stuff out there, but this is rare. A lot of the free available sample stuff is often of bad quality or even misguiding or just outdated.
I strongly recommend to invest some bucks and sign up for a professionally created simulator from a PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP).
To get an idea of what you can expect, please use ✪ the free/trial version to try out: ☛ PM Exam Simulator FREE version
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Facebook Group
Our supportive online community is the best place to connect with others just like you.
5. PMP Podcasts
Podcasts can be in audio or video format. A PMP podcast is very easy to carry around with you and has the benefit that you can listen to or watch it wherever you are. Some of these are so elaborate that they fall into PMI’s Category F (“distance learning”) for PMP Exam preparation courses and even offer 35 contact hours.
6. PMP Flashcards
Flashcards allow you to study and memorize the concepts that you need to know for the exam. You can make your own and carry them with you at all times so that you can test yourself in spare moments. Another alternative is electronic cards that you can use on your mobile phone or tablet and care with you where ever you go.☛ Exam Flash Cards
7. PMP Apps for your mobile phones and tablets
Apps are becoming more and more popular, and there are lots to choose from. For example, some games teach you the ITTOs. There are apps that teach concepts with mnemonics and others that test you with questions. Check out the iTunes app store or Googles Play Store for additional ideas. We recommend (for instance) the question trainer by the well known Oliver Lehmann, one of the best and most popular project management trainers out there; just click on the picture to get there.
8. PMP Formulas
There are a lot of math and related formulas involved in PMP exam preparation. To know and understand them could be critical to your exam success! Study guides for PMP formulas are a precision tool. They will help you review, learn and understand the formulas required for the exam in a way that makes it easier to recall them under pressure (e.g., for your brain dump sheet).Our recommendation would be the PMP Exam Formula Guide by the prepcast-crew. With this guide, you will receive not only a comprehensive list of all exam formulas, but also a description of the conceptual context, several examples and last but not least a detailed result interpretation for every single formula! You will find the full version here: ☛ Formula Study Guide
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9. PMP Exam lessons learned
Don’t underestimate what you can learn from others. Talking to colleagues who already have their PMP certification can be an invaluable resource. If you can’t talk to anyone, read what others have to say about how they studied, what they studied and what their experience was like. To read was others have to say could also be very valuable for creating your very own study plan! You could also get a mentor to help you prepare, and learn from his or her experiences too. You can find a ton of lessons learned from successful exam takers here: ☛ lessons learned
10. PMI Chapter Memberships
That is the spirit level of the toolkit, helping you stay centered and motivated. Tap into your colleagues at your local PMI Chapter. They may have a study group that you could join. At a minimum, you’ll be able to talk to PMPs about how they managed their journey to PMP certification.The Power of Membership!
As a member of PMI and PMI Chapter, you are recognized as someone who is:- serious about professional and personal development
- enthusiastic about good practices in project management
- dedicated to practicing the profession in an ethical manner
- Monthly Networking Events
- Discount pricing s
11. PMP Brain Dump Sheet
A brain dump sheet is a way to recall information under exam conditions. It’s a personal study tool that you can shape to fit the way you study best. Create a sheet of paper with all the key information (e.g., the most important formula or the overview-table 3-1 from PMBoK Guide pg. 61) on and then practice writing it out until it’s second nature. Then you simply have to do that in the beginning of the exam, and all the key information will be at your fingertips!First of all - obviously - I recommend you to join my online Community at LinkedIn:
Join the
LinkedIn Group
Our supportive online community is the best place to connect with others just like you.
We also recommend to join the worlds biggest and most active LinkedIn group regarding PMP: "I want to be a PMP" - hosted and moderated by the well known and most respected Oliver F. Lehmann (and by myself as a co-moderator)!
You may also consider becoming a member of the biggest project management community overall: projectmanagement.com! As a PMI Member (if so) you have already access to the premium membership on pm.com ( just log in there with your PMI credentials), and you have instant access to hundreds and thousands of pm related articles, templates, presentations, and webinars. And not at least you join a community with more than 500.000 fellow PM's.!
Whatever tools you choose, it is important to study regularly.
Try to spend some time on your PMP studies every day. The study materials you buy should reflect the fact that you’ll be using them on a daily basis, so that might influence what you invest in.
Tools like electronic versions of flash cards, books and guides are very portable and can be used whenever you have a spare moment.
Finally, studying for your PMP is a difficult job, so choose PMP prep materials that you enjoy using and find fun! That will make your revision more enjoyable and the PMP credential an achievable target.
If you liked that list or if you do have any additional recommendations or if you just want to be listed with your own prep tool here, please leave a comment or feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Markus
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[…] 12 Most Popular PMP Study Materials […]
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