There are a lot of good simulators out there and even more not-so-good ones. It can be tough to find the best solution for you.
You should approach the selction of your simulator like a problmeproblem in your project. Do assume to have to select a software solution for a specific tak for one of your customers.
I am pretty sure you will do market research, build a short list and then do a thorough analysis of which might be the best solution for that task; am I right?
Well, the same should be the path to your PMP exam simulator. I have conducted the following list of selection criteria to consider as a help for you in that process:
- Must be developed by a trusted and experienced education provider
A trusted and experienced provider should follow strict quality requirements. In this way, you can be sure that your simulator matches what you will encounter on your real exam. - Establish that it meets your budget
This is a given. The simulator has to be affordable for you. - It must be based on the most recent PMBOK® Guide
This is potentially the most important criteria in this list because every so often I still come across free PMP exam sample questions that are outdated. That can be very confusing and misleading and therefore very frustrating ... . - Questions, questions, questions
The more questions a simulator offers the better for you! And the more people participated in the development of those questions the better as well. The "real" PMP exam questions are developed by dozens of volunteers from around the world. So you want to make sure that your chosen simulator has a large team of developers as well. - Detailed answers, explanations and reference
Once you have completed an exam in the simulator you want to spend some time in reviewing your result. A good rule of thumb is to invest the same time in reviewing the exam result as you did in taking the exam itself. To help you in your review you want to make sure that the simulator offers detailed answers, explanations and references (i.e. page number in PMBOK® Guide) for each question you were asked. - It must have full exam mode
Of course! The simulator you choose must offer the capability of taking at least five full exams -- That's five exams, all containing 180 questions and you have to answer them within 230 minutes. - It should offer a learning mode
The learning mode should allow you to take a small number of questions without the need of starting a full, 4-hour exam. Use the learning mode to go through 10 questions over lunch when you have half an hour of spare time. - Determine what support they offer
Consider both technical support as well as student support. Technical support will assist you in case you forget your password. Student support on the other hand will assist you in case you have a concern about a question in the simulator. What good is it, if you are stuck and there is nobody around to tell you why answer "A" is correct? - Does it offer a Free Trial
This is an important feature because how can you make a good selection if you cannot "try before you buy"?