How To Pass The PMP The First Time

Nov. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- If you are planning to take the PMP exam, you like most people want to pass the first time that you take the exam. It is an expensive exam and taking it once will save you time and money too. There are some tips to passing the exam the first time around, which are:

•   Make sure that you know and memorize all the key formulas that are needed. This is especially true of knowing the PERT and Earned Value formulas.
•   Never leave any questions blank on the exam. If you really do not know the answer, use process of elimination and choose the best answer. This is better than leaving blanks on the PMP exam.
•   Go through and practice working on eliminating options that are not plausible. Practice using deductive reasoning and eliminating these first to narrow the answers down.
•   If you do not know what the question is asking at all, use educated guessing to choose an answer. Keep in mind, you do have to choose answers quickly since there is only 80 seconds per answer available. So you will need to work at a steady pace and quickly and go back through at the end if you have time.
•   Make sure that when answering questions, that you are basing them on the PMBOK. Base answers on the PMBOK and than on your hands on experience after. If you are unsure, the PMBOK answer should always be chosen.
•   Study diligently and regularly. Stick to a schedule for studying and make sure to do this the entire time you are taking the classes, as well as the prep classes too.
•   Pay attention to the fact that the project manager's job is to taking an active approach so that problems are handled before they ever happen. This could be on many aspects of the exam and you want to ensure to work on these skills. Always approach questions about what a project manager should do in a situation, with the view point of what should be the first thing the project manager does to ensure that upper management and the customer are never brought into the situation.
•   Purchase a cheap PMP exam simulator with many  PMP questions  (http://www.professionaltestpro.com/PMP.aspx) you can practice on like Professional Test Pro’s PMP simulator.
•   Keep in mind that the PMI looks at project scope as the work that needs to be and only that work, nothing else.
•   The PMI does not allow for extra functionality without there being additional benefits to it.
•   Go over the WBSs or Work Breakdown Structures. However, if they are not defined and a part of the WBS than they are not part of the project scope either.

Taking the PMP exam is difficult and does require a lot of studying and preparation to pass. However, it can be passed on the first try, it is not impossible to do this and if you study and prep properly and regularly, you will be able to do this.