Hi all,

I'm one of the silent observer since a month and got many valuable suggestions, observations thr PMZilla forum. I have cleared PMP on 19th Dec'11. Please find the below LL which might useful for some of the PMP aspirants.

Questions & patterns  –

1.       Majority questions are situational – can be easily eliminated 2 options on most of the occasions if you have solid understanding on the topic – tricky is that, choosing the best from the rest of 2 options

2.       There are questions from ITTO – Few questions are asked Input/Output/ TT which are NOT important like Project docs update, OPA update, PMPlan update, Procurement docs update. So you should have solid understanding on these ITTOs – I don’t suggest to remember all ITTOS but there is a way to remember/identify – follow Rajesh Nair’s notes (useful)

3.       questions from PERT – straight forward

4.       questions on Communication channels – little tricky (e.g – If you have 9 people team is working with you, how many communication channels – answer – you should include YOU also, so total 10 people and 45 channels)

5.       SPI, CPI, SV, CV, TCPI, ETC, EAC –  questions including some calculations – moderate difficulty – need practice to answer all questions correctly – I would recommend, practice different questions for these EVM

6.       Team stages –  questions – Should know completely as per PMI guidelines, else you may choose wrong answers (PMI wording is important to indentify team stages)

7.       If the question is simple with 1 line and all known answers, YOU have to pay more ATTENTION – These are dangerous questions – It looks simple, but the intent is different – READ multiple times and understand the intent

8.       There are  questions are project charter, tricky questions – need solid understanding of project charter content (High level risks, H L Req, summary budget, summary milestones….etc)

9.       Understand the content of PSS (Project Scope Statement)– assumptions, constraints, acceptance criteria…etc

10.   Contract types – Need solid understand – recommend to refer Rita/Kim

11.   Org types –  questions – Project/Matrix/Functional org – tricky – need to follow PMI wordings

12.   There are questions on process groups – moderate questions and can answer easily

13.   If you are NOT very sure of the answer – follow the PMI wording – most cases it’ll be the correct answer – e.g Gold plating, Creep, Workaround, Change request….etc

14.   I STRONGLY RECOMMEND, PRACTICE AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT – IT WILL GIVE AN IDEA TO THINK THE BEST ANSWER FOR SITUATION – I WOULD SAY ATLEAST 2000 QUALITY QUESTIONS (BELOW ARE SOME OF THE SITES WHERE U CAN CHOOSE) IS REQUIRED TO GET FAMILIER

15.   ITS NOT HOW WELL YOU PREPARE, ITS ALL ABOUT HOW WELL YOU WRITTEN IN 4 HRS IS CRITICAL TO PASS PMP – PEACE OF MIND IS CRITICAL FACTOR.  I have NOT touched the book from sat’day evening and Sunday completely – it really helps me to sit peacefully in exam centre

Overall in my observation, PMP exam is NOT EASY and required solid preparation

Preparation – what I have done

1.       Read Andy crown 2 times - excellent for basics and for quick review on last week

2.       RITA is one of the best book if you want to be a master – Need more time to digest all topics as per her expectations – If you understand RITA completely + 2000 sample questions, you can be surely Proficient in all areas – I just read procurement and Risk chapters and took sample questions – really worthy – I was poor on procurement, then I decided to read RITA

3.       PMBOK -  Read 2 times – YOU MUST KNOW THE DEFINITIONS of all important topics/process – many questions but may not be straight forward, but you can choose the right answer with this knowledge

4.       Did as many as free preparation questions – more than 2000 sample questions – which will give solid platform of your thinking and pattern for any situational questions

5.       My total preparation is about 100-120 hrs out of 50-60 hrs is quality time that I spent

6.       I use to visit PMZilla site everyday since 1 month which has given some insight of other PMP aspirants observations and LL (Lessons learned) -  I would say MANY thanks to PMZilla.

Sites for preparation FREE questions –

1.       Headfirst PMP – good

2.       Oliver Lehmann 175 questions & 75 questions - good

3.       PMRoadtrip – Excellent questions – close to real questions

4.       PMStudy – Excellent questions

5.       Simplilearn – Excellent questions and close to real questions

6.       Exam Central – moderate questions

7.       Ajithn – moderate but some are good questions – worth to go through

8.       Kim helmad questions – Quality questions

9.       Andy Crown – Easy but good questions

10.   RITA – Good quality questions

11.   Rajesj Nair’s notes – Worth to read the notes in final week

Best Regards, Babu