Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? In this course, you gain in-depth knowledge and skills to assist you in preparing for the Project Management Institute's rigorous Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. The PMP credential is recognized as the universal standard of excellence in the profession, reflected in the fact that more and more organizations today are requiring that their project management professionals be PMP-certified. Through concentrated practice exams and workshops, you learn essential Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) terminology, tools and techniques, as well as the specialized elements beyond the PMBOK® Guide required to pass the exam. Some overnight study is required to prepare for the daily practice exams. You will leave this course having created a personalized study plan designed for ultimate exam success. What is the PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition? The PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition serves as the official basis for the PMP Certification Exam and provides a reference for anyone interested in the profession of project management. The PMBOK® Guide offers a basic structure for understanding project management, the environment in which projects operate and an overall view of how the various project management processes interact. Divided into nine knowledge areas, described in terms of component processes and five process groups, the PMBOK® Guide has become the framework by which many organizations develop their project management practices. The PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition is used in this course. What background knowledge should I have? This course is valuable for experienced project managers who are planning to take the PMP in the near future. At least three years experience as a project manager and related project management training is assumed prior to taking this course. Although a general knowledge of the PMBOK® Guide is highly recommended, it is not assumed. (A copy of the PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition is given to each course participant to keep on the first day of class.) How do you approach the PMBOK® Guide material? The PMBOK® Guide material can appear overwhelming on first look. One methodology to study for the exam is to simply go over the knowledge areas and process groups by rote, memorizing facts that may or may not appear on the exam. This course takes a more complete and effective approach by focusing on the five process groups and their interrelation to the nine knowledge areas, creating a complete picture of PMBOK® Guide and those areas beyond the PMBOK® Guide that are covered in the exam. What are the eligibility criteria for taking the PMP exam? The PMP eligibility criteria, as established by the Project Management Institute, is divided into two categories. Category 1 maintains that the candidate hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have at least 4,500 hours of project management experience within the five process groups. These candidates must also have at least 35 contact hours of project management education (35 PDUs). Category 2 candidates possess a high school diploma but no other higher-level education degree. They must have accumulated at least 7,500 hours of project management experience within the five process groups and have completed at least 35 PDUs of additional educational training. I have seen PMP exam preparation courses advertised elsewhere. Why should I take this course from Learning Tree? Other PMP exam courses range from two day to five days and beyond. The shorter courses offer a more rapid-fire review, while the longer courses tend to provide a standardized "by-the-numbers" slant. Learning Tree offers a more complete approach to the PMBOK® Guide and beyond; more tips, tricks, memory aids and suggestions, more emphasis on "situational" analysis, more intensive daily practice exams, an individualized home study plan and assistance in completing the arduous PMP exam application. All of this in keeping with Learning Tree's commitment to provide a preeminent level of quality to the education we provide. Furthermore, this course provides you with 35 contact hours-thereby fulfilling your pre-exam education requirement. How much time is spent on each topic? This course has extended hours, with some days running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Content Hours PMBOK® Guide overview 2.0 Interrelationships between process groups and knowledge areas 3.5 The process of initiating 0.5 The core processes of planning 3.5 The facilitating process of planning 3.5 The executing process group 2.0 Controlling and closing processes 1.0 Exam preparatory skills 2.0 Practice exams/situational analysis and PMP-style questions 6.5 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. I'm interested in taking the Program Management Professional (PgMP) exam. Will this course help me prepare? You should instead consider Course 920, Preparing for the Program Management Professional (PgMP®) Exam. In Course 920, you prepare for the PMI Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification exam. You also learn how to successfully complete the three steps of the exam application process, navigate the 39 processes of The Standard for Program Management, and align your program management experience with PgMP terminology and definitions. Will this course prepare me for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam? This course is designed to help prepare project managers for the PMP exam. Those preparing for the CAPM exam may find this course a little challenging as it covers all facets of the PMBOK® Guide. However, this course would still be valuable to those preparing for the CAPM exam and even give them an advantage if they eventually decide to take the PMP exam. I am uncertain about taking the PMP exam. Is this course right for me? Probably not. We recommend that you commit to applying for or setting an exam date in the near future prior to taking this course. The intense focus of study, along with the required overnight readings and self-study, makes this course best suited to those who are very serious about PMP certification. If you aren't ready to take the exam, Learning Tree offers a series of other project management courses, from introductory to advanced, that allow you to broaden your knowledge base while you decide about the step toward certification. Will I be prepared to take the exam immediately after this course? That is entirely up to you. This course is designed to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of PMP certification candidates, from those on the verge of taking the exam, to those who are in the earlier planning stages of exam preparation. Upon completion of this course, you will have undergone an intensive examination of the PMBOK® Guide, taken a series of in-depth practice exams, and created a personalized study guide to assist you in discovering your areas of strength and weakness, all of which will help you to determine your level of exam readiness. What is the passing score for the PMP exam? As of November 30, 2005, the passing score for the PMP exam is 61 percent. It is not required to pass all six Performance Domains of the exam. The exam consists of 200 total questions, and candidates must answer 106 questions correctly from a total of 175 scorable questions. The other 25 questions are pretest items, which are not scored. PMI uses pretest questions to determine their performance prior to counting them towards a candidate's score. Do you guarantee that I will pass the exam? No one can, or should, make such a guarantee. In order to pass the PMP, you must master the discipline and quality study habits needed to meet the challenges of the exam. However, with the knowledge and skills acquired through the workshops and practice exams, and the implementation of the tools and techniques of your personalized study plan created for you over the length of the course, you have a very high degree of passing the exam. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? While the emphasis of this course is on PMP exam preparation, Learning Tree offers a series of project management skills courses to further your knowledge base, including: 915, The PMBOK® Guide in Practice: Applying the Principles to Your Projects enables you to apply the most relevant and practical principles of the PMBOK® Guide to the everyday activities needed to successfully manage projects in your organization 296, Project Management: Skills for Success provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to organize, plan, schedule, monitor, and control projects 340, Project Management for Software Development provides the tools you need to effectively organize and select process choices, create realistic plans and see them through to successful delivery 287, Strategic Project Management: Achieving Organizational Goals provides you with the skills to manage complex projects by applying advanced tools and techniques to meet conflicting business and technical demands 286, Project Risk Management: Hands-On teaches you to proactively develop risk-reduction strategies to dramatically increase your chances of successful project completion 381, Business Process Reengineering for Competitive Advantage provides you with the critical "how to" knowledge and skills needed to implement BPR successfully within your organization 349, Project Quality Management offers the knowledge and skills needed to integrate quality within projects, developing and applying a quality framework that ensures customer satisfaction and leverages lessons learned for future projects For additional PMI-aligned courses, each of which offers PDU hours, please refer to the Learning Tree Management Curriculum Q&A.

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