I'm starting my PMP journey and I'm overwhelmed by the number of courses and books out there. Should I stick to the official PMI material, or are there third-party simulators and bootcamps that are more effective? I really want to pass on my first try to avoid the re-examination fees.
3 answers
Deborah, the key is a mix of resources. While the PMBOK is the source of truth, it can be dry. I highly recommend using a high-quality exam simulator that mimics the actual testing environment. Practicing 180-question blocks is essential for building the stamina needed for the 4-hour exam. Also, look for a course that provides the 35 contact hours required for the application. Personally, I found that visual mind maps and community forums were my best friends during late-night study sessions.
Margaret, did you find that the situational questions in the simulators were actually similar to the "What should the project manager do first" questions on the real exam?
Don't sleep on the Agile Practice Guide! About half the exam is now agile or hybrid, so you need to be very comfortable with Scrum and Kanban terminology.
Larry is spot on. I focused too much on Waterfall and was surprised by how much Agile was on my test. Definitely study both equally.
Scott, the real exam is almost entirely situational. The simulators are great because they teach you the "PMI Mindset." You have to stop thinking about what you would do at your current job and start thinking about what a project manager in a perfect PMI world would do. Usually, the answer involves analyzing the impact before taking any direct action or escalating to a sponsor, which is a key concept.