Here are some eligibility, study, and exam-taking tips you may find useful.
Eligibility
Before studying for and taking the PMP® examination, you need to first check whether you are eligible to take it. Full eligibility criteria can be found at the PMI® web site (
www.pmi.org
); check this web site to ensure the following information is up to date.
PMP Prerequisites
If you have a secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or the global equivalent):
- 7,500 hours leading and directing projects, spanning at least 5 years in total, within the last 8 years
- 35 hours of project management education
or, if you have a four-year degree (university degree or baccalaureate equivalent):
- 4,500 hours leading and directing projects, spanning at least 3 years in total, within the last 8 years
- 35 hours of project management education
Study Tips
- Visit www.vark-learn.com to find out how you study best, and adapt your study techniques to suit.
- Set aside time each week to study.
- Plan your study so you know which sections you are studying.
- Complete all the Quick Check questions, chapter exercises, and review questions in this book.
- Figure out the areas you are weakest in, and focus extra attention on them.
- Ask someone to listen to you explain difficult concepts in your own words. If you can’t explain it, you probably don’t understand it.
- Form study groups with other candidates, and learn from each other.
- Ask for patience from workmates, family, and friends as you focus on your study. It does require a bit of effort, and you may strain some relationships.
- Use a commercial training provider that has courses specifically designed to help you pass the exam. We strongly recommend that you look for a PMI Registered Education Provider® (R.E.P.) to ensure you are getting a quality trainer.
- Lock in your exam date—nothing focuses your mind like having a deadline to meet.
Exam-Taking Tips
- Visit the testing center before the day you have booked the exam so you know where it is and where you will park.
- Be early—allow enough time to relax.
- Take the required forms of identification as per the confirmation e-mail PMI sends you. If you don’t do this, you will not be allowed into the exam testing center.
- Take some water and some easy-to-eat food. You will not be allowed to take this in to the test center, but you should be able to store it in a locker and access it during the 4 hours—remember, your exam time doesn’t stop if you take a break.
- Don’t panic! It’s normal to feel some stress, but don’t let it negatively affect your performance.
- Answer all the questions. No points are deducted for wrong answers.
- Use any remaining time to recheck answers—there are no points for leaving early.
- Check your progress throughout the exam. At the 1-hour mark, you should have answered about 40 questions. At the 2-hour mark, you should have answered about 90 questions. At the 3-hour mark, you should have answered about 150 questions.
Question-Answering Tips
- Read each question fully.
- Reread the question! Seriously, many mistakes are made because people don’t read the questions fully.
- Read all four answers before deciding which one is correct. Sometimes the first one looks really good, and you may be tempted to mark it as correct when a better answer is further down the list.
- Eliminate any obviously wrong answers.
- Place the answers on a spectrum of most right to most wrong, and choose the most-right one.
- Organize the answers in order of which would be done first to the one that would be done last, and choose the one you would do first.
- If all else fails, guess! Leave no question unanswered.