Given the value associated with the PMP certification, the amount of precious time you will spend in preparing for the exam and the money (US$ 405 if you are a PMI member and US$ 555 if not) you will spend, it is critical that you pass the exam in the 1st attempt.
Moreover, in our view, the real value of any certification exam (and PMP certification is not an exception) lies in the preparation process. Let us quickly review and understand the nature of the PMP certification exam before your embark on your journey to prepare and pass it.
Type and No of Questions: The PMP certification exam consists of '200' 'Multiple Choice' Questions. Out of these 200 questions, 25 questions are dummy questions, which will not be considered for scoring. At the same time, while taking the PMP exam, you will not know which of the 25 questions are not going to be considered for the final score. Essentially, you will need to answer all 200 questions to the best of your ability.
Exam Duration: The duration for the PMP certification exam is 4 hours and there is no official break. However, given this long duration and rigorous nature of the exam, we recommend that you take few quick breaks:
1st Break: After 75 Questions.
2nd Break: After 75 Questions.
Pass Percentage: To pass the PMP certification exam, you need to answer correctly at least 106 out of 175 questions (i.e. 60.6%).
Succeeding in the PMP certification exam is a function of the following three key elements:
Project Management Experience
Understanding of Project Management Principles (PMBOK 4th Edition)
PMP Exam Taking Strategy and Practice
Although there is a no substitute for the real life Project Management experience, there is a huge scope of opportunity in the other two areas - Understanding of Project Management Principles (according to latest PMBOK version) and PMP Exam Taking Strategy & Practice. But 'how and where to begin?' is the first question you encounter while considering preparing for the PMP certification. Few other relevant questions you would be asking are:
How much time (total no of days, hours/day etc) should I allocate for preparing for PMP exam?
Which areas should I focus on while preparing and practicing for the exam?
Which books and trainings should I consider? etc
To answer most of the above questions, you need to reliably know where do you currently stand regarding your preparedness for the real exam? Once you know your current level, you can choose the appropriate study aids and confidently plan to be successful in the real exam. The best way to assess your current level is to take mock exams simulated on the pattern of the actual PMP exam. The results of the simulated mock exam will give you clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses in addition to helping you assess your overall preparedness for the exam.
You can then be much more efficient in building deep understanding about Project Management Principles, Methodologies and Guidelines through PMBOK, which is a must have guide to prepare for the PMP certification. Depending upon your current level and the amount of time you have (or not have) to appear in the actual exam, you can choose to attend either a classroom based training/bootcamp (look for the possible options based on your location) or a flexible and convenient instructor-led online training for the PMP exam.
After you have acquired the required understanding about the relevant Project Management principles, it is a matter of constant practice through the mock exams based on the pattern of the real exam.
Hi Whizlabs Team, First, I want to let you know that i appeared for PMP exam on Sept 12, 2009 and passed on first attempt. Your PMP simulator was a big help in preparation.
Also in this same breath I would like to thank whizlab for its excellent tool. I passed my PMP. The whizlab stimulator was the only source I used to prepare for my exam and only one week!
Thanks again. I want to buy other materials as well.
