Is Studying the PMBOK® Guide

Enough to Pass the PMP Exam?

What’s in the ebook?
This guide will teach you why the PMBOK Guide does
not work well as a primary study aide and we provide
recommendations on the most cost e!ective and
impactful types of PMP exam training material.
• Is the PMBOK Guide Enough?
Find out why the PMBOK Guide is not enough
• Self-Paced PMP Courses
A fantastic tool to reinforce instructor-led training
• Live Online PMP Classes
Great for students who need structure
• PMP Exam Prep Books
Perfect to reinforce existing training
• Simulated PMP Practice Exams
Perfect for students who want to test their
knowledge
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What is PMPerfect?
Since 2004, PMPerfect has provided students with
professional, high-quality methods of preparing for the
Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam. There
is a reason why our exam preparation products are
relied on by thousands of PMP students across the
U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and India: they work.
• We employ the best PMP experts in the industry
The SSI Logic team includes multiple PMP subject
matter experts and trainers who develop our
courseware.
• O!er highly e!ective PMP courseware.
All of the PMP courseware material developed by our
team (or co-developed with our partners) undergoes
a thorough quality assurance process
• Better learning through technology.
By using simple, well-designed technical innovations,
we've made it easier than ever for students to take
PMP courses, learn material, and measure their PMP
knowledge.
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Is Studying the PMBOK® Guide enough to pass the PMP
exam?

With the PMBOK® Guide sitting on your desk, you may assume that
reading and memorizing its content will provide enough understanding
Quick Note:
to ace the PMP exam with !ying colors. This underestimates the The PMBOK®
comprehensive nature of the exam, and vastly misrepresents what the Guide is designed
PMBOK® Guide really is. as a reference
manual for project
While the PMBOK® Guide is a fantastic source of process de"nitions and management
should sit on every project manager’s desk (much like an English processes, and
professor’s dictionary), it will do very little to help students understand was not designed
the critical concepts presented on the PMP exam. Much like trying to to be used as a
study for an English exam with a Webster’s dictionary, you will waste study aide.
valuable time and energy attempting to memorize the vast amount of
information contained within the PMBOK® Guide without appropriate
training material.

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Passing the PMP exam means understanding
how to practically apply the critical processes
of the PMBOK® Guide in real life. No
amount of memorization will teach you how
these processes are applied, and this is why
we recommend aspiring students receive
proper training.

Below are recommendations on the most cost e!ective and impactful types of
PMP exam training material.

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Interactive Self-Paced PMP Courses
Great self-paced courses (also referred to as “On-Demand” courses) are valuable both as a primary
source of study, and are also a fantastic tool to reinforce instructor-led training. It is important that
students understand the attributes of a great self-paced to get the most out of their courseware.

The PMP On-Demand courses available today are vastly superior to those o#ered only 5 years ago.
Long gone are the days where students needed to put up with 15 hours of monotone instructor
speeches recorded over PowerPoint slides.

Today’s high quality PMP On-Demand courses are carefully designed to optimize your learning time
and should include a combination of studio recorded audio/video, supporting exercises that can be
completed o$ine, cheat sheets of critical information and formulas, detailed practice quizzes, and
other supporting items.

Good courses will also include a progress checklist, so that you may track your activities. Higher quality
courses will track your progress online and provide you with a certi"cate of completion once you have
ful"lled the appropriate course hours.

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 If you are relying on a self-paced course as
your primary source of study material,
remember that 35 Contact Hours are
required to qualify for the PMP exam (you
will report these hours when registering
with PMI®). Make sure the course you are
registering for has been accredited by
PMI® to ful"ll these contact hours.
Courses that have been approved by PMI®
for contact hours will have a PMI Activity
ID.

Great for: Students who have great self discipline and can manage their time,
students who need reinforcement after taking a class, students who may not
have time in their schedule to take an instructor-led class, students on a tight
budget.

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Live Online PMP Classes

Until recently, instructor led PMP classes typically meant

taking time o# from work to attend a 5-day class and to
make a signi"cant investment of $2000(USD) or more for
a reputable provider. Luckily, with the advent of online
training technology, things have changed for the better.

It is now possible to "nd live online classes, taught be

reputable instructors, at nearly half the price of traditional
in-person classes. Even better, because these classes are held online, the schedules tend to be much
more !exible; with options that include nights and weekends class times.

High quality live online classes will provide you with real interaction between your instructor and other
classroom students. This will keep you motivated and engaged. If you have a speci"c date for when
you would like to take your PMP exam, a live online class can be a great option to keep you on track
due to the structured nature of a live class.

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With the growing number of live online PMP classes available, there are some critical items that you
should look for to make the best selection. Below are some of the most important items we
recommend when selecting a live online PMP class:
• The class is approved by PMI® for 35 Contact Hours
• Students are allowed one on one time with the instructors if they need it
• The instructors have deep real world experience in the "eld of project management
• Exam prep tools and study materials are included with the class
• The class provider o#ers assistance to students for activities such as applying with PMI®
• Students have someone to contact outside of the class if they have questions
• If you fail the PMP exam, the class provider will allow you to re-take the class

With the growing number of live online PMP classes available, students should feel con"dent that
there is a class that meets their needs.

Great for: Students who learn better with a very structured learning approach,
students who may not have taken a formal project management class in the
past, students who want more of a “guarantee” that they will pass their exam.

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PMP Exam Prep Books

With the multitude of online classes, courseware, and

exam prep tools, it is important to note that
published books can still play an important role for
many students. In fact, of the PMP practice exam
tools utilized by our students, nearly a third still rely
solely on our PMP practice exam book versus our
online simulated exam system. And while the
number of book studiers appears to be slightly
decreasing each year, many students simply enjoy the
mechanics of studying from a publication better.

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There are three primary types of PMP exam prep
books available, each serving their own purpose for
students studying to become certi"ed. The
“course in a book” provides a comprehensive
curriculum to students who are self studying, and
often includes multiple study aides along with it.

Secondly, the “exam study guide” is designed to

reinforce existing training with key concepts,
formulas, and processes students can expect on
the real exam. And lastly, PMP practice exam
books provide a credible source of questions,
answers, and explanations valuable to any student
studying for the exam.

Great for: Students who like to learn “o"ine” and students who need
reinforcement after taking a class.

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Simulated PMP Practice Exams

With the huge amount of time and cost that goes in to

PMP exam preparation, it is mind boggling that more
students do not reinforce their project management
training with simulated PMP practice exams. While it is
critical to understand how practice exams can and cannot
help the average student, they play an essential role in
passing the PMP exam.

Finding a credible and e#ective PMP practice exam tool

can be a di%cult task. With the vast amount of online
brain dumps, plagiarized test material, and poor quality
content, "nding a reputable provider becomes a very
important task.

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When looking for e#ective PMP practice tests, ensure they include the following features:
• Test results include a reference to the relevant PMBOK® Guide section so you can research the
right answer further
• PMP exam content is continuously updated to ensure accuracy
• Practice tests are delivered in a format and pace similar to the real PMP exam (time limits, marking
questions for review, and other attributes are the same).
• Scoring reports are provided to show your strengths and weaknesses
• The test simulator allows you to save and resume tests in progress
Sometimes it is hard to determine the weaknesses in your understanding through studying alone. Find
PMP practice tests that not only list your incorrect answers but also group them together by
Knowledge Area. A system that issues a post-exam report will give you a very clear indication of what
you need to review again.

Great for: Students who want to test their knowledge while (or after) taking a
course, self studiers who want to gauge their readiness, test takers who want
to practice the pace of the real exam.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, students should be aware that the PMBOK® Guide is a great reference manual for the
project management processes you’ll be learning throughout your studies, but should not be your
primary study material. Use the PMBOK® Guide to verify, validate, and research the concepts you
learn throughout your course learning. Using proper training materials will improve your
understanding of the PMBOK® Guide and the project management processes, greatly improving your
chances of passing the PMP exam on your "rst attempt.

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Christopher Scordo (PMP, ITIL) is a published author and Managing Director of

SSI Logic (www.ssilogic.com), owners of the popular PMP training website,
PMPerfect.  

Visit PMPerfect.com for the latest on PMP exam prep, live online classes, and
self-paced PMP courseware. 

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