PMP ROADMAP

Ahmed Alsenosy
PE FOR TRAINING Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam
PMP ROADMAP

STUDY TIPS

- Studying for the exam is a full-time job. Well, at least part-time. It takes
time and dedication to get through the materials with a full understanding
of the content. You do not want to waste precious time studying
ineffectively. The following tips will help you prepare for and study for the
exam. The first step is to create a study plan. Passing the exam is a
project. This sounds self-evident; however, some students have had
success with creating a clear plan broken into steps with schedule milestones
such as review course material, use online exams to assess progress, plan to
study areas for improvement. For example, one knowledge area or one
process group at a time. Plan exam strategy. How many questions per hour?
How many breaks, etc.? Practice taking four-hour exams, preferably more
than once. Practice a brain dump. The brain dump is critical for helping you
get through the exam. It may include earned value formulas, mnemonics,
motivational theories, six Sigma percentages, and anything else you want to
remember for the exam. It should fit on one side of a piece of paper. This
brain dump will be used at the start of the test to help reduce test-taking
stress and mistakes. As you learn and explain your brain dump's contents,
practice writing it from scratch as needed until it becomes nearly
automatic. You should be able to do this in less than 10 minutes. Know all
the processes of project management. Include this in your brain dump. Go
beyond memorization to knowing the logic behind this ideal, cohesive, and
integrated system. Spending time comprehending the process flow charts at

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

the start of each chapter while learning the matrix is an excellent means to
move beyond mere memorization. You should know most of the inputs,
tools, techniques, and outputs of each process. Mnemonics are helpful for
the process groups. For example, I plan every meeting carefully. If you were
to look at this. I stand for initiating; plan stands for planning, every is
executing, meeting is monitoring and controlling, and carefully stands for
closing. Use your resources. If you know someone who has taken the PMP
exam, reach out to them for help on difficult concepts or questions. PMPs
are an excellent resource. Also, if you have access to a questions
database, practice taking 30-minute, 60-minute, and 4-hour
exams. Moreover, be sure to study the PMBOK guide or Ahmed Alsenosy
book from cover to cover. Chart your own course. In general, it is best to
take the exam within two to three weeks from completing your
studies. However, there are examples of people who took the test many
weeks later, studying always until they took the test. Score at least 80 to 85%
on test questions. Testing at this high level is necessary in order to be best
positioned to achieve the necessary 61% correct rate to pass the exam. Also,
it is recommended to take a quiz early in your studying to set a baseline for
which you can use to identify knowledge gaps and against which you can
measure your progress. Practice taking at least one full four-hour online test
exam before the real exam. This allows you to see how your body reacts to
taking a test for four hours straight. For example, do you need to take a break
at one hour, two hours, or none? Do you get hungry or thirsty? These are
details to know before the actual exam. If you have not already, put a plan in
place for how you are going to study for the exam. It is like a project. You

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

need to plan how often you're going to study, how long, and which sections
for each day leading up to the exam. I always start with the end in mind, the
exam date, and work backward to see how much I need to do for each day
to be fully prepared for the exam. Consider implementing these study
tips when putting the plan in place and you will be well on your way to being
prepared for the exam.

READING AND UNDERSTANDING EXAM QUESTIONS

- It is no secret that PMP test questions can be difficult to decipher and

understand. They can also be lengthy and have multiple correct
answers. What I would like to do is help provide you with some general
information and tips for how to read and pick the best answers for
questions. I then want to show you a couple of question examples where you
can see these tips applied. So, here are tips for taking the exam. Answer
every question, even if you do not know the answer, as there is no penalty
for guessing on the exam. Next, it is important to answer questions keeping
the PMI mindset in mind. Think to yourself, what would the PMI do, or what
is the PMI process for this? Another tip is to be sure to read the questions
carefully and completely and identify keywords that'll help you answer the
question. Also, read the last sentence first, meaning the actual question
being asked. This helps you know what information you need to glean from
the paragraph to answer the question. And there are questions where
reading the last sentence is all you need to answer the question without
reading the entire paragraph. Another tip is to read all four answers
completely. You may get to answer B and think it is correct, but another

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

answer may be better. Also, some questions have exhibits you need to look
at. Be sure to look at them before answering the question. It is important to
know that some questions will have multiple correct answers. It is important
to choose the best one. Moreover, be leery of answers that
contain absolutes such as all, every, only, always, and never. Absolutes are
rare, as there may be exceptions. If you read the question and do not
know the answer, try the following. First, try to eliminate at least two wrong
answers, especially answers with unfamiliar terminology. For the remaining
answers, pick the one that best answers the question. If you still do not know
the answer, then guess. You have a 25% chance of getting it correct, one out
of four. If you eliminate two answers, you then have a 50% chance of
getting it correct and so forth. Try eliminating as many answers as possible
to increase your chances. Another method is to read the answers from the
bottom up. You are more likely to read all of them and less likely to select
the first answer you read. An important point to remember is that some
examples may apply to more than one question. For example, network
diagrams, or earned value questions. Be sure to save the work you did on
these questions, as you may need it in future questions. Moreover, finally,
PMI also adds questions about professional responsibility and code of
ethics. It is critical that you read PMI's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct
document. Now that we have gone over best practices for approaching
questions let us apply them to actual questions. So, let us look at this first
question. You are a project manager who has been assigned a new
project. As you are meeting with stakeholders, several risks have been
identified that are of concern. You have not started talking about risk

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

management yet. What is the first thing you should do to address project
risks? So, would the answer be A, identify project risks? Do you think it is B,
determine who will handle identified risks? Alternatively, maybe C, develop
a risk management plan. Alternatively, D, plan how to close out risks. The
answer is C, develop a risk management plan. In this question, you should
follow the tip we had for reading the last sentence first. You will notice that
all you need is the last sentence to answer this question. The rest of the
paragraph is just filler and does not necessarily provide any additional
info for you to answer this question. Now let us look at another question.
You have taken over as project manager for a software development
project that is finishing the design phase. You have noticed change
requests keep flowing in that affect the requirements, including some from
your stakeholders. Which of the following would have been most helpful in
this situation? Is it answer A, a project stakeholder who is less involved in the
project? Alternatively, B, a change control board. Maybe C, a change
evaluation system. Alternatively, D, a clear requirements management
plan. For this question, practice eliminating two wrong answers. In this case,
A and C. A does not make sense, as you want your stakeholders to be more
involved in the project. Moreover, C is an unfamiliar or made up term. That
leaves you with B and D. B is fine, but the change board only processes
change requests, therefore do not affect the actual number of changes
coming forward. D is the best answer, as a requirements management
plan would tell you how to handle changes. Now that we have gone over
some basic tips for approaching test questions, and gone over a couple of
examples, I encourage you to practice these on questions of your own. I have

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

put together several test questions in an exercise file that you can
download and practice with, be sure to check it out.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON EXAM DAY

- Now, at this point, you have spent hours and hours studying, answering
hundreds of practice questions, and preparing yourself mentally and
physically for the exam. You may be asking yourself, what can I expect on
exam day? That is a great question, and I want to share with you a few
tips that will be helpful the days before and the day of the exam. So, before
exam day, practice writing down your dump sheet. Your dump sheet is a
piece of paper where you write the items you want to remember for the
exam, like formulas, the project management processes, Six Sigma
percentages, anything you get tripped up on. You should be able to write
everything in your dump sheet in about 10 minutes. Also, drive to the
Prometric center where you booked the exam, or at a minimum know where
the testing center is and how long it takes to get there on a typical
day. However, I still encourage you to drive there beforehand. This will allow
you to see how long it takes to drive to the center, especially during rush
hour. Is there any roadwork being done that you need to be made aware
of? Another thing you can do is take a tour of the Prometric center where
you booked the exam. This way, you know what the center looks like, and
you can ask a proctor for a tour of the facility and about the procedures for
exam day. So, for exam day, wake up early and eat a good breakfast. Make
sure you don't eat anything out of the ordinary, so you don't have an upset
stomach before or during the exam. Wear comfortable clothes, but

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

remember, items such as sweaters and jewelry may be worn into the testing
center but cannot be removed once you have entered a testing room. Be
sure to bring two forms of ID with you and remember the letter you received
from PMI. Be sure your IDs match the name you put on your
application. Common IDs are a driver's license or a passport and a credit
card, but you can bring any of the IDs that PMI says are allowed. Also, arrive
20 to 30 minutes early to the testing center. There is nothing worse than
arriving right on time or late and rushing to get to the door. Remember, there
may be others in line before you, so make sure you have time to check in
before your actual start time. Take a deep breath, maybe several. A good
method is to breathe in through your nose for six to seven seconds, then
exhale for the same amount of time, for example, (inhales) (exhales). This
has a calming effect on your body and will help you relax. Moreover, then
leave anything of value at home. Remember, you are not allowed to bring
anything into the exam except what the proctor gives you, so it is best to
leave anything you do not need at home or in the car. Now, there are a few
things to know about what to expect at the Prometric center. Check out the
Prometric website. On the main page, you'll see a video toward the bottom
titled What to Expect on Test Day. Watch this video to get an idea of what
you may go through when you check in. Once you arrive at the Prometric
center, the first thing you'll want to do is check in. Let the proctor know you
are there. The proctor will provide you a locker key where you will store all
your belongings. Then return to the proctor so you can complete your check-
in. You'll need to present the two forms of ID you brought, as well as a letter
from the PMI. The proctor will check you in and confirm you are whom you

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

say you are. If this is the first time you've been to a Prometric center, you
may be fingerprinted. Also, be prepared to be searched. The proctor will ask
you to pull your pockets inside out and run your fingers through those that
can't be turned inside out. You may be asked to pull up your sleeves and your
pant legs. The proctor may then run their hands along your arms, your legs,
and even your torso to see if you are bringing anything into the exam room
you aren't supposed to have. Lastly, the proctor may run a hand scanner
across your body, searching for anything metallic. You may be saying to
yourself, you have got to be kidding me. It feels like I'm at the airport. Well,
you would be correct. It's like the search they do at airports, and it's needed
so people don't cheat. Now, depending on the facility, you will be handed
four to six pieces of paper and two pencils. Some facilities have whiteboards
and markers. You may also be handed a small calculator if the computer isn't
equipped with one. If you use your paper front and back, you can get more
from the proctor, but there is a catch. For every piece of paper, you ask for;
you must give a piece back to the proctor, so be sure you don't hand over a
piece of paper with critical information on it. Next, you'll be escorted to your
seat. The proctor will show you how to use the computer and answer any
questions you may have. The first thing you need to do once you sit down is
going through the tutorial. You have 15 minutes for the tutorial, but it only
takes a couple of minutes and explains how to move through each
screen and what all the buttons are on the screen. Next, once you are done
with the tutorial, take a deep breath and start the exam. Once the exam
starts, this is when you want to write down your dump sheet. Remember,
you only do this once the exam starts, so write as fast as you can so you don't

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

take up valuable exam time. The exam is four hours long, and it's comprised
of 200 questions. The clock is usually located on the upper right-hand side of
your screen. It counts down, so the time you see is what you have
left. Sometime during the exam, you may want to take a break. Remember,
when you take a break, the timer does not stop, and you'll be required to
sign out, sign back in, and show your ID. This takes additional time, especially
if someone is in line before you. After you've completed the exam, you click
on the Complete Exam button. It may take a few seconds, but a screen pops
up asking you to take a short questionnaire about your experience at the
Prometric center. Answer the questions and submit them. The results of
your exam will appear. Then take all your belongings, notes, and pencils to
the proctor. The proctor will print out your exam results and hand you a
certified copy. Hold on to this report, as it is the only proof of your exam until
the results are transferred to the PMI. Moreover, that is it. So now that you
know a bit more about what to expect on exam day, you have one less thing
to be nervous about.

TIME STRATEGIES FOR TAKING THE EXAM

- An essential part of taking the PMP exam is giving yourself enough time
to get through all the questions. The PMP exam consists of 200 multiple
choices randomly selected questions. When I say, the questions are
randomly selected I mean that each person will take their own unique
version of the exam. The overall question set for the test is very large, and
each person will see their own set of questions. So, if you and a friend take
the PMP exam on the same day, you will not be faced with the same

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

questions. Next, be aware that of the 200 questions each person receives, 25
are called 'pre-test questions.' This simply means that 25 of the questions are
being tested for inclusion in future forms of the exam. They do not count for
you, and they do not count against you. It is just real-life testing for the exam
writers. The remaining 175 questions are scored. A passing grade for the
exam is an official mystery. PMI does not release the exact number of correct
answers needed to pass the test, but most people estimate to be about
61%. You have four hours to complete the test. So, let us do a little math,
here. 4 Hours is 240 minutes. 240 Minutes divided by 200 questions gives
you about 1.2 minutes per question or 72 seconds. That does not sound like
very long, and honestly, some of the questions are tough. So, you'll need
more time for them. While others only take a few seconds. This is where you
need a time usage strategy to help you out. As luck has it, the computer-
based testing system has some features that can help you with this. For
starters, you can flag questions and come back to them later. Be sure to use
this feature to your advantage. Do not get bogged down trying to answer
everything in the order it is asked. Just flag the tough ones and come back to
them. Another feature is the ability to strike through incorrect answers. If
you come to a question you don't know the answer to, try to eliminate one
or two of the answers first. You can then strike through them so that when
you return to the question you know which answers to ignore. You should
also move through the test at a consistent pace the first time. Answering
everything you are certain of immediately and flagging everything else for
follow-up. The goal is to get through all 200 questions and then go back to
the beginning and systematically work your way through your flagged

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy

items. Again, do not spend more than a minute on any question during this
pass. Just leave things flagged and come back to them again. Repeat this
cycle until you've answered everything on the exam. The worst thing you can
do is not answer a question. Even if you are unsure of something, it's still
better to eliminate the known wrong answers and select an answer than to
leave something blank. Moreover, always remember, your first instinct is
usually correct. So, do not over think it. At the end of this roadmap, I highly
recommend using PMP Master application which includes more than 3500
answerable questions you can get it for Android or IOS.

I wish the best to all who are preparing himself for the PMP exam if you need any
assistance you can contact me via WhatsApp 00966563444456 or email:
gm@professionalengineers.us

Source: LinkedIn learning | organized and reviewed by Ahmed Alsenosy | www.linkedin.com/in/alsenosy