NEW PMP Study Guide [2023]

By Max Mao, PMP

Resources Used:

● How to Fill the PMP Application

● PMP Udemy course 35 PDUs (watched videos at 2X, get general familiarity)
● PMP Process Mapping Game (game to memorize phases/processes)
● PMBOK 7th Edition Full Review on Principles (15 min full guide)
● PMBOK 6th Edition Full Review on Process Flow (22 min full guide)
● AR TIA simulator (take all 6 practice exams to “master” the PMBOK mindset)
● David Mclachlan’s 200 agile questions (exam-like agile-scenario questions)
● PMI PMP Exam 261 Questions (most-similar questions to actual PMP exam)
○ DO take notes on all PMI PMP Exam questions you get wrong & review
i. Example notes on concepts/questions I missed

Study Plan - 2 Weeks (35 hours total):

● Week 1 (17 hours)

○ PMP Udemy course 35 PDUs (watch videos at 2X, don’t bother taking notes)
i. You will probably need to take this course to get the 35 PDUs to take exam
ii. 13.25 hours total (on 2X speed)
○ Submit application to PMI for eligibility to take exam
i. DO spent thoughtful time filling out the PMI application, if you don’t follow
the PMI specific-guidelines, your application WILL fail (I didn’t read the
guidelines carefully and my application failed the first time, resubmitted &
reformatted work experience and got approved)
ii. 2 hours total
○ PMBOK 7th Edition Full Review on Principles (15 min full guide)
○ PMBOK 6th Edition Full Review on Process Flow (22 min full guide)
i. To help you expedite your PMBOK learning, I created 2 videos breaking
down the PMBOK 6th and 7th Edition which I’ve linked below (it’s a quicker
run through of what you need to know!)
○ PMP Process Mapping Game (play this 1-2 times a day until you get 90%+
consistently)
i. 0.75 hours total
● Week 2 (18 hours)
○ AR TIA simulator (take all 6 practice exams to “master” the PMBOK mindset)
i. Each exam (60 questions) took me ~ 45 min to complete and I spent an
additional 45 min to review through all questions/answers (1.5 hour ea)
ii. 9 hours total
○ David Mclachlan’s 200 agile questions (extra help agile-scenario questions)
i. I did all 200 questions, but that’s probably overkill. Great detailed
explanation and additional prep (I just fast forwarded to each question and
then checked my answer against David’s explanation)
ii. 3 hours total
○ MOST IMPORTANT: Take the PMI PMP Exam 261 Questions
i. The PMI PMP Practice exam was very similar to the PMP exam (I thought
the practice exam was harder than the actual exam)
 ii. The exam was $99 on PMI’s website, but I used the discount code
“STVIPRAC” and got the exam for free! This code may be outdated, so
please refer to r/PMP on reddit for any updated codes.
iii. Best representation of actual-exam questions (makes sense because PMI
created it)
iv. Took the exam into 2 chunks (3.5 hour for the first 180 questions, 1.5 hour
for remaining 81 questions)
v. 5 hours total
○ Take notes on all PMI PMP Exam questions you get wrong (create a spreadsheet)
and review days before your exam for key concepts you don’t fully know
i. Example notes I made/studied here
ii. 1 hour total (reviewing any terms/concepts)

My Exam Day:

● Took in person at Pearson Venue (reduces risk of technical issues/staff were very
nice)
● Exam had 180 questions & 230 minutes to complete
○ Finished exam with 50 minutes to spare (used ~55 min/60 questions and 5 min to
review any flagged questions at the end)
○ Once you complete a 60 question section, you CANNOT go back (make sure you
take time to double check any questions you are uncertain about)
● Used both breaks (exam had a 10 minute break after every 60 questions)
● Strategy: I read all the questions first, then read the passage, then the answer choices
○ Question has key details (such as “what to do first/next” etc.)
○ Always tried to anticipate the answer before looking at the answer options (tried to
minimize being influenced by trick answers)
● Questions are tricky – slow down and be confident/flag any questions for later review
● Did not have formula calculations to do (you should prepare to know the general ones:
SPI/CPI/SV/CV etc.)
● Post exam, you receive your performance results immediately (pass/fail)

Reflections:

● While the PMP exam is a great certification to have, I must emphasize the importance
of actually understanding the content & being able to apply the principles in real-life!
○ DO spend as much time as you need to really understand the “process groups”
and the “PMBOK mindset”. These two concepts are tested in almost every
question.
● My focus was to maximize the efficiency of my studying and to minimize the cost of the
resources I used (ugh I sound like a project manager here…).
● Resources & Cost Breakdown:
■ PMP Udemy course 35 PDUs ($13.70, UDEMY has sale now)
■ PMP Process Mapping Game (free)
■ Ricardo Vargas PMBOK Flow (free)
■ AR TIA simulator ($44.99)
■ David Mclachlan’s 200 agile questions (free)
■ PMI PMP Exam 261 Questions ($99)
■ PMP Exam (non-PMI member) ($555)
■ PMP Exam (PMI member) ($405)
● Remember what works for me/others may not work for you!
 ● Goodluck, you can do it!!

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Resources:

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Appreciate the support. Cheers!