Testing Your Exam Readiness

The more experience you have responding to PMBOK-type questions, the greater your likelihood of passing your PMP Certification Examination. You should take one of the practice examinations in this book prior to beginning a course of study to gauge your strengths and weaknesses. This will enable you to develop a study plan in conjunction with this book to target your vulnerable knowledge areas.

After you have completed your initial study plan and read this book in its entirety, take the second practice exam. Evaluate your results. Did you do better than the initial test? Have your strengths and weaknesses improved?

Have your strengths and weakness changed? Study your responses to the questions that were incorrect. Are there any patterns evident in the questions you missed? Did you debate between two answers, ultimately opting for the wrong answer? Did you pick answers that appear correct but are simply not the best answer by the standards of the PMBOK and the PMI? Based on this analysis, go back and revise your study plan, concentrating on those areas where you need more knowledge and improvement.

Take your practice examinations under testing conditions. This is a key factor for success during your PMP Certification Examination. When you take a practice test, do so in a quiet area at your desk or dining room table free of distractions. You do not want to be interrupted by the doorbell, phones, email, or your dog during this time.

Set a timer on your watch to ensure you are complying with the time requirement. Based on your time trials, you can train yourself to take more time with each question, or less as the case might be. You can make sure you are saving ample time to review your answers. Most importantly, you will be able to alleviate some of the nervousness and pressure you will feel on exam day by orienting yourself to the conditions under which you will be taking the examination. You will also have more confidence that you are monitoring your time and moving through the exam at a proper rate of speed.

With each practice exam you will see improvement. However, be careful when taking the same practice exam more than once so that your improvement is not based simply on memorizing the answer for that specific exam. Two practice exams are offered in this book, and you can purchase additional practice examinations through the PMI bookstore on the PMI website.