Test-taking Tips

When you sit for the actual PMP certification examination, there will be 200 multiple-choice questions and you will have up to four hours to complete the examination. This breaks down to 50 questions per hour and a little more than a minute per question. Therefore, the practice exams included in this book have 50 questions that you should time yourself to complete within an hour using the same average of a little more than a minute per question. Not all questions require equal time. Don't agonize over every question. Read the question and each possible answer in its entirety prior to selecting an answer. Select the best answer to each question based on the response that seems to adhere to the PMBOK and PMI.

More than one answer might seem plausible and correct. Select the best answer from those provided rather than aiming for the "correct" answer. In some cases multiple choices among the available answers might seem equally valid, so it is important to rule out obviously incorrect choices to narrow your options.

If more than one answer seems logical, look for an answer that includes both responses. Some of your choices include "Both X and Y," "Neither X nor Y," "All of the above," or "None of the above." The inclusion of a choice that includes multiple answers does not mean it is the correct answer. Some of the choices can be tricky in this regard.

Likewise, many of the available choices include terminology, concepts, and processes endorsed by the PMBOK and PMI. Just because you recognize the term does not mean this is the correct answer. The exam uses terms in similar contexts to assure you thoroughly understand and can apply the material. Be sure to read each question carefully to avoid any confusion among terminology or process names.

In your response to every test question, you should strive to select the best answer based on how you believe PMI and the PMBOK would respond given the question and not necessarily from your own project management experience. The best answer as determined by PMI is provided as one of the four possible responses.

Be suspicious of answers offering definitive responses such as never and always. Some answers might tout non-PMI methods and reflect common project management misconceptions. Some answers might offer correct information but the information is not pertinent to the question at hand and is simply included to confuse you. Similarly, some questions might contain factually correct information that has no bearing to the possible answers. If you do not have a firm grasp of the material and immediately know the best answer, you can waste valuable test time trying to figure out a way to use and apply irrelevant information. This is particularly tricky when mathematical calculations are requested in response to an examination question.

It is important to apply the same test conditions to taking this practice exam as you will experience on the day of the actual test. Be aware of your time to avoid having to rush at the end to complete the examination. You will want to leave adequate time to review any responses you were unsure of and/or to return to unanswered questions. If you are spending more than one minute on a question, it is better to skip over the question and mark it for review later than to agonize over the question and lose the opportunity to answer other questions to which you know the answer.

During the actual computerized exam, you can mark questions for later review and/or make multiple passes through the exam. Mark every question you are unsure of even if you have selected an answer. This approach saves you time when you review your responses because you do not need to review any unmarked questions. If on a second review, you determine an answer, unmark the question. Continue this process of going through all the marked questions until they all have answers or you are nearing the end of the allotted time period.

Save the last 20 minutes or so of the test to finalize any unmarked answers and assure you have provided an answer to each question. For the practice test, if you adhere to the suggested 1 minute per question rule of thumb, you will have 10 minutes to review your answers and respond to any marked questions. On the actual exam day, try to make a best guess by ruling out definitely wrong answers as discussed earlier, but do not give up. Select an answer for each question even if you have to guess. There is no penalty for guessing.