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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Get in touch:
OSP International LLC
8502 E Chapman Ave, Suite 349
Orange, CA 92869 USA
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.osp-international.com

A book by Cornelius Fichtner

Published by: OSP International LLC
Publication date: September 28, 2022

Copyright © 2022 OSP International LLC. All rights reserved.

Every attempt has been made by OSP International LLC to ensure that the information presented in
this publication is accurate and can serve as basic information in preparation for the PMP®
certification exam. However, OSP International LLC accepts no legal responsibility for the content
herein. This document or the course that it is part of should be used only as a reference and not as a
replacement for officially published material. Using the information from this document does not
guarantee that the reader will pass the PMP certification exam. No such guarantees or warranties
are implied or expressed by OSP International LLC.

This publication is not intended for use as a source of legal, financial, or human resource
management advice. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work without the permission of
the Publisher is against the law. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic, manual photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or
retrieval system, without prior written permission by the Publisher.

The PM PrepCast, The Agile PrepCast, The PM Podcast, The Project Management Podcast, The PDU
Podcast, and PM Exam Simulator are trademarks of OSP International LLC.

PMI, PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-SP, PMI-RMP, and PMBOK are trademarks of the Project
Management Institute, Inc. PMI has not endorsed and did not participate in the development of this
publication. PMI does not sponsor this publication and makes no warranty, guarantee, or
representation, expressed or implied as to the accuracy or content.

For the PrepCast Training visit https://www.project-management-prepcast.com

For the PrepCast Simulator visit https://www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmp
For the PrepCast Formulas visit https://www.project-management-formulas.com

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................. 3

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 1.....................................................................................................................................11

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 2.....................................................................................................................................19

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 3.....................................................................................................................................24

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 4.....................................................................................................................................28

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 5.....................................................................................................................................33

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 6.....................................................................................................................................37

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 7.....................................................................................................................................44

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 8.....................................................................................................................................49

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 9.....................................................................................................................................54

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 10 ...................................................................................................................................59

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 11 ...................................................................................................................................65

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 12 ...................................................................................................................................71

APPENDIX .........................................................................................................................................................79

APPENDIX A - NEXT STEPS .............................................................................................................................................80

APPENDIX B - IN CASE OF THE UNEXPECTED ......................................................................................................................81
APPENDIX C - PRE-EXAM DAY TIPS ..................................................................................................................................82
APPENDIX D - EXAM TAKING CHECKLIST ...........................................................................................................................85
APPENDIX E - AFTER YOUR EXAM ....................................................................................................................................86
APPENDIX F - HOW TO RECERTIFY....................................................................................................................................87
APPENDIX G - HOW TO APPLY FOR THE PMP® ..................................................................................................................88
APPENDIX H - SAMPLE STUDY SCHEDULE ..........................................................................................................................95
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................107

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the third edition of the PM StudyCoach™ Guidebook and congratulations on

beginning your journey to becoming Project Management Professional (PMP)® certified!

What you hold in your hands (or see on your screen) is a step-by-step guide to achieving
your PMP® credential in as little as 12 weeks. It takes all the guesswork out of creating your
own study plan, so you always know what, when, and how much to study.

Since the first edition of this Guidebook launched in 2014, the project management
industry and the profession has been evolving in significant ways. For instance, technology
is changing the role of a project manager, and agile and hybrid methods continue to gain
importance and grow in popularity across industries.

In response to these and other emerging trends, the PMP certification exam has been
revisited and improved, resulting in the publication of a new PMP Examination Content
Outline in 2019, an updated PMP exam in January 2021, and a new PMBOK® Guide 7th
Edition in August 2021 to better reflect the ever-changing roles and responsibilities of
certified project managers.

The newest edition of the exam and A significant update to the PMP
PMBOK® Guide was considered by many in
certification means that studying for
the industry to be one of the most
the exam requires a different
significant updates to occur since the
PMP’s inception. This meant that studying approach
for the PMP exam required a different
approach. Furthermore, the slow rollout
of new exam questions has meant that the PMP exam continues to use both the PMBOK®
Guide 6th Edition and 7th Edition as a reference1, creating confusion for many PMP test
takers when trying to craft their own study plans.

1
Wondering why we use both the 6th and 7th Edition? Read this explanation here.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

In short, as the PMP exam has undergone major changes and improvements over the
years, so too has this Guidebook. It has been reviewed and updated to reflect these PMP
exam changes and ensure that you have the best tools and resources to help you prepare.

Each chapter of this Guidebook takes you through a section of our PM PrepCast™ on-
demand course, as well as other important exam resources, to show you what to think
about and what to prepare, and how to assess your learning and progress. It provides
study strategies and tips to improve your learning and retention and help you make the
most of your study time. It also includes additional resources and other ways to “go
beyond” the normal preparation, to help you achieve your goal of becoming PMP certified
over the next few months.

Obtaining this valued certification takes time and dedication, and if you are just starting on
your path, it can seem daunting. But in choosing to use a challenging and structured study
plan like The PM StudyCoach™, you have taken a strategic and important first step towards
achieving your goal, and that speaks volumes of who you are and what you can
accomplish.

OUR METHOD

The PM StudyCoach™ is designed to help you develop the skills and resources you need to
be successful on the PMP exam. It is based on the wisdom gained from analyzing the
lessons learned from thousands of successful PMP candidates that we have helped to pass
their PMP exam. By leveraging best practices and following this proven plan, we are
confident that we will get you there, too!

But let me qualify this: No two people have

Adjust this study plan to fit your the same experiences or expertise, nor

specific needs, style of learning, and does everyone learn in the same manner.
Therefore, you may have to adjust this
individual circumstances
study plan based on your personal learning
likes and needs. We encourage all exam
candidates to mix and match resources to fit your specific needs, style of learning, and
individual circumstances while you prepare for the exam.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Our study plan is also designed to be practical and sustainable, and flexible enough to
meet real-world schedules. To accomplish this:

• We have expertly chosen only the best, most effective and relevant lessons and
study materials, to empower you to make the most of your valuable study time and
focus on what really matters.

• We have carefully calculated the amount of time required to complete the study
assignments, to ensure that our study plan is realistic and achievable for the
average PMP aspirant who is a full-time working professional preparing for the PMP
exam in their free time.

• We have created a study plan that allows you to go at your own pace. Although the
recommended schedule is to work through one chapter per week for 12 weeks, you
can combine multiple chapters into a single week to get through the material faster
or spread the chapters out over multiple weeks to go at a slower pace.

• Lastly, we have evenly distributed the workload of study assignments across the 12
weeks to make it easy for you to create a consistent weekly study routine.

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

The PM StudyCoach™ Guidebook has been written to perfectly complement our products
and is intended to guide you to exam success using those products. Therefore, to get the
most out of this Guidebook, it is strongly advised that you have the following products:

• The PM PrepCast™
• The PM Exam Simulator™
• The PM Formula Study Guide™

The PM PrepCast™ course will satisfy the Project Management Institute (PMI)® requirement
for 35 contact hours of formal project management education, and The PM Exam
Simulator™ is vital because, in our experience, students who use the exam simulator
during their studies have more confidence and much higher chances of exam success.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

In addition to these products, it is strongly advised that you have a copy of:

• The PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition (which includes The Standard for Project Management)
• The Agile Practice Guide

These books are essential for helping you prepare for the exam, which is why they are part
of the weekly assignments. These products are not available through our online store.
However, they can be purchased through PMI and other booksellers, such as Amazon.

If you decide not to use some of these resources, you can still follow this study plan — it
will just require substituting certain assignments with more time for doing additional “Go
Beyond” assignments, PrepCast lessons, and/or self-directed study time.

STRUCTURE

To get the most out of this Guidebook, it’s helpful to understand how it is organized and
how to use the helpful features contained in the chapters.

The study plan is divided into 12 weeks, where you will work through 11 weeks of course
material and have 1 additional week for final review.

Each week you will have specially-selected study assignments to work on, including:

• Video lessons from The PM PrepCast™

• PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition readings2
• Reflection questions to challenge you to “go deep” and think about what each
week’s project management topics mean to you personally
• Quizzes and a full practice exam using our PM Exam Simulator™
• Time for revisiting/reviewing material, making flashcards, creating notes, etc.
• Agile Practice Guide readings
• PMP® Exam Formula Study Guide™ readings and practice questions
• A pre-course self-assessment and a post-course final exam

2Please note that the PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition does not impact The PM PrepCast™ training material, which has been
developed to align with the PMP® Exam Content Outline. It is important to understand that the current PMP® exam is based
on the Exam Content Outline, dated January 2021, and not on the PMBOK® Guide. However, we include the PMBOK® Guide as
part of this study plan because it is still an extremely useful resource that has helped many students prepare for the PMP
exam.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

In addition to these specially-selected study assignments, you will find optional “Go
Beyond” assignments provided. These tasks range from reading topical articles to listening
to podcasts, watching YouTube videos or doing additional practice exams and quizzes in
our simulator to help you better understand the real testing environment and gauge your
level of preparedness.

While these assignments are complementary to the core content and optional, we strongly
recommend that you take advantage of these study suggestions, as they will provide more
insight and broaden your knowledge of the content. Remember with the PMP exam, like
anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. The more you do to prepare yourself,
the more likely you are to succeed.

BONUS FEATURES

Having some extras with the product you buy always feel good, doesn’t it? We thought so,
too, which is why we have included a few valuable bonus features in the Appendix section
of this Guidebook. The bonus features include:

• A sample study schedule. Now that you’re ready to get started on your PMP journey,
it’s important to plan for how you will tackle the anticipated work. Our sample study
schedule demonstrates how to realistically carry out this study plan and efficiently
manage your time in order to help get you started on creating a study schedule that
works best for you.
• Guidance for completing your PMP application. Have you completed your PMP
application via the PMI website yet? If not, don’t worry, this guide will walk you
through it!
• Tips and tricks on how to get ready for your actual PMP exam day, including an
Exam Day Checklist, advice on dealing with the unexpected, and things to do after
you pass the PMP exam.

TIME COMMITMENT

• The Guidebook uses a recommended schedule of one chapter per week for 12
weeks. Each set of weekly study assignments takes around 7 hours, which you can

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

split across your week. For example, you can allocate just one hour per day to studying
or do 3.5 hours of study over each weekend day — whatever best suits your lifestyle
and other commitments.

• If you have more time available and plan to take the exam in under 12 weeks, it’s
easy to personalize this study plan by combining multiple chapters into a single
week. And, of course, because this is self-paced, you can move slower through the
material if you wish.

• While 7 hours per week is the

minimum amount of time To complete the course in 12 weeks
required, the more time you can you need to invest just 1 hour per
commit to your studies the
day studying
better, as this will improve your
chances of exam success. For
any week that you can commit more than 7 hours, we recommend doing as many
practice quizzes and “Go Beyond” assignments as you can, as these will ensure you
can apply the knowledge effectively in an exam setting and will contribute to feeling
confident on test day.

• In terms of time required to complete the course, we generally recommend that you
start 3-4 months before the exam. Starting later is fine but it will require a greater
weekly time commitment.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wow, we just covered a whole lot. Before you get started, let’s go over a few final points:

• Follow the weekly plan as closely as you can. If you fall behind, don’t worry! Just get
back on track as quickly as you can or adjust the plan as you need to.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

• Be intentional about planning set study sessions. Use a calendar to mark out chunks
of time that you can devote to your studies. If you can, schedule some study time
each day rather than cramming it all into several, long study sessions each week.

• If you are able and willing to “Go Beyond” the normal preparation and wondering
how to prioritize your time, focus on doing additional practice quizzes and/or exams
in the PM Exam Simulator™.
Quizzing yourself is one of the Doing practice exams or quizzes is
best ways to prepare yourself for
one of the best ways to prepare
what the real exam will be like.
Our study plan includes a yourself for what the real exam will
handful of quizzes and 1 full- be like
length practice exam; however, if
you have time to do more, our
simulator has 4 full exams and an extra ITTO exam available to you, in addition to
our separate quiz pool, which has over 1,350 questions, so you’ll have no shortage
of practice questions to work through!

• Last but not least, make the necessary time commitment. The PMP exam has
become a lot harder to take recently. The questions on the PMP exam are now more
complex and situational and can only be answered by truly mastering PMP concepts
in real-life scenarios. Because of this, studying for the PMP exam can be a time-
consuming and difficult journey, and requires both a deep commitment and
adequate preparation. However, this certification is definitely worth the effort, and
we know you can do it!

We are excited to join you on your journey. With this Guidebook — your GPS to the PMP
exam — you have what you need to prepare, so let’s get started!

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Week 1 —

Welcome and Overview

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 1

Welcome to the first week on your journey to becoming PMP certified! The focus of the first
week is getting organized and knowing what lays ahead. Getting your materials. Your study
plans. Your success mindset! Lots to learn and think about, so let’s get started!

GETTING STARTED

The following are some important tasks that you should complete to ensure everything is
in order and ready.

 Become a PMI member. Although this is technically optional, it is highly encouraged

for a few reasons. Firstly, the membership gives you a discount on the exam that is
greater than the price of a membership. Secondly, membership gives you an e-copy
of the PMBOK® Guide in PDF format.
 Obtain a copy of the PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition. You can either download it as a
searchable, password-protected PDF file via your PMI membership or purchase a
hard copy via a bookseller.
 Set up a study schedule. (See Appendix H for a Sample Study Schedule). Completing
and absorbing all the weekly content takes time and concentration. Establishing
dedicated time to focus on the study materials without distraction or rushing is
important. Times may vary based on experience, style, personal preference, and
other factors. Nonetheless, carve out at least 1 hour every day for studying.
 Establish a study location free from distractions and interruptions. Sit in a coffee
house, a library or local college, or a locked office at home with a “Do Not Disturb”
sign on the door handle or anywhere that makes sense to you.
 Gather any studying materials or tools that you may need, such as highlighters,
flashcards, pens or pencils, notebooks, a laptop, or other equipment.
 Seek support from your employer. See if your organization will allow you to study
during work hours to help improve the company and your personal development.
To make the request even more convincing for your employer, keep your
requirements reasonable and be sure to explain how you will achieve a balance
between your studies and work commitments.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY TIPS

Note: Each week, we offer tips on effective studying. Implementing these into your regular
study routine will help you to efficiently and effectively learn the course material.
Experiment with them and find the ones that work for you.

• Take regular breaks! Studying for days on end can quickly become boring and
discouraging. It can also be counterproductive. Research shows that taking
regular breaks (every 60-90 minutes or so) can actually help you be more productive
than working without stopping, and it will help you retain more information.
• What you do with each break matters, too. Try to spend your break time in ways
that energize and refresh you so that you can return to your studies ready to focus.
When deciding what to do during your study breaks, keep in mind that different
things work for different people. In general, though, the best activities are the ones
that get you moving, breathing, or relaxing your mind. For example, try taking a
walk, stretching, dancing to music, taking a quick shower, meditating, eating or
hydrating, or stepping outside for some fresh air.
• Gather all of your study materials ahead of time so that you can start studying right
away and make the most of your time.
• And speaking of study materials, having a notebook on hand to jot down notes is
always helpful. Simply the act of putting what you have learned into your own words
or paraphrasing it greatly improves retention substantially, even if you never go
back and look at your notes again!
• Convert “down time” to “study time”. Let’s say you are waiting in line at the post
office and things are moving really, really slowly. Wouldn’t it be great if you could
just take out your phone and play a PrepCast lesson or a podcast or some digital
flashcards? At the very least, it would help pass the time! So make sure you always
have your study materials with you so that “lost time” becomes “study time”.
• Study to understand, not just to memorize words. To pass the PMP exam, focus on
understanding concepts and being able to apply them to scenario-based questions.
• Spend your time wisely and avoid multitasking. Completing and absorbing all the
weekly content takes time and concentration. Establishing dedicated time to focus
on the study materials without distraction or rushing is important.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

• Each week, start with your toughest assignments. That way, you won’t have them
hanging over your head for the whole week, which can drain your mental energy.
Plus, by saving your favorite (or the least challenging) assignments for the end of the
week, you’ll end the week on a high note and be more likely to approach your next
study session with a positive attitude.
• Read lessons learned. Every day, dozens of people receive their PMP certificate and
many of them will write and publish a report of how they prepared and passed the
exam. This is known as a PMP Lessons Learned, and you’ll find many of them in our
Lessons Learned Forum. By reading and learning from them, you not only get an
insider’s view into the exam, but you’ll also get helpful tips from those who have
been there before you.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Note: These questions are intended to help you gather your thoughts and reflections
about the upcoming week and make connections between your personal experiences
and the course content. This process of reflection is important for learning and can
boost your test performance, so each week, please take a few minutes to answer each question.
Record your thoughts in the spaces below or in a notebook, if you need more space. Return to
this page at the end of the week to see if any of your answers have changed.

What does project management mean to you and why is it important?______________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your motivation for becoming PMP-certified? _______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What is going to make you successful in obtaining your PMP certification and how much

time and effort are you going to dedicate to reaching your goal?____________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

As you navigate the road ahead, what challenges do you anticipate having and what are

you planning to do about those challenges?_________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Note: Modules and Lessons (e.g., L00.01) refer to the numbers in the PrepCast training
course. You may elect to watch the PrepCast lessons, then read. Or you may read first,
then watch — your choice. You can even go back and forth! The order in which you
complete these assignments is based on your learning style, preferences, and circumstances.

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Other “Getting Started” tasks (see the “Getting Started” section at the
beginning of this chapter)
Journaling Week 1 Reflection Questions (see “Think” section above)

Quiz Module 00.7 Pre-Course Self-Assessment + Review

We know you may be thinking, “Oh, come on! A quiz, already?!” But
this one is no big deal. It’s just 20 questions to help you check
which concepts and terms you may already be familiar with and
help you gain insight as to the amount of concentration you may
want to allocate to various topics. You are not expected to get any
correct. If you do, it’s a bonus. But you are going to learn more from
the ones you get wrong because you will have that motivation to
learn why you got them incorrect!
Once you’ve answered all the questions and get to the Quiz Results
page, click “Review” and then spend the same amount of time as
you did taking the quiz reviewing your assessment results and the
explanations. This is where the real learning happens, so don’t skip
this part.

Video L00.00 Welcome

Video L00.01 The PrepCast PMP Study Plan
Video L00.10 PMP Exam Content Outline
Video L00.20 The PMBOK® Guide Overview
Video L00.30 Introduction to the PMP Certification
Reading PMI® Certifications Handbook
Reading PMP® Exam Content Outline

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GO BEYOND

Note: If you have more time to dedicate to your learning or want to go above and
beyond the normal preparation, take advantage of some of these study suggestions.
They are complementary to the core content and optional. At least, you should read
through these suggestions each week. If, however, your time in any given week is limited, or you
feel confident in the material, then you may return to these resources at a later day.

Some resources and suggestions:

 Watch the YouTube video What is PMP?

 Read the article PMP® Exam Questions – The Complete Guide

 Read the article Creating Your PMP® Study Plan – The Complete Guide

 Listen to The PM Podcast™ Episode 475: How the PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition

Changes the PMP® Exam

 Sign up for our PMP® Exam Tips Newsletter and/or follow @pmexamtips on

http://www.twitter.com/pmexamtips

 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/project-management-

prepcast

 Join a LinkedIn Group such as “I Want to be a PMP” or “PMP and CAPM Exam Prep”

 Visit http://www.facebook.com/PrepCast for exam tips and tricks

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Notes to self:

 _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 2 —

The PMBOK® Guide Principles

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 2

Welcome to the second week! Now it’s time to really get into the material! This week you
dig into A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) 7th Edition
and the overarching concepts that define the what and why of project management.

Our main focus will be on the 12 principles of project management that were introduced in
The Standard for Project Management section of the PMBOK® Guide. These principles are a
good place to start things off, as they act like the rules for the entire project management
process and will help give you a holistic view of the greater project management practice.

One thing to note is that, while you are going to be reading from the PMBOK® Guide each
week, the specific chapters or sections assigned to you will not always cover the same
topics as the other study assignments for that week. This is partly due to the fact that our
PM PrepCast™ course “maps” to the PMI Exam Content Outline (ECO), upon which the PMP
Exam is based, as opposed to following the structure of the PMBOK® Guide. Rather than
skipping around the PMBOK® Guide and awkwardly dividing up the pages and sections each
week to make it align with the ECO and our training course, we will have you read through
the PMBOK® Guide sequentially to keep things simple and straightforward.

Another added benefit of this approach is that by reading about a specific topic in the
PMBOK® Guide one week and then watching a video lesson about it in a later week, you’ll
have a better understanding of the material heading into that video lesson and can then
use the lesson to strengthen and reinforce your learning and make more effective use of
your study time. Of course, though, you are free to organize the readings from the PMBOK®
Guide in whatever way you like because this study plan ultimately belongs to you to modify
as you see necessary. Just bear in mind that our study plan was meticulously designed to
guarantee an even allocation of effort from week to week (i.e., 7 hours per week), so any
adjustments you make to the study assignments may have an impact on this.

We have also planned for you to finish reading the PMBOK® Guide by the end of Week 6, so
that you have time to also read the PMP Formula Guide™ and the Agile Practice Guide, two
other critical reference books, as this will help better prepare you for the exam.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY TIPS

• Relax and take a deep breath! Research shows that stress makes it harder to learn and
to retain information, so try to clear your head before you begin studying.
• Reading is not studying. Nor is simply highlighting or underlining text, re-reading, or
doing rote memorization. While reading is certainly an important part of studying,
learning information requires actively engaging in the material in a way that is
meaningful and promotes retention. Here are some specific ways to do more active
studying:
o Create charts, graphs, or diagrams to explain the material.
o While note-taking, identify and summarize the main points in your own words.
o Create flash cards or outlines.
o Create your own quizzes (there are some great apps and websites out there that
you can use to create free online quizzes).
o Practice teaching the material. You can do this in a study group, with a study
partner, or even on your own by saying the information aloud. Or try recruiting a
friend, parent, little sibling, or even a pet (animals tend to make great listeners!).
As you explain the material to them, it will help you to get it clear in your head,
and also to highlight any areas where you are confused and need more work.
o Do the reflection questions each week. The questions are designed to help you
make sense of the material and apply what you have learned to your own life.
• Find a study buddy or join a study group. Even though this is an on-demand, self-paced
training course, that doesn’t mean your studying always has to be a solo activity.
Learning with others holds you accountable and will help you learn the material more
quickly because you can explain the material to one another and fill in gaps in one
another’s understanding. You can quiz each other on the material, play review games,
and ask each other questions about things you don’t understand. Besides, studying
with others can be fun!
• Find someone to keep you accountable for your studies and/or post somewhere others
can see of your weekly progress and dedication. If you are daring enough, post your
plan on Facebook or LinkedIn and force yourself to post updates for others to cheer
you on and keep you honest.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

How did last week go for you? What, if any, challenges did you encounter, and how did you

respond?_____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What does it mean to be a project manager and why does the role matter?_________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What is project management like in your organization / other organizations you have been

a part of? ____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

In your view, what makes a good project manager?__________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 2 Reflection Questions

Video L00.21 PMBOK Guide Principles 1-4

Video L00.22 PMBOK Guide Principles 5-8
Video L00.23 PMBOK Guide Principles 9-12
Reading The Standard for Project Management (pp. 7-59 of PMBOK Guide)
Reading PMBOK Guide, 7th Edition (Section 1 – 2.2.4; pp. 3-29)

GO BEYOND

 Watch the following PM PrepCast™ lessons:

 L00.27 Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

 L00.31 What If You Get Audited?

 L00.32 PMP Exam Passing Score & PMP Exam Report

 L00.33 Certification Renewal and PDUs

 Read the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 3 —

The PMBOK® Guide Performance Domains

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 3

Welcome to the third week! Now that you have familiarized yourself with the 12 project
management principles, it’s time to take a deeper dive into another concept that is new to
the PMP exam since the release of the PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition — the 8 Project
Performance Domains.

A project performance domain is a group of related activities that run throughout a project
and are critical for the effective delivery of project outcomes. In other words, they are
essential activities that ensure successful projects. On the face of it, the Performance
Domains replace the 10 Knowledge Areas of the previous PMBOK® Guide edition, but they
can really be thought of as building on the Knowledge Areas. They divide up the totality of
project management knowledge and help us guide our behaviors and good practices.

In addition to the 8 Project Performance Domains, you’ll learn about The Agile Manifesto, a
document that identifies 4 key values and 12 principles that its authors believe project
managers should use to guide their work.

STUDY TIPS

• Put your study sessions and study assignments on your calendar. Color coding the
entries can help you stay even more organized. If using your phone, create calendar
alerts or set reminders to study.
• Evernote (Android, iPhone, iPad) and MS OneNote (Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, web)
are great apps for note-taking. For creating custom digital flashcards, Flashcards+,
Quizlet, Anki, Brainscape, Cram, and IDoRecall are all good flashcard app options!
• Find out your learning style. Although most of us benefit from using multiple learning
methods, there are certain learning methods (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic,
reading/writing, etc.) that we tend to find most useful. Knowing your learning style can
help you make the most of your study time by using the study methods that work best
for you. The best way to discover your learning style is to take a Learning Style Quiz. The
key here is to not overthink your answers. Just choose the most natural or initial
response that pops into your head. On the quiz results page, you’ll find just a few of the
many recommended study methods that work best for your specific learning style.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

Reflect on your thinking, learning, and studying last week. What were you most proud of?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you remember about what you learned last week? Write down as many things as

you can in 2 minutes (for more space, you may want to use a separate piece of paper).

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you take the Learning Style Quiz? (see Study Tips) What were your results? Did anything

surprise you about those results? ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What modifications to your study strategy would you like to make in light of your preferred

learning style?________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 3 Reflection Questions

Video L00.24 The PMBOK Guide Performance Domains 1-4

Video L00.25 The PMBOK Guide Performance Domains 5-8
Video L00.26 The Agile Manifesto
Reading PMBOK Guide, 7th Edition (Section 2.2.5 – 2.4.1; pp.30-52)
PMBOK Guide, 7th Edition (Section 2.4.2 – 2.5.8; pp.53-77)
PMBOK Guide, 7th Edition (Section 2.5.9 – 2.7.2; pp.78-105)
Note: We suggest dividing up the reading this way, into 3 study
sessions, to enhance learning and retention, but feel free to divide
up the reading any way that works best for you.

GO BEYOND

 Check out The Agile Manifesto website

 Listen/Watch The PM Podcast™ Episode 467: PMI Answers Your Questions About the

PMP Exam 2021

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 4 —

Essential Project Management Concepts

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 4

Welcome to Week 4! As you might have guessed from the chapter’s title, this week will be
important for your exam preparation because we will be discussing key project
management concepts. This week’s video lessons start by giving you a “Big Picture” view of
project management — What is a project? What is a project life cycle? What are the project
phases? You’ll learn about the different project baselines — the cost baseline, schedule
baseline, scope baseline, etc., and how these plans are developed, elaborated, and
improved.

Following this, you will reach the point in our PrepCast training course where the next 3
modules will focus on the Exam Content Outline. This week, we start the module on the
“People” domain — a domain which represents a significant portion (42%) of the PMP exam
content. This domain is all about the soft skills (e.g., conflict management, leadership) that
enable you to effectively manage a project team in today’s changing environment.

STUDY TIPS

• For PMP prep, one of the best sources of information you currently have at your
disposal is the use of The PM PrepCast™ Forum. Our forum is a great place to get
answers to your exam-related questions from fellow students and our PMP certified
moderators and trainers. If you’re having trouble understanding a specific project
management concept, there is probably someone on the forum who can explain it
in such a way that you can better understand it. Chances are that they ran into the
same problem during the course of their own studies. Getting help will save you
time and frustration and you will understand the concept, instead of just
memorizing it. If you prefer to do your own research, we have a search engine that
you can use to quickly “search and scan” the forum content to find the information
that you’re looking for. The forum is also an excellent place to learn the “do’s” and
“don’ts” of effective exam preparation and other lessons learned from the point of
view of someone who has actually taken the exam. And once you pass the PMP
Exam, you can use the forum to pass on your knowledge and experience to future
generations of aspiring Project Management Professionals!

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

Of what you learned last week, how much of it was new, and how much of it had you seen

before?_______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

How does a project become a project at your organization?_________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

In general, what approach do you think project managers should take to manage conflict?

How do you tend to deal with conflict at work, or in general?________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What does “leadership” mean to you? Do you see yourself as a leader?______________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 4 Reflection Questions

Video L01.00 What is a Project?

Video L01.01 Project Life Cycles
Video L01.02 Phase Models and Process Groups
Video L01.03 Baselines
Video L02.00 People Domain: Introduction & Overview
Video L02.01 Manage Conflict
Video L02.02 Lead a Team
Video L02.03 Support Team Performance
Reading PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition (Section 2.7.3 – 2.8.7; pp. 106-130)
PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition (Section 3 – 4.1; pp. 131-154)
Note: We divided the reading into 2 study sessions to improve your
learning and retention but do what works best for you.
Other Work on creating flashcards and/or a study sheet. The advantage of
using flashcards and study sheets is that they are portable. You can
take them with you to work, school, wherever, and review them
whenever you have a spare minute. For flashcards, start with the
glossary terms from the PMBOK® Guide. Over the coming weeks,
add the formulas and any other key information you want to
memorize.

A study sheet is an outline of the most important content, written

in a clear and concise manner, that makes it easier for you to study
multiple topics at once. This week, start making a study sheet that
will eventually condense all 12 weeks of content in a single outline,
and then update it each week. (To be clear, the study sheet is
separate from the notes you may take as you watch videos and do
reading assignments, but those notes can be used to help you
create the study sheet.) Making a study sheet is a form of studying.
The act of summarizing and paraphrasing information, especially if
you use visuals or different colors or lettering styles, will help you
retain the information better. And the more you look over this
study sheet and read it aloud, the better you’ll know the material.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GO BEYOND

 Want to better understand your conflict style? Try taking one of these free

assessments:

o Conflict Management Styles Assessment (download the PDF)

o What’s my Preferred Conflict Handling Style? (download the PDF)

 Read the article: The 40 Flashcards a Day PMP® Exam Study Habit

 Check out The PM PrepCast™ Forum or join another online PMP forum.

 Listen to The PM Podcast™ Episode 389: Conflict Resolution in Project Management

 Read PMI’s article: To Serve or Not to Serve — There Is No Question for a Leader

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 5 —

People

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 5

Welcome to the fifth week! As we continue working through the “People” domain lessons
this week, our focus is entirely on people — a crucial component of project management.
We’ll cover a wide range of topics, from building and empowering teams to defining team
ground rules and ensuring that project team members have the training they need to be
effective, and much more. As you progress through the content of this week, try to reflect
on what it all means to you and how it relates to your own experience in the project
management field. Take the time to really reflect on the thought-provoking questions in
this week’s “Think” section and then return to your answers at the end of the week to see if
your impressions and understanding of the content has altered any.

STUDY TIPS

• Servant leadership is an important topic on the PMP Exam, especially since PMI named
“stewardship” as the first of the 12 Principles of Project Management, so be sure you
understand this leadership philosophy very well and how it works in practice.
• If you find yourself mindlessly reading through the PMBOK® Guide or the other readings,
you need a better study strategy. With the SQ3R Method to reading, you’ll learn to think
critically about the material. It will also help you stay engaged, think through the
material, and retain the information. There are five steps:
o Survey (S): Skim through the assigned material, focusing on headings, bolded
text, or available charts or diagrams, to gain an initial understanding of it.
o Question (Q): Ask yourself questions related to the topic. For example, “What is
this text about?” or “how could the content of this text be applicable to me?”
o Read (R1): Read the text carefully, one section at a time. As you work through the
material, look for answers to your questions.
o Recite (R2): After each section, stop and speak aloud about the things you just
read, using your own words. Tell yourself the answers to your questions. If you
want, write notes about them. Consider whether you have any unanswered
questions or new questions.
o Review (R3): Read all the relevant parts (main ideas) again. Read through your
notes and questions aloud, paying extra attention to the parts you find difficult.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

At this point in the course, are you believing in yourself and your ability to follow through

with your study plan? If not, what are your limiting beliefs and what can you do to improve

your mindset or approach?__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What does team building, collaboration, communication, connectivity, training, coaching

and mentoring, etc. look like in your organization? What is your role?_______________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your view on virtual/remote working? What do you see as its advantages and

disadvantages? What approaches have you found to be most successful for engaging and

motivating teams, either virtual or collocated? ______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 5 Reflection Questions

Video L02.04 Empower

Video L02.05 Team Training
Video L02.06 Team Building
Video L02.07 Impediments
Video L02.08 Negotiation
Video L02.09 Collaboration
Video L02.10 Build a Shared Understanding
Video L02.11 Virtual Teams
Video L02.12 Ground Rules
Reading PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition (Section 4.2 – 4.4.3; pp. 155-180)
Other Continue creating flashcards and/or a study sheet

GO BEYOND

 Listen to the PM PrepCast™ lesson: L06.04 Generational Sensitivity & Diversity

 Listen to The PM Podcast™ Episode 404: Building Trust Using Virtual Communication

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 6 —

People & Process

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 6

Welcome to Week 6 — you’re almost halfway there! This week, we have two final lessons
(Mentoring and Emotional Intelligence) to wrap up the “People” domain, and then we have
our first set of quizzes! Yay! (We know, we know, try not to get too excited!) These quizzes
are only 20 questions each, but as you will learn more about in the “Study” section, we have
a study strategy (take quiz, review results, do focused study, and then repeat) that we want
you to follow in order to get the most out of our simulator and maximize your study time. If
you are not using the PM Exam Simulator™, you are welcome to follow a similar process
using any exam simulator you like. Alternatively, you may use that time to complete the
“Go Beyond” assignments or to do more focused studying.

This week, we also start the “Process” domain module—a very important one because the
“Process” domain covers 50% of the PMP exam! It covers all the processes involved in
managing a project through the various stages from inception to successful completion,
such as managing a budget, prioritizing requirements, communicating with stakeholders,
managing risk and scope, and much more.

STUDY TIPS

• Don’t let a bad quiz result get you down! Remember, it’s all part of the learning process.
Take proactive steps by reviewing your quiz report carefully and studying the relevant
lessons/topics from the course to fill in any knowledge gaps.
• Focus on key vocabulary. We suggest making flashcards or taking notes of every key
term in the PMBOK® Guide glossary and Agile Practice Guide (one way to identify key
terms is to find ones that relate to any main concepts covered in the video lessons).
Then, test yourself to see if you can give at least a one-sentence description of what the
terms mean without first looking at your notes or flashcards for the definitions.
• Based on feedback from our students and recent exam takers, we know that the PMP
exam questions are mainly scenario-based. PMI uses the PMBOK Guide (both 6th and 7th
edition) as well as other sources to support their questions. This is why we recommend
that you not only study the 7th but also the 6th edition. If you don’t have a copy of the 6th
Edition, the resources in the “Go Beyond” section will provide a good overview.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

How did last week go for you? Were your study goals mostly met, and how much did you

deviate from them if any?____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

How did your understanding of team building, collaboration, communication, training, etc.,

change last week? If it didn’t, how does what you learned relate to what you already knew?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What does “emotional intelligence” mean to you? How it is helpful for a project manager?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a mentoring experience (even an informal one) that impacted you personally or

professionally? How did it shape your expectations/assumptions about mentoring?_________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 

Journaling Week 6 Reflection Questions

Video L02.13 Mentoring

Video L02.14 Emotional Intelligence

Simulator Quiz “People” Domain Quiz 1 (20 questions) + Review/Analyze Results

Congratulations – you’ve completed the first of the three Domain
modules and now it’s time to take your first quiz! The Premium
PMP Exam Simulator is comprised of two question pools: the Quiz
pool and the Exam pool. The Quiz pool consists of over 1,350
questions (the number may vary as we add, remove, and modify
questions based on information received from various sources).
The Exam pool consists of 930 questions organized into 4 full-
length, 180-question exams and one 210-question ITTO exam.
If you are not already familiar with how to use the PM Exam
Simulator™, check out the video tutorials on our website here:
https://www.project-management-prepcast.com/tutorials (*Once
on the webpage, click on Exam Simulator Tutorials. At a minimum,
watch the tutorial “How to Start a Timed or Learning Quiz.” If your
time permits, watch our webinar on YouTube called How To Use A
PMP Exam Simulator For Exam Success.
Here's how to set up your quiz:

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Task Topic Complete

• Select quiz mode – Timed

• Select number of questions – 20
• Select criteria – the “People” Domain
• Include questions – only unanswered
• Include ITTO Exam – No
• Include Exam questions – No
Since this may be the first time that you have seen and used our
simulator, we suggest that you aim for a score of 60-65%.
However, in your future attempts, your target should be 70-75%.
After finishing the quiz, we want you to spend time carefully
reviewing your assessment results and reading through the answer
choice explanations. This is a very important part of the process. As
a general rule, we recommend spending the same amount of time
reviewing and analyzing your results as you do taking the quiz or
exam. (For example, if it takes you 20 minutes to take a quiz, spend
another 20 minutes reviewing the results.)
Study Topic After you have completed the review and analysis of your quiz
results, spend time studying the knowledge gaps identified above.
For example, for questions you answered incorrectly, review the
reference provided and study the relevant lessons/topics/chapters
from the course. If you answered questions correctly, reflect on
whether you did that based on your knowledge or a guess (if the
latter, go back and study the relevant lessons/topics to close that
knowledge gap). Additionally, go over the lessons/topics for any
questions you marked while taking the quiz.
When you are ready to move on to the next step, you will repeat
this process (Quiz + Review/Analyze Results + Study Topic) to help
you identify and close more knowledge gaps.
Simulator Quiz “People” Domain Quiz 2 (20 questions) + Review/Analyze Results
Aim to score 70-75% or higher.
Note: Set up Quiz 2 the same way as Quiz 1. The Simulator will
randomly select new questions from the “People” Domain to test
you on.

Study Topic Review the relevant lessons/topics from the course based on the
knowledge gaps identified above, focusing on questions that were
incorrect, marked, or guessed.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Task Topic Complete

IMPORTANT: If, after studying, you still feel like you don’t have a
firm grasp of the material, OR if your score on Quiz 2 was below
70%, repeat the previous steps until you are scoring 70-75% or
higher. Don’t just skip ahead. If you’re missing foundation elements
but proceed to the next module anyway, that could hinder your
future learning and cause a lot of unnecessary stress and
frustration for you. Everyone learns at their own pace, so take
things step-by-step and try to get comfortable with Module 2
before moving on to Module 3. That being said, don’t worry if you
haven’t mastered the material yet.
Video L03.00 Process Domain: Introduction and Overview
Video L03.01 Business Value
Video L03.02 Communications
Video L03.03 Manage Risks
Reading PMBOK® Guide, 7th Edition (Section 4.4.4 – 4.7; pp. 181-195)

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GO BEYOND

 Do more quizzes in the PM Exam Simulator™

 Listen to the following PM PrepCast™ lessons:

o L06.02 Coaching, Mentoring, Training & Motivation

o L06.03 Emotional Intelligence with Margaret Meloni

o L06.05 Lessons Learned Management Techniques

 Continue making and reviewing flashcards and/or your study sheet

 Watch the webinar How To Use A PMP Exam Simulator For Exam Success

 Read the article PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition Knowledge Areas for Project Management

– Process Groups and Processes – The Complete Guide

 Watch the YouTube video PMBOK® Guide 6th Ed Processes Explained with Ricardo

Vargas!

 Study this chart of the PMBOK Guide 6th Edition processes. Then, to test yourself, try

writing down the 49 processes on a blank sheet of paper from memory, or play this

online mapping game from PM Aspirant

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 7 —

Process

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 7

Yay, you’re halfway done! Kudos to you for making it this far! This week, you continue
working through the “Process” domain module, where the lessons focus on the processes
involved in engaging stakeholders, managing budgets, schedules, and the quality of
products/project deliverables.

You also begin studying from the PMP® Exam Formula Study Guide™ to help you learn the
essential PMP formulas, concepts, acronyms, and formula keywords. However, unlike many
other PMP prep books and free PMP prep websites, the formula guide offers far more than
simply a list of the essential formulas. It contains 160 sample questions with detailed
explanations and references, similar to our simulator, to allow you to practice the formulas.
This means a good portion of your study time this week will be spent answering formula-
based questions to assess your knowledge of the formulas as well as your ability to apply
and interpret the formulas and, more importantly, to select correct answer choices.

STUDY TIPS

• For the PMP exam, you must have a good grasp of the Earned Value Management
(EVM) formulas. You are almost certainly going to see questions about SPI and CPI, so it
is critical that you be able to determine if a project is over or under budget or schedule.
• Estimate At Completion (EAC) and To Complete Performance Index (TCPI) are
considered to be more complicated formula questions and rarely appear on the exam.
• When answering a formula-based question on the PMP exam, stop and read the
question again carefully. Make sure you know what information you are being given in
the question and what it is that you are being asked to provide. Although this advice
may seem obvious, you’d be surprised how often test-takers miss this (especially when
rushed or stressed) and end up answering the question incorrectly because they
assumed that a formula or calculation was required when, in fact, it was not.
• Use mnemonics to help you remember the key formulas. For example, you could try
associating EV (earned value) with Mount Everest (the highest mountain in the world) to
remind you that Everest is always on top (the numerator) in SPI / CPI formulae (e.g., SPI
= EV / PV) and always first in the SV / CV formulae (e.g., CV = EV – AC).

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

How did your first set of quizzes go last week? Based on the quiz results, what did you learn

about your strengths and biggest areas for improvement?__________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Reflect on any past experiences with stakeholders. How did you manage their expectations

and involvement in your projects?___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What does “quality” mean to your organization or industry? What happens when

stakeholders disagree on the terms of quality for your project or deliverables?______________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What tools or other means do you use to manage your project schedules?__________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 7 Reflection Questions

Video L03.04 Engage Stakeholders

Video L03.05 Budget and Resources
Video L03.06 Schedule
Video L03.07 Quality
Reading / The Formula Guide, pp. 5-142 (Intro, Part 1, and Part 2)
Practice
Note: The Formula Study Guide™ introduces you to all the formulas
Questions
that are traditionally needed on the PMP exam. Even with the
exam’s shift from calculation to interpretation, you still need to
understand the concepts behind the formulas and how they are
used. This week, your task is to complete Part 1 (which introduces
you to all the formulas) and Part 2 (which contains interpretational
questions that are very similar to what you get on the actual exam).
Here’s what that study and practice should look like:
• Read the Intro (pp 5-6) and Part 1. Review/study the
formulas, important values, and formula-related acronyms
on pages 11-22. As you do, make flashcards and/or update
your study sheet (see “Other” task below).
• Armed with that knowledge, move on to Part 2 (pp. 23-56).
Go through the questions and test yourself on interpreting
the situations. Be mindful while planning your study
sessions that these 70 practice questions take an average of
1.5 hours to complete.
• Just as you do with the Simulator quizzes, spend equal
time reviewing the answers and detailed explanations and
references on pages 57-142. Remember: it’s not enough to
simply quiz yourself. The point of these practice questions
is to help you see where you might be struggling with
certain formula concepts. If you answered a question
incorrectly, invest the time to understand why you got it
wrong — that’s where the real learning happens.
Other Continue creating flash cards and/or updating your study sheet
with the formulas. (A quick tip for flashcards: For interpretational
concepts, write a result on the front (i.e., CPI = 0.9) and write the
interpretation (i.e. “<1 is over budget”) of the result on the back.)

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GO BEYOND

 Review and practice the Earned Value formulas

 Do more quizzes from the People domain in the PM Exam Simulator™

 For a step-by-step guide on how to tackle even the vaguest and most difficult

questions on the PMP exam, get a copy of Cornelius Fichtner’s book, The 50 PMP®

Exam Prep Questions Everyone Gets Wrong (available in paperback or Kindle

format).

 Spend more time making and reviewing your flashcards and/or study sheet

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 8 —

Process (continued)

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GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 8

Welcome to Week 8, where we forge ahead with the “Process” domain module and finish
our reading of the PMP Formula Guide™. Topics covered include scope, project integration,
managing project changes, procurement, and project artifacts. Scope management is
concerned with defining and controlling the work of the project so that it is successful. In
this, as well as other areas, you should be aware of the growing trends of agile practices
and how those methods shape the management of scope and requirements.

Project integration management involves continually thinking about the project holistically.
Being a project manager is much like being a conductor for an orchestra. An excellent
conductor doesn’t need to be able to play all the instruments but must be able to bring all
the sounds together to deliver a successful performance. Similarly, the project manager
must coordinate the project’s activities and outputs to achieve the objectives of the project.
The work required for this integration can and is often shared across the project team.
However, since the project manager is ultimately responsible for the project as a whole, the
better you understand how and where the integration among processes and domains
exist, the better your chances of managing the project successfully. And picking the correct
answer on PMP exam questions.

STUDY TIPS

• With the most recent changes to the PMP exam, one question that comes up a lot is
whether it still makes sense to create a brain dump during the exam. (A “brain dump” is
exactly what it sounds like: a dump of all the information from your brain on to paper,
or screen, that you want to recall for the exam. Many people use it for the formulas or
key facts about domains.) In general, we suggest skipping it. It’s no longer easy to do a
brain dump in the exam because you are not allowed scratch paper and you’ll have
hardly any time to make notes. Instead, focus on using a brain dump or mindmap as
part of your study process. The practice of writing down a brain dump (ideally every
day) will help you retain the information. Then, you can picture your notes in your mind
when you meet a question that requires a formula or other fact from your sheet.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

What do you remember about what you learned last week? Write down as many things as

you can in 5 minutes.________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

How does a project become a project at your organization?_________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you determine when your projects are successes or failures?_______________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

In your experience, what are some of the biggest challenges in managing project scope?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 8 Reflection Questions

Video L03.08 Scope

Video L03.09 Integrate Project Planning Activities
Video L03.10 Manage Project Changes
Video L03.11 Procurement
Video L03.12 Project Artifacts
Reading / The Formula Guide, pp. 143-260 (Part 3 and Part 4)
Practice
Note: This week, your task is to complete Part 3 (which is all about
Questions
applying the formulas and calculating) and Part 4 (which closes the
guide with the Formula Pocket Guide as well as some other helpful
reference articles.
IMPORTANT: Part 3 of the Formula Guide focuses on computational
questions (e.g., questions on Earned Value, Schedule Performance
Index, etc.). Recent lessons learned from those who have taken the
exam indicate that computational questions, where you have to
perform simple calculations, are appearing less often on the exam.
However, we include Part 3 in this study plan for two reasons: 1)
PMI regularly updates the exam and new questions are added
several times per year, and no one can predict precisely what you
will see on your test, so it’s best to prepare for all possible question
types, and 2) Studying the formulas and doing practice
computational questions will help you better understand the
underlying concepts, which in turn will help you feel more confident
and knowledgeable when answering interpretational-style
questions on the real exam.
Be mindful while planning your study sessions that these 90
computational questions take an average of 2 hours to complete.
And just as you did with the interpretational questions, spend
equal time reviewing the answers and detailed explanations and
references.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GO BEYOND

 Print a copy of The Formula Pocket Guide (pg. 244) and start reviewing it regularly

 For tips on creating and using a brain dump, read the article PMP Brain Dump

Techniques for Studying Project Management

 Review and practice the Earned Value formulas

 Do more quizzes from the People domain in the PM Exam Simulator™

 Continue making and reviewing your flashcards and/or study sheet

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 9 —

Process & Business Environment

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GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 9

Welcome to the ninth week! Our main focus will be finishing up the “Process” domain
module and taking practices quizzes to assess your progress. Just as you did in Week 6, we
want you to follow and repeat the process of taking a quiz, analyzing the quiz report to
identify your gaps, and then reviewing the relevant lessons/topics from the course.

The other focus this week will be starting the “Business Environment” domain module. The
“Business Environment” domain covers 8% of the PMP exam and looks at how to plan and
evaluate a project and to align it with business goals. This week’s lessons include an
overview of the Business Environment domain as well as a look at the processes involved in
planning and managing project compliance.

STUDY TIPS

• If you’re able to devote more time this week to your studies than what the study plan
requires, then do more practice quizzes. The more the better. To challenge yourself,
take different types of quizzes by changing the quiz settings (e.g., timed vs. untimed
quizzes, doing “only unanswered” questions vs “answered incorrectly” questions, etc.).
• Know when to call it a day. Yes, you really can get too much of a good thing. Too much
studying can actually have negative effects on your performance as well as your mental
and physical wellbeing. Studying more consistently for shorter chunks is better at
preventing burnout. For example, space studying throughout the day into one-hour
sessions rather than having to spend 3-4 hours in the evening.
• Build in small rewards to break up your studying, provide goals and give you something
to look forward to. These study rewards don’t have to cost anything or be overly
involved, but to be effective, choose rewards that appeal for you and provide that extra
motivation you need to study. For example, after a successful study session, treat
yourself to a snack, go out with a friend, watch a favorite TV show, take a relaxing bath,
enjoy an afternoon nap, savor a nice glass of wine, do a workout, or just take some
extra study breaks. Rewards like this can make it much more fun to study and build up
excitement about finishing studying, even before you start. Plan on giving yourself a
much bigger reward for passing the PMP exam, too!

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

What trends do you see or have you experienced in the ways projects are executed

(predictive, agile, or hybrid, for example)?____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Can you think of a time when a project risk actually occurred and became an issue? How

did you and other project stakeholders respond?____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

How is knowledge and expertise captured and shared within your organization?____________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

At the end of a project, what types of activities or tasks do you typically perform and why?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 9 Reflection Questions

Video L03.13 Determine Appropriate Project Methodology

Video L03.14 Governance Structure
Video L03.15 Manage Project Issues
Video L03.16 Knowledge Transfer
Video L03.17 Closure
Simulator Quiz “Process” Domain Quiz 1 + Review/Analyze Results
Here’s how to set up your quiz:
• Select quiz mode – Timed
• Select number of questions – 20
• Select criteria – the “Process” Domain
• Include questions – only unanswered
• Include ITTO Exam – No
• Include Exam questions – No
After finishing the quiz, spend time carefully reviewing your
assessment results and reading through the answer choice
explanations.
Study Topic Review the relevant lessons/topics from the course; focus on
questions that were incorrect, marked, or guessed.
Simulator Quiz “Process” & “People” Domain Quiz 2 + Review/Analyze Results
Aim to score 70-75% or higher.
Here’s how to set up your quiz:
• Select quiz mode – Timed
• Select number of questions – 20
• Select criteria – the “Process” and “People” Domains
• Include questions – only unanswered
• Include ITTO Exam – No
• Include Exam questions – No
After finishing the quiz, spend time carefully reviewing your
assessment results and reading through the answer choice
explanations.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Task Topic Complete

Study Topic Review the relevant lessons/topics from the course; focus on
questions that were incorrect, marked, or guessed.
IMPORTANT: If, after studying, you still feel like you don’t have a
firm grasp of the material, OR if your score on Quiz 2 was below
70%, repeat these steps until you are scoring 70-75% or higher.
Video L04.00 Business Environment Domain: Introduction and Overview
Video L04.01 Compliance

GO BEYOND

 Review The Formula Pocket Guide (pg. 244)

 Continue making and reviewing flashcards and/or your study sheet

 Review and practice the Earned Value formulas

 Do more quizzes in the PM Exam Simulator™

 Listen to The PM Podcast™ Episode 443: Project Knowledge Sharing for Innovation

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 10 —

Business Environment & Agile

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GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 10

Welcome to Week 10! This is an exciting week because you’ll be wrapping up the final
performance domain module, which is a key milestone on your PMP journey!

This week’s lessons from the “Business Environment” domain focus on evaluating the
benefits of a project and assessing its value to the organization, supporting organizational
change, and evaluating and addressing any changes to the external business environment
that can have an impact on project delivery and success.

Because the “Business Environment” domain module is relatively small and only accounts
for 8% of the PMP exam content, we have chosen to schedule only 1 practice quiz this week
(rather than two) to allow you to focus more of your study time on the agile lessons, which
are essential for the PMP exam. That being said, we strongly recommend doing more
practice quizzes on the “Business Environment” domain if you are able to do so. Please
note that you will already have encountered many agile questions because the simulator
automatically and randomly mixed agile questions into all the quizzes you took.

As you make your way through the agile lessons over these next two weeks, you’ll also be
reading from the Agile Practice Guide — a critical resource for your study plan, given that
agile and hybrid approaches now represent roughly half of the PMP exam!

STUDY TIPS

• If you’re having trouble sticking to a study routine, you may find it helpful to learn about
“atomic habits”. In his bestselling book, Atomic Habits, James Clear provides practical
strategies that can help you form good habits, break bad ones, and master tiny
behaviors that lead to big changes over time. You can get his book through most
booksellers or at your local public library. You can also check out this YouTube video by
Escaping Ordinary, which provides an excellent summary of the key concepts.
• And speaking of YouTube… YouTube offers a vast number of PMP exam training videos
for you to watch for free. Most of these videos only focus on one specific concept and
cannot deliver the full training you need in your exam preparation, but watching videos
is still a fantastic way to supplement your PMP exam prep training.

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THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

How did last week go? What did you find most surprising about your quiz results?__________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What are you sure you understand about agile?______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you think you might understand about agile?_______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The ideas from agile started in software product development. Why do you think agile

approaches are also gaining popularity in the project management world?__________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 

Journaling Week 10 Reflection Questions

Video L04.02 Project Benefits and Value

Video L04.03 External Business Environment

Changes

Video L04.04 Organizational Change

Simulator Quiz “Business Environment” Domain Quiz +
Review/Analyze Results
Here's how to set up your quiz:
• Select quiz mode – Timed
• Select number of questions – 20
• Select criteria – the “Business
Environment” Domain
• Include questions – only unanswered
• Include ITTO Exam – No
• Include Exam questions – No
After finishing the quiz, spend time carefully
reviewing your assessment results and reading
through the answer choice explanations.
Study Topic Review the relevant lessons/topics from the
course; focus on questions that were incorrect,
marked, or guessed.
IMPORTANT: If, after studying, you still feel like
you don’t have a firm grasp of the material, OR
if your score on the Quiz was below 70%,
repeat these steps until you are scoring 70-
75% or higher.
Video 05.01 Agile Project Management Overview
Video 05.10 Introduction to Scrum
Video 05.11 Scrum – Scrum & Agile Defined
Reading Agile Practice Guide (pp. 1-57)

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Note: PMI members can download the PDF

version for free. Non-members can purchase it
directly from PMI or other booksellers.

Why do we recommend this book? A major shift

that has occurred on the PMP exam in recent
years has been the introduction of agile
questions. In fact, the majority of recent PMP
exam takers say that 50% of the PMP exam is
based on agile and the contents of the PMI
Agile Practice Guide. Therefore, we consider
this book to be an essential resource for all
PMP exam candidates.

GO BEYOND

 Do more quizzes on the “Business Environment” Domain in the PM Exam

Simulator™

 Read the article “Agile Opportunities for Traditional Project Managers”.

 Read the article “Difference Between Traditional and Agile Project Management”.

 Listen to The PM Podcast™ Episode 469: Emerging Agile Trends

 Check out PM PrepCast’s free resources for the PMI-ACP exam (PMI’s certification

exam for agile practitioners). You do not have to grasp this content as deeply as if

you were preparing for the PMI-ACP exam — just know the broader agile concepts.

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

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Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 11 —

Agile

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GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 11

Welcome to Week 11 – the week that is all about agile!

By now, you should already have a pretty solid understanding of agile and hybrid concepts,
given all of the lessons and tasks that you’ve completed thus far. So, this week we take an
even deeper dive into the important values and techniques from the agile world with
lessons about Scrum, Extreme Programming, Lean, and Kanban. Additional agile and
hybrid concepts are covered in the Agile Practice Guide, which you’ll finish reading this week.

After you finish the agile lessons, you will take a quiz, where the Simulator can select
random questions from any of the 3 domains. The primary purpose of this quiz is to get a
snapshot of your current understanding of the course as a whole, which, in turn, will help
you identify and address any knowledge gaps before taking the full-length practice exam
next week. But, as always, we recommend doing more than one quiz (or one quiz with
more than 20 questions) if you have more time available in your schedule, as this will
further aid your exam preparation.

STUDY TIPS

• For the exam, you need to be familiar with the various project management tools and
documents (e.g., project scope statement, project charter, stakeholder register, check-
sheet, cause and effect diagram, probability and impact matrix, etc.) and know when
and how they are used. If one or more of these tools or documents is new to you, go
online and try looking for some examples and templates. Seeing how a tool or
document is used in real-world environments promotes deeper learning and
knowledge retention, which can help you perform better on the PMP exam and be a
better project manager all around. To find examples and templates, just go to
Google.com or another search engine and search by keywords such as “[name of the
tool/document]” AND template OR example OR sample)”. It sometimes helps to do a
Google search by “image”.
• You can also find free project management templates on PMI’s website at
www.pmi.org/learning/tools-templates and at www.projectmanager.com/pm-templates
or www.projectmanagementdocs.com/.

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THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

You’re only 2 weeks away from the end of the course, so let’s do a short exercise to get you

feeling excited and confident. Take a few minutes to picture yourself passing the PMP

exam. Imagine seeing the message, “Congratulations, you passed the PMP” appear on your

screen and think about what that moment would feel like. What do you look forward to

most about having your PMP certification?___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you use agile or hybrid approaches in your environment or organization?_______________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

In general, which methodology do you think is better – agile, predictive, or hybrid? Why?

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 11 Reflection Questions

Video L05.12 Scrum - Roles Overview

Video L05.20 Extreme Programming: History and Overview
Video L05.21 Extreme Programming: Activities and Values
Video L05.30 Lean
Video L05.40 Kanban Pt. 1
Video L05.41 Kanban Pt. 2
Video L05.42 Kanban Pt. 3
Video L05.50 Agile Collocated Team Communication
Video L05.51 Agile Distributed Team Communication
Reading Agile Practice Guide (pp. 58-114)

Quiz All Domains Quiz + Review/Analyze Results

(Note: As you attempt the quiz, you will encounter questions that
cover agile/hybrid project management approaches that you can
use for self-assessment in that area.)
Here's how to set up your quiz:
• Select quiz mode – Timed
• Select number of questions – 20
• Select criteria – All Domains
• Include questions – only unanswered
• Include ITTO Exam – No
• Include Exam questions – No
After finishing the quiz, spend time carefully reviewing your
assessment results and reading through the answer choice
explanations.

Study Topic Review the relevant lessons/topics from the course; focus on
questions that were incorrect, marked, or guessed.
IMPORTANT: Repeat these steps until you are scoring 70-75% or
higher.

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

GO BEYOND

 Watch the following PM PrepCast™ lessons:

 L05.13 Scrum – Roles & Responsibilities Detailed Review

 L05.14 Scrum – Strategic Meetings

 L05.15 Scrum – Sprint Meetings

 L05.16 Scrum - Artifacts

 L05.22 Extreme Programming: Practices 1 - 4

 L05.23 Extreme Programming: Practices 5 - 8

 L05.24 Extreme Programming: Practices 9 - 12

 L05.25 Extreme Programming: Roles

 L05.31 Lean Software Development: Tools Part 1

 L05.32 Lean Software Development: Tools Part 2

 L05.60 Hybrid Models Overview

 L05.61 Agile-Agile Hybrid Models

 L05.62 Agile-Waterfall Hybrid Models

 Do more quizzes in the PM Exam Simulator™.

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

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Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

WEEK 12 —

Exam Week Preparation

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GUIDANCE FOR WEEK 12

Welcome to Week 12 — our final week! Congratulations on getting this far and preparing so
comprehensively for the PMP exam!

In this final week, you’ll focus on learning the right mindset to adopt for the PMP exam.
Trust us, it’s not enough to simply understand project management concepts for the exam
— you have to understand the PMI way of doing things in order to find the best answer.

To help you get the most prepared for the PMP exam, your main task this week is to do a
complete, 180-question, 4-hour long practice exam. After all, practice makes perfect, right?
And you don’t practice for your driving test in a bumper car, right? No. You drive a real car
out on the streets to gain driving experience. And so, the best way to prepare for your PMP
exam is to take a practice exam using an exam simulator. This allows you to practice your
exam under actual exam conditions and get a good feel for the pacing, testing experience,
and the different types of exam questions. And with our PMP Exam Simulator™, you’ll be
able to evaluate your exam results to identify and focus on your learning gaps and better
assess your exam readiness. There really is no substitute for this type of exam preparation.

Following this chapter, be sure to check out the pre-exam day checklist and other
resources in the Appendix for tips on getting ready for your actual exam day.

STUDY TIPS

• Have a plan on how best to approach the exam. The exam has 180 questions, and you
are given 230 minutes to complete the exam, which means you get approximately 77
seconds per question. The exam is divided into 3 sections of 60 questions each. After
completing the first 60 questions and again after completing the next 60 questions, you
get an option to take a 10-minute break. Once you start the break, you cannot return to
the questions from the previous section, so be absolutely certain that you are done
reviewing your responses before taking the break. Given this exam structure, the
strategy we recommend is to budget approximately 76 minutes for each section. Make
multiple passes through each section. On the first pass, tackle the easier, “low hanging
fruit” questions where you immediately know the answer. Mark the longer, situational

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

questions and any other difficult questions to review on the second pass. On your third
and final pass, review any questions that are still marked or unanswered. Be sure to
answer every question, even if you have to guess.
• Last but not least… Believe in yourself. Many people confirm that becoming a PMP is
not an easy task. It takes focus, dedication, and you have to be self-motivated. But the
good news is that thousands of us have done it before, so trust in your abilities and
believe that you, too, can pass this exam!

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

THINK

Please take a few minutes to answer each question.

Take a few moments to think about all the concepts, terms, and best practices that you

have learned about over the last eleven weeks. Which areas of project management do you

feel most confident about? Which ones do you feel the least confident about?______________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the most applicable project management concepts or techniques that you have

learned over the last eleven weeks? Is there anything memorable that stands out from

watching The PM PrepCast™ lessons, listening to podcasts, or reading the materials?_______

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What test taking strategies do you plan to use before and during your exam?_______________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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STUDY

Task Topic Complete

Check off when you complete the task 
Journaling Week 12 Reflection Questions

Video L00.50 PMP Exam Mindset Pt 1

Video L00.51 PMP Exam Mindset Pt 2
Video L00.52 PMP Exam Mindset Pt 3
Exam It’s time to take your first full-length PMP exam!
In the Simulator, select Exam 1. The time allotted for the real exam
is 230 minutes (just under four hours). You should approach your
simulated exam the same way you approach the real one to get a
sense for the pacing, breaks, and your endurance levels. Take it
seriously, prepare your body and mind, and try to create an
environment as close to the real exam as possible.
We suggest that you answer 60 questions, then take a 10-minute
break, answer the next 60 questions, take another 10-minute break,
and then answer the final 60 questions. The simulator cannot be
paused, so it includes the extra 2x10 minutes for breaks. Note that
the simulator allows you to jump to any question on the exam. On
the actual PMP exam, you answer 3x60 questions and you cannot
jump between these segments.
After finishing the exam, review the report from Exam 1. Based on
feedback from those who used our simulator and passed their
exam, students who score 75% or above on their first attempt on
a practice exam in our simulator are considered ready for the real
exam. “On your first attempt” is the key phrase. Do NOT attempt
the same exam (e.g., Exam 1) more than once. If you do, you will
likely achieve a high score and get a false sense of security. The
reason being is that on your second attempt, you will answer
questions from your memory rather than knowledge. This is why
we have over 1,350 questions in the quiz pool and 4 full-length
exams in the exam pool. This number of questions and exams is
sufficient for you to take them only once. An exception is the
incorrectly answered questions in the quiz pool, which we
recommend you take until you get them all right.
So, did you score 75% or above on Exam 1? If so, congratulations –
statistically, you have an excellent chance of passing your PMP
exam!

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 Your GPS to the PMP® Exam

Task Topic Complete

If you scored below 75%, here are some additional steps to take:
 Analyze the report from Exam 1. Start with the questions
you answered incorrectly. Read the general explanation as
well as the per-choice explanations. Review the reference
provided and study the material around the topic you got
wrong. Go back to the course materials for further learning.
 After you review the incorrectly answered questions, go
over those you answered correctly. Ensure that your
answer was based on your knowledge rather than a guess.
Reading all explanations, both general and per-choice, will
not only clarify the reason behind a choice being correct or
incorrect, but also enrich your project management
knowledge and, most importantly, provide you with tools
and techniques for answering the PMP exam questions.
 After you have completed reviewing your results from Exam
1, followed your study plan diligently, understood the
mistakes you made in Exam 1, and studied the points you
missed, take Exam 2. We recommend that you allocate one
day per exam. The reason is simple: after you take the
simulated exam, you will be exhausted. Reviewing the
report and understanding your mistakes is the most
important step of this day’s activity, not trying to get
through as many exams as possible.
 Review your results from Exam 2. The score of Exam 2
should be better than the score of Exam 1. If it is still below
75%, repeat the steps of identifying your gaps and studying
the material around those topics until you are able to score
75% on your first attempt on either Exam 3 or Exam 4.
Assessment & In the PrepCast lesson directory, go to Module 90: The Final Exam –
Certificate Don’t worry! It’s quite easy!
Note: The Final Exam is a PMI-required assessment and not a test.
This means that you will receive your Certificate for 35 Contact
Hours at the end of the assessment, no matter your score.
Once you have completed the assessment, print your certificate.

Time to become PMP certified!

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GO BEYOND

 Watch the following PM PrepCast™ lessons:

 L00.40 PMP Exam Lessons Learned – With Dana Domnisor, PMP

 L00.41 PMP Exam Lessons Learned – With Sudip Roy, PMP

 L99.99 Goodbye

 Rewatch the PMP Exam Mindset lessons (L00.50, L00.51, and L00.52), ideally before

taking another practice exam, to help reinforce the mindset concepts

 Do more quizzes in the PM Exam Simulator™. Here are 3 suggested approaches:

o Take quizzes focused on topics related to the Knowledge Areas of the

PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition, rather than the Performance Domains. To do this,

take a random quiz and select one of the Knowledge Areas (e.g., Quality

Management) in the Criteria filter. Repeat this step for each Knowledge Area.

o Challenge yourself to try and “exhaust” the quiz pool. In other words, answer

all available questions so that no more unanswered questions are left. To do

this, take random quizzes and select “include only unanswered questions” in

the Include questions filter. Set the filter to select the maximum number of

questions (typically, 100 is the maximum value). Repeat this step until no

more unanswered questions are left.

o Next, challenge yourself to “exhaust” the quiz pool to ensure you answered

all questions correctly so that no more incorrectly answered questions are

left. To do this, take random quizzes and select “Include only questions I

answered incorrectly” in the Include questions filter. Select the maximum

number of questions (typically, 100). Repeat this step until no more

incorrectly answered questions are left. This step is a bit tricky because you

will see the same questions you saw in some of your previous quizzes

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(although last time you saw them, you got them wrong). You might be

tempted to answer the question from memory rather than your knowledge,

and you may still answer some of them incorrectly. Gradually, as you repeat

this step, the number of incorrectly answered questions will go down until no

more questions are left because you have answered all of them correctly.

 Take additional full-length practice exams in the Simulator.

 If you want/need even more practice exams, take the 3 free exams in our free PMP

Exam Simulator. The questions in our free PMP exams are of the same quality as

the premium exams. Therefore, using them as part of your preparations will add

value. There are 23 questions in each one of the exams, giving a total of 69

questions. This is slightly more than a third of a full-length exam. Approach the free

exams the same way you did with the premium exams. Take free PMP Exam 1,

review its report, understand your mistakes, read the explanations, and study the

points you missed.

 Take the ITTO exam. The real PMP exam does not have direct ITTO questions. The

vast majority of questions in the real PMP exam are situational. Inputs, tools,

techniques, and outputs (ITTOs) are embedded as part of the scenarios. However,

we have noticed that many students like to take Exam 5 as practice for various

reasons. Some just want a memorization challenge, others feel they will be better

prepared if they take that exam, and others believe that memorizing ITTOs will

make them better project managers. Whatever the reason is, Exam 5 (ITTO) is there

for you to take.

 Watch the YouTube video - Ricardo Vargas Explains the PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition

Published by PMI

 Check out The PM PrepCast™ Lessons Learned Forum

 Review your flashcards and/or study sheet

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 Skim through the PMBOK® Guide and Agile Practice Guide, focusing on the main

ideas and key concepts

• My other tasks:

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

o ________________________________________________________________________________

Notes to self:

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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APPENDIX

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Appendix A - Next Steps

Congratulations on getting this far and preparing so comprehensively for the exam! You
may not feel like you have learned enough to pass the exam but trust us — if you have
been using this Guidebook, following the step-by-step approach and doing the specially-
selected assignments, you are ready.

Now comes the most critical step. You need to take further action to capitalize on this
newly acquired and assimilated knowledge.

Prior to the exam:

 Ensure that all the assignments from this Guidebook are completed.
 Review and fill out the included Exam Day Checklist. Feel free to tweak it to your
needs from now until exam day, as you see fit.
 Go to The PM PrepCast™ Lessons Learned Forum and read about recent
experiences and lessons learned from other examinees and specifically look for
what they write about the actual exam day experience.
 Schedule your PMP exam on the Pearson Vue Website at
www.pearsonvue.com/pmi.
 Continue reviewing the course material and doing practice quizzes/exams to help
you retain the information for exam day.

So, remember:

• Do not delay. You are the most prepped and ready for the PMP exam as you will
ever be.
• Keep the momentum going and get certified. A few more weeks will not make that
much difference.
• Be confident about your abilities. Too often, candidates postpone for “a few weeks”
which quickly turn into months or years because work, family, and other
commitments and distractions get in the way. You are now in the best position. You
have worked this hard for many weeks. Don’t let it all be for nothing.

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Appendix B - In Case of the Unexpected

Sometimes, things don’t turn out as we expect. Perhaps you are not ready or unable to
appear for your exam, or you don’t pass the PMP exam. All is not lost, and we advise that
you do the following.

• If you feel inadequately prepared to take the exam, consider rescheduling your
exam. Consult the PMI Certifications Handbook for details.
• If you are unable to appear for your exam (perhaps you are ill, get stuck in traffic, or
have a pressing emergency), contact PMI to explain what happened and for further
instructions.
• If you attempt the PMP exam and fail, do not panic. You are not alone. The PMP
exam can be quite challenging, and many students do not pass the first time. It is
important to try to understand what happened and how you can do better next
time. Read this article How to Recover from a Failed PMP Exam.
• Contact [email protected] within 45 days of the failed PMP exam
attempt to request for a free 90-day simulator extension. In your request, indicate
your first name, last name, and email address from your simulator account. Also,
attach a photo or a scanned version of your PMP Exam Score Report.

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Appendix C - Pre-Exam Day Tips

Sometime Before Your Exam Day

 Ideally, schedule 2 vacation days to help you focus on the exam, not your job:

o Schedule a vacation day for the day before the exam

o Schedule a vacation day for the day of the exam.
 Arrange for someone at work to cover for you at the office for emergencies.

One Week Before Your Exam Day

 Review all the exam policies from PMI and PearsonVue at

www.pearsonvue.com/pmi. Know what you have to bring with you, what you are

and are not allowed to do before, during and after the exam, as well as getting

comfortable with all their written instructions.

 Plan your route to the testing site or, in the case of an online exam, take the

Pearson VUE tech check, some leisurely day before the exam. It will lessen the

amount of stress you feel on exam day. If you are scheduled to take the exam at a

test center, consider driving to the testing center around the same time as you

would on the actual exam date to ensure that you know your driving route and

journey time. The last thing you want is to arrive feeling frazzled from losing your

way or being late. At a minimum, look at the route in an online maps tool and write

down clear directions. Work out how long it will take to get there and then add on

some extra time. We recommend arriving at least an hour early.

 If possible, go inside the testing center to familiarize yourself with the environment.

Introduce yourself to the staff. Ask them to explain the PMP exam testing protocols.

Ask about breaks, lockers, and other administrative aspects. Ask if they have this

information as a checklist that you can take home. Usually, it is not possible to “tour”

the facility, but you can ask them if you can take a brief look into the testing room.

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One Day Before Your Exam

 Take the day off.

 Take a final 4-hour practice exam.

 Review your Exam Taking Strategy.
 Lay out all the items that you will need to bring with you tomorrow (your ID, papers,
study notes, multiple layers of clothing, required medicine, snacks, water bottle, and
so on).

The Night Before Your Exam

 Eat a healthy dinner. Try to eat at least three hours before bed so that it doesn’t

interfere with your sleep.

 Get a good night’s sleep. Do NOT pull an all-nighter or do any last-minute cramming.

The Day of Your Exam

 Wear multiple layers of clothing in case you get hot or cold during the exam.

 Eat and drink well. You don’t need a stomach upset, headache, or some other food

related problem to impact your ability to focus for the long duration of the exam. Do

NOT skip breakfast on exam day! Research shows that breakfast eaters are more

equipped to perform better on tests. Plus, you don’t want hunger distracting you

during the exam. Sip water for a couple of hours before the exam so you sufficiently

hydrate yourself, but so much that you have to run to the restroom multiple times

during the exam.

 Don’t read the news, surf the Internet, check social media, or do anything that may

distract you. On exam day, you only want to be thinking about passing the exam.

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 Arrive at your exam center at least an hour early. In this way, if anything unexpected

happens as you travel to the exam center, then you won’t be late. And if they aren’t

busy, they often allow you to start your exam early.

 Once you’ve done everything you can to prepare, all that’s left to do is relax and go

with the flow. And the more relaxed you are, the easier it will be to stay focused

during the exam. To help calm your nerves, remind yourself that it’s only an exam

and not the end of the world. If you can, try going for a walk, listening to some

music, doing some breathing exercises, or doing something else that energizes or

relaxes you. Afterwards, if you still feel anxious, don’t beat yourself up about it —

you are allowed to feel that way! Relaxing on exam day is much easier said than

done, and it’s natural to feel tense no matter how much you try to hide or deny it.

Acknowledge and accept that feeling while doing what you must to make it through.

Good luck!

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Appendix D - Exam Taking Checklist

 Before my exam appointment, I will check that I packed everything I need to bring.
 Before I go into the testing center or take the online proctored exam, I will use the
following relaxation techniques:
o ________________________________________________________________________________
o ________________________________________________________________________________
 I will listen carefully and attentively to the instructions given to me by the testing
center staff or proctor. And I will ask questions if something seems unclear.
 I will take the tutorial before the exam begins.
 If I get nervous during the exam, I will use the following relaxation techniques:
o ________________________________________________________________________________
o ________________________________________________________________________________
 During the exam, I will not worry about my score. I will concentrate on finding the
best answer to each question without worrying.
 When I have a series of __________ questions in a row which I don’t know the answer
to, then I will _________________________________________________________________________.
 I will only mark those questions for review where I cannot decide between two
answers.
 I know that I have problems with the following types of questions. I will therefore
mark them for review and return to them later:
o ________________________________________________________________________________
o ________________________________________________________________________________
 If there are questions where I don’t know the answer at all, I will use the following
approaches and identify the best answer:
o ________________________________________________________________________________
o ________________________________________________________________________________
o ________________________________________________________________________________
 I will double check that I have answered all 60 questions for each of the three sets. I
will answer even those questions where I am not absolutely certain and have to
guess because an unanswered question is automatically marked as wrong.
 I will use all available time to verify the questions that I had marked for review.

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Appendix E - After Your Exam

Congratulations! Pass or fail, give yourself a pat on the back for surviving the day, and for

doing everything you possibly could to prepare for it!

After you pass your exam:

 Celebrate! Revel in your accomplishment. It is well-deserved.

 You are PMP-certified immediately after you pass the exam. There is no waiting

period. Go ahead and send an email to all your friends and add “PMP” behind your

name! (Note: you do not have to use a ® when adding PMP behind your name.)

 Read the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) Handbook to learn about the

requirements to maintain your PMP certification. More information about this is in

the section below as well.

 Record your Professional Development Units (PDU), preferably as you earn them

and not all at the end of your three-year cycle.

 If you took your exam at a testing center, do not leave the center without the

printed confirmation letter.

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Appendix F - How to Recertify

Every three years you will need to collect and claim Professional Development Units (PDUs)

to keep your certification active. This shows your commitment to professional development

and continuous learning. It’s a way of demonstrating that you are still active in the project

management world and you keep your skills fresh. After all, would you want to hire

someone who passed their PMP exam 20 years ago but hasn’t managed any projects since?

Recertification demonstrates to employers and colleagues that you continue to be

committed to your project management career.

You will need 60 PDUs every three years to recertify. All the details are explained in PMI's

Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) Handbook. You report your PDUs in the

Continuing Certification Requirements System, which also has a handy tracker to show you

how many PDUs you still need to collect and your deadlines for achieving them.

How to Earn PDUs

You can earn PDUs by attending local PMI Chapter dinner meetings, by volunteering for

PMI, or by attending seminars offered by a trusted and experienced education provider.

There are lots of ways to earn PDUs so you are bound to find something that you can do.

Even reading project management books counts!

The good news is that there are many ways to earn free PDUs.

Our favorite way is podcasts! And among podcasts there is no better than The Project

Management Podcast which will give you a total of 60 Free PDUs.

Another way to earn PDUs is to start preparing for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-

ACP)® exam which is becoming a natural next step for any PMP. To learn how to both

prepare for the PMI-ACP exam and earn PDUs towards your PMP certification check out

www.agileprepcast.com/pdu.

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Appendix G - How to Apply for the PMP®

Once you’ve decided to go ahead and take the PMP exam, there’s one major step to take
next. You have to fill in the application form. It might seem daunting, but don’t let this step
stop you from reaching your goal of becoming a PMP credential holder. When you know
more about what to expect, the application form suddenly becomes a lot easier to
complete!

Here, we’ll tell you what to expect when you apply for the PMP exam, what information you
need to have, and the kinds of things those who review your PMP application are looking
for. With a bit of knowledge and preparation, you can put together a really strong PMP
application that has every chance of success.

The process for applying for your PMP credential is as follows:

Step 1 - Confirm You’re Eligible

Review the PMP exam requirements, which are defined in The PMI Certifications Handbook
and Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content Outline.

Essentially you need “project management experience” and “project management

education”. Experience must include "leading and directing projects" in a professional
setting and be non-overlapping. The PM PrepCast™ training course satisfies the 35 hours of
project management education requirement, but the course must be completed by the
time you submit the application.

Step 2 – Gather Your Information

Before you start completing your PMP application, gather the necessary information about
your experience and training/education so that you can have it handy and save time on the
application.

• For the experience section of the application, you’ll need to document where you’ve
worked, your role and responsibilities, project objectives and deliverables, and the
project dates. You’ll also be asked to indicate the project approach/methodology,
project team size, project budget, and functional reporting area.

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• For the education section, you’ll need to record the details of your training provider,
the dates you attended the training and the name of the training program. You
don’t have to provide a copy of your training certificate. (You will only be asked to
provide this if your application is audited.)

Step 3 – Complete the Application

You must fill in your PMP application form online at the PMI website. Start by creating an
account and then simply follow all the steps in the application process. Once you start the
online application process you have 90 days to complete it.

For the education section, enter the highest level of education that you have attained.

The experience section is the part of the application most people find hardest. It’s
important to get this section right as you need to show your project management
experience in order to be eligible for the exam. Make sure that your project entries
represent professional project work experience only and do not include routine,
operational, or administrative tasks and responsibilities.

Start from your current or most recent project and work backward through your career
history until you have reached the total months required. There is no need to list every
project you have ever led.

PMI only gives you 500 characters per project description, so there is very little space for
you to document your experience.

You need to show that you have gained knowledge and skills that span a wide range of
project management domains and activities, but you don’t need to document every project
management task you did on every project. For example, you should analyze the
stakeholders on each project. When you are writing your descriptions, if you did analyze
stakeholders, you can mention it in one or two project descriptions. You don’t have to
mention the fact you analyzed stakeholders in every description, even if you did it every
time.

Write less about the scope and topic of the project and more about what you did on the project.
Think about using as many keywords as you can in your descriptions. This is your time to

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shine! You’ll also see some examples on the application form itself which can help you
better understand what PMI is looking for.

Avoid acronyms that won’t be understood outside of your business, and write in ‘project
management speak’ rather than using technical terms.

It may also be helpful to align the words you use to the terminology in the PMBOK® Guide as
far as you can.

In the table below we’ve highlighted some good and not-so-good ways to describe your
experience. The good ways use vocabulary reflected in PMI reference materials. The not-
so-good ways describe the same activity, but use words that make it harder for PMI to
validate you have the required experience to take the exam.

PLEASE NOTE: Your PMP application must be truthful and represent your personal experience
using your own words. The examples here are shared in order to illustrate various aspects of
how to fill in the PMP application form online. They are not intended for you to copy/paste into
your application form!

Good experience example Bad experience example

Developed project charter Created project kick-off document

Developed WBS Wrote product breakdown structure

Managed the team through the delivery Held regular team meetings

Below is a sample ‘template’ for your PMP experience requirements. This format has been
proven to work and is what many of our students use on their applications for PMP.

The aim is to summarize the project management tasks you managed. Write a one-line title
for the project description. Then include:

1. Project description (the objectives, key deliverables, and outcome)

2. Product deliverables (to end users)
3. Project deliverables (needed to manage the project)

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Step 4 – Application Submission

You’ve reached the end of the online PMP application form, and you’ve completed every
section. The only thing that remains to be done is to click to submit your form.

You should also download a copy of your application for your own records. It can be
helpful to have a copy if you are audited or if you need to refer back to it in the future.

When you are happy that the information in your application form is as accurate and
complete as it can be, follow the guidance on the screen to submit your form.

Read the terms and agreements. Then tick the boxes stating you agree to those terms and
that all the information you have provided is accurate.

Then all you have left to do is click ‘Submit Application’ and it is on its way!

Step 5 - Application completeness review

Once your form is submitted, PMI takes 5 days to process your application and to carry out
an application completeness review. This checks that you have submitted everything
required and meet the criteria to be eligible to take the PMP exam.

During this time, there is nothing that you can do except sit and wait! Hopefully, you will
not need to wait for the whole 5 days, but if PMI is busy and there are a lot of applications
to process, they may need all of that time to review your online form.

The 5 days are calendar days, so if you are trying to work out when you are likely to hear
back from PMI, remember that you can count the weekend days too!

At the end of the application completeness review period, there are three possible
outcomes:

1. You receive confirmation that you are eligible to sit for the exam and will be asked
to pay for the exam
2. You are asked to provide additional information
3. Your application is rejected

You are asked to go through the PMI audit process. If you receive notification that you are
eligible, you can go ahead and pay the exam fee.

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If you receive notification that your application has been selected for audit, you will need to
take part in the audit process before you can schedule your exam.

Step 6 - Audit process (random selection)

If your application is selected for audit, this is nothing to worry about, as long as the
information you provided on your application form was truthful and accurate. If you are
selected, you will be notified by email prior to payment of the exam fee and the email you
receive will include all the details you need to follow the audit process. Please refer to the
PMP Handbook for the exact details of the audit process.

The PMP audit process is a way for PMI to quality check applications. Being selected for an
audit is random (although PMI does reserve the right to audit any application at any time,
even after you have received the PMP credential).

There are no extra fees associated with being audited, so it will not cost you any extra
money if you are selected.

Generally, for the audit process, you will be asked to provide supplementary information to
support your application, in the form of materials that evidence what you said on the
application form. For example, you might be asked to supply:

• Copies of your diploma or degree certificate

• Signatures from your project sponsor, direct supervisor or manager on the projects
you listed on your application (more on that below)
• Copies of your certificates or evidence from the training provider that shows you
completed the 35 contact hours for project management education. You may need
to submit them all if you listed more than one training provider

If you have prepared well, it should be easy to find this information. PMI is currently in the
process of rolling out a fully digitized audit process. Some candidates are asked to upload
their audit documentation online, others are asked to submit them on paper. Carefully
read PMI’s instructions and follow everything to the letter.

You have 90 days to post the relevant information back to PMI. Once they have received
your evidence, the PMP audit will take around 5 to 7 business days to complete.

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As previously mentioned, the audit process may involve providing supporting

documentation to prove you did work on the projects you stated, which could include
confirmations from your manager at the time. You will need to be able to get in touch with
them if you are audited, so it’s helpful for them to know that you are applying. It also
means that you have the correct contact details for them! If you do need to involve them in
your application audit, you’ll want to get in touch with them quickly so that they can
provide any necessary information. In particular, they will need to confirm that you acted in
a role that was leading and directing the work, not simply a project contributor. With this in
mind, it is worth sharing your application form with them so that they agree with what you
have written before you submit it. This can help avoid disputes later.

Therefore, here is our recommendation for you: Talk to your project sponsors or managers
before you apply and let them know you are submitting an application for the PMP
certification. Tell them that if your application is selected for audit, they will be asked to
verify your experience including the hours you worked. Verifying your experience isn’t a big
job for your references but it’s still polite to ask them in advance. If they are not willing or
able to provide verification for you in case you are audited, consider asking another person
who is familiar with the project, or using other projects for your application evidence.

Many students worry about the PMP audit process. Specifically, the big concern is that they
will be audited and then PMI will reject their application, saying that they do not meet the
eligibility criteria. So what should you do if that happens?

PMI will normally provide the reason for rejecting your application. For example:

• You didn’t achieve the required training contact hours

• The projects you submitted are not classed as projects by PMI as they read more
like operational tasks in the descriptions
• You used terminology that the reviewer was not familiar with
• You did not show that you were leading the projects, and instead, your descriptions
showed you were only a participant in the project
• Your descriptions were too vague (which might happen if you are trying not to
disclose sensitive details in commercially confidential projects)
• You did not explain your project management experience adequately

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• The project management methodology used is unclear in your descriptions

There might be other reasons as well. Read your email carefully to understand why your
application was rejected.

If you believe that you have been rejected incorrectly, you will need to appeal the decision
following the Certification Appeals Procedure described in the PMI Certifications
Handbook.

In our experience, candidates have had good success from contacting PMI regarding their
failed audit. You can email them, write to them, use the online chat or even call. Try to get
hold of the exact reviewer who looked at your application. If you can contact them, you can
learn what issues they spotted in your application so that you can address them.

Step 7 – Payment

Next comes the super “fun” part — paying the exam fee! The fee you’ll need to pay
depends on whether you are a PMI member or not. It is cheaper to apply for the exam as a
PMI member, so you may want to opt to become a member before submitting your PMP
application. Then you will benefit from the lower application fee.

Step 8 - Application approval

When PMI receives your payment, you will receive notification of your eligibility and you will
be able to book your exam. You can schedule your exam at a testing site near you or you
can take it online.

Step 9 – Take the PMP Exam!

The final step is to take the PMP exam!

And with that, we have now covered everything you need to know about submitting your
PMP application to PMI. You are now armed with all the information required to
successfully complete your online PMP application form and – hopefully – receive your
eligibility link to book your exam. So what are you waiting for? Spend an evening gathering
the information you need to start your application and make a start! Your PMP credential is
not that far away, and your journey to PMP success begins with logging on and starting
your application.

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Appendix H - Sample Study Schedule

One question we often get from our students is “Do you have an example of what a good
study schedule looks like?” The short answer is yes, and we’re happy to share it with you!

But first, it’s important to understand that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” study
schedule. It’s whatever what works best for you! And we all learn in different ways.

We created the sample schedule below, showing one way to implement this study plan, to
help you get started on creating your own study plan. It ensures that you are setting aside
enough time to study, complete assignments, and review and retain the information you
are learning, while balancing full-time work or family obligations. But don’t worry about
trying to follow this schedule exactly, as you’ll need to adapt it for your specific needs,
learning style, and study habits.

Please note that some (but not all) of the optional, “Go Beyond” tasks are included, in italics.

Week 1 – Welcome & Overview

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday “Getting Started” 2 hrs Afternoon
tasks (create study
space, join PMI, set
up schedule, etc.)
Monday – part 1 Journaling 25 mins During break at work

Monday – part 2 Pre-course self- 53 mins Evening, after work

assessment
Tuesday Video lessons L00.00 58 mins During break at work
and L00.10
Wednesday Video lessons L00.20, 2 hrs, 10 mins Evening, after work
L00.30, and L00.01
Thursday Review PMP Exam 30 mins During break at work
Content Outline &
PMI Handbook
Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday “Go Beyond” tasks 2 hrs Morning

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Week 2 – The PMBOK® Guide Principles

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday ~Rest day~

Monday – part 1 Journaling 25 mins During break at

work
Monday – part 2 Video lesson 1 hr Evening, after
L00.21 work
Tuesday Video lesson 1 hr, 10 mins Evening, after
L00.22 work
Wednesday Video lesson 1 hr, 7 mins Evening, after
L00.23 work
Thursday Reading The 1 hr, 45 mins Evening, after
Standard for work
Project
Management (pp.
7-59)
Friday Reading The 1 hr, 20 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work
(pp. 3-29)
Saturday “Go Beyond” tasks 2 hrs Morning

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Week 3 – The PMBOK® Guide Performance Domains

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday ~Rest day~

Monday – part 1 Journaling 20 mins During break at

work
Monday – part 2 Video lesson 1 hr Evening, after
L00.24 work
Tuesday Video lesson 1 hr Evening, after
L00.25 work
Wednesday Video lesson 1 hr, 7 mins Evening, after
L00.26 work
Thursday – part 1 Reading The 1 hr, 9 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work (before
(pp. 30-52) dinner)
Thursday – part 2 Reading The 1 hr, 15 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work (after dinner)
(pp. 53-77)
Friday Reading The 1 hr, 25 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work
(pp. 78-105)
Saturday “Go Beyond” Task 1 hr Morning
(Watch PM Podcast
Episode 467)

continues on next page

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Week 4 – Essential Project Management Concepts

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday Journaling + 1 hr, 25 mins Morning
creating flashcards
and study sheet
Monday – part 1 Video lesson 20 mins During break at
L01.00 work
Monday – part 2 Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after
L01.01 and L01.02 work
Tuesday – part 1 Video lesson 15 mins During break at
L01.03 work
Tuesday – part 2 Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after
L02.00, L02.01, work
and L02.02
Wednesday – part 1 Video lesson 20 mins During break at
L02.03 work
Wednesday – part 2 Reading The 1 hr, 15 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work
(pp. 106-130)
Thursday Reading The 1 hr, 12 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work
(pp. 131-154)
Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday – part 1 “Go Beyond” Task 43 mins Morning

(Listen to PM
Podcast Episode
389)
Saturday – part 2 Other “Go Beyond” 2 hrs Afternoon
tasks
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Week 5 – People

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday Continue creating 1 hr Morning
flashcards and
study sheet

Monday – part 1 Journaling 25 mins During break at

work
Monday – part 2 Video lessons 1 hr, 15 mins Evening, after
L02.04, L02.05, work
L02.06, and L02.07
Tuesday Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after
L02.08, L02.09, work
and L02.10
Wednesday – part 1 Video lessons 45 mins During break at
L02.11 and L02.12 work
Wednesday – part 2 Reading The 1 hr, 18 mins Evening, after
PMBOK® Guide work
(pp. 155-180)
Thursday Continue creating 1 hr Evening, after
flashcards and work
study sheet
Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday – part 1 “Go Beyond” Task 34 mins Morning

(Listen to PM
Podcast Episode
404)
Saturday – part 2 Other “Go Beyond” 1 hr Morning
tasks
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Week 6 – People & Process

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday “Go Beyond” tasks 1 hr Morning

Monday – part 1 Journaling 20 mins During break at

work
Monday – part 2 Video lessons 30 mins Evening, after
L02.13, L02.14 work
Monday – part 3 Quiz 1 + Analyze 53 mins Evening, after
Results work
Tuesday Focused study 1 hr Evening, after
based on Quiz 1 work
results
Wednesday – part 1 Quiz 2 + Analyze 53 mins Evening, after
Results work
Wednesday – part 2 Focused study 30 mins Evening, after
based on Quiz 2 work
results
Thursday Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after
L03.00 and L03.01 work

Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday – part 1 Video lessons 1 hr, 15 mins Morning

L03.02 and L03.03
Saturday – part 2 Reading The 45 mins Morning
PMBOK® Guide
(pp. 181-195)
Saturday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 3 hours Morning

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Week 7 –Process

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday Journaling 25 mins Morning

Monday – part 1 Video lesson 25 mins During break at

L03.05 work

Monday – part 2 Video lesson 42 mins Evening, after

L03.04 work
Tuesday Video lesson 1 hr, 17 mins Evening, after
L03.06 work
Wednesday Video lesson 35 mins During break at
L03.07 work
Thursday – part 1 Reading The 1 hr During break at
Formula Guide work
(Intro, Part 1)
Thursday – part 2 Practice questions 1 hr, 36 mins Evening, after
from The Formula work
Guide (Part 2)
Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday – part 1 Creating 1 hr Morning

flashcards and/or
study sheet
Saturday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 2 hrs Morning

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Week 8 –Process

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday Journaling 25 mins Morning

Monday Video lesson 51 mins Evening, after

L03.08 work

Tuesday Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after

L03.09 and L03.11 work
Wednesday Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after
L03.10 and L03.12 work
Thursday Practice questions 2 hrs Evening, after
from The Formula work
Guide (Part 3)
Thursday Reading The 1 hr, 30 mins Evening, after
Formula Guide work
(Part 4)
Friday “Go Beyond” tasks 2 hrs Evening, after work

Saturday ~Rest day~

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Week 9 –Process & Business Environment

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday Journaling + Video 53 mins Morning
lesson L03.13
Monday – part 1 Video lesson 20 mins During break at
L03.14 work
Monday – part 2 Video lessons 1 hr, 10 mins Evening, after
L03.15, L03.16, work
and L03.17
Tuesday – part 1 Quiz 1 + Analyze 53 mins Evening, after
Results work
Tuesday – part 2 Focused study 1 hr Evening, after
based on Quiz 1 work
results
Wednesday – part 1 Quiz 2 + Analyze 53 mins Evening, after
Results work
Wednesday – part 2 Focused study 1 hr Evening, after
based on Quiz 2 work
results
Thursday ~Rest day~

Friday – part 1 Video lesson 28 mins During break at

L04.00 work

Friday – part 2 Video lesson 22 mins Evening, after

L04.01 work
Friday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 45 mins Evening, after work

Saturday “Go Beyond” tasks 3 hrs Morning

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Week 10 –Process & Business Environment & Agile

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday ~Rest day~

Monday – part 1 Journaling 20 mins During break at

work
Monday – part 2 Video lessons 1 hr, 12 mins Evening, after
L04.02, L04.03, work
and L04.04
Tuesday – part 1 Quiz + Analyze 53 mins Evening, after
Results work
Tuesday – part 2 Focused study 1 hr Evening, after
based on quiz work
results
Wednesday Video lessons 1 hr Evening, after
L05.01 and L05.10 work
Thursday Video lesson 30 mins During break at
L05.11 work
Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday Reading Agile 2 hrs Afternoon

Practice Guide (pp.
1-57)
Sunday “Go Beyond” tasks 2 hrs Morning

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Week 11 –Agile

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday ~Rest day~

Monday – part 1 Journaling 20 mins During break at

work
Monday – part 2 Video lessons 55 mins Evening, after
L05.12, L05.20, work
and L05.21
Tuesday – part 1 Video lesson 22 mins During break at
L05.30 work
Tuesday – part 2 Video lessons 1 hr, 35 mins Evening, after
L05.40, L05.41, work
and L05.42
Wednesday Video lessons 1 hr, 7 mins Evening, after
L05.50 and L05.51 work
Thursday - part 1 Quiz + Analyze 53 mins Evening, after
Results work
Thursday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 1 hr Evening, after work

Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday Reading Agile 2 hrs Morning

Practice Guide (pp.
58-114)
Sunday “Go Beyond” tasks 4 hrs Morning

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Week 12 –Exam Week Preparation

Completed Tasks Time Spent When

Sunday – part 1 Journaling 20 mins Morning

Sunday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 3 hrs Morning

Monday – part 1 Video lesson 53 mins During break at

L00.50 work
Monday – part 2 Video lesson 1 hr, 12 mins Evening, after
L00.51 work
Monday – part 3 “Go Beyond” tasks 1 hr Evening, after work

Tuesday – part 1 Video lesson 1 hr, 10 mins Evening, after

L00.52 work
Tuesday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 1 hr Evening, after work

Wednesday “Go Beyond” tasks 1 hr Evening, after work

Thursday “Go Beyond” tasks 30 mins Morning, before

work
Thursday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 1 hr Evening, after work

Friday ~Rest day~

Saturday Full-length Practice 4 hrs Morning

Exam
Sunday – part 1 Final Exam + print 10 mins Morning
Certificate
Sunday – part 2 “Go Beyond” tasks 4 hrs Morning

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Acknowledgements

OSP International LLC would like to thank the following people for their invaluable contributions
to this Guidebook:

Curriculum Development / Editing: Jeannine Farrelly, PMP

Content Advising: Stas Podoxin, MBA, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CIPP

Cover Design: Allan Chitay

www.pm-prepcast.com 107
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