The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a widely recognized way to sharpen your professional capabilities, and significantly enhance your job prospects in the industry. The certification validates your competence in leading and directing projects. It demonstrates that the you posse the necessary skills and knowledge to manage them effectively and allows you to position themselves for roles such as Project Manager, Program Manager, and even Project Risk Manager.
It also highlights the value they contribute to their organization or clients. That’s why on average, PMP-certified professionals get 23% higher salaries and enjoy better chances of promotions and new project assignments.
In general, the exam is no diffirent from any other; it consists of 180 multiple-choice questions, including scenario-based ones that test practical application of project management concepts.
The questions cover various domains of project management, including:
- People (leadership and team management).
- Process (project management processes and methodologies).
- Business Environment (strategic alignment and project benefits)
Candidates have 230 minutes to complete the exam.
According some trustworthy estimates, less than 70% on the 60 000 aspiring individuals that annually embark on the journey to earn their PMP certification succeed. So how do you get in the ranks of these licky ones?
We asked Cornelius Fichtner, an accomplished author, speaker, course creator, and the host of the widely recognized Project Management Podcast, who gained fame for developing one of the earliest and most respected PMP Exam Simulators, to answer help some of questions about passing the PMP exam we collected across the web.
PMP Exam Challenges
The challenges most candidates face fall into 3 groups:
- Preparation Challenges: lack of study time, navigating through complex concepts, and utilizing the right resources.
- In-Exam Challenges: poor time management, shifting from a “project execution” mindset to a “project management” perspective, and anxiety on the exam day.
- Technical Hurdles: software and hardware glitches and strict requirements to proctor behavior.
Let’s see how Cornelius recommends addressing these.
9 Tricky Questions About the PMP Exam
1. What are the most common challenges candidates face when preparing for the PMP exam?
Staying on top of the plethora of concepts—from risk management to stakeholder engagement—can feel a bit like juggling flaming swords. However, the overwhelming amount of information is not the only challenge you have to overcome while preparing for the exam.
What are the others?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“There are so many, it’s hard to choose. Here are my top 4:
- Over-reliance on memorization instead of understanding.
- Struggling to shift a waterfall mindset to agile frameworks.
- Misjudging the time required for deep mock exams.
- Difficulty translating work experience into PMI language (more about that below in other answers).”
2. How does the complexity of the PMBOK Guide impact a candidate’s ability to pass the exam?
The PMBOK Guide has been both the best friend and nemesis of many aspiring project managers. Its complexity often feels like a mind-boggling maze. And for candidates eyeing the PMP exam, this complexity can be daunting.
However, the PMBOK Guide is not the monster it’s often made out to be.
Cornelius Fichtner:
“This is a normal misconception. The PMP Exam is NOT a test of the PMBOK Guide. Instead, it is based on the PMP Exam Content Outline, a relatively short document that outlines the syllabus of the PMP Exam.
The PMBOK Guide is just one of about a dozen reference books that PMI lists on its website. All of these books are used by PMI when they develop questions as the primary or secondary reference to substantiate the question and its correct answer.
So, the problem isn’t the complexity of the PMBOK Guide but the fact that there are so many reference books, and as a candidate, you need a wide and deep knowledge of project management to identify the correct answer.”
3. What role does hands-on project management experience play in successfully passing the PMP exam?
Many of the questions on the exam are designed to test not just your understanding of concepts, but your ability to apply them, often requiring a quick recall of how you’ve handled similar situations in the past.
So, how much can professional experience help answer them?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“Quite a lot. But it has to be ‘the right’ type of experience.
In the past, the PMP exam was a rather ‘theoretical’ exam. PMI has addressed this in the last few years by changing most of the questions from knowledge-based questions to scenario-based questions. This means that most questions on the current PMP exam will present you with a short scenario and then ask, ‘What should the PM do next?’, or ‘What could the PM have done to avoid this?’, all intended to test how you would react.
But of course, PMI has a specific way of doing projects that it sees as ‘the best.’ Many refer to this as ‘The PMI Mindset.’ This means that if your experience in managing projects matches the style and approach that PMI considers to be ‘correct’, then you are more likely to find the exam somewhat easier because you have the PMI Mindset.
4. What specific skills or knowledge gaps do you often see in candidates who struggle with the PMP exam?
The PMP exam requires you to navigate through a jungle of scenarios where your ability to manage limited resources, handle stakeholder expectations, and ensure project goals align with the bigger picture is constantly tested.
It’s not surprising that some people struggle with passing it. But why exactly?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“A colleague of mine used to say, ‘The PMP Exam is one mile wide, but only one inch deep.’ Therefore, exam takers simply need a ‘vast’ knowledge of project management. On the exam, pretty much any scenario in any type of project using any type of methodology can (theoretically) appear. So, the sheer volume of what you need to be aware of and know about can be overwhelming.
Often, however, the bigger issue is to translate your experience combined with the PMP exam prep training and use this to identify the correct answer.
I’m currently helping one of my students who struggles with this. He has already studied for nearly a year, but even though he understands the material in theory and practice, he struggles to identify the correct answer on his exams.”
5. How do practice exams and mock tests contribute to a candidate’s readiness for the actual PMP exam?
Practice exams and mock tests are like a dress rehearsal for the big day! When you dive into these practice sessions, you’ll uncover areas that might need a little more love and attention, allowing you to hone your skills and strategies ahead of time.
So, how big is their role in your overall success?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“If you do not have a PMP exam simulator, you will most likely fail your exam.
In fact, here is what I recommend to my students in a recent YouTube video: don’t read the PMBOK Guide… Instead use a PMP exam simulator to answer as many sample questions as you can and only open your books when a topic from a question seems unfamiliar and you want to study up on it.”
6. What strategies do you recommend for managing time effectively during both the preparation phase and the exam itself?
We’ve all been there—staring at a wall of text the night before an exam, feeling overwhelmed, and wishing we could freeze time. But breaking your prep into manageable chunks and setting up a study schedule is a great way to avoid such situations.
How can you do that?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“Once again, this is where a good exam simulator comes in: you want one that closely mimics the actual exam environment, which means 180 questions in 230 minutes. And if you do as many of these complete exams as you can, then the real exam will seem ‘just like another practice exam.’
This is similar to preparing for a sporting event: you practice the same sport again and again so that when you go to the meet, your muscle memory kicks in and you pass with flying colors.”
7. How can training providers support candidates in developing critical thinking skills necessary for answering situational questions on the exam?
When it comes to preparing for exams, mastering critical thinking skills is essential, especially for those tricky situational questions that can seem more like riddles than anything else. That’s where top-notch training providers step in.
Cornelius Fichtner:
“They can teach candidates the “PMI Mindset.” This is probably the most crucial aspect of the exam. If a student understands how PMI ‘thinks,’ then identifying the correct answer becomes more natural and somewhat easier.”
8. What resources (books, online courses, etc.) do you recommend for comprehensive PMP exam preparation?
Mixing up multiple learning resources can make your study sessions both productive and interesting, setting you on a steady path to achieving your PMP certification.
What are the most helpful ones?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“Start with the PMP Exam Content Outline—it’s the blueprint for your exam.
- Enroll in a PMP exam prep course that teaches directly from this outline. In this way, you can be sure that the topics covered are exam-relevant
- Practice with a PMP exam simulator to master your knowledge and train yourself for the exam.
- Open your books only for those topics where you feel you need more studying.
- Repeat 3 and 4 until your exam day.”
9. What post-exam strategies do you suggest for candidates who may not pass on their first attempt?
Taking the PMP exam can be quite an adventure, like climbing a high mountain with unpredictable conditions. Some folks might not reach the summit on their first attempt, and that’s perfectly okay.
What can you do to get the courage to try again?
Cornelius Fichtner:
“This is discussed in my most recent YouTube video about the PMP exam: ‘I Failed My PMP Exam – Now What!?’. My argument is that most students don’t really need more training and studying. They did enough of that and then were unlucky to fail their exam. I recommend the following three actions:
- Review your PMP exam report to identify weak areas across the People, Process, and Business Environment domains. In this way you understand where your weak areas are.
- Focus on mastering question analysis by watching videos and joining live study groups to sharpen your skills. This will help you analyze exam questions, learn the PMI Mindset, and hone your skill in identifying the correct answers.
- Now you want to leverage your PMP exam simulator by taking practice quizzes and thoroughly reviewing incorrect answers to bridge knowledge gaps.”
Summary: How to Pass the PMP Exam at First Attempt
So, let’s summarize and find out what you need to pass the PMP exam with flying colors:
- Understand the exam structure: Make sure you know how many questions are in each part and what areas you need to focus on.
- Use diverse materials: refer to reputable resources such as the PMBOK Guide, Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book, and online courses from platforms like PM PrepCast. These materials provide comprehensive coverage of the exam content and are often updated to reflect the latest changes in the exam format.
- Focus on understanding, not memorization: Engage with the study material and aim to understand the underlying concepts. Use real-world examples to relate theory to practice.
- Leverage Mock Exams: Treat them as a critical part of your study plan. Allocate specific time slots for them and simulate exam conditions. After completing mock exams, review your answers thoroughly to identify knowledge gaps and adjust your study focus accordingly.
- Learn from mistakes: Taking the PMP exam requires 35 hours of project management education – make the most of these! Join study groups or forums where you can share experiences and learn from others’ perspectives on managing projects.
- Address skills and knowledge gaps: Use online courses, webinars, and workshops to deepen your knowledge in specific areas where you feel less confident.
Conclusion
As well as Cornelius Fichtner, actiTIME is trying to offer helpful resources for those preparing for the PMP certification.
In addition to the PMBOK-based simulation you access below, actiTIME provides a psychology-backed time management course that can further enhance your study strategies and improve your exam readiness. These resources are designed to support you on your journey to achieving PMP certification.
