Head First PMP: A Learner's Companion to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam 3rd Edition

Yesterday I passed the PMP Exam on the first try, yipppeee! Now that I have recovered and am no longer a basket case, time for some comments and a review. First, I have never been a full-time project manager but until after taking some PMP courses and preparing for the exam, realized that I have been applying PM principles during my whole life and career. My career has consisted of being an Air Force Officer and mainly sales and am now looking to going into a new phase. As I completed my last PMP class and started to prepare for the exam, I started to read the PMBOK as my only study source. After reading a chapters and seeing that I was doomed to fail, it was time to find other resources that could help me better understand Project Management and go back and read the PMBOK with a "new set of eyes".Now, my comments about Head First PMP:1. In my humble opinion, Head First PMP is the best resource to use for exam prep for someone like me. The authors' philosophy of learning by visuals, examples (wedding, baking cookies, etc.), exercises, repetitively describing key concepts (although in different words), etc. really work. I consider myself a visual learner and the Head First fits the bill.2. Really like the exercises, crossword puzzles, and exams - the questions were somewhat challenging. Like I said earlier, repetition works.3. Really like the way the Head First is organized - the first 3 chapters serve as an introduction to Project Management and chapters 4 - 10 correspond with the knowledge area in the same chapter in the PMBOK Guide.4. Good practical pointers throughout the book. For example, the Head First mentions practical tips on preparing for the exam, red herring questions (have to say, I did not find too many in the PMP exam version I took) and so on. Very helpful.5. Very good layout - eye catching, logical order, etc.For what it's worth, here's the strategy I implemented for passing the PMP exam:1. No boot camp for me - (don't do well with trying to cram in too much information too quickly, I prefer to pace myself. Some impatient folks may disagree with me, but I believe taking your time and pacing yourself, when possible, is a better way to learn). Instead, I took 4 courses at a local community college whenever my schedule allowed me. Earned plenty of credits to qualify for taking the exam.2. Studied the Head First quickly to get an idea of how the book is laid out and its content.3. Next, I read through the book several times for more in depth knowledge of PMP principles. DO NOT skip the exercises, puzzles, and mini exams, they really help!4. After reading the Head First a few times, I then started to read the PMBOK - really helped me look at the PMBOK in a new way.5. Studied the PMBOK Guide glossary after reading Head First. One of instructors strongly recommended this and I do too. However, I would say the glossary was easier to understand after reading the Head First.6. While the Head First did have several math problems, I wanted to supplement learning the formulas with the McGraw-Hill PMP Certification Mathematics title. The title is a good aid and I recommend it. Will probably do an Amazon review on that title soon.7. Pray like crazy and get a great night's sleep! I tried to keep things in perspective - the worst thing that could have happened to me if I failed was to take the exam again. Compared to the difficulties that millions of people around the world are experiencing, that helped me see things in a different light. I can say, that praise the Lord, I am relieved that I don't have to take the exam again!8. Finally, do some online exams - Gary Lehman has a great site with several exam examples.In summary, I highly recommend the Head First PMP. Buy the book, study, pray, and pass the exam! Go get'em!

I purchased 2 books to help me prepare for the PMP Exam, this being one and Rita's being the other. I tried to read Rita's first and did not get very far without falling asleep. I'm not the type of person who can normally just read a book/manual and properly process the information, retain it, and truly understand the concepts being presented. It usually takes a multitude of presentation styles for me to absorb new concepts. I'm a visual learner (primarily) who learns best by graphics and other visual presentation methods. I also learn by "doing," so sometimes I don't really absorb new information until I can apply it myself. I found that this book was the PERFECT solution for someone like me! Before purchasing this book, I sat through a grueling PM Practitioner class that stretched out over 3 months and 9 days - 72 total hours of stand-up instruction. At the end of that class, I still struggled with many of the concepts that I knew I would be tested on in the PMP Exam. I couldn't process the more difficult math formulas and concepts, even with a human instructor right in front of me. What I love about this book is that it takes a single concept and presents it in about 3 different ways.... ensuring that at least one of those ways will "click" with the reader. It also ensures the concepts are drilled into your brain by using repetitive (yet different) presentation methods to convey the information. So, if you don't understand the way it's presented in the first explanation, you're sure to understand it by the time they use a 2nd or 3rd presentation method. They use real-life examples and stories that are easy to follow along with. The book is very graphic intensive, which allows me to process complicated concepts using a visual/graphic presentation method; this helps me understand the high-level concept before digging down into the details.The book has plenty of quiz and sample tests inside of it. Throughout each chapter, there will be small quizzes to help test you and emphasize the most critical concepts. There's a sample test at the end of each chapter, along with an answer key that provides detailed reasons why it's the right answer and why the other options wouldn't be the "best" answer. At the end of the book, there's one large sample test that combines all of the concepts/knowledge areas together. I believe they also provide a website link to an additional test you can access online if you need more practice.Although I'm a huge Kindle fan and am trying to eliminate all of my "hard copy" books and transition to e-books only, this is one of those books that I recommend you purchase in hard-copy. There's something to be said about having the ability to physically highlight pertinent material and write in the book while filling in the practice quizzes and tests. I just found that it really helped me a lot to have the physical book in front of me, so that I could mark it up and flip it back and forth easily.The only semi-negative thing I can possibly say about this book is that it probably doesn't spend enough time focusing on the mathematical formulas. Don't get me wrong... it beautifully outlines all the formulas you will need to know, but I still had a little trouble in this area. You will need to know all of the math formulas backwards, forwards, and inside-out. Don't go into the test unless you can quote them in your sleep! The same applies to understanding critical path calculation and also the 3-point estimation formula. You MUST also memorize all 47 processes and the order in which they occur. You will even be required to answer questions about inputs and outputs. This is very difficult and requires a substantial amount of memorization. No matter how much you read prep books, a lot of PMP Exam prep comes down to pure memorization.