The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (Test Prep series) [Paperback]

Andy Crowe PMP (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0972967311 | ISBN-13: 978-0972967310 | Publication Date: November 1, 2005 | Edition: Third edition

This self-study guide for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam from the Project Management Institute contains everything project managers need to pass the PMP Exam, including 44 processes, and 592 inputs, tools, and outputs. Exam topics are covered and insider secrets, complete explanations of all PMP subjects, test tricks and tips, hundreds of highly realistic sample questions, and exercises designed to strengthen understanding of PMP concepts and prepare managers for exam success on the first attempt are provided.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andy Crowe, PMP, is a Six Sigma Black Belt and the founder of Velociteach, a company that provides project management and certification training. He has taught classes in C++ for Microsoft University and advanced technology courses for the U.S. government, designed courses in high-impact project management for Fortune 50 companies, and served on Microsoft's .NET international advisory committee. He lives in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 516 pages
• Publisher: Velociteach; Third edition edition (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972967311
• ISBN-13: 978-0972967310
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what a PMP Prep Book Should Be!, June 30, 2006

By 

southpaw - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (Test Prep series) (Paperback)

After studying Rita Mulcahy's "PMP Exam Prep" book for months, I found myself so frustrated and confused that I started looking for other material. I went online and found the positive reviews of Andy Crowe's "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try" and bought the book, and I am SO glad I did!

What took months to understand reading the overly-complex RMC book became crystal clear when I read Crowe's book. Crowe organizes his material well, and at the beginning of each chapter he conveniently defines the material's difficulty, memorization level and importance on the exam in terms of "High, Medium or Low". Each page has a tab on the edge that identifies what process you are in, so if you find yourself deep in concentration and suddenly wondering, "Hey am I reading about Quality Assurance or Quality Control?" there's a large indicator right in front of you to help.

On a purely mechanical level, Crowe went out of his way to make sure this book was organized to help you study. I really appreciated that.

The material itself is excellent. As some have pointed out, it is a little slim in some areas, but the book's purpose is to help you pass the exam and in this regard, Crowe admits that he glosses over some items that tend to appear less than others. I recommend you read this book and refer back to the PMBOK and one additional study guide whenever you are confused or need additional detail.

I did find that PTA (Point of Total Assumption) was covered here, where it wasn't covered in the other material I used. I didn't find any major shortcomings in the coverage of the book.

I have read criticisms of the book's grammar and spelling. I did find a few (under 5) spelling errors, but I honestly appreciated the "big print" type and simplistic words. The material covered on the PMP Exam is pretty complex and tough. And too many PMP education providers seem to think they have to mimic that complexity and difficulty to teach the material. It was incredibly refreshing to find a book that actually went out of its way to make the material simple.

The book was also an easy and fast read, unlike all of the other materials I found. I read the first half of the book (up through the end of the "Time" chapter) in one day, and the second half in another day. I then went through the book with a highlighter and re-read it, in 2 days time again, highlighting all the key points. During each of these passes, I took the questions at the end of each chapter. Finally I skimmed the material several times, only glossing over the highlighted points. Doing this I could flip through the entire book in a day. I did that twice. Finally, two days before the exam I took the entire 200 question test at the end of the book, scoring 90%.

The only suggestion I have to improve this book would be to make the exam questions more difficult, so that they more closely mimic the tough, brutal questions I encountered on the PMP exam.

The free material at the Velociteach website was great. I signed up for the online site two weeks prior to sitting for the exam. The online quizzes were good, but limited. The real benefit for me was the classroom slides which presented the material very well. Even though it was mostly a rehash of what was found in the book, it was slightly different material, presented very well, using repetitive images and phrases that really helped key concepts stick in my head. (After going online, I easily memorized word for word the definition of a "Baseline" as they always referred back to the same images and the same words on certain key points. I found this GREAT for learning!)

I took the PMP Exam a few days ago and passed fairly well, thanks completely to Andy Crowe's book. Crowe explains early on in the book how much weight each process group carries on the exam. Calculating my scores in each process group (Initiation, Planning, Executing, M+C, Closing and Professional Responsibility) x the weight each group carries on the exam, I arrived at an estimate of 75% for my score on the overall exam, passing is approximately 61%. My weakest area was in Initiating by the way, which surprised me. Note that I took the final exam in the book shortly before the exam and scored 90%. I would recommend that you get to an 85% or 95% level on this particular book's questions prior to taking the exam.

I am very pleased with my score on the exam and with this book and Velociteach in general. This is my PMP preparation book of choice and I highly recommend it to anyone who is studying for their PMP credential.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Top Three PMP Exam Guides, April 19, 2006

By 

Rajiv Kohinoor - See all my reviews

This review is from: The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (Test Prep series) (Paperback)

have recently read a few PMP books cover to cover, and I thought I should share my experience with other readers with an intention to help them to find the right books. A brief review of what I think are the top three PMP books follows:

1. This Book: The PMP Exam.
This is a great book and relatively self contained. You can study this book and pass the PMP exam. There are a only a few topics, which are not covered in adequate depth. The material coverage, however, is organized around the knowledge areas while the exam objectives are organized in order of the process groups. That breaks the exam objective coverage into pieces, and may cause confusion. I consider the book price un-reasonably high.
I recommend this book if you are looking for a self contained book to pass the PMP exam.

2. PMP In Depth by Paul Sanghera, Thomson Course Technology.
This book has just hit the market and is relatively unknown. But I found this a rock solid book. Almost all the topics are covered with adequate depth. The material is presented in a logical learning sequence and the presentation is very cohesive: no hopping from topic to topic. It's an easy and interesting read. All concepts are clearly defined and expalined. This makes it a great book for both the PMP and the CAPM exams. I feel that the communication management could have more coverage. Although for the exams, the current coverage is enough.
The material is organized in order of the project lifecycle (the process groups) consistent with the way the exam objectives are organized. Furthermore, exam objectives covered in a chapter are explained in the beginning of the chapter. This makes the exam preparation easier and confusion-free. The book is very reasonably proced.
I recommend this book for the PMP and the CAPM exams, and also if you just want to build a good understanding of the project management basics.

3. The PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy, RMC Publications.
It is a very good book if you are either taking a course from the author or from an instructor who is using this book as a text book. There are lots of exercises. Unfortunately, this is not a self contained book. Topics are not covered with enough depth. Also there is a poor flow and a lots of hopping from topic to topic. The coverage of topics is organized around the knowledge areas while the exam objectives are organized in order of the process groups. That breaks the exam objective coverage into pieces, and may cause confusion.Moreover, it's outrageously high priced. Too many cross references and over-hyped.
Overall I recommend this book of you are using it in a course.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book to begin with, but..., February 4, 2007

By 

A. Chiu (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (Test Prep series) (Paperback)

This is the first book I read to study for my exam and I passed today!!! I think it's time for me to contribute and provide comments to the other people. This book is very easy to read; however, YOU CAN'T JUST RELY ON THIS BOOK! I brought the "PMP In depth by Paul Sangher" and it is also a good book to read. In conclusion, please please read the PMBOK after you read this book since you don't want to be like me -- I got very low score and I thought I couldn't pass!! Hope this helps and good luck ;-)