Customer Reviews

PMP: Project Management Professional Study Guide, 3rd Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am studying for the PMP and have NOT sat for the test yet. I read this book (cover to cover), read the PMBOK-2005, and another book called 'PMP in Depth' (P. Sanghera).
I do not recommend the Sanghera book either (see my review on that book) but my comments on this book are this:
First, are the many blantant errors. Here are three examples of the many I found.
A) On page 191 it says "Interviewing" is not an official tool and technique of the Risk Identification process. This is not true (see PMBOK 11.2.2.2).
B)On page 254 it says that Activity Resource Estimating is an input to a process called "Human Activity Resource Estimating." This process does not exist in the PMBOK. The correct process is "Human Resource Planning." Further, this element is an input to two other processes not mentioned.
C) On page 263 it says Resource Limitations are NOT taken into consideration when conducting Schedule Network Analysis. The PMBOK (6.5.2.1) says that resource leveling is part of this tool and technique.
There are many other errors in this book (too numerous to mention here).
Second, the practice test questions are also riddled with errors. The danger in this kind of error is that the questions are tricky enough without putting the questions themselves into question.
Third, for me, the format of this book is not well suited to the way I learn (a personal point).
And fourth, the index is frustrating. Virtually all of the process inputs and outputs, and many of the tools & techniques, are missing -- it is structured for looking up process names.
On the positive side, I like the end of chapter summaries.

I bought and borrowed many books to study for the PMP exam and this was the BEST book, both in the material it covered and the way in which the material was presented. It is one of the few that take your through the project management process as you would really experience it, from project inception to closeout. Most other books geared toward the PMP exam organize the material based on the PMI knowledge areas, which have so much overlap it becomes confusing. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. I passed the exam using this book and the quizes in Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep, which follows the knowlege areas.

I agree with the review by Albert, that there are numerous errors. The coverage mentioned in the title page of every chapter, leaves out some important topics covered within.

I would recommend this book to be read after attending a Instructor-led Training course, reading the PMBOK once, and reading Rita's book. Having such background will help to know the errors immediately.

On the positive side, this book is a good approach to organize the knowledge areas and process in a logical - real life order. The ongoing Kitchen Heaven Store project example provides a welcome break and a real-life manifestation of concepts.

Add to this, the sample exams and end of chapter summaries. I'll rate this 4-star and a good value for the money spent.

Outstanding book, not just focused on providing tips for passing the PMP exam, it also gives fundamentals on project management very useful for the day to day operation. The CD is just excellent, it has the entire book in PDF, allows me to print parts and easily handcarry for future lecture, the test machine is challenging. 100% recommend.

I started PMP study reading this book. It is almost as boring (and lengthy) to read as the PMBOK, endless repeats on what the inputs and outputs are. The test exams at the end of each chapter are frustrating - and the given answers often still leave you puzzled.
I changed to Rita Mulcahy's book - which was a MUCH easier read with a lot more practical and useful information. She also doesn't focus much on memorization, but understanding. The sample questions are very good and the answers give you a very good understanding.
After successfully passing mock exams, I tried the mock exam included on the CD with the KIM Heldman book. The questions were very lengthy and difficult to read (worse than the real PMP exam) and I didn't manage to get a good score on this mock exam - which was really bad for my confidence close to the exam. I decided to not look at it anymore and I passed the exam.

I used this book as the basis for my PMP study and I felt it worked very well. Summaries of chapters and key questions / concepts helped highlite what was needed. This is not a regurgitation of the PMBOK but a good book to teach you to be a PMP.

This study guide proved valuable to me, but I still have mixed feelings about it. It was not easy to use, but its questions were challenging and it did help prepare me to pass the PMP exam.

The book is organized differently than the PMBOK, and many other prep materials. That can make it harder to use, if you're covering PMBOK topics chapter by chapter. On the up side, it does make the chapter tests more challenging, because you can't assume that the answer has to do with Risk Management, or Quality, or whatever PMBOK topic you may be reviewing at the time. The fact that many related PMBOK topics are combined together into chapters that follow a real-world functional workflow (eg, estimation, scheduling and tracking) means it just doesn't map cleanly to other sources you may use. If you compare the tables of contents for this, versus PMBOK, you'll see what I mean. That also means you pretty much have to cover a big chunk of the book to get much use out of it.

The book is slower to read, and many people point out that there are errors, which can be vexing when you just can't figure out why you don't get something. But overall, the book is well written, comprehensive, and contains a lot of case studies that are really pretty good. There are very useful pre- and post- chapter overviews that will help you dial into what the chapter is about and what to focus on as "take-aways." I did notice that the questions tend to push you to know process inputs/output/tools more than may be strictly necessary, but if you can master the material as presented in this product you will be well prepared to pass the PMP exam.

As an added bonus, the version I bought came with a CD with several practice exams. I found these to be an excellent preparation tool, and well worth the price of the book for this alone.

This is not a perfect prep tool, and you'll spend more hours covering topics using this guide than if you use the RMC book, which was my primary prep text. Still, mastering the content presented in this study guide really helped my confidence about my preparedness for the test. Having passed recently, I feel confident in recommending this product to a prospective student, at the very least as a solid supplemental source.