The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try (Paperback)

~ Andy Crowe (Author) "This chapter will explore the PMP Certification Exam, what it is like, and the material it covers..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Monte Carlo, Certification Exam (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Here is the most definitive and up-to-date self study guide for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam from the Project Management Institute. This single volume has been used successfully by project managers around the world, and it contains everything you need to pass the PMP Exam, including all exam topics, insider secrets, complete explanations of all PMP subjects, test tricks and tips, and hundreds of highly realistic sample questions. Additionally, the book is loaded with exercises that will strengthen your understanding of the PMP concepts and prepare you to pass the exam on your first try with ease.

About the Author

Andy Crowe, PMP and Six Sigma Black Belt, is a world-renowned lecturer and author on the subject of Project Management. He combines over 15 years of hands-on experience with a clear, articulate, and easily accessible style that contributes to the popularity of his books and lectures. As a founder of Velociteach Inc, Andy is committed to leadership and education in best practices within the Project Management community.

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Velociteach Press (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972967303
• ISBN-13: 978-0972967303
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (253 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #610,302 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One-Stop Shop for PMP Certification, May 28, 2003

By	Bryan Hilliard (Medford, MA USA) - See all my reviews

PASS. First time out. Any questions?

Seriously, I read the PMBOK cover to cover. DENSE. All the information is there, but it lacks several things that are crucial to a successful PMP exam preparation: intuitive organization, practice questions, and real-world applications.

Andy Crowe's book fills the gap. It presents the information in a structured, easy-to-understand format that guides you through the 39 discrete processes, their interaction, and most importantly, what you need to know about each one to pass the exam.

The final exam takes the concepts presented in the book and makes you think about them from yet another angle, and the fact that all the answers are there provides the last step in cementing the information in your head. My score on Andy's final and my score on the PMP exam were within 5 points of each other, so he obviously got it right.

The PMP exam is extremely situational. Some questions have four correct answers! What they want from you is the BEST answer. Many others focus on order of operations and ask what you, as the project manager, should do FIRST. These real-world situations are covered clinically in the PMBOK, but stressed in detail in this book.

Buy it. Read it. And Pass the PMP. I did.

60 of 61 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

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.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for passing the PMP, January 10, 2005

By	Daphne A. Ignatius "[e-mail]" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I passed the PMP exam this morning on my first try. Thanks to this book and Rita Mulcahy's Exam Prep, I passed it with a wide margin. This is my favorite of the two as it gets to the point and really focuses on the key concepts in each knowlege area. I would recommend that you start out with this book as it gives you a good foundation without drowning you with minutia! Then switch to Rita's book to add the polish and finer details.

The questions at the end of each chapter and the Final Exam in the book was a good representation of the actual exam. I really like the fact that Andy added a totally different final exam and didn't reuse any questions from the chapters. In this regard, this book was far above Rita's book.

Summary: No regrets at all about buying this book. Will keep it as a quick reference at work.