- 1. P M P C e r t i f i c a t i o n :P r o j e c t M a n a g e m
e n tB a s i c sInstructors EditionPREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE
2. PMP Certification: Project Management BasicsSeries Product
Managers: Charles G. Blum and Adam A. WilcoxDevelopmental Editor:
Leslie GarrisonCopyeditor: Catherine OliverSeries Designer: Adam A.
WilcoxCOPYRIGHT 2009 Axzo PressALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this
work may be reproduced, transcribed, or used in any form or by
anymeansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, taping, Web distribution, orinformation storage and
retrieval systemswithout the prior written permission of the
publisher.For more information, go to
www.axzopress.com.TrademarksILT Series is a trademark of Axzo
Press.Some of the product names and company names used in this book
have been used for identification purposes only andmay be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
manufacturers and sellers.DisclaimerWe reserve the right to revise
this publication and make changes from time to time in its
contentwithout notice.ISBN 10: 1-4239-5150-6ISBN 13:
978-1-4239-5150-6Printed in the United States of America1 2 3 4 5
GL 06 05 04 03PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 3. C o n
t e n t sIntroduction iiiTopic A: About the
manual...............................................................................
ivTopic B: Setting student expectations
.............................................................viiiTopic
C: Classroom
setup..................................................................................xTopic
D:
Support...............................................................................................
xiGetting started 1-1Topic A: About PMP
certification...................................................................1-2Topic
B: PMP exam
content............................................................................1-6Unit
summary: Getting started
........................................................................1-10Project
management context 2-1Topic A: Projects
.............................................................................................2-2Topic
B: Project management
concepts...........................................................2-9Unit
summary: Project management context
..................................................2-17Project
management framework 3-1Topic A: Project
stakeholders..........................................................................3-2Topic
B: Organizational and socio-economic influences
................................3-8Topic C: Key project management
skills........................................................3-20Unit
summary: Project management
framework.............................................3-30Project
management processes 4-1Topic A: Project phases and life cycles
...........................................................4-2Topic
B: Processes and process groups
..........................................................4-10Topic
C: Project management knowledge
areas.............................................4-24Unit summary:
Project management
processes...............................................4-32Course
summary S-1Topic A: Course
summary...............................................................................S-2Topic
B: Continued learning after class
..........................................................S-3Glossary
G-1Index I-1PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 4. ii PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsPREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE 5. iiiIntroductionAfter reading this
introduction, you will knowhow to:A Use ILT Series training manuals
ingeneral.B Use prerequisites, a target studentdescription, course
objectives, and a skillsinventory to properly set
studentsexpectations for the course.C Set up a classroom to teach
this course.D Get support for setting up and teaching
thiscourse.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 6. iv PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsTopic A: About the
manualILT Series philosophyOur goal is to make you, the instructor,
as successful as possible. To that end, ourtraining manuals
facilitate students learning by providing structured
interactionwith the subject matter itself. While we provide text to
help you explain difficultconcepts, the activities are the focus of
our courses. Leading the students through theseactivities will
teach the skills and concepts effectively.We believe strongly in
the instructor-led class. For many students, having a
thinking,feeling instructor in front of them will always be the
most comfortable way to learn.Because the students focus should be
on you, our manuals are designed and written tofacilitate your
interaction with the students, and not to call attention to
manualsthemselves.We believe in the basic approach of setting
expectations, then teaching, and providingsummary and review
afterwards. For this reason, lessons begin with objectives and
endwith summaries. We also provide overall course objectives and a
course summary toprovide both an introduction to and closure on the
entire course.Our goal is your success. We encourage your feedback
in helping us to continuallyimprove our manuals to meet your
needs.Manual componentsThe manuals contain these major components:
Table of contents Introduction Units Course summary Glossary
IndexEach element is described below.Table of contentsThe table of
contents acts as a learning roadmap for you and the
students.IntroductionThe introduction contains information about
our training philosophy and our manualcomponents, features, and
conventions. It contains target student, prerequisite,objective,
and setup information for the specific course. Finally, the
introductioncontains support information.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE 7. Introduction vUnitsUnits are the largest
structural component of the actual course content. A unit
beginswith a title page that lists objectives for each major
subdivision, or topic, within the unit.Within each topic,
conceptual and explanatory information alternates with
hands-onactivities. Units conclude with a summary comprising one
paragraph for each topic, andan independent practice activity that
gives students an opportunity to practice the skillstheyve
learned.The conceptual information takes the form of text
paragraphs, exhibits, lists, and tables.The activities are
structured in two columns, one telling students what to do, the
otherproviding explanations, descriptions, and graphics. Throughout
a unit, instructor notesare found in the left margin.Course
summaryThis section provides a text summary of the entire course.
It is useful for providingclosure at the end of the course. The
course summary also indicates the next course inthis series, if
there is one, and lists additional resources students might find
useful asthey continue to learn about the subject
matter.GlossaryThe glossary provides definitions for all of the key
terms used in this course.IndexThe index at the end of this manual
makes it easy for you and your students to findinformation about a
particular subject matter component, feature, or concept.PREVIEWNOT
FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 8. vi PMP Certification: Project
Management BasicsManual conventionsWeve tried to keep the number of
elements and the types of formatting to a minimumin the manuals. We
think this aids in clarity and makes the manuals more
classicallyelegant looking. But there are some conventions and
icons you should know about.Item DescriptionInstructor
note/iconItalic text In conceptual text, indicates a new term or
feature.Bold text In unit summaries, indicates a key term or
concept. Inan independent practice activity, indicates an
explicititem that you select, choose, or type.Instructor notes. In
the left margin, provide tips, hints, and warnings forthe
instructor.Warning icon.Warnings prepare instructors for potential
classroommanagement problems.Tip icon.Tips give extra information
the instructor can sharewith students.Setup icon.Setup notes
provide a realistic business context forinstructors to share with
students, or indicate additionalsetup steps required for the
current activity.Projector icon.Projector notes indicate that there
is a PowerPoint slidefor the adjacent content.ActivitiesThe
activities are the most important parts of our manuals. They are
composed ofquestions and answers designed to review concepts and
invite discussion of ideas. Tothe far left, instructor notes
provide tips, warnings, and other information for theinstructor
only. Heres a sample:Do it! A-1: Discussing the importance of PMP
certificationQuestions and answers1 Which organization has
accredited PMI as a Standards DevelopmentOrganization?ANSIIf time
permits, allowbrainstorming anddiscussion of the variousbenefits.2
What are the benefits of earning the PMP credential?Answers might
vary but they could include instant recognition within an
organization andbetter career growth.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE 9. Introduction viiPowerPoint presentationsEach
unit in this course has an accompanying PowerPoint presentation.
These slideshows are designed to support your classroom instruction
while providing students witha visual focus. Each presentation
begins with a list of unit objectives and ends with aunit summary
slide. We strongly recommend that you run these presentations from
theinstructors station as you teach this course. A copy of
PowerPoint Viewer is included,so it is not necessary to have
PowerPoint installed on your computer.The ILT Series PowerPoint
add-inThe CD also contains a PowerPoint add-in that enables you to
do two things: Create slide notes for the class Display a control
panel for the Flash movies embedded in the presentationsTo load the
PowerPoint add-in:1 Copy the Course_ILT.ppa file to a convenient
location on your hard drive.2 Start PowerPoint.3 Choose Tools,
Macro, Security to open the Security dialog box. On the
SecurityLevel tab, select Medium (if necessary), and then click
OK.4 Choose Tools, Add-Ins to open the Add-Ins dialog box. Then,
click Add New.5 Browse to and select the Course_ILT.ppa file, and
then click OK. A messagebox will appear, warning you that macros
can contain viruses.6 Click Enable Macros. The ILT Series add-in
should now appear in theAvailable Add-Ins list (in the Add-Ins
dialog box). The x in front ofCourse_ILT indicates that the add-in
is loaded.7 Click Close to close the Add-Ins dialog box.After you
complete this procedure, a new toolbar will be available at the top
of thePowerPoint window. This toolbar contains a single button
labeled Create SlideNotes.Click this button to generate slide-notes
files in both text (.txt) and Excel (.xls) format.By default, these
files will be saved to the folder that contains the presentation.
If thePowerPoint file is on a CD-ROM or in some other location to
which the slide-notes filescannot be saved, you will be prompted to
save the presentation to your hard drive andtry again.When you run
a presentation and come to a slide that contains a Flash movie, you
willsee a small control panel in the lower-left corner of the
screen. You can use this panel tostart, stop, and rewind the movie,
or to play it again.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE
10. viii PMP Certification: Project Management BasicsTopic B:
Setting student expectationsProperly setting students expectations
is essential to your success. This topic will helpyou do that by
providing: Prerequisites for this course A description of the
target student A list of the objectives for the course A skills
assessment for the courseCourse prerequisitesStudents taking this
course should have at least 36 months of professional
projectmanagement experience.Target studentThis course is designed
for project managers who want to take the PMP Certificationexam.
This course reviews the requirements and procedures for taking the
PMP examand helps reinforce students understanding of basic project
management concepts.Course objectivesYou should share these overall
course objectives with your students at the beginning ofthe day.
This will give the students an idea about what to expect, and it
will help youidentify students who might be misplaced. Students are
considered misplaced when theylack the prerequisite knowledge or
when they already know most of the subject matterto be
covered.Note: In addition to the general objectives listed below,
more detailed objectives arelisted at the beginning of many topics,
along with references to corresponding materialin the PMBOK.
Because PMI does not publish a numbered list of PMP exam
objectives,our numbering scheme is intended only as an
organizational guide to topic coverage inthis manual.After
completing this course, students will know how to: Identify the
requirements for the PMP exam and discuss the PMP exam content.
Describe the project management context. Explain the project
management framework. Identify the knowledge areas and process
groups of project management.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE 11. Introduction ixSkills inventoryUse the
following form to gauge students skill levels entering the class
(students havecopies in the introductions of their student
manuals). For each skill listed, have studentsrate their
familiarity from 1 to 5, with five being the most familiar.
Emphasize that thisis not a test. Rather, it is intended to provide
students with an idea of where theyrestarting from at the beginning
of class. If a student is wholly unfamiliar with all theskills, he
or she might not be ready for the class. A student who seems to
understand allof the skills, on the other hand, might need to move
on to the next course in the series.Skill 1 2 3 4 5Describing a
project and its characteristicsDefining key terms, such as project
management, program,subproject, portfolio, and project management
officeIdentifying the stakeholders in a project and managing
theirexpectationsIdentifying the role of the project manager in
differentorganizational structuresUsing effective project
management skills, such as communication,negotiation, management,
influencing, and conflict managementskillsUsing effective general
management skills, such as organizing andplanning, budgeting,
leadership, and team building skillsIdentifying the characteristics
of a project phase, project life cycle,and product life
cycleIdentifying the five process groups of project
managementIdentifying the nine knowledge areas of project
managementPREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 12. x PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsTopic C: Classroom setupIn
addition to a manual, each student should be provided with a pad
and pens or pencilsfor jotting down notes and questions. Students
should have a comfortable place to sitand ample table space to
spread out their materials.Computer requirementsIf you wish to use
the PowerPoint presentations, youll need the following: A keyboard
and a mouse A Pentium-class or better computer Windows NT, 2000, or
XP operating system A minimum of 32 MB of RAM, depending on your
operating system A CD-ROM drive A Super VGA monitor An overhead
monitor projector PowerPoint 2000 or later, or Power Point
viewerDownloading the PowerPoint presentationsIf you dont have the
CD that came with this Instructors Edition, you can download
thePowerPoint presentations as follows:1 Connect to
www.axzopress.com.2 Under Downloads, click Instructor-Led
Training.3 Browse the subject categories to locate your
course.CertBlaster pre- and post-assessment softwareCertBlaster
pre- and post-assessment software is available for this course. To
downloadand install this free software, complete the following
steps:1 Connect to www.axzopress.com.2 Click the link for PMP
Certification.3 Save the .EXE file to a folder on your hard drive.
(Note: If you skip this step, theCertBlaster software will not
install correctly.)4 Click Start and choose Run.5 Click Browse and
then navigate to the folder that contains the .EXE file.6 Select
the .EXE file and click Open.7 Click OK and follow the on-screen
instructions. When prompted for thepassword, enter c_pmp.PREVIEWNOT
FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 13. Introduction xiTopic D:
SupportYour success is our primary concern. If you need help
setting up this class or teaching aparticular unit, topic, or
activity, please dont hesitate to get in touch with us.Contacting
usPlease contact us through our Web site, www.axzopress.com. You
will need to providethe name of the course, and be as specific as
possible about the kind of help you need.Instructors toolsOur Web
site provides several instructors tools for each course, including
courseoutlines and answers to frequently asked questions. To
download these files, go towww.axzopress.com. Then, under
Downloads, click Instructor-Led Training andbrowse our subject
categories.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 14. xii PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsPREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE 15. 11U n i t 1Getting startedUnit time: 45
minutesComplete this unit, and youll know how to:A Identify the
requirements for appearing forthe PMP exam and for maintaining
yourcertification.B Discuss the PMP exam content.PREVIEWNOT FOR
PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 16. 12 PMP Certification: Project
Management BasicsTopic A: About PMP certificationExplanation The
Project Management Institute (PMI) is a globally recognized
institution thatpromotes excellence in project management standards
and practices. It is accredited asthe Standards Development
Organization by the American National Standards Institute(ANSI).
PMI provides a platform for project managers across the world to
enhance theirknowledge base through seminars, training,
discussions, and certifications. PMPcertification is one of PMIs
many initiatives. The certification is an ISO 9001certifiedprogram
that is endorsed by organizations throughout the world.Importance
of PMP certificationAs a PMP certified professional, you derive
many benefits. A few of them are: Increased recognition from your
organization Increased customer confidence Potential salary
increase Better career prospectsEmployers across the world use the
PMP credential to sort through rsums. Foremployers, the credential
is a guarantee that you incorporate new tools and techniquesto
manage projects, employ industry best practices, and follow an
ethical code ofconduct. The credential also proves that you are
committed to constantly updating yourknowledge and to contributing
to the project management profession in general. In fact,the PMP
credential is associated with one of the highest average base
salaries and isranked fourth in CertCities.coms 10 Hottest
Certifications for 2006.Do it! A-1: Discussing the importance of
PMP certificationQuestions and answers1 Which organization has
accredited PMI as a Standards DevelopmentOrganization?ANSI.2 What
are the benefits of earning the PMP credential?Answers might vary,
but they could include instant recognition within an organization
andbetter career growth.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL
USE 17. Getting started 13PMP exam eligibility
requirementsExplanation Its strongly recommended that potential
applicants for the PMP exam read theCredential Handbook. You can
download this document from www.pmi.org. Thefollowing table
describes the two groups of applicants who are eligible to take the
PMPexam.CompletededucationProject managementexperienceProject
managementeducationHigh school diplomaor equivalentMinimum five
years of projectmanagement experience and7500 non-overlapping hours
ofmanaging projectsCompleted 35 professionaldevelopment units
(PDUs) inproject management. (Each PDU isequivalent to an hour of
formaleducation in project management.)Explain tostudents
thatoverlapping hours arethose during whichstudents are
handlingmultiple projects atonce. For example, saythat a project
manageris handling two projectsin January. All thehours spent in
projectmanagement in Januarywill be counted, but theoverlapping
hours (whenboth projects were inprogress) will becounted only
once.Bachelors degree orequivalentMinimum three years of
projectmanagement experience and4500 non-overlapping hours
ofmanaging projects.Completed 35 PDUs in projectmanagement.As part
of taking the exam, you agree to abide by a code of ethics. PMIs
PMP code ofethics specifies that you should constantly improve your
professional capabilities andmaintain high standards of personal
and professional integrity. More information aboutthe PMP code of
professional conduct is available
athttp://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_CertificationsOverview.asp?nav=0401.If
you meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply for the PMP exam.
The applicationform is available on the PMI Web site at
https://www.pmi.org/certapp/. You can submitthe form by postal mail
or complete it online at the PMI Web site. If your form isapproved,
you will receive an eligibility letter that will authorize you to
take the exam.This letter contains detailed scheduling information
and the date on which youreligibility year begins. Within this
eligibility period, you can take the PMP exam amaximum of three
times.Examination venueAfter receiving the eligibility letter, you
can schedule your exam at any PrometricTesting Center from Monday
through Saturday. Visit http://prometric.com/pmi to get acomplete
list of test sites.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 18.
14 PMP Certification: Project Management BasicsExam site
requirementsTo be admitted into the exam center, you must carry
your eligibility letter and aprimary, government-issued form of
identification. The ID should include Englishcharacters or an
English translation and should have both a photograph and a
signature.If your primary ID doesnt contain both a photo and
signature, you can use a secondaryform of ID. The list of
acceptable identification is shown in the following
table.Acceptable government-issued ID Acceptable secondary IDValid
drivers license Valid employee IDValid military ID Valid credit
card with signatureTell students that librarycards and
SocialSecurity cards are notacceptable identification.Valid
passport Valid bank (ATM) cardValid national identity cardIn
addition, your name on the identification must match your name on
the eligibilityletter. If there is any identification mismatch, PMI
has the right to deny permission totest you. Note that library
cards and Social Security cards are not acceptable forms
ofidentification.Dos and DontsYoure not permitted to bring food,
beverages, coats, book bags, luggage, ordictionaries into the exam
site. PMI also prohibits laptops, mobile phones, PDAs, andother
digital devices. However, handicapped candidates may carry devices
that theycannot do without. If you require an electronic device for
medical reasons, an exceptioncan be made.Notification of exam
resultsAfter you submit your test online, the computer will print a
copy of your results. If youpass the exam, you will receive an
official certificate declaring that you have passed. Ifyou fail the
exam, you will receive information about the result and a
notification toretake the exam. You can get more information about
exam results and reports bysending an e-mail message to
[email protected] you dont agree with the exam results, you
can request that your exam be scored byhand. However, you will need
to pay an additional fee for this service.Re-examination
proceduresIf you fail the exam the first time, you can attempt it
two more times within the sameeligibility year. However, if you
fail the exam on all three attempts, you must wait oneyear before
applying to take it again. Each time you retake the exam, you need
to pay anadditional fee and fill out a re-examination form. The
re-examination fee structure isavailable at this Web
page:http://www.pmi.org/prod/groups/public/documents/info/pdc_cert_exampmp_fees.asp.PREVIEWNOT
FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 19. Getting started 15Continuing
PMP certificationPMI provides support for keeping your
certification status active through its ContinuingCertification
Requirements (CCR) program. As part of this program, every three
years,you must: Attend a minimum of 60 PDUs. Complete an
Application for Certification Renewal form. Pay a renewal fee.
Continue to adhere to the PMP Code of Professional Conduct.Do it!
A-2: Discussing the PMP exam eligibility criteriaQuestions and
answers1 How will the eligibility requirements differ between
candidates holding anAssociates degree and those holding a
Baccalaureate degree?A candidate with an Associates degree must
have a minimum of 5 years of projectmanagement experience with
7,500 non-overlapping hours of project management. Acandidate with
a Baccalaureate degree should have a minimum of 3 years of
projectmanagement experience with at least 4,500 non-overlapping
hours of project management.2 Which of the following is (are)
acceptable proof of identification?A Valid credit cardB Eligibility
letterC PassportD Social Security card3 Which of these statements
about retaking the PMP examination is false?A If you fail the exam
the first time, you can attempt the exam two more timeswithin the
same eligibility year.B If you exhaust the maximum number of
attempts allowed within an eligibilityyear, you must wait a year to
reapply.C If you passed the exam with a low score, you can retake
it to improve thescore.D You need to pay an additional fee to
retake the exam within the eligibilityyear.4 What are the PMI CCR
program requirements for keeping the status of yourcertification
current?The CCR program of PMI requires you to: Attend a minimum of
60 PDUs within three years of attaining PMP certification. Complete
an Application for Certification Renewal form. Pay a renewal fee.
Continue to adhere to the PMP Code of Professional
Conduct.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 20. 16 PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsTopic B: PMP exam
contentExplanation The PMP exam is conducted both as a
computer-based and a paper-based test. You canchoose either medium.
If you are taking the exam on the computer, then before theexam
begins, you will be required to complete a 15-minute tutorial on
how to take theexam by computer. In the actual exam, you will see
one question at a time on the screen.Because there isno negative
marking, itmakes sense toattempt all questionseven if you are
notsure of the answer.The exam has 200 questions, which youre given
four hours to complete. Of the 200questions, 25 are pretest
questions. These questions appear randomly throughout theexam. The
score of the pretest questions is not included in the total
score.PMI computes the final score for the remaining 175 questions.
The scoring pattern ofthe exam is as follows: Each question carries
one point. A passing score is 141 points out of 175 (approximately
81%). No points are deducted for wrong answers.PMP exam
structureThe 200 questions are distributed across different
categories, as shown in the followingtable. The Professional and
Social Responsibility group, which focuses on the PMPcode of
conduct and ethical behavior, has been allotted 9% of the
questions. The rest ofthe questions address the five process
groups, which focus on project managementtheory and
principles.Question categories PercentageProject Initiating process
group 11Project Planning process group 23Project Executing process
group 27Tell students that theywill learn more aboutprocess groups
inanother unit.Project Monitoring and Control process group
21Project Closing process group 9Professional and Social
Responsibility group 9Exam question formatQuestions are not based
on any single source of material. However, the ProjectManagement
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide can be considered the basedocument.
Because the exam tests your application of project management
concepts,its essential that you understand these guidelines and
concepts in the context of reallife.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE 21. Getting started 17All of the questions in the
PMP exam are multiple-choice questions. Each question hasfour
choices, and only one of them is correct. The questions are either
situational ordirect. The situational questions require you to
evaluate a situation and choose the bestsolution based on project
management standards and best practices. The direct questionsmight
require comprehension and recall of information. For example, you
might need toidentify inputs, tools and techniques, or outputs of a
process.The following are sample questions provided by PMI to help
you understand thequestion format.Do it! B-1: Reviewing sample
questionsQuestions and answersThis is an example of asituational
question.1 You are assigned a project that requires the
manufacturing of medical equipmentfor one of your companys current
clients. Your company has executed similarprojects successfully in
the past. During which phase of the project would youconsider
referring to previous project documents for the similar projects?A
Scope PlanningB Scope VerificationC Scope DefinitionD
InitiationThis is an example of adirect question. For
suchquestions, students mightneed to memorizeconcepts.2 Assurance
that activities throughout time have conformed to the
organizationsrequirements can be accomplished through the use of:A
Status reportsB Project stage gatesC BenchmarkingD Control
chartsPREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 22. 18 PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsTips for taking the PMP
examExplanation Following are a few tips that may help you avoid
common mistakes: As soon as you get into the examination center,
note the formulas for variousmathematical calculations that you
will perform during the exam. This will saveyou time spent in
remembering them and prevent any confusion that might ariseduring
the exam. Organize your time efficiently and do not waste much time
answering aquestion. If you find a question tough, the best thing
to do is to mark it forreview and attempt it later. Be optimistic
while taking the exam. Even if a few questions are difficult
toanswer, you should go ahead with other questions. Read all four
answer choices carefully to avoid choosing the wrong answer.
Youshould first understand the question thoroughly and then
identify its answer. Often, it will seem like more than one option
is correct. Remember, you need toselect the best option among the
answers. Therefore, its important to read allfour options. In other
words, do not stop reading the remaining options after youthink you
found the correct one. At times, you might not agree with any of
the options because they dont matchwhat you would do in your
organization. Remember that these questions arebased on a set of
standards and guidelines that are recommended by PMI andrecorded as
best practices across industries. Try to answer the questions
fromPMIs perspective or, in other words, according to what PMBOK
prescribes.Only if you are unable to determine what PMBOK
prescribes should you rely onyour practical experience. It is
advisable to become a PMI member. Youll gain exposure to
documents,journals, and articles on exam-relevant content. In
addition, as a PMI member,youll pay a discounted exam
fee.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 23. Getting
started 19Do it! B-2: Understanding the PMP exam
environmentQuestions and answers1 What is the duration of the PMP
exam?Four hours.2 What is the total number of questions in the
exam?There are 200 questions. Of the 200, 25 are pre-test
questions. The score of these 25questions will not be included in
the final score.3 What type of questions does the PMP exam
contain?The PMP exam contains multiple-choice questions. Each
question has four choices, and onlyone answer is correct.4 What is
the passing score for the PMP exam?To pass the exam, you must score
141 points, which is approximately 81%.5 From which process groups
should you expect the most questions?Project execution (27
percent), followed by project planning (23 percent).PREVIEWNOT FOR
PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 24. 110 PMP Certification: Project
Management BasicsUnit summary: Getting startedTopic A In this
topic, you learned about the importance of the PMP exam. You also
learnedabout the eligibility criteria for appearing for the PMP
exam.Topic B In this topic, you became familiar with the PMP exam
structure and content. Youreviewed the question distribution across
process areas and the PMP question format.You also reviewed tips
for successfully taking the PMP exam.Review questions1 True or
false? No points are deducted for wrong answers on the PMP
exam.True2 If you have a Baccalaureate degree, how many hours of
PDUs do you need to beeligible?A 25 hoursB 35 hoursC 40 hoursD 45
hours3 When does your eligibility year for taking the PMP exam
end?A It ends one year from the date you file the PMP exam
application.B It ends one year from a date assigned to you by PMI.C
It ends one year from the date that your PMP application is
approved.D It ends one year from the time you formally complete all
eligibility requirements.4 If you fail the PMP exam, how long
should you wait to attempt it again within thesame eligibility
year?A One day.B One week.C One month.D You do not have to wait to
re-attempt the exam.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE
25. Getting started 1115 Which process area should you give maximum
attention to for passing the exam?A PlanningB ExecutingC Monitoring
and ControllingD You should give equal attention to all process
areas.You should give equal attention to all process areas. The
information throughout process areas isinterdependent. Being unsure
of activities in one area might lead to uninformed decisions
inanother.PREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE 26. 112 PMP
Certification: Project Management BasicsPREVIEWNOT FOR PRINTING OR
INSTRUCTIONAL USE
