25 Tips and Tricks for Successfully Passing the PMP Examination

© 2003 Dr. Voight, Lehmann & Partners Page 1

Before the Exam

1. Make a checklist of things you need to have organized for the morning of the exam well in advance and then use the checklist. Nothing is more disruptive to your concentation and ability to do your best than unexpected problems or stress. The following are examples of things that might be part of your checklist:

a. Be sure you have the required two forms of signature-bearing identification, one of which has your photograph, in order to be admitted to the exam.

b. You can and should bring a six-function calculator – make sure the batteries are fresh.

c. Be sure your car has plenty of gasoline. d. Have a backup plan for such things as child care, if relevant.

2. Do not spend more than one hour with your study materials on the evening before the exam. At this point, additional studying will harm more than help. Your brain needs time and relaxation to establish long-term memory traces. Plan a quiet, relaxing evening doing something you find personally fulfilling.

3. Avoid a heavy meal the evening before the exam. A dinner that is high in carbohydrate and fiber and low in fat will support you the best. Abstain from alcohol beginning not less than 48 hours and ideally 72 hours before the scheduled exam. Do everything possible to ensure a good night’s rest the night before the exam.

4. Do not skip breakfast the morning of the exam! High protein and complex carbohydrates and little or no sugar will best sustain your concentration. Consume no caffeine or sugar within three hours of the start of the exam. These substances are largely metabolised by the body within two hours, and their initial stimulating effect is followed by a loss of concentration and energy for at least an hour thereafter.

5. Avoid stress the morning of the exam. If at all possible, take the morning off from work and go for a walk or engage in other light, outdoor exercise. Your goal is to arrive at the exam site as fresh, relaxed and self-confident as possible.

General Guidance

6. If English is not your native language, you can request that question translations in your native language be made available to you as part of your application. Do your best, however, to prepare for the exam in English. To the maximum extent possible, use the translations only for the meaning of words you do not know. Relying on the translation entirely for understanding the question or answers entails a risk that the translation may not be contextually accurate.

25 Tips and Tricks for Successfully Passing the PMP Examination

© 2003 Dr. Voight, Lehmann & Partners Page 2

7. Different parts of you brain are used for verbal, calculation and diagram (network and expected value) questions. You will work more accurately and efficiently if you group these classes of questions and answer them all together. Generally, the verbal (logical) questions require the least amount of time per question and should be answered first. Simply mark the other two types of questions as you encounter them “to be reviewed” and skip on to the next question. The diagram questions generally require the most amount of time per question and should be done last.

8. On the first pass, just mark questions you are not sure of as “to be reviewed”. Do the easy questions that you are quite certain of first. You are building a rhythm of success that will support and encourage you with the more difficult questions later.

9. If you see a question that you don’t know the anwer to, don’t panic! Many people have “test anxiety” which impairs their ability to think clearly and to recall facts that they do know. Take a deep breath and just move on to the next question. After you have completed your first pass, you will be more relaxed and will likely have a different perspective on the question.

10. Don’t change your answer unless you really have a new insight or realize that your previous answer was based on an incorrect reading of the question. One study found that initially correct answers are changed to incorrect ones almost three times as often as incorrect answers are changed to correct ones.

11. If you don’t know the anwer to a question, begin by trying to identify answers that are clearly wrong. Even if you can only eliminate one choice before having to guess, you improve your chances of a correct guess from 25% to 33,3%.

12. There is no penalty for wrong answers! Do not leave any questions unanswered even if you have no idea what the correct answer should be.

Strategies for Answering Questions

13. Read every word. Look specifically for words like “not”, “except”, “all but…”, and other similar words that invert the question. If almost all the answers seem to be true, this may be the explanation.

14. Read the question and possible answers slowly and carefully. The test is not a speed reading test.

15. Read all of the answer choices – don’t assume the first one you read that sounds right is the right one. You will sometimes encounter questions with one answer that is possibly correct but where a different answer will be a better choice.

16. Look for words that may make seemingly right answers incorrect such as “always” and “never” as well as for words that may make a seemingly incorrect answer the best one, such as “reasonably”, “normally” and “in many cases”.

17. A favorite test trick is to quote an exact definition out of the PMBOK, but the wrong definition for the question being asked. Be sure you consider both the question and the answer together before making your choice.

25 Tips and Tricks for Successfully Passing the PMP Examination

© 2003 Dr. Voight, Lehmann & Partners Page 3

18. Questions may not always have a clear answer that is always correct. In this case, choose the best answer that is most often correct.

19. Later questions may answer, or hint at the answer, to earlier questions. If you recognize this, make a note – don’t assume you will remember – rather than going back immediately to try and find the earlier question. By the time you have finished the exam, you will have a number of these “possibilities” and it will be more efficient and less disruptive to check for all of them as part of your review.

20. If the question contains diagrams, tables or other numbers used in calculations, copy these down completely on your scratch paper before beginning the development of the solution. Trying to go back and forth between your scratch paper and the screen is very tiring, leads often to errors, and will be very difficult to check later. Number your notes and diagrams on your scratch paper and use it in an orderly fashion so as to facilitate later review.

21. Be very careful of questions framed in a double negative (“None of the following are relevant except …”). Re-phrase the question (write the rephrased question down on your scratch paper if necessary) to eliminate both negatives (“Which of the following is relevant …”).

22. Do use your calculator for all but the most elementary calculations. If you have enough time, re-check all your calculations – again using the calculator. It is amazing how often, in the pressure of the examination, we can be quite certain that 1 +1 = 3.

Managing Your Physical Well Being

23. Four hours is a very long time for uninterrupted concentration. Take regular ten second breaks to close your eyes, lean back, consciously relax your shoulders and neck, and flex and extend your toes.

24. Dep breathing and stretching enhances blood flow to the brain and relaxes the body. Take at least twenty seconds to do this at least once per hour and more often if you feel like it.

25. Drink water regularly during the exam. Dehydration is known to impair clear thinking. Although you will not be allowed to take water into the exam area, water will be available. Don’t worry about the time to go get a drink. The movement and the break from concentration will more than make up for the time lost because you will return to the exam focused and with renewed energy.

Good Luck!