2 weeks study guide for PMP

Exam: PMI PMP - Project Management Professional


If you are planning to be an ideal project manager, then you will probably encounter the PMP exam. To be a certified project manager, you need to pass the PMP exam, and in order to that you need to get a high score. Whatever it may be one is doing, they need a plan and to set achievable goal so as to achieve it. With the right kind of plan, one can achieve a high score in their PMP paper. To be able adequately to prepare for the Project Management Professional, you need a study program that will work. One that will enable you to acquire the necessary skills and ability that will be tested on the paper. Not all students are the same, you find some do not have to spend a lot of study time in order to pass exams, while other require ample and enough time to be able to study. No matter what kind of student you are, you still need a study plan, a schedule that will enable you to tackle the exam without any problems.

Students who create a well-structured study schedule will end up performing great. Gathering the tight kind of tools is critical and creating a flexible schedule is advised. With the right guidelines, one can easily create their study schedule that they can use at home. As you are planning your study schedule, make sure to assess and know what you require. There are several things that one should consider before they create an efficient PMP study schedule. The following are some of the ways to prepare for the exam up to the last two weeks of the exam:

  1. Determine your weaknesses- This is an important step in planning your study schedule. Since you are a student, you probably know your weakness in the world of project management. By starting with the weak topics, you will be able to work your way up to the other strong topics that you are good at. This will ensure you get comprehend and have enough time to study your weak points and make them strong. When planning your schedule, make sure to allocate your weakness more time compared to your strong topics. You will be able to cover much more of what you do not understand.
  2. Get to arrange and rank the subjects or topics based on the difficulty. The PMP covers the five main processes of project management: The PMP test revolves around mainly project management and with the release of the latest pattern by the Project Management Institute (PMI), owners of the PMP. The exam currently assesses the applicant in the main subjects:
    • Initiating the Project – this take around 13% of the total questions in the exam.
    • Planning the Project – this take around 24% of the exam questions
    • Executing the project – takes around 30% of the exam questions
    • Monitoring and controlling the project -  take around 25% of the exam questions
    • Closing the Project -  takes around 8% of the exam questions

    As a student, make sure to rank them from the most difficult one to the less difficult one. This will enable you to know on which subject you should spend more time at.  When you realize the difficult subjects for you, you can get more resources on those subjects so as to gain more knowledge and acquire the right skills and ability.

  3. Make sure to have both daily and weekly study guide. It is known that a minimum of around three hours of study time a day is ideal for any student preparing for the PMP. Once you have identified the difficult subjects in your studies, make sure that you that allocate enough time to each subject. For example, the most difficult and second most difficult subjects, one can allocate them two days of study a week in the schedule. It is advised that one should spend at least two-thirds of their study time going through the most difficult topics and subjects

Two-week preparation for the PMP

You may find that you do not have enough time to and you only have two weeks to the PMP exam. Although this very short time, one can still manage to read for the PMP. As long as you have the right study material one can be able to get a high score on the exam. There are several key factors that you need to consider as you prepare for the PMP:

  • Time commitment
  • Initial Approach
  • Final Approach

If you only have two weeks, you need to allocate more than 12 hours a day for reading. This is very important so as to get enough time to go through all the necessary study material. Within these two weeks of preparation, one also needs to do plenty of mock tests, so as to get an ideal preview of the exam. Good study material that you can use within the two weeks of preparation are:

  1. The Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Edition (PMBOK) – for those taking the new pattern of the PMP exam.
  2. Rita Mulchay, 6th or 7th Edition
  3. Reference materials
  4. Mock tests

With these materials, you will be able to utilise the two weeks for preparation ideally, which will ensure you are well oriented with the PMP certification exam. Once you have created an effective PMP 2-week study schedule make sure to adhere to it. If you miss studying for a subject make sure to recover the lost time. By adhering to the study schedule that you have made, you will quickly acquire the necessary skills and ability that will be tested. To be able to stick to your study plan, make sure to make one that has realistic goals and targets, so that you will not have a hard time sticking to them.


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