PMP EXAM PREPARATION:

 During your preparation period, you must read the PMBOK once or twice before you go to solve
questions. If you go straightly to solve question this may cause a confusion, or you will focus on
the side of information concerned by this question and you will lose a lot of other important
sides of the idea.
 Please DON’T memorize PMBOK, instead you MUST read it line by line and word by word to get
all the ideas together.
 At the first time, you will read the information related with each knowledge area to be familiar
with it, but you will not capture the interrelations and integration between this knowledge area
and the other ones. For example: when you read the Scope Management you will focus on
everything related with Scope ONLY, but you will not get the important relations between Scope
and Quality, Risk, Schedule... etc. It is OK for the first time, BUT after the first read have end,
your mission will be more important and sensitive, because during your second reading you
must start make lines and relations and overlapping between the whole areas together.

Example:
In Collect Requirements process (5.2), you will find Agreements as an input, but you didn’t read
anything about agreement yet for the first time, so at your second reading the relation will be
more clear and more familiar for you, other thing, PMBOK is presenting the information in a
very lovely way, and it is talking about the importance of every document as an input, in our
example, PMBOK will tell you that (Agreements can contain project and product requirements),
so it is very important input for this process, (that’s it).
 For that I said please DON’T memorize, you must deeply understand every single point, every
single idea, and try to read with high concentration (read between lines).
 DON’T read integration unit till you have finished all the other knowledge areas (except 4.1),
because it is more useful to keep integration to the end.
 After that, you must practice questions as much as you can, why?!, Simply because questions
and mocks will force you to go to PMBOK for review and consulting and that will open the door
for the missed information and ideas to be captured, and at the end you will cover all the sides
and ideas of that subject.
 Other very important thing regarding mocks, every time you are solving questions, your score
will improve, so your CONFIDENCE level in yourself will become higher and higher.
 This CONFIDENCE level will make you ready more to submit for your real exam.
 Please DON’T go to your real exam before you solve at least 2,000 to 3,000 questions (for me, I
practiced more than 5,000 Q, most of them as per 5th edition).
 It is very important during practicing mocks, please try to isolate yourself and use a TIMER, it is
very important to simulate the environment inside the real exam, and to force yourself to use
your full concentration under pressure and tension.
 Start with small mocks of 50 question for each, you must do that in 60 minutes as MAXIMUM,
after you will rise the dose to be 100 Q for each…, and so on.
 DON’T start the next mock until you review your results, you will review the wrong questions
and the right ones as well, the wrong ones to capture your fault, and the right ones to be sure
about your selection. So please read the description carefully after each question.
PMP FINAL EXAM:

 Please DON’T be in a hurry to submit your final exam, take your time, and when you find that
you are really ready, go ahead.
 DON’T go to your final exam, unless you did at least 3 FULL LENGTH exams (200q, 4 hours).
 Tow or three days before the exam, just relax and have fun (don’t study), and sleep at least 7
complete hours per night.
 Before the exam, DON’T eat so much, only some light fruits (one banana and one apple), this
will help your mind to be clear during the exam.
 DON’T drink a lot of liquids, a small cup of coffee or fresh drink will be OK.
 Try to arrive early before your exam, this will help you to remove the tension and pressure and
break the ice.

DURING THE EXAM:

 You must wear your PMP Hat, you must be proactive, and you are the most authorized person
to make decisions regarding your project. Simply imagine your self inside your office, not in the
test center, and every question is a real case that you must solve in the best manner.
 It is very useful to use the elimination technique for the wrong answers, by clicking on the right
button of the mouse. This will help you to concentrate more in the right direction.
 Most of the questions are situational ones (about 80%):
 What is the best way to solve this?
 What should the PM do next?
 How is it better to deal with this problem?
 What must have been done to prevent that?.. and so on.
 A lot of questions regarding CHANGE scenarios (about 15 one), so you must know the right steps
 Focus on Risk, Quality, Communication, Resources, Stakeholders and Procurements.
 Risk strategies and when to use everyone is VERY important.
 Conflict management and problem solving is very important.
 Interpersonal skills are very important.
 At the beginning of each chapter, you will find (Consideration for Agile), it is important.
 For me, only one or two questions regarding Agile.
 For me, I didn’t find big difference between the 5th and the 6th versions, so don’t worry but you
MUST be aware about the differences. Actually, most of my preparing was on mocks as per the
old version, ONLY the new Green Book was as per 6th edition. (Green Book is the BEST).
 I didn’t read any single word from Rita because it arrived later, and I didn’t have enough time.
 As per PMI, there is 11% about initiation and 7% about closing (it is 18% for only three
processes), so please make your best to study carefully everything about these three processes
(4.1, 13.1 and 4.7), inputs + T&T + outputs. {BE CLEVER MY DEAR}
 Process No. 4.4 is important, as it is new one.
 Project Charter VS Project Scope Statement is VERY important.
 Everything about Kick-off meeting is VERY important.
 Business Case and its components & Business Benefit Plan is VERY Important.
 Change Management Plan VS Configuration Management Plan.
 T&T of Collect Requirements and the differences between them is VERY important.
 T&T of the estimating method is VERY important (Analogous, Parametric, Bottom up ..).
 Quality T&T is very very important, please understand the differences and WHEN to use WHAT.
 Manage Quality VS Control Quality is VERY important.
 About 4 to 5 math questions, easy way.
 Tuckman Ladder is important (Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing-Adjuring).
 Please CARFULLY practice the EXAM OUTLINE, you WILL be asked about 5 to 7 questions
regarding the PM Tasks in the different process groups.
 Again and again, DON’T memorize, instead please Understand and Analyze and Link ideas with
each other’s.

I think that I’ve covered the most important Lessons Learned during my Journey, I hope it will be
useful for you.

Sorry if that was long and boring...

It was my point of view, so if you find any different point, don’t worry, it is OK.
I wish the best for all.