Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam

My experience on PM duties is about 4 years now so I was in need of formalizing it, the best way is earn a PMP certification. Actively working and with family duties (two kids) present a real challenge to find spare time in order to attend any bootcamp or even paying for it. So self pace learning was my choice. Of course, everyone recommends Rita's book PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam so I bought it, also, looking at reviews I decided to buy the Flash Cards from Andy Crowe's book The PMP Exam: Flash Cards (Test Prep series) . Then as I have the Kindle I went for these: PMP Certification, A Beginner's Guide (Certification Press) , Q&A's for the PMBOK® Guide Fourth Edition and this one (Second Edition!)... With that material at hand, I went to PMI web page, formalized my application to earn PMP certificate and settled the CBT exam date for 2 1/2 months later, just to put me a "reasonable" deadline (3 months would have been better). Then I started studying in preparation for the exam. The amount of information covered by the PMBOK® is huge and the right order of processes, concepts, input, tools and techniques, outputs of each are important to pass and they need to be learned. The fun part of my plan was is that I started with Flash Cards, I reviewed all of them just once, then I started to read the Beginner's Guide (A really good book), I confess I put the Kindle to read for me several times in order to finish the Beginner's Guide, then I started with Q&A's book just to find out what my performance was (lower than required). Then I started with Rita's book, I advanced about 15% of the book and then almost by accident, thanks God!, started to read in parallel Head First PMP - Second Edition, boy I loved the book - it hooked me up, it has an strange style but really effective, not boring, full of examples, images and tests for progressive self-assessment. I finished it two days before the exam date and then I reviewed the PMI's PMBOK® Guide Fourth Edition focusing on the Ethics part (No time for any other thing). I passed, thanks to God!. My advise is that 4 hours on exam are very very exhausting so don't forget to sleep well the night before and be relaxed when actually get seated to take it! (And put all the EVM formulas on the sheet you are given first before reading the first question on the exam). If I could change something to my plan would be read the Head First PMP - Second Edition book in FIRST PLACE.

This is the only PMP-related book that you need to pass the certification exam. It taught me EVERYTHING that I needed to pass. I got my official training hours via [...] and did NOT take one of those 4-5 day training classes. After reading Head First PMP, I was a little scared, so I bought Andy Crowe's "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try". That book was a good review, and it boosted my confidence, but I didn't need it. Andy Crowe's book was well-written and easy-to-read, but it didn't "teach" me the subject matter. Head First PMP "taught" me the subject matter. I was an experience PM at the time, but knew NOTHING (literally) about the PMBOK before reading the book. I didn't buy "Rita's Book", perhaps because of the hype. I can't say if her book is good. I've since bought 3 Head First books and my co-workers have bought dozens of them. I'm currently studying Head First Design Patterns with 5 colleagues. I'm using Head First SQL to teach a class to 2 colleagues. I am reviewing Head First PMP with a Project Manager at work to help her pursue the PMP certification. I'm periodically reading Head First Excel, because I was tired of being embarrased that I'm a software developer / PM and didn't know how to use Excel. They are GREAT books. I recommend them all.

I've done project management for several projects large and small over the course of my career and for years had always put off taking the PMP certification exam because so many people said it was impossible to pass. After reading this book, I can honestly say I understand PM, have stopped listening to 'those' people and have my exam scheduled for the end of this month. Don't get me wrong, I signed up for a boot camp and used the PMBOK extensively in my studying, but would not have had the courage to move forward if I didn't have this book. It explained, in everyday language, the processes and knowledge areas needed to pass the exam. And they give pratical examples of using those processes, so you don't just memorize, you really understand the concepts behind them. From now on I will direct anyone thinking of taking the PMP to this book as a starter. Even if they don't take the exam, it's good to know and easy to digest. The only issue is a lot of the graphics were illegible on my Kindle, so many of the handwritten notes (while helpful) were killing my eyes when I tried to read them. One other thing, who ever was in charge of quality when converting the book into Kindle format dropped the ball on a few other editing items. Misspelled words, some of the practice tests at the end of the chapters listed numbers not letters, one test missed an entire question (#23 in Scope), in the chapter on Integration it states 44 processes (there are 42), you know, little stuff like that. But fixing the graphics issue would be a BIG help to future readers. Hope this is helpful.

Overview: --------- I just passed the PMP exam -- 4th edition of the PMBOK based. The test does require quite a bit of preparation. I have many years of project management experience, so I have a strong practical background. The PMBOK covers a very large body of material which is summarized at a high level in the PMBOK. You must have a combination of practical experience and extensive book knowledge of the PMBOK to pass the exam. I would start with this book before reading the PMBOK material. The approach in the book is very effective and gives you a very solid overview of the key PMBOK items. After studying this book and doing the practice test in the back, I would then suggest that you go over the PMBOK 4th edition several times followed by doing a lot of practice tests. Practice tests are critical so you can figure out how to properly interpret what the question is asking. Appoach: -------- The book uses a series of techniques -- stories, use cases, crossword puzzles, flash card type quizzes (a range of memonic tricks). It may seem a bit odd but it does really work. The reason why I say start with this book is that you need to have solid overview of all the subject areas and processes before you try to connect lots of detailed information that makes up the PMBOK knowledge space. There are many other books out there to study for the PMP exam. But, if the book does not take a top-down approach, you can very quickly get confused with the PMBOK terminology and processes. There is a large amount of information available on the internet. When you are taking the practice tests, you should make a list of any terms you are not familiar with and then look them up later. This is a very helpful way to get a feel for the scope and level of detail that you need to know about items defined in the PMBOK and project management world.

I have been PMP certified recently. PMP certification really needs a lot of work. I first took my official training hours. However i felt as if "lost in space" after that training. It included lots of definitions and processes but no real business matter know how. Studying for PMP seemed to me like a lot of work to do. Then i got "Head First PMP" book. This was really a turning point for me. Reading this book was a real joy. It taught me the underlying concepts in such an interesting way and helped me gain a lot of knowledge. It has a special way of getting information to stick in your mind "just as promised by the authors". I got several books later just to make sure i got everything right. I got the Andy Crew book which was a good one too. I got the PMBOK guide and Rita's book. However though they were good none of them was as good and as interesting to read as the Head First PMP. I really recommend this should be the first book to read. It's just WONDERFUL. I want to thank the Head First team for there wonderful effort. I fell in love with this series of books that i bought 4 other Head First books. Thank you

Love HF PMP. I originally purchased an audio/video PM Series to study, but that didn't help. Then, I read the PMBOK. That was like trying to study encyclopedic concepts from a dictionary, one word at a time. "Headfirst PMP" gave me concrete examples that I could understand and follow. I found that I automatically understood the material ... but most importantly, I understood why the PMBOK material was laid out the way it is. The process to PMP that worked for me was: 1) Read HF PMP and do ALL exercises 2) Read the PMBOK 3) Take a 200 question practice test 4) Note the areas you had problems with, both what you got wrong and what you didn't immediately understand. 4) Re-read HF PMP and re-do ALL exercises (I bought a new copy to re-do the exercises. I found it well worth the investment!) 5) Re-read the PMBOK 6) Take 3 200 question practice tests on successive days 7) Study any material you didn't immediately know from any of the tests 8) Take the test as soon as possible. I was able to do this in 3 weeks. Passed with above-average competency. Good luck.

I'm generally a fan of the Head First series of books, perhaps not for its visual style, but more about its simple approach to subjects and knack for repeating important concepts. However, I found their PMP book, only satisfactory. Studying for the PMP or CAPM is definitely dry with all their processes, but I can't say this book did a whole lot better explaining things as compared to the PMBOK. The book feels a bit incoherent, and random. It would of benefited greatly by revisiting older concepts in a more purposeful way as the AJAX book in this series did. It could of used some memory techniques for remembering the 42 processes, etc. Even worse, there are times when the book forgets to mention certain process outputs or tools. Each process is covered slightly different, sometimes throwing the reader (at least me) off as to what were the inputs, outputs and tools for a process are. It's not a terrible book. Just disappointing. As has been written before, this book should be used as only a COMPLIMENT to your PMP/CAPM preparations and not your sole reference. I've since ordered the Rita book to make a comparison.

First of all - do not be intimidated by the number of pages in this book. There are numerous graphics in the book and its organized in such a way that is truly very brain friendly and ideal to learning the material. I highly recommend that you read this book and read this book FIRST before reading any other including the PMBOK. I am giving this book 4 stars and not 5 stars because there are a few errors. The biggest one is in the back of the book, there is a crossword puzzle and the solution for it does not match the questions. I went to Head First's website looking to see if the solution was posted there and it was not. Someone also posted a question in the forum years ago inquiring about it and the authors/editors never replied to him. There are also a few grammer errors as well. Despite this, I enjoyed the book and it was VERY helpful to learning the material and I highly recommend it!!

Different from any other study book. Entertaining and make you keep reading because of its dynamic while reading. It is a bit too heavy to carry.

Ich hab den PMP gerade bestanden und möchte meine Erfahrungen beim Lernen gern weitergeben. Da ich nicht wusste, wie ich an das Thema herangehen soll, habe ich gleich 3 Bücher bestellt: 1. PMBOK Guide 2. PMP Exam Prep (Rita's Buch) 3. Head First PMP Der PMBOK Guide ist ein Nachschlagewerk, mit dem ich erst gearbeitet hab, als ich den Stoff mehr oder weniger beherrscht habe. Ritas Buch ist sehr ermüdend. Außerdem lässt Sie meiner Meinung nach zu sehr heraushängen, dass sie sich als "Göttin des Projektmanagements" versteht. Dafür sind die Übungsfragen gut. Ich hab den Stoff dann mit dem "Head First PMP gelernt. Hier wird das Thema in einfacher Form aufbereitet und durch verschiedenste Aufgaben wie Kreuzworträtsel und andere Übungen neben den Examensfragen eingeübt. Die Übungsthemen wie "Wedding Planner" oder ein Film namens "Cows gone wild" verbunden mit Comic-artigen Bildern haben einige meiner Kollegen als unseriös für ein Fachbuch empfunden. Aus meiner Sicht lässt sich jedoch ein trockenes Thema durch eine lockere Darstellung leichter lernen. Für mich war es der richtige Kauf. Allerdings: Es gibt ein paar wenige ev. prüfungsrelevante Spezialthemen, die in diesem Buch nicht vorkommen, wohl aber in Ritas Buch. Daher gibt's von mir nur 4 Sterne. Meine Lernempfehlung: Dieses Buch mit Übungen durcharbeiten und danach nur noch Examensfragen lösen. Examensfragen gibt es sehr viele kostenlose im Internet! Die erwähnten, (ganz wenigen) Lücken, lassen sich beim Bearbeiten von Examensfragen durch Nachschlagen im PMBOK-Guide oder Ritas Buch schließen. Ich wünsch Euch viel Glück beim Bestehen des PMPs ! PS: Das Niveau der Examensfragen lag ungefähr auf dem der Fragen aus "Head First PMP". Manche der im Internet vorliegenden Fragen sind superschwer. Man hat den Eindruck, dass hier Leute zeigen wollen, wie gut sie die Materie beherrschen.

Ottimo libro per la preparazione all'esame PMP. Consigliatissimo. Anche le domande di prova sono molto simili a quelle reali. Studiando su questo libro, e sul PMBOK ho superato l'esame al primo tentativo. Anzi, tutto sommato la lettura del PMBOK non è poi così essenziale (anche se utile)

I loved this book and read it 3 times in 4 months. This book is the opposite of Rita Mulcahy's (and significantly cheaper!) - Unlike Rita's, Head First makes you feel like anyone could pass the PMP if they read this book. I don't memorize or test well (particularly in multiple choice exams), so I really credit my success on the PMP exam to Head First because it uses lots of strategies to help you learn things without rote memorization. That being said, it is a BIG book and not ideal for review. Once I had read the book a few times, I needed other tools for review. I scored 84% on the PMP sample exam at the back of the Head First book and felt the questions were good preparation for the real exam. Having used both Head First and Rita Mulcahy's book, I would definitely recommend Head First above all else! See my full PMP Lessons Learned here: [...]

I wanted to buy Head First PMP 3rd edition but bought 2nd edition by error- Can I get a 3rd edition in exchange of the 2nd edition