PMP Exam Preparation Books

By Vinai Prakash

Although PMI has published the PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition, which is a good guide to the Project Management Framework, Processes and Knowledge Areas, it is not as easy read and prepare for the PMP Exam. It gets quite boring and is best described as a sleeping pill. If you can’t sleep, start reading it… and in no time, you’ll be fast asleep.

There are many excellent PMP exam preparation books available in the market today, which can assist you in preparing for the PMP Exam.

Visit the Amazon PMP Books Store for a quick browse of the available Books, and Resources. Some good PMP books, mock exam question banks and DVDs courses for PMP preparation are listed below:

• PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulchahy* RECOMMENDED
• Head First PMP by Jennifer Greene
• PMP Project Management Preparation Professional by Kim Heldman
• PMP Exam by Andy Crowe

PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulchahy

8th Edition, Updated for 2013 onwards, Rita’s PMP Book is an excellent resource to prepare for the PMP Exam. It consists of over 500 pages, and has 400 mock PMP exam questions – atleast 30-40 at the end of each chapter.

Plus, Rita explains the concepts that are missed out in the PMBOK Guide, and makes the dry topic of processes, learning their inputs, outputs, tools and techniques, very easy to understand and assimilate.

The highlight of the book is Rita’s Process Chart®, which is a logical way of remembering which process comes first, and which comes after. There are a couple of cut-out games which, played regularly, make the process sequence easy. This alone can get you 15-20 questions correct in the exam.

Rita has chosen to divide this book into Knowledge Areas as chapters. This aligns well with the PMBOK Guide. Most other books divide the PMP exam into Processes. But this makes you jump from process to process, never looking at any one knowledge area.  Rita’s approach of using Knowledge Areas is a very practical way of looking at things, and easy for all to

I used this book for my own preparation… Thousands of other project managers who have passed their PMP Credential attribute their success to Rita’s book.

It is really geared towards preparing you for the exam, and not just talk about the concepts, but how they apply to the exam.

My personal recommendation is to buy this book. It is considered THE BEST book for PMP Exam preparation.

At about US$85 at Amazon, this is a steal.

Head First PMP by Jeniffer Greene & Andrew Stellman

This is a book from another world. I had never seen such a book before. This book make the dry and sleepy topic of Project Management come alive.

Drawing on the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First PMP offers you a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick.

This book uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Full of Visuals, diagrams and artwork, this is a very easy to read book.

This book will help you:

• Learn PMP’s underlying concepts to help you understand the PMBOK principles and pass the certification exam with flying colors
• Get 100% coverage of the latest principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition, including two new processes: Collect Requirements and Identify Stakeholders
• Make use of a thorough and effective preparation guide with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies
• Explore the material through puzzles, games, problems, and exercises that make learning easy and entertaining

It also contains a full length Mock PMP Exam Paper. This is an excellent resource for you to try out and see if you are ready to take the PMP Exam.

At under US$42, this Head First PMP Book is a great bargain at Amazon.

PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, Includes Audio CD –  By Kim Heldman

Kim’s PMP Book is the third most popular book among PMP aspirants. Updated for the Fifth edition of the PMBOK Guide, you’ll benefit from the detailed discussions on a wide range of PMP topics, concepts, and key terms-all of which cover the Project Management Process and Procedures.

• A comprehensive study guide for the PMP certification exam that can also be used as a reference after the exam
• Each chapter covers a list of objectives, followed by in-depth discussions of those objectives
• Includes hands-on, real-world scenarios to prepare you for the many situations you may face on the job
• Companion CD-ROM features a test engine of practice questions, electronic flashcards, and two hours of audio.

Essential reading both before and after the PMP exam, this study guide is also aimed at anyone studying for the PMP Exam or the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) program.

At over 670 pages, and with a price tag of only US$33, you are getting a great value for your money, and this can be crucial to your passing the PMP exam. Get Kim Heldman’s PMP Study Guide  today from Amazon!

This Study Guide also has a CD-ROM with hundreds of practice questions (you can take 2 complete PMP practice exams). The questions are of the same level and toughness as what you will face in the acutal PMP exam.

The only thing I don’t like about this book is that it is organized by Process Groups, rather than by Knowledge Areas. So the process for each knowledge area have to be referred to by the process group, and make it difficult to find information, unless you go to the Index and find where the process is.

But again, the way Kim explains, she goes beyond the PMBOK Guide and takes each input, output, tools and techniques in detail and explains each thing very well.

Get this book at Amazon under US$33

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