Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam 7th Edition

Having just passed the PMP exam on December 28, 2012, I can give you a fresh perspective based on my use of this book for passing the exam. I am the project manager for awareness campaigns, but my knowledge of PMI's thoughts on how to go through project management were not overly developed prior to studying for this exam. So I would say I was starting from the beginning for the more detailed processes like risk management. I used Rita's book and the PMBOK Guide exclusively for four months. My study habits included reading through Rita's book fully once and taking the chapter practice tests, reading highlighted portions of the book the second time around and repeating some of the exercises in each chapter, and the third time around skimming each chapter for my problem areas and retaking the practice exams. During my second go through the book I also read through the 4th edition PMBOK Guide. The PMBOK really helped me with inputs and outputs and Rita's book is great for those of us who are trying to get better in project manager and pass the exam on the first try.Overall, I really don't have any cons for this book because I didn't look at any other books and I passed and passed WELL. The woman printing my results at the testing site told me she was impressed. I was surprised (re: overjoyed), she administers these tests every day and didn't really seem like the cheerleading type. However, please note the following are NOT INCLUDED IN BOOK: Rita does not include quality/grade and accuracy/precision, so make sure you get that knowledge. I did a quick google search online when I realized that was missing (from my online course) and I was fine after that. I loved the content, her conversational style, and thus, I actually ENJOYED studying on the train, during lunch and home. I spent approximately 4.5 hours a day on this book from September - December (with a few skipped days to enjoy life) and left no exercise incomplete. I also took three practice exams the week of the exam (I don't recommend this, but I was rushing) not affiliated with this author and that definitely tied everything together for me. I scored 72 on the first exam, 68 on the second, and 77 on the third practice exam. It helps!Key Points:1) Do the practice exams. The hardest one turned out to be Communications for me and that's my actual job field! I scored in the 50s the first time on that particular chapter and the 80s the second time. I scored in the 70s and 80s with a couple of high 60s on the other chapters the first time around. I was scoring in the mid- to high- 80s by my last read through the chapters and PMBOK Guide.2) Memorize what she tells you to memorize3) Take practice exams not affiliated with Rita's product. I didn't buy fast track - there are plenty of good free exams online. This was the tipping point I believe for helping me see how draining a four-hour test can be if you're not used to sitting that long.4) Don't read everything out there. I think it's unnecessary and can be confusing. I trusted the author when she advised against that and I think it helped me focus on her book and the PMBOK without worry (I get sidetracked very easily).5) Do ALL of the exercises in Rita's book and really try to understand why you got the questions wrong in her practice exams and commit those reasons to memory. It really helps you understand the PMI way of thinking for the exam.

I just passed the PMP exam, and I can definitely say that this book helped tremendously. I have done project management for many years (on small projects), and had taken a series of on-line courses, so I thought I was ready. But when I took one of the practice tests in "PMP: Practice Makes Perfect", I realized that I had a number of holes in my knowledge. Maybe I would have passed anyway, but with the cost of a retest over $300, I wanted to be sure.Just about everything I needed was here, and the few things I had to look up on-line because they were sketchily covered (e.g. PTA) turned out not to be on the exam. I found it easy to find the info I needed, and the charts and drawings communicated well. There is a density of information in this book that I found very helpful.I spent about 30 hrs studying for the exam over about a week (not counting my original on-line course). It was intense, but the book's style and exams are readable and interesting enough that they did not put me to sleep.Yes, the tone can be off-putting, as it sounds like a very experienced PM "lecturing" a newbie. But if you've really been doing everything in PMBOK, you probably are already certified, and certainly don't need a book. For the vast majority of PMs who don't do all the PM processes thoroughly (if at all), the tone isn't too far off. And it's a small price to pay for a lot of info in a dense and accessible package that still maintains a very readable style.Well worth the investment.

After first reading the Head First PMP, I ordered Rita. Felt I needed another resource to explore some of the concepts deeper, mainly because I'm new to project management and don't have the experience it seems some people have going into the PMP. This was the perfect book for what I needed. I found all the exam tips extremely helpful, as well as the quizzes at the end of each chapter. I played the process game a bunch of times and did all of the other exercises.My only criticism is similar to what others reported - the material is very dry. The chapters seemed to drag on at times and were challenging to get through. I also thought the language/tone was condescending at times which was actually more amusing than upsetting. Just beware that this is a dry read but it's important to read it all. Another minor thing is there were terms on the exam that were not covered in Rita. Not many, but definitely a few. I don't have any recommendations for avoiding this, but just be aware that this book shouldn't be your one and only resource for studying for the PMP.A bit about my PMP journey ... I took and passed it in early February. I started studying immediately after Christmas 2012 and studied diligently through January. For the first few weeks I was reading Rita and Head First for a few hours a night. Closer to the exam I spent chunks of time on weekends taking practice exams. On the day of the exam I felt prepared, but I also felt burned out and at max capacity in terms of learning new information. If you're putting yourself on a rigid study schedule like mine, I wouldn't suggest extending your study time much more than 6 weeks. I mentioned practice exams above - I took about every free exam I could find on the Internet and believe this was absolutely critical in helping me pass. Although none of the exams seem to simulate the real deal perfectly, it really helped me see where my deficiencies were. Then I'd revisit Rita to reinforce what I'd gotten incorrect.Overall, this is one of several excellent resources I'd recommend.