Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep: For the Updated PMP Exam!

I passed the PMP test on my first try on September 25th 2006. My preparation material: 1. The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try(Andy Crowe) 2. PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam(Rita Mulcahy) 3. PM FASTrack: PMP Exam Simulation Software, Version 5 (CD-ROM)(Rita Mulcahy) 4. PMBOK I initially started out by using Rita's as my primary preparation material. I switched to Andy's midway and came back to Rita's. Rita goes through a lot of exercises and tries to make you think of the solutions in a logical way. I felt that you need a little background on all the processes before you start out with this book. This book doesn't clearly state input, tools & techniques and outputs-I think it goes back to Rita trying to show everything logically. It could throw off some people who would just pick this book for passing the PMP. It would be better if you read PMBOK or other book that clearly shows all processes with the Input/Tools & Techniques/Outputs, before you get to this book. At the end, this is an excellent resource for the PMP test. I read the PMBOK 2 days before the exam just to see if there's anything the other books missed and there was none.

I have recently read a few PMP books cover to cover, and I thought I should share my experience with other readers with an intention to help them to find the right books. A brief review of what I think are the top three PMP books follows: 1. This book: The PMP Exam Prep. It is a very good book if you are either taking a course from the author or from an instructor who is using this book as a text book. There are lots of exercises. Unfortunately, this is not a self contained book. Topics are not covered with enough depth. Also there is a poor flow and a lots of hopping from topic to topic. Moreover, it's outrageously high priced. Too many cross references and overhyped. Overall I recommend this book of you are using it in a course. 2. The PMP Exam by Andy Crowe; Velociteach. This is a great book and relatively self contained. You can study this book and pass the PMP exam. There are a only a few topics, which are not covered in adequate depth. In this and the preceding book, The coverage is organized around the knowledge areas while the exam objectives are organized in order of the process groups. That breaks the exam objective coverage into pieces, and may cause confusion. I recommend this book if you are looking for a self contained book to pass the PMP exam. 3. PMP In Depth by Paul Sanghera, Thomson Course Technology. This book has just hit the market and is relatively unknown. But I found this a rock solid book. Almost all the topics are covered with adequate depth. The material is presented in a logical learning sequence and the presentation is very cohesive: no hopping from topic to topic. It's an easy and interesting read. All concepts are clearly defined and expalined. This makes it a great book for both the PMP and the CAPM exams. I feel that the communication management could have more coverage. Although for the exams, the current coverage is enough. The material is organized in order of the project lifecycle (the process groups) consistent with the way the exam objectives are organized. Furthermore, exam objectives covered in a chapter are explained in the beginning of the chapter. This makes the exam preparation easier and confusion-free. I recommend this book for the PMP and the CAPM exams, and also if you just want to build a good understanding of the project management basics.

I just took the PMP exam yesterday and passed (this was still the 2004 exam...the 2005 exam begins after September 26, 2005). Rita's book is an excellent resource and essential for passing the exam, period. Although the 2004 exam had a lower bar to reach than the 2005 exam, my passing score would have been good enough for the 2005 exam, too. Rita offers many exam tips and exposure to topics not addressed, or not addressed well enough in the PMBOK Guide. That's not to say that the PMBOK isn't essential; it is. You'll be well served by following Rita's advice on reading her book 3 times, doing the practice exams until you score 90% or better, and read the PMBOK Guide until you're well versed on inputs, outputs, and tools for each knowledge area. It will seem like a lot to memorize -- and it is! -- but the more you memorize and ingrain the material, the less flustered you'll be during the exam. Don't cram for the 2005 exam. Get a plan together that has you studying consistently for several weeks at the least, and several months is even better. Even if you are a project manager already and have been for years, unless you use PMI's methods and are very familiar with their philosophy governing project management, you will do a disservice to yourself by cutting short your exam prep time. Finally, good as Rita's book is, it won't cover everything you need to know. She has an exam prep CDROM that has many test questions. I found that companion CD to be very helpful, as it allowed me to test my knowledge with a bank of questions I hadn't seen 3 times before. Good luck!

Just wanna clarify the editions (from RMC): These new editions of Rita Mulcahy's worldwide best-selling PMP exam preparation products are aligned with the PMBOK® Third Edition 2005 (the gold one), and are specifically written for people who plan to sit for the PMP® examination on or after September 30th of 2005.