Building a Study Plan
Begin with the end in mind: Estimate the amount of time you need to prepare for
the exam and schedule the PMP Certification Test. If you need 8 weeks to
prepare, schedule your exam for 8 weeks from today and work to meet your
deadline. This helps ensure your focus.
1. Build a plan: Figure out how many hours per day you can dedicate to preparing
for the PMP Exam, and stick with it. Allocate blocks of time for studying on the
weekends.
2. Form study groups: Learning in teams can be beneficial for everyone, if it is
focused study.
3. Learn in Chunks or Sections; don’t try to capture it all at once.
4. Learn to Mind Map: The human mind makes a connection each time your pen and
paper meet. In conjunction with this, the visual makings of a mind map will help
keep information fresh in your minds eye.
5. Brain Dumps: When you arrive at the testing center, before you take the
actual PMP Exam, you will need to perform a brain dump. This is an activity
where you use the scratch paper provided to write out all of the exam notes
you’ve committed to memory. In order to do this at the testing center, you must
practice it daily. We recommend focusing on the calculations and formulas.
6. Practice Exams at the end of each chapter or section. Each day do a set
50-200 questions after a chapter. The following day review your weak areas. The
more questions and answers you do, the better prepared and more comfortable you
will be.
7. Cramming before test day: Take time off before the PMP exam to review and
cram for the exam… Apply yourself!