If you are just beginning or are in the middle of studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam Dennis Smith Jr. Jersey , you probably already know that in order to pass, you need to fully understand both A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc. Cheap Dallas Mavericks Jerseys , 2013 and the Project Management Institute (PMI) Code of Ethics. You have probably spent some time thinking about the many study techniques available to you. In this article, I examine four PMP Exam study techniques, their effectiveness, and some possible alternatives Devin Harris Jersey , you may not have considered.
Technique 1 – Reading and Highlighting Underlining the PMBOK Guide and PMI Code of Ethics
Reading text and highlighting or underlining as we go is a technique many of us learned and used during our high school or college days, so it is a familiar technique.
Verdict:
Studies have found that although 84% of students at elite colleges use this technique, they have also found it to be ineffective. It is kind of a security blanket, in that it makes the student feel that they are learning Yogi Ferrell Jersey , but the student is actually more focused on highlighting or underlining rather than learning the concept.
Passively reading is a great first step, so don’t discount the need to read the PMBOK Guide and PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct; however, highlighting or underlining likely adds very little to your learning. It does little to enhance understanding of the material and long term recall of the material, which makes this technique ineffective overall.
Alternatives:
Try to find other methods to learn about PMP concepts other than just reading Josh McRoberts Jersey , highlighting, or underlining them such as:
Be more active while reading. For example, ask yourself “why” a concept is relevant, or try to relate the concept to a real world example you can recall when it comes up on the PMP Exam.
Attend a PMP Exam Prep Course so you can hear about the concepts from an instructor and learn from others in the class.
Use other tools to learn PMP concepts such as the PM Prepcast™ or another PMP Exam prep book such as “Achieve PMP Exam Success Jose Juan Barea Jersey , 5th Edition: A Concise Study Guide for the Busy Project Manager.”
Technique 2 – Using PMP Flashcards
Flashcards are a compact quick use study aid that typically covers one question, formula, or tidbit of information per card. This is another technique you may be familiar with from your high school or college days.
Verdict:
Spreading study sessions out over time, also known as distributed practice Steve Nash Jersey , has been found to enhance student performance. Flashcards provide a great method to be able to spread out learning and use the distributed practice method in a controlled and flexible way. You can easily breakdown PMP concepts into smaller “bite-sized” chunks to ensure you review and master the material one concept at a time.
PMP Exam Flashcards have been found to be a very effective learning technique. You can pace yourself and easily use the flashcards as many times as you need in order to solidify the concepts in your mind. You can create your own from taking information out of the PMBOK Guide or other exam prep material, or purchase premade flash cards such as PMP eFlashcards.
Technique 3 – Taking Notes on the PMBOK Guide and PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
Taking notes is the act of write down important information while reading the material to be learned. This is another technique many of us have learned while in school.
Verdict:
Taking notes is a better technique than highlighting or underlining, but can be very time consuming. If you use this technique wisely then it can be very effective to use while reading the PMBOK Guide and PMI Code of Ethics. Be careful not to take notes that simply regurgitate information or your learning will be adversely affected and taking notes would be similarly ineffective as highlighting or underlining.
Alternative 1 – Use Notes to Create PMP Flashcards:
When taking notes, do it in a manner where you can hide terms and definitions easily. For example Jason Kidd Jersey , create two columns on a single page where the left column contains the terms and the right column contains the definitions. Writing it out this way allows you to hide the definitions with one hand as you try to repeat them to yourself. Or you can leave a lot of extra white space that you can use to rewrite the concept later to “test” yourself. Then you can compare what you wrote verses the note you took. Using a notebook is not as flexible as using flashcards, but you can use any notes you take as a basis for creating your own flashcards.
Alternative 2 – Use a PMP Brain Dump:
Create a brain dump. After reading about a concept, take a sheet of paper and write down all of the details you can recall about that topic. Don’t forget to verify that the details in your brain dump are correctly recalled and that you did not miss anything. This is an effective technique for learning a concept since you are actively filtering for the most essential information. You also end up with a way of actively recalling the information over time and most importantly you can recreate the brain dump on the day of your PMP Exam.
Technique 4 – Taking a PMP Practice Exam
Taking practice tests can include anything from testing yourself one question at a time or sitting in a quiet location and taking a full length four hour two hundred question simulated PMP practice test.