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Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Head First)

Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Head First)

Media Reviews
  • "I have been doing project management for over 30 years and am considered a subject matter expert in the PMBOK(r) Guide -Third Edition primarily because I am the Project Manager who led the team that developed this edition. As a consultant I was hired to review and evaluate eight of the top selling PMP Exam Preparation books for their accuracy in following the PMBOKĀ® Guide - Third Edition. I have developed and taught a PMP Exam Prep course for a leading R.E.P., and taught PMP Exam preparation classes for PMI Chapters. I can honestly say that Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read that presents the processes for managing a project, which makes it a great resource for a basic project management class for beginners as well as a tool for practitioners who want to pass the PMP exam. The graphical story format is unique, as project management books go, which makes it both fun and easy to read while driving home the basics that are necessary for preparing someone is just getting started and those who want to take the exam."
    --Dennis Bolles, PMP DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management

  • "This looks like too much fun to be a PMP study guide! Behind the quirky humor and nutty graphics lies an excellent explanation of the project management processes. Not only will this book make it easier to pass the exam, you'll learn a lot of good stuff to use on the job too."
    --Carol Steuer, PMP and PMBOK(r) Guide, 3rd Edition Leadership Team

  • "This is the best thing to happen to PMP since, well, ever. You'll laugh, learn, pass the exam, and become a better project manager all at the same time."
    -- Scott Berkun, author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of Innovation

  • "Original, fresh, and fun... this is truly the perfect study companion for anyone aiming for PMP certification."
    --Teresa Simmermacher, PMP and Project Manager at Avanade

  • "I love this format! Head First PMP covers everything you need to know to pass your PMP exam. The sound-bite format combined with the whimsical images turns a dry subject into entertainment. The organization starts with the basics then drills into the details. The in-depth coverage of complex topics like Earned Value and Quality Control are presented in an easy to understand format with descriptions, pictures, and examples. This book will not only help you pass the PMP, it should be used as an daily reference for practicing project managers. I sure wish I had this when I was studying for the exam."
    --Mike Jenkins, PMP, MBA

  • "I think that under the fonts and formalized goofiness, the book has a good heart (intending to cover basic principles in an honest way rather than just to pass the test). Head First PMP attempts to educate potential project managers instead of being a mere "how to pass the PMP exam" book filled with test taking tips. This is truly something which sets it apart from the other PMP certification exam books."
    --Jack Dahlgren, Project Management Consultant

  • "Head First PMP is a great tool to help make sense of the Project Management Body of Knowledge for the everyday Project Manager."
    --Mark Poinelli, PMP


About the Book

A PMP certification is more than just passing a test. It means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems, and proves that you know your stuff. Once you're certified, your projects are more likely to succeed because you have the skills and knowledge to make them successful. Not only that, it can mean a better job, more money, and greater respect from your peers.

But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. You want to remember everything that you're learning about project management, but your brain is working against you! Your brain craves novelty, and most PMP certification prep books are anything but novel. When you keep putting down a boring book instead of studying, it's because your brain doesn't think the information in it is worth learning. Your brain has more important stuff to think about, like how to keep you alive and out of danger-and it doesn't think that failing the PMP exam qualifies as life-threatening!

So how do you trick your brain into thinking that your life does depend on learning everything you need to know to pass the PMP Exam? Head First PMP is the answer! Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science and learning theory, Head First PMP has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works-a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Head First PMP offers 100% coverage of The PMBOKĀ® Guide principles and certification objectives in a way that's engaging, not tedious. This book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam with a unique method that goes beyond answers to specific questions and makes you think about the big picture of project management. By putting project management concepts into context, you will be able to understand, remember, and apply them-not just on the exam, but also on the job.

With Head First PMP, you get the best of both worlds: a thorough and effective preparation guide for the PMP certification exam with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies, along with puzzles, games, problems, exercises and the unique Head First approach that makes learning easy and entertaining. When you're done with Head First PMP, you'll know your stuff, you'll pass the exam, and you'll be able to bring everything you've learned to your job.


Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.


Price Range: $31.39 - $49.99


Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Head First)
User Reviews
Excellent Starting Point for PMP Study
rating: 5

I passed the PMP exam last week after four months of solid study. Reading Head First PMP was the perfect way to get started on tackling the PMBOK guide material. It takes a lighthearted but not lightweight aproach to the subject material. My advice for studying for the PMP exam, in order, is as follows,

Pre-requisite Resources

a. Head First PMP
b. The PMBOK Guide
c. The Project Management PrepCast (....) which is an extremely good value podcast series.
d. PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy

Method

1. Start by reading Head First PMP in full.
Then by knowledge area do the following,
2. Read the PMBOK guide for the knowledge area.
3. Listen to the PM Prepcast podcasts for the knowledge area.
4. Study the PMP Exam Prep Chapter for the knowledge area.
5. Finally do as many practise questions as posible prior to sitting the exam.

Good luck!



You could pass with just this book and stay awake doing it
rating: 5

I pretty much passed the test by just working through the 600 pages of this book. It uses pictures, quizzes, crosswords and games to help you get the basic concepts and necessary formulas down.

You'll go comatose if you try to tread the PMBOK itself and go blind while reading the Mulcahy prep book.

I would use this book, do extra sample questions and look up answers that you get wrong know. About 20 hours of studying


Helped me pass the exam
rating: 4

Given the 35% pass rate for those who self-study, I took a 4-day exam prep "boot camp." I then had to wait nearly a month to take the exam, so I invested in additional study materials - in particular this book and the Rita Mulcahy book. Because both books take different approaches, I felt together they gave me a broader base of user-friendly information to work with.

This book is VERY visual compared to others, and while all of it was useful, I found it most helpful for comprehending the formulas and network diagrams.

That said, no matter what your learning style, I wouldn't recommend using this book exclusively to prep. Despite the book's thickness, because of all the visuals and games I found I got through it relatively quickly, and I still didn't feel confident that I was fully prepared for the test afterwards. Hence the reason to supplement with the Mulcahy book. Together it made the test go pretty smoothly and that's what I'd recommend to others.


A valuable guide for PMP Exam preparation.
rating: 4

As noted in several other reviews, this guide presents necessary PMP exam prep information in an easy to read format. The methodology in which the material is presented is excellent. I would strongly recommend this book as part of an overall strategy in preparation for the PMP. However, since the PMP covers much more than just the PMBOK Guide, you will need to round out your business management knowledge/skills.



Great as a supplimental read
rating: 3

This book does an excellent job of putting a lively spin on a dry curriculum, but is definitely not in-depth enough in many areas to serve as a primary source of study. The publisher's description "a learner's companion" about sums it up. Be aware that there is a smattering of errors throughout. For example, the author's description of referent power as "you're standing in for someone who has more position or power" bears no resemblance to how this is defined by the source, Bertram Raven's 1959 "Studies in Social Power", which other PMP resources, such as Kernzner, describe as charismatic power. The author also has a peculiar way of performing PDM forward-pass calculations that differed from my IIL course material, but also made the whole thing more complicated than it needed to be. I won't go into the details here, but be sure to keep an eye out for such inconsistencies.

With that being said, I would still recommend the book to anyone who's in the process of preparing for the exam, but is having trouble pounding through and staying engaged with other study materials. The book presents concepts in a way that is easy to read, understand, and retain. For example, their presentation of earned value does a great job of demystifying this concept. Consider taking a break from the drudgery to give this a peruse, and then going back to the cram.





Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Head First)









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