PMP® Exam Simplified: Aligned to PMBOK Guide 5th Edition (PMP® Exam Prep Series)

I am a grad student that took a project management class about a year ago. Having not much other project management exposure I decided to go for the CAPM and used this as a study guide. Yes, I now know Ms. Ellis offers this particular book written towards the CAPM, but I didn't know it when I bought it.I spent 3 months studying for it for a total of around 50-80 hours. I passed: 6 average, 3 above, 2 below. I used this book and the PMBOK Guide, 5th edition and read both once through each. I made the flashcards and took the practice exam. I found that the writing style of Ms. Ellis' practice questions was pretty close to that of the actual exam questions.Attempting to read the PMBOK guide alone is like trying to read a phone book or dictionary from cover to cover.For example, expect to see messages frequently conveyed like this in the PMBOK guide: "Control Procurements includes the application of the appropriate management processes to the contractual relationship(s) and integration of the outputs from these processes into the overall management of the project."What?This exam prep guide made it actually digestible. I sort of still can't believe I read it. I am hugely grateful for that.I took one star off because of the sloppy grammar. This book is more like an unfinished manuscript than a polished, final product. Expect at least one grammatical inconsistency or misspelled word at least every other page. Seriously, there are dozens of mistakes everywhere. I'm not sure what excuse there can be for this considering this book seems not to be the first edition. Fortunately, the questionable grammar quality did not seem to have an effect on the questions and corresponding answer keys. They all seemed to match up okay though, and this is the most important thing.I loved the spiral design. Grammar aside, I highly recommend this book.

If you want to pass your PMP on the very first try I HIGHLY recommend investing in this book. Alieen does an excellent job breaking down hard to understand concepts, equations and processes to where it's very easily understood. I only wish I would have stumbled upon her book sooner in my studying! I also studied using her "How to Get Every Network Diagram Right on the PMP" and "How to Get Every EMV Question Right on the PMP". All three of these tools contributed to me passing the PMP on my very first try! Being on a budget and needing to find quality tools can be hard but Eileen has made her resources very affordable for anyone who is seriously pursuing their certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP!. Thank you Aileen!

I am writing this review even though I am still in chapter 4, hence I am certainly going to have more to say at later stage . Yet, I decided to write down why I'd already recommend this book.let me start by saying that, knowledge is something and passing an exam is something else (or not quite the same). I am sure you recall school or university exams where you mastered the subject yet left the exam room totally in schock and wondering what went wrong. Eventually, you learned that to pass an exam you need to learn ABOUT and FOR the exam too! Don't get me wrong, I am still convienced no one would pass the PMP exam with zero knowledge in the matter but all you need to know to prepare and pass the PMP exam seem to be prepared in this book for you. What can I say? I just wish I had an Aileen Ellis book for every tough course I had at University!I am enjoying so much reading this book (together with the PMBOK, as instructed in the book). Never thought preparing for an exam could actually be so much fun! :)Thank you Aileen!

I went to a boot camp and did not grasp the PMBOK concepts, thus I failed PMBOK exam in November 2013. I knew I needed tools to ensure that I passed the PMBOK exam the second time. By utilizing Aileen Ellis' books: PMP EXAM Simplified and How to Get Every Earned Value Question I passed the PMBOK exam yesterday!Ms. Ellis's presentation of the PMBOK is simplified to help the student GRASP the PMI concept. The written material and the sample tests helped me gain the knowledge I needed to pass the PMBOK certification exam. Also, she has a great website with practice exams that allowed me to practice testing prior to my sitting for the actual exam.I recommend this book to anyone who is going to sit for the PMP exam - it is worth every penny and then some!

This solid preparation guide combined with the PMBOK guide 5th edition is enough to pass the PMP exam.This guide summarizes the important points in the PMBOK guide and has review questions throughout the book which serve as checkpoints in the learning process. This also makes the otherwise dull PMBOK guide interesting by helping us focus on portions which are important for the exam. The answers to review questions are explained in detail. The answers also explain why incorrect choices are incorrect. This is very useful since an important strategy on the exam is to eliminate as many incorrect choices as possible and also avoid "trap" answer choices. The questions in the online database by the author also follow the same approach and can be purchased to supplement the book and the PMBOK guide. Exam tips and strategies scattered throughout the book are also very helpful. The 200-question practice test at the end of the prep material in the book is also very helpful. In essence, the author has done a wonderful job in preparing this "no fluff just stuff" exam guide. I will be taking the exam in a couple of weeks and thanks to this book, I feel well-prepared and confident that I will ace the exam.

This was a GREAT aid in helping me study the PMBOK. It kept me focused by summarizing and having a quiz after each small section of the PMPOK. I used this along with books from Rita Mulcahy and Andy Crowe. This is more of a supplement for the PMBOK than a stand alone and makes ideas crystal clear. One thing that helped me was the contrasts charts that would highlight the differences between similar ideas, which helped on the exam.

An additional resource with tips and practice tests that helped me pass the PMP exam on the first attempt.