June 15th, 2010 
Certified Guide A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide)
The PMBOK9(r) Guide – Fourth Edition continues the tradition of excellence in project management with a standard that is even easier to understand and implement, with improved consistency and greater clarification. Standard language has been incorporated throughout the document to aid reader understanding. New data flow diagrams clarify inputs and outputs for each process. Greater attention has been placed on how Knowledge Areas integrate in the context of Initiating, Planning, Executing
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(out of 54 reviews)
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Review by Jason Stokes for A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide)
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Starting off, I’m a certified PMP. I went through the process, memorized everything PMI wanted me to memorize, and passed the test. That said, this book isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
The good:
- You have to memorize the PMI project management process step by step, as a lot of the test questions involve what comes next, what comes first in this phase, etc. This book does go through all the steps one at a time, with some description.
- It makes a good paperweight or looks impressive on a bookshelf.
The bad:
- It must have been written by aliens, come to earth to mess with aspiring project managers through developing the most unreadable reference book ever.
- Many of the charts and graphs just aren’t that high quality – as if they were done by a child in crayon then translated to digital
- It is very expensive, and doesn’t help you actually pass the exam.
- Minor changes from the third edition – but you’ll be tested on the most recent edition. This is like a college textbook money grab.
Summary:
Buy another book. I used the Rita Mulcay book and found it very helpful, as it had hints on the types of questions that will be used, as well as helpful exercises to study, and questions at the end of each chapter. It was also written by someone with faculties in any human spoken language.
Review by Peter Brooks for A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide)
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I used this book plus free online test questions and exams to pass the PMP exam so it can be done.
The good: By studying just this book and the free online tests, you can pass the PMP test (I did). For an experienced PM, the definitions and calculations are not difficult to learn (learn = memorize).
The bad: Much of PMBOK deals with process input, tools, techniques, and outputs. The organization of these makes them extremely difficult to learn. There is no overall construct that integrates them and brings them all together to make them easy to learn. My understanding is that some paid courses organize these better than the PMBOK and provide either mnemonic devices and/or better diagrams / charts.
My strategy:
- Read the PMBOK.
- Underline definitions, key words, and input, tools, techniques, and outputs.
- Memorize the underlined info.
- Practice the calculations.
- Take the online tests. Refer to references in the answers as needed.
- Iterate the above steps until I got 80% or more on the online tests.
For an experienced PM, few concepts in the book will be unknown. It is a matter of making sure you know the PMBOK specifics for the test.