WHY IS THE PMP EXAM DIFFICULT?

In recent years, we have encountered several people who have planned to pass the PMP exam on their own, after individual study. It is not impossible, but every enterprising project manager should know that the exams for PMI certifications are particularly difficult and it is good to prepare for them consciously to avoid surprises:

• For questions on specific knowledge areas, it is not enough to know the definitions learned from the PMBOK. We need to know their interrelationship, their subordinate or co-subordinate relationship. These are not always explicitly mentioned or highlighted in the book, but they are easily understood through practical examples.
• In most cases, the questions describe a specific situation in which we have to make a decision. What would you do if a team member decided to add a new feature to the project product? An experienced project manager will of course have his own tactic for this. But is it in line with PMI guidelines?
• Questions like "What's the next step?" or "What's the best solution?", which in most cases have up to 2-3 good solutions, on average represent 30% of the questions. In these cases, the challenge is to identify the best answer according to the PMI.
• 4 hours is a long time, but in the case of the exam it goes quickly. Time is a problem for most candidates, so it is often difficult to take a break.
• There will also be many very long and complex questions. These are often designed to increase the time taken or to mislead the candidate.
• In many cases, the exam will also be full of good-sounding but fictitious solutions.