Certification Objective 1.01: The PMBOK Guide, This Book, and the PMP Exam

If you’ve ever sat down to read the PMBOK Guide, you’ve obviously had a lot of time on your hands, you were really curious about it, or someone told you it was required reading for passing the Project Management Professional (PMP) examination. Here’s the truth about the PMBOK Guide: It’s boring. My apologies to all my friends at Project Management Institute (PMI), but it’s true. The PMBOK Guide is, however, concise, organized, and an excellent reference manual. I use it all the time. But it’s not written to be a thriller.

The fourth edition of the PMBOK Guide will be referenced throughout this book. Why? Well, your PMP exam is largely based on the facts, figures, and subtleties of the PMBOK Guide. The good news is that unlike the PMBOK Guide—fine book that it is—the book you have in your hands is written in plain language. This book, unlike the PMBOK Guide, focuses on how to pass the PMP exam. It will also help you be a better project manager and explain some mysterious formulas and concepts, but its main goal is to get you over the hump toward those three glorious letters: PMP.