If you're preparing to get your PMP(R) Credential, you will want to learn about the new 4th-Edition PMBOK(R) Guide, the source for most of the questions on the exam. The new edition came along on December 31, 2008, while you were busy celebrating New Year's Eve. Find out what this means to you!
You’re thinking of taking your PMP Exam sometime in 2009. Or you’re just curious about PMP Certification. You also know (or maybe you don’t!) that sometime during your celebration of the New Year, the Project Management Institute snuck in the new edition of their Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) on December 31, 2008.
Should you prepare for the exam based on the materials you have (which are based on the 3rd Edition)? Should you wait? Until when? In other words, should you plead the 4th? 1
Here, I’ll get you updated on the 4th Edition, in terms of what it means to the exam. In a future article I’ll discuss the 4th Edition in more detail.
A little background: the PMI (Project Management Institute) is the certifying body for several of the hottest credentials available today. Two of them, the CAPM (Certification in Applied Project Management) and the PMP® (Project Management Professional) are given after an application process which requires proof of education and experience followed by a rigorous 200-question, 4 hour exam. The exams are based – about 80% - on the PMBOK Guides. So you can see their relevance and the reason to pay attention to any changes in them.
The changes from the 3rd to 4th Edition were not huge. This doesn’t mean there won’t be changes to the exam…indeed there will be changes on the exam based on the changes in the PMBOK Guide. But here are some facts that will help you make your decision.
- The exams will not change until June 30, 2009.
- The PMI has said that only a small amount of questions will change based on the new PMBOK Guide.
Still, the exam will change. And you don’t need additional twists and turns on the exam – the questions are tricky enough if you’ve studied based on the right materials.
If, while celebrating the New Year, you made a resolution to get your PMP credential in 2009, - or even if you made the decision while not in an “altered” state of mind (even better) – take the exam before June 30. Why? Here are four reasons:
- There is a plethora of PMP Exam Prep material out there based on the Third Edition.
- Avoid the risk of any changes to the exam application and qualification process. PMI has stated that this won’t happen, but…
- Avoid the risk of any changes or uncertainty to the passing score of the exam. Again, PMI has said that this won’t happen, but why not avoid the risk?
- The sooner you are certified the better. Take advantage of the opportunities that your PMP will bring you as soon as you can.
That’s it for exam advice. Later, I’ll focus much more directly on the changes themselves. For now, though – you have your coaching about the exam. Good luck!
1 For international readers, this is a play on words related to "pleading the 5th", which calls to mind the right of a person in court to say nothing in order to not incriminate oneself.