Rita Mulcahy’s Free Tips on Passing the PMP® Exam - Exam preparation guidance

Sep 27, 2026

Rita Mulcahy’s free guidance explains how to approach the PMP® Exam with real learning instead of rote memorization. It outlines why the exam matters, including how passing demonstrates practical project-management experience and can lead to career advantages such as higher pay and job competitiveness. The document also tests readiness using practical checklists, emphasizing PMI terminology, adequate training hours, and core competencies like scheduling, scope control, communications, quality, risk management, earned value, and corrective action.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

About the PMP Exam

Why Take the PMP Exam?

Are You Ready to Take the PMP Exam?

More Tips for Passing the PMP Exam

Rita Mulcahy’s Free Tips on Passing the PMP® Exam by Rita Mulcahy, PMP Introduction First let me state, as you might have heard, that our focus at RMC Project Management is on helping people learn in order to pass the exam, not spending days in rote memorization. Therefore, this document is written with real learning in mind. Our suggestions are born from helping thousands and thousands of people in over 43 countries learn project management for the real world and pass the PMP® Exam. I hope you keep this perspective in mind while you read these tricks. We love to help! This document has two parts: 1. About the PMP Exam 2. More Tips for Passing the PMP Exam Part 1: About the PMP Exam Why Take the PMP Exam? Let me start this section by quoting one of my students: The exam has changed my life. (Could I be more dramatic?) The process of studying for the exam, taking your class, and passing the exam has changed how others look at my abilities. By passing the exam, you can say that you have passed an international examination designed to prove your knowledge of project management. Since the exam focuses on situations you might see in the real world, passing also indicates that you are experienced. The PMP certification is an impressive way to set yourself apart. And there are other benefits. PMI’s salary survey has found that PMPs are paid at least 10 percent more than non-PMPs in the United States (and even more in some other countries). I have had many students who have received a U.S. $15,000 bonus and a 15 percent raise when they passed the exam. Others have said they got a job over 200 other applicants because they were a PMP. These are good reasons to finally get around to taking the exam. Are You Ready to Take the PMP Exam? You are not ready to take the PMP exam if you have not had basic project management training using PMI terminology! From my experience, 50 percent of those who fail the exam do so because they have not had training that uses PMI terminology. Take this requirement seriously—real-life experience or just reading the PMBOK® Guide is not enough to pass the PMP exam. Knowing PMI terminology is so important that PMI requires candidates to have 35 contact hours of project management training before they can take the exam. But be careful! While PMI may accept most classes that relate to project management to meet the 35-contact-hour requirement, some classes in using project management software, quality, or some other such topic may still not be enough to pass the exam. You should have at least one basic project management class using PMI terminology before you take the exam. Rita Mulcahy, PMP President of RMC Project Management Author of the books PMP® Exam Prep and Risk Management, Tricks of the Trade for Project Managersand the products PM FASTrack® exam simulation software and Hot Topics flashcards Copyright © 2006 by Rita Mulcahy, PMP. All rights reserved. Rev. 9.26.06 RMC Project Management, Inc.• 500 East Travelers Trail, Suite 􀀱00 • Minneapolis, Minnesota 55337 [info@rmcproject.com](info@rmcproject.com) • [www.rmcproject.com](www.rmcproject.com) •(952) 846-4484 The copyright owner hereby grants permission to make copies of this handout for personal, noncommercial use only. Page 􀀱 Do you know enough about project management to take the PMP exam? Check yourself against the following lists. If you answer “yes” to two or more of the following questions, you do not know enough about project management to take the exam: • Do you experience large cost or schedule overruns? • Do you have unrealistic schedules? • Are there excessive changes to the scope or schedule of your projects? • Do you experience poor communications and increased conflict? • Do you find that you run out of time near the end of projects? • Do you experience unsatisfactory quality? • Do you have problems with low morale on your projects? • Are people on the team unsure of what needs to

FAQs

Why is taking the PMP® Exam important, according to the document?

Passing demonstrates knowledge of project management and signals experience because the exam focuses on real-world situations. The certification can also improve career prospects, including higher pay and better chances compared with non-PMP applicants.

What training requirement must candidates meet before taking the PMP® Exam?

Candidates must have basic project management training using PMI terminology. PMI requires 35 contact hours of project management training, and the document warns that not all related courses meet the requirement.

How does the document help readers check whether they are ready for the exam?

It provides two checklists. Answering “yes” to two or more questions indicates insufficient knowledge, while answering “no” to five or more questions indicates insufficient knowledge as well, based on competency in key project areas.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Emma Wilson