PMP / PMBOK Guide FAQ 11 – How to Study for the Formula / Calculation Questions?

Perhaps one of the most dreaded type of PMP Exam questions is the calculation questions. To the majority of project managers, calculation is usually performed automatically through project management softwares. However, in the real PMP Certification Exam, only an on-screen calculator is provided. The PMP aspirants need to memorize all the PMP formulas and apply them as appropriate. This articles provides more resources on learning and mastering PMP formulas than what is included in the PMBOK® Guide.

PMP Formulas in the PMBOK® Guide

One of the most popular article on my blog is: PMP Formulas and Calculation for PMP Certification Demystified which is a summary of all the PMP formulas mentioned in the PMBOK® Guide. This post provides a 1-page summary for PMP aspirants to memorize all the formulas. If you have strong mathematical skills, you will be able to understand and apply the formulas to PMP Exam questions easily.

Note: since the PMP Exam is more than what are included in the PMBOK® Guide, you may need to know more formulas than those listed in the post above.

PMP Calculation Reference Resources

The following is a collection of some of the most popular PMP calculation reference resources which may provide you with additional training, explanation and practice questions for  you to master all the PMP formulas.

• PMP Certification Mathematics [book + CD-ROM]
  [List-price: US$31] This book is published by McGraw-Hill. It provides in-depth explanation on every mathematic concepts covered in the PMBOK® Guide / PMP Exam. Relevant calculations, practical problem-solving strategies and step-by-step explanation on all sample questions are also included to help PMP aspirant to tackle the PMP calculation with confidence. A CD-ROM is included in the book that provides additional PMP practice questions in a format that resembles the real PMP Exam.
• Learning PMP Formulas the Easy Way [slides]
  [Free] This is a set of slides (45 in total) uploaded by Mark Troncone, PMP. It provides a step-by-step approach to help PMP aspirants to learn the formulas needed to pass the PMP examination. By following through the steps in the presentation, you will be able to create your own PMP formula brain-dump that helps you to memorize and understand the meanings of the PMP formulas.
• Numerical Problems for PMP [e-book]
  [List-price: US$7] This book is authored by Keshav Kumar, PMP. It includes 50 numerical problems for the PMP exam with detailed answers and explanations. The level of the questions is relatively more difficult than the real PMP exam. By solving and understanding these questions, PMP aspirants will be more confidence to tackle the real PMP calculation questions. What’s best is that the first 10% of the e-book can be downloaded as a free sample.
• PMP Forumlas Braindump for PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition [youtube]
  This 14-minutes longvideo was created by Richard Kraneis, PMP. In the video, he taught about the key concept to understanding PMP formulas in an interactive. The video also guides the viewer to create a braindump as part of the learning process. His particular method of “charting” would help PMP aspirants to understand the PMP formula questions better.
• PM Exam Formulas Study Guide [PDF]
  [List-price: US$29.99] Authored by Cornelius Fichtner (the same author of the acclaimed online PMP Exam Prep course which I used to clear my PMP exam – the PM PrepCast™), the PM Exam Formulas Study Guide includes lots of learning resources: a Formula Guide, a Formula Pocket Guide and a total of 105 sample PMP calculation practice questions. They are all in PDF format.. If you are still struggling with PMP formulas or you want some more guided descriptions on how to apply them with PMP practice questions, you are advised to explore the PM Exam Formulas Study Guide.

Hope that these additional PMP Calculation resources can better equip PMP aspirant to tackle and pass the PMP Exam with confidence!

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