A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge ( PMBOK® Guide )—Fifth Edition (ENGLISH) Kindle Edition

I gave this book 5 stars NOT because I loved it, but because in my opinion you must read this book, at least 3 times through (I read it 3 times through) before taking the exam. Please realize, you will be tested ONLY on the content of THIS BOOK. So, go ahead and buy another book on studying for the PMP exam, but if that book covers any topic(s) that are NOT in THIS BOOK, you are learning content that is irrelevant for this exam. That's what I discovered anyway. I bought Joseph Phillips study guide, and although it was helpful, there were many terms and content items NOT in the PMBOK guide, and therefore I did not get any questions on the real exam related to those terms/topics. For example, Joe Phillips covers organization theories like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and there were no questions like this on the real exam (and it's NOT in PMBOK Guide). Also, I took 5 practice exams from 3 different sources (one was from the Joseph Phillips CD) which turned out to give me false confidence because the real exam was a LOT harder. I passed the exam yesterday after studying for over a year (not continuous). I think you'd have to study for 3-4 months straight if this material is new to you. So what do you need to study? First, you must MEMORIZE all the terms and concepts. That is hard if your memory is not great like mine. Second, you must MEMORIZE the PROCESSES and general FLOW of events. Understand the 47 processes and what events occur in each process--and what the major ITTOs are in each process. I recommend memorizing the 47 processes and being able to write them down in the chart before you take the exam. Memorize all the formulas. Know your contract types--I was surprised by how many Procurement questions there were. I cannot over emphasize that the exam was one of the hardest I've taken. According to the staff at the Sylvan Testing Center near me, where I took the exam, at least half the people who take it there fail. Good luck.

The MOST difficult Exam I have ever taken!If you have no history in Project Management, take the CAPM Exam first.Read this MANUAL three times first, then read other PMI books on PMP e.g. Risk, Ethics, Business Calcs etc.Then, take a class, (you need required CE's anyway) twice a week for 6 weeks, then schedule the EXAM.My guess is 6 months.Do you have a Bachelor's degree, but not a Master's?Would you like to change careers but don't know how?Here is the answer!You don't have to spend 5 years at College and $60,000 on an MBA!And....would you like to make $125,000/year?

I have to read this book for a graduate course that I'm taking. I can barely get through a chapter because it is so hard to read the black type on fuzzy gray paper. To add the difficulty focusing, the type is sans serif throughout. A serif font would help to delineate the lettering somewhat. It is unfortunate. I'm learning very little because it is so hard to read. Hopefully just the other text will get me through this course. It's probably why the instructor has us reading both. I can safely say that I am at chapter 6 now, and almost always I go back to the book and have no idea where I left off and no memory what I read because the way it is printed makes focusing on the content so difficult. Disappointing.

As a project management instructor and course developer at a state university, a project management keynote speaker, and someone who has been training project managers for nearly two decades, I highly recommend this book. I have also helped hundreds to pass their PMP exams (including training PMI employees) and although some folks claim they passed without this, I firmly believe that the PMBOK is a must-have.I have owned every edition of the PMBOK and I can tell you that it's gotten better with age. Let's face it, the material isn't the most exciting but at least it's much more readable than ever. Processes are more refined (some may remember core vs. facilitating processes in older versions) and are titled more consistently (used to have some start with verbs and others with nouns), descriptions of inputs/tools & techniques/outputs are clearer, and illustrations are less confusing. That said, the book still only covers the "whats". If you actually want to know "how" to execute some of these processes, you will need another resource like  Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling .For those who have seen some of the PMBOK's poor ratings in reviews of previous versions, you have to understand that this is a high-level guide, not an elaborate text or a mystery novel. As a result, do not expect to be a project management guru at the end or be entertained with creative irony.Anyway, since many of you are looking at this because you want to take the PMP exam, here is some advice:- Although you may be able to obtain a soft copy of this book by being a PMI member, I recommend having a physical copy. In all my years of schooling, I've never even used a highlighter but I did for the PMBOK when I was studying for this exam over a decade ago. It turns out that almost everything was worth highlighting but it forced me to read each line thoroughly.- You will need another book since many exam concepts aren't even covered in the PMBOK. I personally like  PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam  or  CAPM/PMP Project Management Certification All-in-One Exam Guide with CD-ROM, Second Edition . You do not even need the latest editions. Trust me, the general concepts will be the same. For instance, earned value lessons in Rita's 1st edition from yesteryear will be the same as those in 7th or 8th editions. SPI will always be EV/PV.- When submitting project experience on the application, you can submit work even if your title was not Project Manager. If you worked on projects and have played a lead role, it may count so submit it. The key point is that you should be submitting project leadership activities. You still need 4500 hours of project experience if you have a bachelors or 7500 hours without a bachelors. Also, always submit more than those thresholds since some activities may be not be accepted.- Do not buy flash cards; instead, make your own. Get a stack of index cards and start writing terms/concepts on one side with definitions/formulas/descriptions on the back side.Hope this helps. Best of luck to everyone!***Update (Sep 2013)***New editions of the books I linked to above were released:-  PMP Exam Prep, Eighth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam -  CAPM/PMP Project Management Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Third Edition

This book is tough going. It’s written in quite a technical style with constant references to other sections, not very good diagrams and it is a big big book. Sadly you need to learn it all to pass the PMP exam. It’s still useful as the sixth edition is not that different

I purchased this older version due to the negative feedback surrounding the newer version's 'anti copy' grey paper technology. Sadly, even the older 2013 version has now been printed using this awful grey paper, and it is terrible. Instant headache and very difficult to focus on which is a must for any textbook manual! Extremely disappointing given a large percentage of people purchase hard copy books to reduce eye strain versus digital options. Returned today.

Not great on the kindle for pc - unable to read tables and diagrams as they are too small. increasing text doesn't increase the text in tables and double clicking doesn't enlarge them and copying and pasting them to enlarge in another app makes the text distorted. I was going to advise going for the print version but have just looked to purchase one and there are many complaints that the pages are grey with black text and very hard to read

Some things aren't easily understood but it is a definite must have for the exam...well in my opinion at least. I thought the layout and explanations were done well for Inputs, Tools & Techniques, outputs in the PMBOK guide in comparison to other books. It's a good combination to be used in conjunction with Rita's PMP exam prep

Official PMP book of knowledge, fully comprehensive of all the information needed to pass PMI exam and learn how to be a pm as per PMP standards