PMP is one of the most difficult project management exams for which we can prepare. We may discover that a minimum of 4500 hours of project management experience and 35 contact hours is insufficient to sit for this exam. Almost all test takers are known to employ multiple study methods in order to pass the exam. Most PMP exam takers are known to use PMP mock tests in addition to other methods to pass the exam. Let’s take a look at how mock tests can help us pass the PMP® certification exam.
What exactly is a Mock Test?
Mock tests are simulated exams that are based on the actual exam. They are essentially practice tests for the actual exam, and they give us an idea of the types of questions that will be asked on it.
What Is the Purpose of Mock Exams?
Just as a cricketer must do a lot of net practice to perform well on game day, we must also learn the mechanics of taking the exam and what to expect when we arrive at the examination center on exam day.
We can successfully prepare for the actual exam by taking a mock test. A practice test can help us prepare in the following ways:
Different Types of Questions
The PMP® exam is a broad and multifaceted certification exam. The mock tests assist us in understanding the types of questions that will be asked on the actual PMP exam. We can try a variety of situation-based questions with varying levels of depth and complexity. We can also ensure that we are well-versed in the processes outlined in the PMBOK guide. We can also try formula-based questions to see if we understand the formulas well enough.
Self-Evaluation
A practice test can help us assess ourselves at any point during our preparation. The main purpose of a mock test is to ensure that we are learning and improving. It is critical that we take mock tests that allow us to go over our answers, figure out where we went wrong, and learn from our mistakes. A consistent first-time score of around 80% on these mock tests can increase our chances of success on the actual exam.
Battle strategy
We may have devised a strategy to tackle the actual PMP exam, fully aware of its complexities. We might have devised strategies for managing our answers, our time, our stress during the exam, and our brain dumps. However, it is also necessary for us to practice the battle plan in mock tests before taking the real exam. This can essentially assist us in determining which battle strategy works best for us. This, in turn, can provide us with the confidence we need to carry out the battle plan in our actual exam.
What Should You Look for in a Mock Test?
Today, there are numerous mock tests available. However, in order to get the desired results from a mock test, we must keep the following factors in mind.
Various Questions
The PMP® exam is well-known for containing a wide range of difficult questions. When selecting mock tests, we should make sure that they, too, have a similar variety of questions, which will make our exam experience more realistic.
Full-Scale Practice Exams
To understand the difficulties that we will face while taking a 4-hour test, we should practice a lot of full-length mock tests, each with 200 questions.
Outline of Examinable Content
The mock tests should be based on the actual exam’s content outline. It should have the same number of questions as the actual exam. For example, if the actual exam contains only 13 percent of questions from the initiating group, the mock tests should contain the same proportion of questions. We can look at domains, tasks, and knowledge and skill statements as defined by the Project Management Institute’s (PMI)® Role Delineation Study by downloading the most recent examination content outline for the PMP® examination (RDS).
PMI®-REP
A registered education provider (REP) is a company that has been approved by PMI® to provide PDUs for its training materials. Exam simulators from reputable REPs are known to be very close to the actual exam in terms of complexity levels. As a result, when selecting paid mock tests, we should look for those from a well-known REP.
Explanations in Depth
We should select mock tests that include detailed explanations for each question. Online simulators from reputable organizations are known to include references to the PMBOK® Guide’s sections and page numbers. This allows us to quickly refer to the relevant section of the PMBOK® Guide if we choose the incorrect answer.
The PMBOK® Guide’s Most Recent Version
Mock tests should be based on the most recent version of the PMBOK® Guide. If they aren’t, we won’t be able to guarantee the answers’ relevance or accuracy.
Will we be able to practice it multiple times?
We can improve our results and gain confidence by repeating the mock tests. As a result, we should seek out mock tests that allow us to practice them as many times as we want. As a result, mock tests are excellent tools for supplementing our PMP preparation. They are able to provide us with the necessary confidence in dealing with PMP® by simulating the real computer-based testing environment.
