Product Description

Practice in a Simulated Testing Environment . . . with the Most Difficult Questions Available!

How good would it feel to know you will pass the PMP exam BEFORE you take it? PM FASTrack is an exam simulation software program containing more than 1,400 questions and six testing modes, allowing you to create an unlimited number of different exams. Created with the help of a psychometrician (just like the actual exam) PM FASTrack is designed to simulate the exam and eliminate any surprises. The application also:

- Tracks your progress with printable reports and graphs
- Provides explanations of answers and page references to Rita's book
- Contains "wordy" questions like the exam
- Helps you gain confidence and fill your gaps
- Decreases your study time!

In addition, users with Internet connections receive FREE real-time database updates as they become available. Students say the questions in PM FASTrack are more difficult than the ones on the actual exam!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #244709 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: CD-ROM

About the Author
Rita Mulcahy, founder and CEO of RMC Project Management, is a world-renowned PM speaker and trainer. She is also the author of the best-selling book PMP Exam Prep, as well as the book Risk Management, Tricks of the Trade for Project Managers, the 2004 PMI Professional Development Product of the Year.

Customer Reviews

from a new PMP
Well, I was frustrated when I purchased this product that there were only a handful of reviews at time, and promised I'd add mine after taking the test. I had heard that Rita was supposed to be 'the standard' for this software so I went ahead and puchased it. Now I have taken, and passed the exam (and did quite well!) and proud to call myself a PMP.

Back to the software. I rated three stars because there were definitely things which I thought were really helpful:
- the 'cleverness' of the question that try to trick you, so it helps to teach you how PMI might try to trick you as well
- becoming familiar with the online version of the exam and what to expect on test day, like constantly seeing a timer count down
- still feeling at the end of the day that I liked my wrong answer better, which motivated to try to keep learning 'the PMI way' of doing things

But there were also things I didn't like:
- although a question bank of 1300 sounds huge, when you take 200 at a time you can definitely start to learn the questions. this was a big problem, because it was hard to distinguish whether my score was going up because I was learning the material, or because I was learning the questions that were re-appearing. i took the regular practice test four times, and the "super" version (supposedly 200 of the hardest questions) the day before the exam.
- the ability to test by knowledge area or process group didn't seem to be a value add to me, because, in my opinion, part of the challenge of the exam is trying to figure out which section the question is addressing.
- still feeling at the end of the day that I liked my wrong answer better!

My sudying also included reviewing ESI notes from various classes taken over the years. And a short ESI prep class one month before the exam (not a "boot camp") which is where I learned about this DVD. Truthfully, as one other reviewer added, you need to know the Guide to the PMBOK backwards and forwards. It is commonly understood that not everything on the exam is contained in that book, but you must know what takes place in process groups and knowledge areas, all of the inputs, tools & techniques, and outputs, etc. etc. etc.

This software will certainly help you identify your weak areas, and you must practice taking the test (as it is like preparing for a marathon!) but the 'question creep' was a concern for me.

Good simulation, but don't count on accurate scoring
Rita's book was recommended by many members of my local PMI chapter. However, most of those people took the test prior to the PMBOK 3rd Edition and the publication of the 5th Edition of this book.

I bought the book, the flashcards, and the FASTrack software based on these recommendations, and I did not study the PMBOK itself very much. I think this was a mistake.

I passed on the first try, but I scored 10% lower on the actual test than I did on the PMP test simulation in FASTrack taken 2 days before the test. Additionally, the areas I scored poorly in did not correlate with the results of the FASTrack simulation.

There was subject matter on the test that was not covered in the book or in FASTrack (or was covered in very little detail). In a few cases, the book particuarly mentioned that a term was usually just an incorrect choice on the exam when I had it as an exam question.

I do recommend this software as a tool for getting used to the format of the exam and for providing numerous questions, but I do not recommend it as an accurate predictor of your score. I contacted FASTrack support a few weeks prior to the exam to ask what score I needed to make consistently in FASTrack to ensure I would pass the exam. The answer was that Rita recommends an 85% pass rate in FASTrack to ensure a 61% pass rate on the exam. I think that is an outrageous margin of error, but, after taking the exam, I find it to be truer than I expected.

Be sure to cover the PMBOK thoroughly and, in retrospect, I would buy an additional study guide to ensure any gaps in information are covered.

Helpful tool for PMP Exam
This simulation software worked perfectly for me. It contains tests based on PMBoK Chapters and the five Process Groups. It is possible to take any approach to test your knowledge, and find out your weak points and decide what is needed to study more. Each question has detailed answers, that make the whole package extremely useful when preparing for Exam. You can start with 50 or 100 questions tests, see your timing and score, and have estimate score for the 200 questions test. Wehn you feel yourself stronger and ready to go for the 200 questions, you just try that. After the Exam I'd realized this is a good simulation that helped me a lot. I really hate to "memorize" and desperately need to understand any little piece to feel comfortable. To prepare for PMP Exam I'd used: PMBoK, PMP Exam preparation (Rita's book) and The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management by Eric Verzuh. For tests used only this software. I can not compare with other exam materials, but these worked perfectly for me. All the preparation was smooth, pleasant, and more important: efficient. It was so because of Rita's materials. Keep in mind these materials helps to learn for PMP exam, they do not make anyone a better Project Manager! Nothing can replace real work experience, struggling with deadlines, dealing strong personalities, understand and manage unspoken agenda, face over the night deadlines, etc. If I should start over again, I would go for same materials without hesitation.