PMP In Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for PMP and CAPM Exams (In Depth)

I read through this book three times before my first PMP exam. But I failed the exam. It is a good reference book but not good enough to let me pass the exam. I'm reading Rita's PMP EXAM PREP which should prepare me to pass the PMP exam.

PMP In Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for PMP and CAPM Exams (In Depth)

I read through this book three times before my first PMP exam. But I failed the exam. It is a good reference book but not good enough to let me pass the exam. I'm reading Rita's PMP EXAM PREP which should prepare me to pass the PMP exam.

Very logical presentation of the PMBOK material. I've read a lot of the PMBOK and have to admit that Sanghera's book does present the things you should know for the PMP exam in a much easier model to understand. His approach follows the sequencing you might experience during a real project and I like his style which emphasises important concepts multiple times throughout a chapter. The book is weak on practice exams and project communications, but there are other books and materials for that.

Thanks to this book and the PMP Exam Quicklet; I passed the PMP exam on the first try. Regardless which study guide you use, you have to read the PMBOK Guide as well. These three books together is all you need to pass the PMP exam. The real bonus of using this book is that it really builds the big picture of project management for you piece by piece in a very logical fashion. I love the presentation style of the author. Just enough detail and perfect logical sequence; very cohesive. I like the fact that it's a self-contained book that I was able to read without the help of any other book: all concepts are defined right there. From the exam's perspective it stays focused on the exam objectives as each chapter starts with a list of exam objectives that the chapter covers.

Like most other reviewers, I found the book well organized. Occasionally, however, in an effort to move through the material quickly, he omits a definition for the topic he is introducing.

For example: Project Objectives (p.57) is introduced as follows: "A project might include a variety of obectives, such as...The objectives might also include..." That's great. But what is an objective?

Excuse my English, but here my take. Both Dr. Paul Sanghera's PMP in Depth and Ms. Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep are great books and have their pros and cons. That said I largely prepared from Dr. Sanghera's PMP in Depth and PMP Exam Quicklet (for practice exams), and PMBOK Guide....and had no trouble in passing the exam on the first try. My opinion: instead of taking sides and being inflammatory or malicious, I should be thankful that we have great minds like Ms. Mulcahy, Dr. Sanghera, and Mr. Crowe in our field of project management and therefore a great selection of books. Because some other reviewers talk about Dr. Sanghera and Ms. Mulcahy books, I say both books have positive and negative and I have unbiased review of both, of course my experience:

Strengths of Dr. Paul Sanghera's book (PMP in Depth):
1. Book organized according to the exam specifications, which is also close to the way the actual projects are run.
2. The book closely follows the exam specifications...Exam objectives given in the beginning of each chapter that covers them...(Most of the books including Ms. Mulcahy's book don't do that). This way I know where in the exam preparation I am...builds confidence. Some reviewers complains this or that knowledge are not covered...but it's not true...they may be looking according to knowledge areas..but here the coverage is according to official exam spec...the way it should be...For example excellent coverage of cost management in Chapter 7.
3. Self contained. Explains all concepts from scratch in easy to understand way...and then goes into enough depth. Definition introduced in the chapter listed at chapter end. It helps.
4. Not just lists input and output for processes, also explains why these inputs and outputs there...this makes memorizing easier...
5. Perfect logical flow in presentation of the material...it's like telling a story...make connection between different concepts and build the big picture..this way you remember everything without making much effort because everything makes sense...I have used Dr. Sanghera's other books to pass some IT certifications as well...he's a master of making difficult concepts easy to understand without compromising accuracy and building big picture by connecting different concepts...logical flow...etc.
6. Very helpful index, good book quality, and excellent writing style. Writing style and presentation makes it a good project management book, and not only just an exam book.

Weak points of Dr. Sanghera's Book:
1. One or two topics not covered in as much detail as I wish they could...That could be because this book follows exam spec very closely.
2. Some questions at chapter ends are simple...However, they help me to test myself if I understand the material in the chapter...Here, Dr. Sanghera's PMP Exam Quicklet helped me because most of the questions there are very close to the exam questions...

Strong points of Ms. Rita Mulcahy's book (PMP Exam Prep):
1. Quite a few exercises and tips.
2. Some difficult and hard to answer questions...but from exam perspective, it makes the questions artificially difficult..and not realistic....
3. A good course book under the guidance of an instructor.
4. Ms. Mulcahy has a great way of explaining things with authority.
5. Lots of questions.

Weak Points of Ms. Rita Mulcahy's book:
1. Not self contained. Lots of references to PMBOK. That obviously means it does not cover everything...Some topics left out..others not much detail...I guess the assumption is that this book is used by an instructor...may not be very good for independent study...
2. It organized according to the PMBOK Guide, and not according to the exam spec...Does not tell which exam objectives a chapter covers..this approach suitable for the CAPM exam but not for the PMP exam.
3. Exam questions are either simpler than the actual exam questions or artificially difficult.
4. Looks like a thicker book...but lots of empty pages and advertizement pages...
5. Not much flow...hops from topic to topic...
6. Very high priced...

Overall both (Dr. Sanghera's and Ms. Mulcahy's) books are great books. If you can afford to buy both, you don't need another book to pass the PMP exam.

I passed the PMP test today achieving my 11th certification, the most of them are IT related but PMP is a great knowledge asset for any professional, IT or not. Now that I have everything fresh in my mind, I want to share my experience with you: As a general rule for certifications, I always get two books, I fully study one, complete all the questions and then I take all the questions on the second book. In that way, I know the first book gave me all the necessary knowledge. For this journey I got "PMP In Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for PMP and CAPM Exams - In Depth" (Paul Sanghera) as my 'primary book' and "PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam" (Rita Mulcahy) as my 'questions book'.

If you don't know it yet, the whole PMP certification is organized around 9 knowledge areas (scope, time, cost, hr, procurement, risk, quality, integration and communication management. Each one has multiple related processes that are applied at different stages of the 5 phases of the project lifecycle (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/controlling and closing). For example, you plan your costs during the planning phase and you control your costs during the monitoring and controlling phase of the project. Both cost processes belong to the cost management area of knowledge. So Rita's book is organized around this 9 knowledge areas while Paul's book is organize around the 5 phases of a project lifecycle.

I started with Paul's book four months ago (4hs every weekday, 11hs each weekend day). This book is fascinating! (please keep reading), because its organization follows the natural life of projects facilitating the learning process, it clearly shows inputs, processes and outputs for each project task, but it doesn't give you always a clear idea of where you are in reference to the knowledge areas. If the other hand, Rita's book is a complex reference to previous and subsequent page numbers, getting you to jump back and forth to understand how a project actually occurs.

I carefully studied Paul's book, I review every single detail on it, memorized every process (inputs, tools/techniques and outputs) and completed every question as well the 175 questions of his final test. I was confident of my knowledge, so I moved on to complete the questions in Rita's book. Misery! Rita destroyed every single hope I had of passing the test successfully! She made me feel that I have been wasting my time with Paul's book: I failed almost all her questions! It was probably the biggest book-related disappointment in my life, although Paul's book is easy to read, and well organized, it doesn't cover significant areas of the certification that are again and again presented in the test! While going thru Rita's questions I discovered that Paul has missed 2 absolutely essential areas required by the test. Let me tell you which ones: Cost management and communication management. The test has multiple questions related to these areas; if you don't know then you will certainly fail! I can't believe that Paul missed them, I consider that very irresponsible and not fair for students trusting his book.

With this fiasco, I went thru Rita's book and learned the remaining knowledge so my advice to you is: Study from Rita's book! Although it is organized around the 9 knowledge areas and they don't really follow the project lifecycle, but it is the way the test is organized and she covers all the topics of the test. To prove it to you (if you are skeptical and confused with so many light or emotional book reviews) I carefully took notes of the areas that Paul missed (I hope he reads this): Problem solving techniques (expectancy theory, motivation theory, McGregor's XY theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's theory and motivation agents), communication channels and formulas, PERT and PERT related calculations, cost estimation (can you imagine running a project without cost estimation?), project manager powers (formal, reward, penalty/coercive, expert and referent), outputs of contract administration, administrative close procedure applicability to each project phase. Besides this Paul's questions are extremely easy, the test questions are an extremely hard compared to them, therefore Paul's give you an inaccurate sense of test preparation level. I have also documented multiple important errata in his book and spent significant amounts of time verifying that they are actual errata. For instance: Paul's makes references to the cost baseline countless times in his book, but cost baseline is nowhere to be found (it is not even in the index), work performance is missed as an output of the directing and managing the project execution in the process chart, but is it cited two pages later; the administrative close procedure is an output of the close project process, he points out what the procedure should contain, but it never says when to execute it as he does it with the contract closure procedure.

It is just a very unreliable book for the test. So my advice to you, PMP student is, start with Rita's book and complete every single one of their questions, they look "too demanding, I can't believe the test is that hard" but the test is hard! Then if you have time and can buy Paul's book go directly to his questions and final test. But please, don't do it the other way around.

Pros: Good book with a nice layout and summary sections at the end of every chapter. Good glossary.

Cons: Practice questions sometimes misleading in how many answers the question is looking for. I believe that the actual computer-based testing tells you how many answers it requires, where this book inconsistently tells you this. Basically, it makes you sometimes doubt your learning because you aren't sure if there is more than one answer which may lead you to choose another answer that you feel may or may not be correct. I think this can be confusing and counterproductive to learning the material.

I passed the PMP exam on my first try weeks ago. I didn't attend any prep class. The only materials I used to prepare for PMP were three books and 1 CD I got here from Amazon. Besides, English is not my first language. So I guess I read slower than most exam takers.


Here is my comment for them:

- The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try, by Andy Crowe
I think this was the single most useful resource that helped me pass the exam. The content of it is well organized and self contained. It took me about 3 weeks to read it cover to cover. And after that, I felt much comfortable about the system of both PM process groups & knowledge areas. It was a pity that I did't really have time to re-read it before the exam or use the free 1 week online resource it provided. Or it should make my test experience easier.
Bottom line: HIGHLY recommend.

- PMP In Depth: Project Management Professional Study Guide for PMP and CAPM Exams, by Paul Sanghera
I bought this one simply because it got pretty good rating on Amazon, but I have to say it's pretty disappointing. First, the process group oriented approach to organize this book is a good try. It should be easier for most rookies to have a good idea about the big picture of PM. However, I don't think the author did a very good job on mapping processes in different knowledge areas with related process groups. Besides, this may be the first book I've ever read that goes with so many typos and mistakes. I really wonder if it has been edited or proofread before publishing.
Bottom line: NOT recommend.

- PMP Exam Quicklet: Project Management Professional Practice Exams, by Paul Sanghera
The same author as "PMP In Depth", thus it contains a lot of typos, too. In addition, I don't think those questions in this book will get you a good feel of the real exam questions, because at least 30~40% of them will be much more difficult. When I tried those questions in this book before exam at home, I could easily finish 200 questions in about 2 and half hours and got about 85% correctness. However, it took me more than 3 and half hours and a lot of guesses in the real test. Third, quite a few of the 540 questions in this book are repetitive.
Bottom line: Somewhat recommend.

- Hot Topics Flashcards for Passing the PMP and CAPM Exams (Audio CD),
by Rita Mulcahy (Author)
I spend more than one hour on public transportations everyday during weekdays. That's why I bought this CD. It is a nice review and memory enhancement if you don't mind listening to those boring stuff when you walk or drive.
Bottom line: Recommend.

- PMP Exam Prep: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam, by Rita Mulcahy
I did not buy this book, but based on my experience of using the "Hot Topics Flashcards" CD, I believe this should be a pretty good material for the PMP exam.
Bottom line: HIGHLY Recommend.


Overall, my suggestions would be :

1. You should expect to study intensively for 1 to 3 months to pass the exam. (It took me 3) If you plan to spend more than 3 months, you may forget what you study in the first beginning. Better to focus and get it done quickly.

2. Carefully study "The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try" & "PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam".

3. Do enough simulation questions (enough = at least 600 questions = 3 full set exams). Be sure to figure out the correct answers of those questions you got wrong.

4. Don't rely on PMBOK as your only resource for PMP preparation. There are some testing materials not even included in it, ex. organization & motivation theories.

5. Be sure to get enough sleep the night before exam. The real questions will be hard and require a very clear mind.

I bought this book when it first came out because after spending nearly a decade in project management I finally decided it was time to get my PMP. I also bought books by several other well known PMP-prep authors who shall remain nameless and I found this one to be the most useful. I read it before really studying the PMBOK in depth and I'm glad that I did as it gave me some background that made the PMBOK a bit easier to digest.

My only critique, really, is that I thought the book "talked down" to me a bit. That may just be me. Well done overall and, for me, worth the investment.

I used only this Study Guide in addition to the PMBOK Guide to pass the PMP Exam. This book is simple and easy to understand because it explains everything from scratch and there is a perfect logical flow in the presentation. Another thing that I liked about this book is that it follows the official exam specifications very closely and is organized along the exam specifications, whereas most of the other Study Guides don't care about the exam objectives; they are more or less re-run of the PMBOK Guide. This book is compatible with the PMBOK Guide but it's organized according to the exam spec and begins each chapter by explaining the exam objectives covered in the chapter.
I love the Exam's Eye View section at the end of each chapter...it rehashes all the important points in the chapter.
I also used the PMP Exam Quicklet for the Practice Exams. It was very useful and contains realistic questions.
Good luck for the exam to all of you.

I brought this book from Amazon after reading the good reviews. Amazon shipped it before time. I have just started reading the book, it is written in a very simple language and easy to understand. Recommended reading. Would always recommend Amazon and this book!!

I used this study guide to pass the PMP exam and now I use it to teach a project management course. Simply put: it's the best PMP study guide and an excellent project management book. Dr. Sanghera explains all the concepts from scratch and treats each topic to depth appropriate for the exam and for a first course in project management. The material is self contained and is organized according to the official exam specifications, which is also more or less the order in which we run projects in real life. I love the presentation style. As another reviewer said: all concepts are woven together into a big picture. You prepare for the exam while learning project management concepts.
Highly recommended.

I was able to pass the CAPM exam using this book. However, the book doesn't focus specifically on that test. All the information is geared towards studying for the PMP. There are no dedicated lessons or tips for how to apply the information learned to the CAPM. I found myself going into the test with a broader understanding of the project management body of knowledge than I probably needed.

Prepares you for the PMP exam...Explains all the concepts from scratch...Self contained...Explains and covers all the exam objectives in the official exam specifications...You learn while preparing for the exam....Even the PMBOK Guide makes sense after reading this book...It's a must...I used it with the PMP Exam Quicklet (by Paul Sanghera as well), and passed the exam on my first try.

Excellent PMP book. Explains all the essential concepts very clearly and is organized according to the official exam specifications. I love the writing style of the author which makes this book a very good reference book as well; self contained. Use this book in addition to the PMBOK, and use some practice exam book (I used the PMP Exam Quicklet by this author), and you should be able to pass the exam. You don't need to spend a fortune (LOL).

I passed the PMP exam by using this book along with the PMBOK Guide. The best I liked about this book is that it is organized according to the PMP Exam Specifications, that is, according to the process groups. Also the exam objectives covered in a chapter are clearly listed and explained in the beginning of the chapter. The topics in the exam objectives are covered with enough depth. Other things I liked about the book are:
* Comprehensive coverage with explanations of difficult topics such as cost management, time management, and quality tools.
* Material well explained and easy to understand.
* Author explains all the concepts from scratch and links the concepts and topics with each other to build the big picture. This helped me to really understand project management while preparing for the PMP exam.
I found the questions at the end of each chapter relatively simple, but questions in the practice exam are reasonably close to the real exam...The questions in the PMP Exam Quicklet (by the same author) are VERY realistic and close to the actual exam.

I passed my PMP from the first time, NO thanks to this book!
When I bough the book, I checked the user's feedback, and I thought I'm getting a good PMP book. The reality is that this book does not provide full information for each knowledge area.. here are the disadvantages for this book:

1) It takes the life-cycle approach, while the official PMBOK explains project management process using the knowledge areas.
2) Cost management is really (really) bad.. a lot of information is missing. Some complete titles are even missing. Compare this chapter to PMBOK, and you will notice that Cost Management is really an important issue and has a lot of info in the PMBOK.
3) Exam questions are no close to the real thing. The real PMP exam is much much harder and very dependant on your experience. The book's questions are very simple and straight forward.
4) Quality assurance and planning, are also not complete. I had to relay on other books to cover the whole PMP material.

My recommendation: use this book as a second reference only. Do not depend on it to pass your PMP.. Good luck

I bought this book because a friend of mine with more than 15 years project management experience recommended this book to me. I'm glad I bought it. I would say this is basically the only book you need in addition to the PMBOK Guide to pass the PMP exam (I also used Dr. Sanghera's PMP Exam Quicklet which has very realistic practice exam questions). I am relatively new (beginner) to the project management knowledge. This book is especially excellent for beginners because it's self contained and explains each concept from scratch. (That's why I was also able to use this book successfully for my CAPM exam). I love the author's style. The whole book is like a story of project management, all the concepts, sections, and chapters are logically linked to each other: There is a perfect flow. Everything is explained such as why an input is an input and an output is an output...Things explained this way makes much more sense and the knowledge obtained this way stays with you even after the exam...
Another biggy is that the book is organized according to the PMP exam specifications, that is, according to the process groups, and exam objectives...the exam objectives covered in a chapter are explained in the beginning of the chapter...this is refreshing and re-assuring because most of the PMP Exam books including Rita's book don't do that...Talking about Rita's book, it's way over-hyped...full of advertisement pages and empty spaces, lots of references to the PMBOK Guide (that is, not self contained), and lots of artificially wordy (or complicated) questions...That said, Rita's book is not a bad book either.

I started my preparation to PMP exam from reading PMBook which I found very dry a the first attempt.

Then I decided to buy a book that explains the concepts from PMBook. Well, I bought two books: Rita's book and Paul's. I started from reading Paul's because:
- it seems much `user friendly' and easy to read
- it is a self-contained book
- topics are organized in the order of Process Groups - which is very logical as projects run in that way
- at the beginning of each chapter you'll find exam objectives, at the end there are summary, glossary, things to memorize, comprehend and look out at the exam,.

And one more very important thing for me:

- there are no advertisements of the other products in this book (it is very annoying when you read Rita's book and you are frequently `advised' to her web page for some course or to buy the other tools in her offer - like FastTrack etc.). It makes reading this book much easier.

I found only three drawbacks to me:
- there are no `in depth' descriptions of communication processes
- an exam at the end of the book seems to be much easier than the real one is
- there are some errors in questions and answers in the exam

Overall, I think it's a great book but definitely it is not the only preparation tool for the exam as there are some topics not covered by this book.

I bought this book mainly because it had high customer ranking on Amazon.

If you are new to the PMI methodology, it is not a book to use for preparation. Too dry, too focused on the formal classification of the processes and knowledge areas. It takes all the fun and problem-solving spice from the art of project management and presents it as a set of dry schemas that are useless in practical life anyway and are not enough to answer questions on the PMP exam. PMBOK is a more lively and educational source of knowledge than this book, with almost the same number of pages.

The book omits number of areas that are covered in the exam - such as organizational theories. It does a decent job of presenting EV analysis and scheduling - enough to answer questions in the respective areas on the test.

However, situational problem-solving is reduced to questions like "what process group does this activity belong to?" while in fact it should be focused on the choices between bad, not so bad and too risky - decisions that a project manager constantly needs to make in a day-to-day life.

If you are good at memorizing, you should be able to pass the exam using just this book and PMBOK. If you want to enjoy your studying and hold on to your newly acquired knowledge more than 3 days past the exam, look elsewhere.

I learned more from free websites and PMBOK than from this book.

If you can choose between this book and Rita Mulcahy's book, spend more money and get her book.

Unlike many other study guides, this book is true to the PMP Exam Spec by PMI. It lists the exam objectives, explains them, and then covers them in a comprehensive fashion. Most other Study Guidesa are just a re-run of PMBOK Guide. This one is 100% compatible with the PMBOK Guide, but is organized according to the exam spec and explains all concepts from scratch. Self contained. I love it and highly recommend it.

I passed the PMP exam mainly by using this book and PMP Exam Quicklet by the same author. This book is very easy to understand and is written around the exam objectives unlike any other PMP exam study guide. The book is self contained (each concept is explained well), unlike Rita's book which repeatedly refers you to the PMPBOK Guide. The PMP Exam Quicklet contains Practice Exams with realistic questions. These are the only two books you need (in addition to the PMBOK Guide)to pass the exam.

This book is very clear and concise for the examination. Howerver, there are a number of topics missing in the book, but are required for the exam. Do not rely on this book alone for the examination.

I suggest the following book for the exam preparation as well,
"PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam (Paperback)". These 2 books alone should be sufficient to pass the examination.

Passd the PMP exam after mainly preparing from this book, and here is my review. The book is easy to understand and self contained, unlike Rita's book which sends you to the PMBOK Guide very so often. Also unlike Rita's book and many other study guides, this book covers the topics along the process groups which is also the order followed by the exam spec. That way you are sure where in your exam prep you are. In each chapter, you know which exam objectives (domains/tasks)you are working on, because they are explained in the beginning of each chapter. Although the book is very much focussed on the exam objectives, it keeps the logical connection: a section leads to the next section and a chapter leads to the next chapter...That makes it a good reference book too...
Highly recommended.

I bought this because it seemed to have 5 star ratings. After 2 weeks, I realize that this book takes a process group approach, and is very confusing to relate to PMBOK. Also many concepts that are integral to passing PMP, such as in procurement, are not covered in this book. You can read this book if you want general understanding of project management concepts but this will definitely not help from exam point of view. Also, if you read this book with some other good book like Rita, you will be even more confused. $50 is not worth. Skip it and you wont regret it.

El libro cubre todos los temas de certificacion para PMP y sobre todo es el unico que sirve para el examen de CAPM

Having just passed the PMP exam, I feel compelled to write a review on this book. This is a very good book. This is the only book I used for the PMP exam preparation.

All the chapters are very well organized. At the end of each chapter, you can find "Exam's eye view", "look out" & "Memorize" sections. These sections are extremely helpful.

Content is adequate to pass the PMP (I did!) and the text has enough flavor to keep it interesting.

Passed the PMP exam by preparing from PMBOK Guide, this book, and PMP Exam Quicklet (for practice exams). Although I have read other Study Guides a while ago. Unlike many other study guides, this book is not just a re-run (rehash) of PMBOK Guide. The material is organized around exam domains and exam objectives as defined by PMI. Therefore, this book meets the exam objectives head-on and covers them in a comprehensive fashion. If you want to prepare for the PMP exam: This is the book. You can read about all the processes from PMBOK Guide, but as some other reviewers said, after reading this book, PMBOK Guide makes more sense.

This is a good book for extra reading and understanding how the processes are linked logically.
But the book didn't cover all 44 processes and should have a master list like in page 70 of PMBOK and reference the page no. of the book, where each process is covered.

This book was my main preparation tool for the PMP exam. I also used the PMP Exam Quicklet from the same Author: the questions were very close to those in the exam. This book (PMP IN Depth) is very easy to understand and has also helped me to understand the PMBOK Guide. Due to the perfect logical flow, I found it very interesting read. I's way way better than just being an exam cram...defines and explains all the concepts... Very much stand-alone and self-contained book.
Bottom line: PMP In Depth + PMP Exam Quicklet + PMBOK Study Guide
That's all I needed to pass the exam and build a very good understanding of the basics of Project Management. I saved hundreds (or may be thousands) which I can spend elsewhere.
Thank you Dr. Sanghera, and thank you PMI.

This book was my main preparation tool for the PMP exam. I also used the PMP Exam Quicklet from the same Author: the questions were very close to those in the exam. This book (PMP IN Depth) is very easy to understand and has also helped me to understand the PMBOK Guide. Due to the perfect logical flow, I found it very interesting read. I's way way better than just being an exam cram...defines and explains all the concepts... Very much stand-alone and self-contained book.
Bottom line: PMP In Depth + PMP Exam Quicklet + PMBOK Study Guide
That's all I needed to pass the exam and build a very good understanding of the basics of Project Management. I saved hundreds (or may be thousands) which I can spend elsewhere.
Thank you Dr. Sanghera, and thank you PMI.

I won't lie its a boring read...but then again the subject of Project Management isn't the most exciting thing. The book's style is conversational so its easy to follow, however a lot of key points are in the paragraphs so make sure you read carefully. I actually went through the book and practice exam twice, which helped to cover things I may have missed or not read thoroughly the first time around. Was able to pass the PMP exam the first time using this book!

Not bad. Focusing on the exam. Much more easily for use than Rita (that overwhelms you with it's volume), though to pass the exam you need a good simulation S/W. The book (any book) in not enough.

Not bad. Focusing on the exam. Much more easily for use than Rita (that overwhelms you with it's volume), though to pass the exam you need a good simulation S/W. The book (any book) in not enough.

I consider this book a great study guide for the PMP exam and a very good reference for learning the basics of project management. Unlike many other study guides, this book is organized according to the exam spec for PMP (the performance domains or objectives), which in turn are according to the process groups. So, unlike many other study guides, it's not a blind re-run of PMBOK Guide. Each chapter starts with listing and explaining the exam objectives covered in the chapter. However, the way material is organized, and due to the author's style, it's also a great reference especially for those who are new to project management, to learn the basics of the field of project management.
Other thing I've noticed about this book that it is very self-contained...all terms defined...As another reviewer said, you can take it on a trip and read and understand the whole book without having to consult another book.
Yes, I also agree with other reviewers that after reading this book, PMBOK Guide makes much more sense.
Highly recommended, indeed.

I consider this book a great study guide for the PMP exam and a very good reference for learning the basics of project management. Unlike many other study guides, this book is organized according to the exam spec for PMP (the performance domains or objectives), which in turn are according to the process groups. So, unlike many other study guides, it's not a blind re-run of PMBOK Guide. Each chapter starts with listing and explaining the exam objectives covered in the chapter. However, the way material is organized, and due to the author's style, it's also a great reference especially for those who are new to project management, to learn the basics of the field of project management.
Other thing I've noticed about this book that it is very self-contained...all terms defined...As another reviewer said, you can take it on a trip and read and understand the whole book without having to consult another book.
Yes, I also agree with other reviewers that after reading this book, PMBOK Guide makes much more sense.
Highly recommended, indeed.

Having just passed the PMP exam on the first try using this book as my primary prep tool, I have some thoughts I think will be helpful to others.

This is a great text to get introduced to the PMBOK. As other reviewers have noted, it is organized logically, and is an easy read that flows nicely. After reading this book the PMBOK made much more sense to me.

Thanks to this book I had most of the PMBOK processes (inputs, outputs, tools), quality concepts, and the earned value formulas down pat. I scored very well on the book's practice test. But on the actual test I got hammered with questions covering material that in the author's words are "beyond the scope of this book." I think I could have failed if I hadn't also done prep using other sources. It seems to me that the author's approach is to give you just enough material that, if learned solidly, will likely get you a passing score -- you just have to accept that you'll be guessing on many questions on the actual test. I'm not satisfied with this approach, and I'm sure many other PM types aren't either.

Some examples of significant gaps in this book include lack of coverage of the communication management process group, the cost management process group, and key concepts of general management theory. There are others. Bottom line: you're taking a risk if you use this book as your sole source of prep for the PMP, but it's not bad as a starting point.

It was as a expected. The book is great and I am studing now for my pmp exam.

I passed my PMP exam with flying colors after using only three resources: PMBOK Guide, this book (PMP in Depth), and the PMP Exam Quicklet (an eBook by the same author, Dr. Sanghera) that I downloaded from booksOnBoard, which has three practice exams and some very useful tips. I read this book before reading the PMBOK Guide, which made it a lot easier for me to understand the PMBOK Guide. I quickly went through this book again after reading the PMBOK Guide; and I was ready for the exam.
I liked the fact that the exam objectives covered in each chapter are clearly listed and explained in the beginning of the chapter. That helped me to keep track where I was in my exam preparation. I guess the review questions at the end of each chapter are more to ensure that you understood the material in the chapter. The questions in the practice exam at the end of the book are more realistic from the exam¡¦s perspective. I found the questions in the PMP Exam Quicklet even more useful¡Kvery very useful.
That said, this book is also very useful for just learning the basics of project management. I¡¦ve had a great deal of real project management experience, but I did not know much about the project management theory º. So, I was looking for a self contained book that I could use to quickly learn the basic concepts and that would also prepare me for the PMP exam. A friend of mine pointed me to this book; I¡¦m glad he did. The book defines and explains all the basic concepts, and I liked the organization and presentation of the material; it enabled me to connect what I read to my real world experience.

Bottom Line:
A must have book for the PMP exam preparation and for learning the basics of project management.

Having just passed the PMP exam today, I feel that I need to provide some feedback on Mr. Sanghera's book, which I used as the primary source of my study material.

I must agree with all the previous reviews on how well organized and easy to understand this book is. I have a certificate in project management from a PMI certified university, and this book far exceeds any material that were presented in my introductory course into project management. The materials presented are easy to comprehend and well explained without being overly tedious in detail.

I must disagree with a previous reviewer who says that the terms used are incompatible with the PMBOK. I have actually found it to the contrary, because I had a printed copy of an older PMBOK (2000) and a CD copy of PMBOK 3rd edition. The terms used here are incompatible with the older PMBOK but completely compatible with the PMBOK 3rd edition.

Having said all that, I must also include the negatives. This book is by all mean not exhausive in helping you prepare every facets of the exam. For instance on my exam, there were quite a few questions on Communication Management and this book does not explicitly explain that knowledge area (it's implicit all over the book). Unfortunately I only noticed this the night before the exam when I compared it to the PMBOK. Also the PMP exam is not just testing one's knowledge of the PMBOK, therefore a book that basically only covers materials in the PMBOK would not prepare you for everything. There were questions on my exam that came from other disciplines that a project manager must be familiar with, such as Organizational Behavior, as well as more in depth questions on knowledge areas that neither this book nor the PMBOK elaborates on.

Another comment I have is that, like the other reviewers, I also find the review and the practice exam questions really easy in comparison to the actual exam. But that is probably expected since the exam is also to test one's real life project management skills.

Overall I think this is a great primer for your study, and most likely if you study mainly from it you would pass the exam. However you might be a little disappointed with your final score as I am.

I have brought this book to study for my exam and I passed today!!! I think it's time for me to contribute and provide comments to the other people. This book is very easy to read and contain a lot of information; however, there is one thing I don't like about this book is the wording of the key words. It is actually not matching with the PMBOK and it can be confusing with so many key processes/tools/inputs/outputs. I borrowed the "The PMP Exam by Andy Crowe" before purchasing this book and it is also a good book to read. In conclusion, please please read the PMBOK after you read this book since you don't want to be like me -- I got very low score and I thought I couldn't pass!! Hope this helps and good luck ;-)

I am a Software Engineer. This is the first book I have bought in my preparation for PMP exam. I really like the style of the book because everything is explained by examples, the best part, most of the examples are related to Software Projects (or Manufacturing - easy to comprehend). Another good thing from exam point of view is at the end of each chapter there are three sections to look at the chapter from Exam point of view. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are planning to take PMP exam but probably not as a reference book.

I did not find this book very helpful in preparation for the PMP exam. The only value that it provided was getting me in the mindset of thinking of the PMBOK in terms of lifecycle. I would recommend Rita Mulcahy's book if you are preparing to take the exam.

This is the only reference book I used to prepare for my PMP exam. It helps me to understand the entire workflow of PM processes and make PMBOK far easier to read and digest. I also worked with hundreds of online PMP exam questions whereever I could find. I passed my PMP exam last Friday. It's true that the questions in the book are easier than those in actual exam, but I am happy with this book.

I did'nt like this book, its language is horrible, seems it hasnt been edited well. Secondly the book doesnt present a clear picture, it doesnt give you a viewpoint, like if he is explaining about a Project Charter, it doest say with whose viewpoint is that text being presented as, he would start explaining and give no indication whom is it for.

Then he repeats text in chapters, read 1st and 2nd chapter, lot of text is repeated.

I somehow feel he is very shallow, and doesnt explain things clearly.

5 Thumbs down from my end for this book.

I started with PMBOK for my PMP preparation, after couple of chapters I realized that I need to look for another book to teach me PMBOK concepts in a simpler way. PMBOK is a reference, it's dry, boring and quite frustrating if you choose it to be your first book to read for PMP certification.

Based on the reviews I considered two Books PMP in Depth by Paul Sanghera and The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try by Andy Crowe. I choose PMP in Depth mainly because it is a self-contained book with topics organized in the order of Process Groups. I am glad I did, I passed PMP at my First attempt. This book helped me to understand the concepts, Rita's book and CD helped with Knowledge gaps and questions.

Positives

1. Self Contained
2. Topics are organized in the order of Process groups (same order in which projects are done) with adequate depth
3. Nice Flow, Easy and Interesting read
4. Exam Objectives in the beginning of the chapter
5. Summary, Key Terms and Things to Remember at the end of the chapter
6. It is not only PMP certification book but also a great Project Management Book
7. ITTO's are explained well with their importance for each process
8. Index, Book Quality and Writing Style

Negatives

1. There are only few questions and the questions are very easy comparing to the actual exam.

Couple of weeks before the exam I took the Full length exam at the end of the book and I scored 94% in my first attempt. Next week I took the full length test in Rita's Fast Track CD and I passed with only 76%.

Apart from one negative mentioned above this is a great book, read this book before you read PMBOK/Rita, Especially if you are doing Self-Study.

I have struggled with several books. Could not have passed the PMP exam without this book. Simple, easy, comprehensive, and yet to the point. I must say I learned a lot from this book while preparing for the exam. I found the quality of the exam questions in the book very close to the real exam. I can always ask for more; but we project managers care about the thing called scope...I like it that this book is very true to its scope: the PMP exam, and in my opinion the overall coverage is very good. After reading seevral books, and their reviews (including reviews on this page, here is how I look at the three top PMP books from the following points:

1. Exam coverage. The PMBOK Guide is organized around knowledge areas and the PMP exam domains are organized according to the process groups. This book presents the material along the exam domains (process groups). This is why it's able to list and explain the exam objectives in the beginning of each chapter. The other two books (Rita's and Andy's) can't do that because they are organized along the knowledge areas and therefore the exam objectives are broken into million pieces over all the chapters...Tell me about experimentation...This is the only book that covers the exam in a systematic way...if there is any experimentation...that lies with the other two.

2. Completeness. In my opinion no book is COMPLETE! Rita's book does not even claim to be complete..it refer's to PMBOK Guide quite often for explanations etc. Andy's book is not complete because it does not cover much depth...Simple, yes, but not much depth...not much explanation of concepts either...This book (PMP in Depth) is very sincere in sticking to the exam objectives, and overall exam coverage in this book is very good, and very comprehensive...I passed the exam largely preparing from this book, so can't complain...
That said, regardless which book you use to prepare for the exam, there will always be some questions in the exam for which the book did not prepare you; that's the nature of the exam.

3. Explanation. This book explains concepts and terms very well. For example, when it comes to input/output of processes, other books mostly re-hash the list from PMBOK Guide. This book (Sanghera's)goes a step further to explain why an input to a process is there...that way it helps stick...otherwise too many processes and too many inputs and outputs and everything gets mixed up...But this book helps the input/output for a process stick in your head by explaining why it's there...Other topic coverage I loved is earned value technique and decision tree analysis...well explained and illustrated with simple examples...

Overall, I recommend this book highly. Regardless, which book you use, you have to go through PMBOK Guide...and the PMBOK Guide makes much more sense to me after going through this book...
Now, this baby has a permanent place in my book shelf: Only second to the PMBOK Guide.

I have struggled with several books. Could not have passed the PMP exam without this book. Simple, easy, comprehensive, and yet to the point. I learned a lot from this book while preparing for the exam. I found the quality of the exam questions in the book very close to the real exam. You can always ask for more; but we project maangers care about scope...This book covers the scope of the PMP exam, and in my opinion the overall coverage is very good. After reading seevral books, and their reviews (including reviews on this page, here is how I look at the three top PMP books from the following points:

1. Exam coverage. The PMBOK study guide is organized around knowledge areas and the PMP exam domains are organized according to the process groups. This book presents the material along the exam domains (process groups). This is why it's able to list and explain the exam objectives in the beginning of each chapter. The other two books (Rita's and Andy's) can't do that because they are organized along the knowledge areas and therefore the exam objectives are broken into million pieces over all the chapters...Tell me about experimentation...This is the only book that covers the exam in a systematic way...if there is any experimentation...that lies with the other two.

2. Completeness. No book is COMPLETE! Rita's book does not even claim to be complete..it refer's to PMBOK Guide quite often for explanations etc. Andy's book is not complete because it does not cover much depth...Simple, yes, but not much depth...not much explanation of concepts either...This book (PMP in Depth) is very sincere in sticking to the exam objectives, and overall exam coverage in this book is very good, and very comprehensive...I passed the exam largely preparing from this book, so can't complain...

3. Explanation. This book explains concepts and terms very well. For example, when it comes to input/output of processes, other books mostly re-hash the list from PMBOK Guide. This book goes a step further to explain why an input to a process is there...that way it helps stick...otherwise too many processes and too many inputs and outputs and everything gets mixed up...But this book helps the input/output for a process stick in your head by explaining why it's there...Other topic coverage I loved is earned value technique and decision tree analysis...well explained and illustrated with simple examples...

Overall, I recommend this book highly. Regardless, which book you use, you have to go through PMBOK Guide...and the PMBOK Guide makes much more sense to me after going through this book...
Now, this baby has a permanent place in my book shelf: Only second to the PMBOK Guide.