Rating: 
Summary: Very easy to read, but don't trust it for the exam
Review: I read the book two days before presenting my exam and felt very confident that I was ready for it. It is easy to read, the examples are very good, the companion CD and testing software is excellent. However, there are a lot of mistakes and incorrect terminology. I walked into the exam very confident and about half of the questions were very though to me because the terminology was different. I passed my exam, but I really suffered through the exam. Make sure you support everything you read here with the latest version of the PMBOK.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for the Basics...missing some hot topics!
Review: I recently passed the PMP exam and I used these tests as part of the preparation process. They were fantastic for reviewing the basics of the PMBOK, but didn't cover some necessary topics such as the different types of power and risk techniques and when to use them, etc. I'd like to see this updated with questions that apply to WHEN you actually use the different formulas, types of power, processes, etc, instead of just focusing on WHAT the different knowledge areas and processes are.
Rating:
Summary: I passed the PMP Exam using this book
Review: I scored an 170/200 on the PMP exam using this book (and the PMI's Guide to PMBOK) as my information foundation. I read PMI's Guide to PMBOK twice and this book twice. I took all the sample exams from this book twice and followed up my studying by ordering and taking all three PMP sample exams from Boson Software, which I took twice. All in all, I spent two months studying for the exam. The exam itself was extremely challenging. Don't be fooled into thinking you can study for a week or two and pass the exam. This book is a really good starting point but don't rely on it too heavily. You will need to leverage your experience and other sources of information. I found this book useful and so will you.
Rating: 
Summary: I passed my exam with this book.
Review: I used Kim Heldman's book, the Yahoo group and PMBOK as my prep material. This book is not perfect, but it is more than enough to pass the exam. The author covers about 90% of PMBOK and covers other material (that are not in the PMBOK, but we are tested for) as well. For example, Pert/CPM calculations, Code of Conduct Scenarios, Motivation theories etc..I studied this book, then the PMBOK once, this book again, PMBOK again. I took some free tests on the Internet, took the tests in this book and in the actual PMP exam. I averaged about 83% in those preparation tests and I got 164/200 (82%) in the actual PMP exam. I spent about 130-140 hours on the subject in total. The test questions in this book after every chapter and at the end of the book (and cd), are really good. The test exam(s) in the cd almost resembled the real exam. I wished there were more questions in the cd, like 200 questions per test or so. (There are 50 questions per exam now). This is particularly true because PMP exam is a 4 hour long 200 question exam. By about the 160th question, even simple sentences like 'Assume you are a project manager' became a little difficult for me to grasp. I guess I lacked the mental stamina to take the gruelling 4 hour one in one shot. May be this book could have prepared me for that. Otherwise, this book is great. There were areas this book that went above and beyond the PMBOK. And test questions from these areas were a little difficult for me during practice. And none of the free tests online had any questions on these subjects. To my surprise, I found PMP exam questions from these areas as well. I originally bought this book over Rita's book because the other one was about 200 dollars. I thought if I am persistent enough to finish this book, I will buy Rita's. However, when I finished this one, I realized that this book covered most of the subject. In essence, this book delivers it's promise. (I have heard from everybody that Rita's book is also 5 star material and is excellent) Finally, even if the certification is not immediately useful in your career, the PM knowledge you gain through preparing for this exam will be useful. So, if you are thinking of taking the exam, I would like to say, go for it! I wish you all aspiring PMPs good luck. Karthik
Rating:
Summary: Good Preparation for exam
Review: I used this book and passed the exam easily. I thought the book covered the subjects well and I made a lot of use of the CD.
Rating:
Summary: ...this is the choice...
Review: I went through all the reviews before buying this book, and I was a bit skeptic about the real results...too good, all the reviews were right!! The way this book otganizes the processes described by the PMBOK gave me a better understanding of the complete set of processes and its links. Combine this book with the PMBOK and Rita's book (recommended as well), I got around 80% in the practice exams and my score was 158 in the PMP test....go for it!!
Rating:
Summary: Take A Look at the Second Edition of This Book
Review: I'm the author of the PMP Study Guide and I'm thrilled to see all your reviews about how helpful my book has been! Thank you! Good news--there is a new, second edition to the PMP Study Guide that has an expanded glossary, more exam hints, more notes, and deeper explanations of some of the tougher topics. There is also a companion guide, The PMP Final Exam Review, that has four more tests with some killer questions. Getting the PMP certification is definitely worth your while but you can't pass the test without some good resources (and I think mine are some of the best). Good luck to all you future PMPs out there!
Rating:
Summary: YOU NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!
Review: If you're studying for the PMP 2002 exam you will be so relieved that Sybex decided to do this book. I have my A+, N+, and MCSE and I used Sybex books to study for all of the exams. Over the last two and half years, my job role has shifted into a project management. My director suggested that I go after the PMP. I bought the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge from PMI and nearly fell asleep every time I tried to read it. I
tried to order other books from their site but they all looked just as dense (all the examples use construction methodology that I didn't follow at all!). By chance I did a search on Amazon for PMP and luckily found this one just published from Sybex. It's packed with IT related references that
I can relate to. There's even an IT-related sample project that spans the course of the book. The author does a great job of building context with real world stories. Plus the CD has hundreds of practice questions, some have flowcharts and graphs. If you're like me -- an IT admin who is suddenly project managing IT projects -- you need this book!!
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS IT!
Review: Kim Heldman presented a whole new way of preparation to the exam, the book covers detailed information regarding project management practices and links the practice to the PMBOK, not through knowledge areas as in the PMBOK, but in a logial sequence based on real world project management experience and knowledge.
For those who want to pass the exam, you must read this book.
It's not just a reference to pass, it's a reference to the project management knowledge.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow Reading!
Review: Probably the biggest gripe I have with this book has to do with the organization of content inside the chapters. The Inputs, tools and techniques and outputs are rather hard to find - and you really must read everything the author wants to say to get what you want. This might be good for a first read - but if you are short on time or want to tear ahead you will begin to experience some frustration. The book is useless as a review/recap tool. You cannot go fast! In my assessment the PMBOK and the Dummies book are better. One wishes Ms Heldman had put in more process area and knowledge area diagrams and summaries. Having made those observations, I will point out that the book has its positive points. The questions at the end of each chapter are generally of very high quality. Mistakes are few. And Ms Heldman certainly seems to have a knack for picking very appropriate case studies - you will remember those well after you have passed the PMP!
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