Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!! Highly recommended
Review: Start PMP preparation with this book, as it takes through each phase in sequence as in real projects so you can relate to whats going on (instead of studying each knowledge management area as in PMBOK). Questions in the book and the CD extremely useful...I scored 80-85% in the exercise exams and my final score was 83.5% (167/200). Use this book along with PMBOK and Rita's book, you ae guaranteed to score above 80%
Rating: 
Summary: Not reliable
Review: Studying for the PMP exam can be difficult and taking many practice tests are essential to one's success. Unfortunately, this book has numerous incorrect answers, questions and general information and lacks a lot of credibility. BEWARE: Learning incorrect information and answers can lead to failing the test. If you buy this book, use the information only to practice your test comprehension skills. Do NOT rely on it for accurate information. I repeat, do NOT rely on this book to take the test!!
Rating: 
Summary: Slow Reading! You will need to supplement this book
Review: 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 patiently read everything the author wants to say to get what you want. This might be good or even beneficial for a first read - but if you are short on time or want to tear ahead you will begin to experience some frustration. The lack of clear organization is a fairly major limitation for a book that is aimed at exam preparation! The book is useless as a review/recap tool. You cannot go fast! In my assessment the PMBOK and the PMP for Dummies books are superior. This book would have been far better with if it had more process area and knowledge area diagrams and summaries, or even quick summaries after sections like many of the other books do. The book does have its positive points. The very well thought out and insightful case studies however provide relief when working through the rather dull presentation. The questions at the end of each chapter are generally of very high quality and will test your understanding in a deep way. Mistakes are very few. The case studies are probably the best I have seen in any PMP preparation book. I had to team this book with the PMBOK for content/concepts, and Rita Mulcahy's PMP exam CD for test taking to pass the PMP.
Rating:
Summary: Check the Sybex Website for Errata
Review: The information in the book is very useful, but CHECK THE SYBEX SITE!!! There are Errata for this book. Especially wrong answers for the sample exams at the end of each chapter. I thought I was going nuts in Chapter 5 until I realised that many of the questions were worded wrong!
Rating:
Summary: Can use as a companion to the PMBOK Guide for the PMP.
Review: The PMBOK Guide (by PMI) is essential in preparing for the PMP, but follows the 9 Knowledge Areas approach. The approach necessary to pass the test is the 5 Process Groups (plus Professional Responsibility) approach. This Study Guide takes the 5 Process Groups approach and hence clears the confusion one may experience in reading the PMBOK Guide. They also go into more depth than the PMBOK Guide as can be seen by the fact that the book has more than twice as many pages. This Study Guide also has a CD-ROM with hundreds of practice questions (you can take 2 practice exams). The entire book is on the CD-ROM too. I have not tried their electronic flashcards for PCs and Palm Handhelds. Considering everything that the book offers, it is a great buy at [this price]. Other CD-ROM software programs that offer practice tests are over $300. The only other book that will prove very useful on top of this book is Rita Mulcahy's 'PMP Exam Prep'. It is a bit more expensive but is of much higher quality in preparing for the PMP exam. This Study Guide is wonderful as a secondary preparation material to Rita's book. Read my reviews of her book to get more info on preparing for the PMP. I always use multiple study guides to get multiple perspectives when preparing for an exam. So, if you can afford it, I would recommend both books for your PMP preparation. But if you want to invest in only one study guide, I would say get Rita's PMP Exam Prep. Good luck on the PMP!
Rating: 
Summary: VERY INTERESTING AND USEFUL BOOK
Review: This Book helps myself not only to understand better all the concepts of the PMBOK but also to pass the PMP exam. The main advantages of this book are that it carries you according to the process of Initiating, planning, execut... like they are presented in the exam or in the real world, not as they are presented in the PMBOK (according to the 9 knowledge areas). Best Wishes for the exam !.
Rating:
Summary: This one and the PMBOK were all I needed.
Review: This book is just like the PMBOK, but readable. With its 500 pages it is a lot easier to understand and study it. The two sample tests included are a great preparation tool, best if taken after you consider yourself ready. An important note is that this book complements the PMBOK, but does not replace it. If you are going to present the PMP exam, you are going to need to have the PMBOK too, because it covers inputs, tools and techniques and outputs of some processes that are not detailed in the Guide. However, it will be easier by far to read the PMBOK after reading the Guide. I passed the test, and my only two preparation guides were the two books I mentioned here. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: too many mistakes
Review: This book is laid out well, and is written in a very readable, pleasant style. The CD is also very convenient. However, it is very unreliable. The list of errata at sybex.com will give you an idea of the type and number of mistakes. There are mistakes in questions and answers on exams, including basic arithmetic errors. There are also more substantive conceptual errors that go beyond one-word typos (confusing "qualitative" with "quantitative" and incorrectly describing types of contracts, for example). I haven't yet taken the exam, but am planning to buy another book (Mulcahy), because I can't trust the content of this one. I don't know how many errors I may be learning as facts. Good price, but not a good value.
Rating:
Summary: Decent but has errors
Review: This is a decent book but needs to be revised. There are several errors, primarily in the treatment of mathematical material. There are errors in NPV, Earned Value, and Decision Tree. There are also errors in the treatment of contract types. Some of the errors are minor, a few are severe (as in blatantly wrong). The graphical representations in the book are of low quality. Which is too bad because graphics are sometimes the best way to portray information. Also, the glossary and index are incomplete (for instance you won't find the term "baseline" in there). There is published errata on the sybex website, but even some of those are in error and/or incomplete. On the positive side the writing style is good. The majority of the material is well covered. there are many references to what you really need to know for the test. There are many sample test questions - 50 at the start of the book, 20 at the end of each chapter, and 50 at the end, as well as another 50 questions on the CD. And a 200 question flashcard on the CD.
Rating:
Summary: good book but not great
Review: This is a good resource for studying for the PMP. I have taken a few courses to prepare for the PMP as well as read PMBOK and Rita Mulchahey's book (her's is the best one available)./ The reason why I picked this book is that it is written in stages of the lifecycle: planning, executing, closure, etc.. while the PMBOK is based on function: HR, Quality etc... This book is another way to reinforce that you can apply the knowledge in the lifecycle and not just memorize PMBOK. The palm flashcards are cool and help a lot as well as the computer test. The test is the most important since that is what you will go through on the PMP. Also the practice tests give you the answer and the rationale for the answer, a great help. The only reason it is not five stars is that the book says on the back cover that there is a complete project plan enclosed and it is not there, the publisher said that it was an error. Also the flashcards do not tell you what questions you missed.
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