As Premier Authorized Training Partners of PMI and Exclusive Distributors of Rita Mulcahy PMP book and other resources, we provide both offerings to our candidates. So, the most common question (apart from the usual fee discounts), is that “Do I really need both books to pass the exam?”
Well, let’s find out in this blog! Here we highlight the strengths of both the project management books, where they lack, and how you can clear PMP with both in ammunition!
What Is PMBOK?
PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) requires no introduction to most project professionals. It is a staple textbook that compiles the fundamental concepts of project management. It covers developmental approaches, such as traditional, predictive, adaptive, agile, and hybrid project management. Moreover, its latest edition presents 12 principles of project management and 8 performance domains critical for effective value delivery.
PMBOK includes the Standard Of Project Management which is widely accepted by companies worldwide. It lists complete procedures, best practices, terminologies, and recommendations for project professionals. The book helps you standardize procedures across diverse divisions, modify procedures to meet particular requirements, as well as avert project failures. This is what makes the PMBOK a highly valued and respected textbook among all leading company PMOs.
About Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Book & Resources
In the previous section, we covered PMI’s standard guide to PMP exam preparation – the PMBOK guide. Naturally, we will now discuss Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book. Rita’s book is an eye-opener for project management. It is an amalgamation of concepts from PMBOK Guide 7, Examination Content Outline (ECO), and the Process Groups: A Practice Guide. The interesting part about Rita books is that, it is not just a single-standing book. It is actually a whole collection of resources, including case studies, exercises, problem questions, elaborate and accurate answers, mock exams, and even games!
Rita Mulcahy’s Process Chart Game has always been a popular choice amongst PMP aspirants. It uses a gamified approach to the traditionally tedious 49 PMP process matrix. In the newest 11th Edition, Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep also introduced Rita’s New Agile Process Chart Game. The goal of the Agile Process Chart Game is to make you understand and apply agile project management approaches within the PMP context. The game shows how an agile project is managed using 5 process groups and their associated activities. Playing the game will prepare you for the agile-based questions in the exam and ensure you remember the concepts clearly, without mugging up.
Parallels Between Rita’s Approach And Ours
ProThoughts shares similar beliefs with Rita Mulcahy, on making learning as easy and fun as possible! Like Rita’s process chart game and Rita’s all-new Agile Process Chart, ProThoughts also conducts PMP certification training in a game-based manner. At ProThoughts Solutions, our experts conducted research to find out that Activity Based Learning is one of the most effective ways of learning. Therefore, we use this fact to make our training sessions highly interactive as well as effective. The Games in our sessions are in the form of activities, exercises, puzzles, questionnaires, etc. Since 2014, we have been using this Game-based learning approach and it has been very successful. This we can say based on the feedback of our customers and their results in the certification exams.
PMBOK vs Rita Mulcahy: A Detailed Comparison Chart
1. Current Editions You Should Know
PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMBOK Guide’s 7th Edition was introduced in August 2021. On the other hand, Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep 11th Edition was released in January 2023. PMBOK introduced a completely different approach to PMP in the latest edition. The previous Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep 10th Edition encouraged readers to sift through specific chapters of another guide called Agile Fundamentals. But, the current 11th Edition of Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Book reflected the brand new Agile concepts within the same book, rather than in a separate book like before.
ProThoughts gives you access to the latest updated versions of both the essential project management books. The PMP certification training by ProThoughts ensures that the candidates have access to the best materials. So, we ensure that our resources align perfectly with PMI’s latest standards. Since the PMP exam keeps evolving, our course does too. Hence, you are always on the top of your game for your PMP test!
2. Exam Readiness: Theory vs Practical Application
PMBOK is mostly just pages worth of theory and dry information. Although the PMBOK guide is the bible of all project management concepts, it does not offer exercises for the practical application of concepts. This is where reference project management books like Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep come into the picture.
Of course, there is no denying that Rita’s PMP book is drawn out from the PMBOK itself. But the approach she has chosen to put forth the content in the book is what makes it truly unique. The late author of the book, Rita Mulcahy, was a project management professional herself. She used to train students all across the globe in the discipline. Her thorough understanding of the subject and mastery of each concept are depicted in her simplified explanations of every PMP domain and standard. Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep book simplifies the concepts in the PMBOK guide and aligns with the current PMP ECO. It therefore fills in all the gaps you might have while reading the PMBOK.
Moreover, Rita Mulcahy’s PMP book offers plenty of exercises for you to solve as you go. Rita Mulcahy PMP book gives you a firm grasp of PMI’s approach to project management, It does so through its scenario-based and calculation-based questions. Interestingly, it also replicates the wording style of the PMP exam questions, so it helps you familiarize yourself with the exam better.
The ProThoughts Approach To This Debate
ProThoughts brings to you a fusion of both – The power of theory combined with the strong backdrop of practical application. PMI’s Project Management Professional, that is, PMP certification, is the best in the world. It is because of the reliability it brings when it comes to the candidate’s competency. The PMP exam is not a test of your knowledge, but of how well you apply it. The scenario-based problems in the PMP exam truly gauge your abilities to sift through “what’s not important to the problem” and then find the right solution. So, our seasoned experts walk you through theory and make you apply it right away through exercises. In addition, to propagate PMI’s idea of skill advancement further, we also provide 180 Project Management Templates. It is another offering amongst our 30+ materials that you can use in your running and future projects.
Ease of Reading:
The PMBOK is the most reliable guide to PMP exam preparation. But most aspirants find it tedious to read (and maybe a tad bit boring). On the contrary, the concepts in Rita’s PMP Book are easier to grasp, because of the way the book is laid out. Rita constructed the book in a way to explain concepts like a peer, instead of a knowledge giver. As a result, anyone who refers to her resources understands it better.
How The Books Are Organized:
PMBOK: The earlier PMBOK versions focused on knowledge areas. However, the new PMBOK 7th edition has replaced the traditional knowledge areas with performance domains. The 8 performance domains showcase the elements essential to a project’s success:
- Team.
- Stakeholders.
- Life cycle.
- Planning.
- Uncertainty and ambiguity.
- Delivery.
- Performance.
- Project work.
That’s not it. The 7th PMBOK edition also retires “5 project domains” that most project managers were familiar with. In place of the PMP domains, the PMBOK 7th Edition introduced 12 new project management standards or principles:
- Stewardship.
- Team.
- Stakeholders.
- Value.
- Holistic Thinking.
- Leadership.
- Tailoring.
- Quality.
- Complexity.
- Opportunities & Threats.
- Adaptability & Resilience.
- Change Management.
Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Book: PMP Exam Prep, 11th Edition is organized into 6 exam content-related sections. These are:
- Tips on how to study for the PMP exam.
- Project Management Foundation concepts.
- 1st Domain: People.
- 2nd Domain: Process.
- 3rd Domain: Business Environment.
- Concepts Review.
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Rita Mulcahy PMP Book & PMBOK: Frequently Asked Questions
Before closing off the blog, we would like to address some common questions that arise among PMP aspirants:
1. Should I use PMBOK 6 or 7?
PMI introduced PMBOK 7 in 2021. The debate of PMBOK 6 vs PMBOK 7 was prevalent during the earlier days of the release. This is because, during the launch of the new edition, there were already aspirants amid their PMP exam preparation phase. The new release created confusion as to which edition would be suitable for the upcoming PMP exam. In 2024, most supplies of PMBOK 6 have already run out. Moreover, all Authorized Training Partners like ProThoughts have already updated their PMP course content to match the PMBOK 7! Thus, the PMBOK 7th Edition is recommended for PMP aspirants in 2024.
2. What Is the Latest Edition Of Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep?
Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep 11th Edition is the latest version of the popular PMP guide. RMCLS released the newest edition in January 2023.
3. Is PMBOK 7 enough to pass PMP?
PMBOK 7 covers all your definitions, concepts, and “know-how”. However, only studying from the PMBOK 7 is not enough to pass the PMP exam. We recommend reading the entire PMBOK guide twice before taking the test while also referring to a good PMP exam prep book – such as Rita’s PMP book. This prepares you for calculation questions, such as those based on Earned Value and Critical Path (which PMI loves to add).
4. Is Rita Mulcahy enough for PMP?
Rita Mulcahy draws concepts from the Examination Content Outline (ECO), the PMBOK guide, and the Process Groups: A Practice Guide. It comprehensively covers the entire PMP syllabus. The book is a simplification of the PMBOK guide, so we suggest reading both to fill any knowledge gaps and to secure your certification.
5. Can I pass PMP without reading PMBOK?
Some practitioners do exclusively opt for external materials other than PMBOK because they find it too difficult to understand. But, then the onus falls on the quality of the other project management books you choose for your PMP exam preparation. We recommend Rita Mulcahy’s PMP book. With the right PMP certification training and diligent studying, you can pass PMP without reading the PMBOK.
Do you really need both Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Exam Prep and PMBOK for your PMP exam prep?
The short answer – YES.
As distributors of Rita Mulcahy’s PMP exam prep, you would think we are bound to say that. But that’s not true! At ProThoughts, our partnership with Rita Mulcahy and RMCLS is due to them providing the best for PMP! Rita’s materials are known to be the top-of-the-line resources for PMP exam preparation in the world. This is thanks to the lucid explanations, the wealth of exercises, and detailed solutions for your reference. ProThoughts believes in quality. Hence we give you only the best for your PMP training – Rita Mulcahy PMP Book with all our 30+ other resources.
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide, on the other hand, is the prescribed textbook for the PMP certification. PMI has put all its great minds at work to craft the PMBOK guide. It gives you a 360-degree insight into project management practices (even if you’re already well-versed in it). Some people do pass the exam without skimming the textbook. However, at ProThoughts, we consider the guide a vital resource for PMP exam preparation. We suggest reading it at least twice before taking the PMP test.
Concluding Statements
We usually end our blogs on an open-ended note for our readers. But, PMP exam preparation is a serious affair. And as trainers for PMP for a decade, we think our opinion does add some value to the cause. Thus, we do advise aspiring Project Management Professionals to refer to both the Rita Mulcahy PMP book and the PMBOK guide for their PMP exam prep. We suggest using the PMBOK to get your theory right, and the Rita Mulcahy PMP book to brace yourself for the exam questions. And about the exam pressure, doubts, PMP application assistance, and the rest – leave that to us. At ProThoughts, we give you start-to-end handholding, till we see you PMP-certified.
Well, if you’re still not convinced, you can read our Student Success Stories!
Want to get your hands on both the books in question? Schedule a call with our consultants or fill in a quick inquiry to start your PMP journey right away!
