Book Review: Rita Mulcahy’s Hot Topics – Flashcards for passing the PMP and CAPM exams
I am currently studying to pass my PMP exam after the holidays. Since I spend a lot of time on public transportation, I was looking to a way to utilize this time for studying. I was looking for a book format that was conveniently small, while at the same time packed quality information for study.
Rita Mulcahy’s Hot Topics were exactly what I was looking for. The flashcards are about 4 inches by 6 inches, on a spiral bind. It makes the pages very easy to flip.
Of course, the important part is not so much the format as the content. Hot Topics is not a bunch of multiple-choice questions, but rather open-ended questions that help me acquire knowledge. I found the questions well focused. They helped me identify which knowledge areas need more review.
With its 600+ questions, Hot Topics is definitely a must-have study help for PMP and CAPM exams.
Karine is the pen behind Go Ahead, Manage, a blog about the life of a small company in the great world of project management software: from marketing to product management, software development… and project management, of course.
Dec 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
I also used Rita’s flashcards to study for the PMP exam. I found them very helpful because they were open ended questions, not multiple choice. They forced me to really think about each of the topics presented and formulate better, more defined answers. I’d highly recommend these to use during your spare time to help keep you sharp!
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Dec 24th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Hi Karine,
While passing your PMP may be a logical “first step”, given the business you are in, I would urge you to consider exactly how much value should be placed on a certification that requires no evidence that you have ever completed a project “successfully”; That requires only 35 hours of training and that training can be obtained by reading a book or listening to a 35 hour podcast; And which consists of a 200 question, multiple choice exam, of which only 175 actually count,and requires a passing grade of only ~62%?
Bottom line here- given you are creating a “methodology”, I would hope you view the PMP as the first step towards earning a true COMPETENCY credential, or better yet, why not get a degree in Project/Program Management if you want to be taken seriously as a professional practitioner?
BR,
Dr. PDG, freezing in Boston
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Aug 4th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Dr. PDG,
I am just going to make a casual observation from an outsider’s viewpoint. It appears to me that you are threatened by these pedigrees granted by non university instititutions. I do not blame you…I would be too. Who would want to spend a hundred thousand dollars and 10+ years only to be percieved as being less than qualified than someone with a PMP? Rarely have I seen a case in project management (oil refining/petrochemical industry) where the guy with the master’s degree is any better than the guy who has no formal education. If anything, I hire the guys with less education because they have spent thier time actually practicing project management rather than sitting in a classroom listening to a professor talk about it. I agree that there are certain principles that need to be known in order for a person to function at the top level, but these are things that can be learned by being on the job in most cases. There is one more variable in this equation that no one has mentioned. Some people are natural leaders and have the organization, leadership, and people skills far beyond what can be learned in any academic setting. I know many companies who have changed thier thinking when it comes to project management and are now hiring and promoting thier PM’s from the field. The field is a place where people actually do real work (shocking, I know). I agree with this philosophy and I hire guys who used to turn wrenches vs guys who used to turn pages anyday of the week. They get it done.
Casual Observer, sweating in TX
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