Tag Archives: exam

Pass Your Exam With These 3 Powerful Psychology Tricks

PMP, , ,

Click the video above to view

Unlock Your Exam Success: 3 Powerful Psychology Tricks (Plus 2 Bonus Tips!)

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to pass their exams effortlessly, even with minimal studying, while others struggle despite knowing all the material? The secret lies in psychology. Let’s dive into three powerful psychology tricks, inspired by Tony Robbins, to help you pass any exam. Plus, I’ll share two bonus tips that can make a huge difference in your success.

The 3 S’s for Exam Success

1. Strategy: Knowing What to Do

It may not seem like a psychology tip, but strategy is foundational. Whether you’re studying for an exam, losing weight, or pursuing a new job, the “what to do” is readily available. You can search online, take courses, and gather information. Having a clear plan influences your mindset and actions, setting the stage for success.

For your exam, I recommend taking Practice Exams – as many as possible – and reviewing where you went wrong. This way you will know when you are ready, or when you need to study more.

2. Story: The Narrative You Tell Yourself

What do you say to yourself when no one else is around?

Positive Story: “I’m great at taking tests. I stay calm, and time flies by.”

Negative Story: “I’m terrible at tests. I get nervous and always fail, even when I know the material.”

The story you believe becomes your reality, because your brain starts collecting evidence to support your narrative. A positive story boosts your confidence and encourages consistent effort, while a negative one sabotages your progress. Start telling yourself empowering stories and repeat affirmations like, “I’m capable of passing this exam.” Over time, your mindset will shift, and your actions will follow.

3. State: Your Energy and Emotional State

Your emotional state can make or break your performance. Are you pumped up and ready to conquer your exam? Or are you drained and doubting yourself?

One quick way to change your state is through physiology. Stand tall, smile, and even try a “power pose” for 30 seconds — this can boost confidence and energy. Your physical state directly influences your mental state, so use this to your advantage.

Bonus Tips for Exam Mastery

4. Massive Action Plan: Daily Habits and Practice

Success isn’t just about mindset — it requires action. Every student I’ve helped pass their exams developed a daily study habit. They took practice exams, measured their progress, and made studying a consistent routine. A structured plan, combined with the right psychology, creates unstoppable momentum.

5. Net Time (No Extra Time): Study Anytime, Anywhere

Struggling to find time? Use “Net Time” to study during moments that would otherwise go to waste. Listen to recordings during your commute, review flashcards on your lunch break, or watch videos while exercising. By doubling up activities, you reclaim valuable hours and stay on track.

You Can Do It

Combining these psychology tools with consistent action will transform your exam preparation. Remember, you are capable of success. I believe in you — now it’s time for you to believe in yourself.

Go crush that exam!

David McLachlan on LinkedIn

See more PMP articles: 

You can see what people are saying about David McLachlan here: REVIEWS

Navigate to Free Project Management and Leadership Articles through the links on the right (or at the bottom if on Mobile) 

PMI PMP 35 PDUs CourseThe Ultimate PMP Project Management Prep Course (35 PDUs)
Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP 21 PDUs)The Complete PMI-ACP Course: (28 PDUs) 
50 Project Management Templates Gantt Chart Risk Matrix and more Excel50+ Project Management Templates in Excel and PowerPoint (Gantt Chart, Risk Matrix and more!)
Project Management Plan TemplatesPre-made Project Management Plan Template: Save 100 HOURS!

 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 15

PMP Exam Question Practice, , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Question Practice 15PMP Exam Question Session 15

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

You are working through various options in your project and need to help stimulate your group towards innovation and ideas. Which of the following is a type of group creativity technique?

A)  Monte Carlo Analysis
B)  Regression analysis
C)  Brainstorming
D)  Root cause analysis

Question 2

You are working as a project manager, at the stage where you need to validate the scope and products you have created with the appropriate people. What is the output called that is produced by a project and approved by the end-user or customer?

A)  Accepted Products
B)  Accepted Deliverables
C)  Accepted Results
D)  Accepted Data

Question 3

You are working on your Project Management Plan and will need the opinion of an individual or a group who has a wide range of knowledge and experience in that specific field. What is this called?

A)  Expert Judgment
B)  Expert Findings
C)  Expert Comment
D)  Expert Decision

Question 4

You are developing a new product and decide to add three extra features that the customer did not ask for, to make the product extra special. You feel as though it will work better this way. What is this called?

A)  Scope Creep
B)  Customer first
C)  Verified Deliverables
D)  Gold Plating

Question 5

A project management plan is a formal approved document that defines how the project is planned, executed, monitored and controlled. Who is responsible for creating and updating the project management plan?

A)  The Program Manager
B)  The Project Manager
C)  The Project Sponsor
D)  The Project Team

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 13

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Question Practice 13PMP Exam Question Session 13

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

You have started to notice the impact that team motivation has on your project results. If you are giving your team love, affection, acceptance, friendship, you are using their:

A)  Legal Needs
B)  Social Needs
C)  Wealth Needs
D)  Organisational Needs

Question 2

You are working on a project where a strict and powerful union for the employees ensures that no employee can work more than 37 hours a week. This is an example of:

A)  Project permissions
B)  Project regulations
C)  Project constraints
D)  Project laws

Question 3

You are working on an Agile project and have been asked to create a document that lists team principles, agreements, and guidelines about the acceptable behaviour by team members. What are you working on?

A)  The Team Guideline
B)  The Project Management Plan
C)  The Project Charter
D)  The Team Charter

Question 4

You are managing a project team and need to ensure your team members are doing what is needed to get the job done. What is a project document you will use that helps you know the effectiveness of the team?

A)  Team Performance Assessments
B)  Team Progress Assessments
C)  Team Presentation Assessments
D)  Team Achievement Assessments

Question 5

A project manager will spend up to 90% of their time communicating, and your interpersonal skills will directly or indirectly impact the outcome of your project. Which of the following is a type of interpersonal skill?

A)  Selling
B)  Converting
C)  Team building
D)  Physical skills

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 12

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Question Practice 12PMP Exam Question Session 12

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

You have been asked to prepare a document to gain the project sponsor’s sign off to access their function’s resources, that details the project goal and business case, high-level scope and requirements, high level dates and milestones, a high-level budget, and initial risk analysis. What are you creating?

A)  Project Management Plan
B)  Project Charter
C)  Risk Management Plan
D)  Lessons Learned

Question 2

You are working with the quality assurance manager of your project, where they are using a fishbone diagram to perform a cause and effect analysis for a problem you are working on to solve. What else is a fishbone diagram called?

A)  Ishikawa Diagram
B)  Value Stream Map
C)  Pareto Diagram
D)  Control Chart

Question 3

You are working in the quality assurance and testing phase of your project, where the test manager makes use of many different ways to assess project quality control. Who has the most responsibility for project quality control?

A)  The vendor
B)  The functional manager
C)  The project manager
D)  The project sponsor

Question 4

Your quality assurance manager on your project is using a technique in order to validate the scope and gain sign off on the deliverables. What is it called when they check the quality of the product against the quality requirements?

A)  Checking
B)  Assessment
C)  Evaluation
D)  Inspection

Question 5

You have noticed your project team starting to drift off, miss deadlines and make quality defects, and decide to learn a skill that will help bring the team together again. What will you research for information on how people, teams, and organizational units function in a project?

A)  Organizational Process Assets
B)  Organizational Theory
C)  Organizational Charts
D)  Organizational Structure

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 10

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam PracticePMP Exam Question Session 10

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

You are working as a Project Manager and one of the stakeholders of the project raises a problem with the product requirements, stating they are not correct. Which document will you use to note this for further discussion and resolution?

A)  Change Request
B)  Benefits Management Plan
C)  Issue Log
D)  Requirements Traceability Matrix

Question 2

You are working on a project in the financial sector, and the project sponsor asks you for a written document that outlines the intention of the project with set terms and conditions so she can accept. What is she referring to?

A)  Collaterals
B)  Indemnitees
C)  Settlements
D)  Agreements

Question 3

You as a project manager are listing the things that must be done to close out the project. What should you do in regards to the contracts for your third party suppliers?

A)  Issue a formal written notice of the project completion to the contractors
B)  Put a legal notice in the newspapers indicating that all invoices must be submitted
C)  Request final inspection reports for all vendor-supplied materials
D)  Issue letters of recommendation for the project team

Question 4 

One of your stakeholders needs to make a proposal for modification to the scope, policies, procedures, plans, or processes of the project, after a formal review of the issue. What will they use?

A)  Rectification Requests
B)  Change Requests
C)  Adjust Requests
D)  Amend Requests

Question 5

What is the term used for any product, service or results to be achieved to complete a process, phase or project?

A)  Milestone
B)  Result
C)  Deliverable
D)  Delivery

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 09

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Practice

PMP Exam Question Session 9

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

Different Project Management Office types have different levels of control and influence on projects within the organization. What is one of the types of PMO Structures?

A)  Passive
B)  Controlling
C)  Global
D)  Active

Question 2

You are working on a project in the construction industry and your project sponsor has allocated a fixed budget and tight timeline to complete the work. What are the limitations placed upon the project that the project manager and team must work within?

A)  Restrictions
B)  Limitations
C)  Considerations
D)  Constraints

Question 3

Your Project Management Office recommends the use of project management templates and checklists to plan, implement and manage your projects professionally. These templates are an example of:

A)  Organizational Governance Meetings (OGM)
B)  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT)
C)  Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)
D)  Organizational Process Assets (OPA)

Question 4

Work Performance Data are the raw observations of your project, without analysing it against other metrics. What is one of the types of Work Performance Data?

A)  Implementation status for change requests
B)  Forecasted estimates to complete
C)  Number of defects
D)  Status of deliverables

Question 5

A Work Performance Report is a document containing organized information about project performance in a report format to enable decision making & actions and project communications. Which of the following is a type of Work Performance Report?

A)  Status reports
B)  Status of deliverables
C)  Forecasted estimates to complete
D)  Implementation status for change requests

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 08

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam PracticePMP Exam Question Session 8

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

You have been promoted from your role of project manager into a portfolio manager role. A portfolio is work grouped together to meet a certain strategic business objective and it involves:

A)  Projects and programs
B)  Projects and operations
C)  Programs and operations
D)  Projects, programs, and operations

Question 2

You are working as a project manager and created the cost estimate to bid on a government contract, where the scope was set by the government. Your manager advises you to reduce the cost to win the contract by whatever means, but your analysis shows that reducing the cost estimate will make the project unable to meet the specified scope. What should you do?

A)  Reduce the cost estimate and submit it
B)  Formally communicate to your manager about the implications of reducing the cost
C)  Ask your manager to estimate instead
D)  Submit your estimate without reducing the cost

Question 3

Work Performance Data generally contains raw facts and figures such as start dates for various activities, the number of bugs found in the software, spent cost, etc. What is a type of Work Performance Data?

A)  Forecasted estimates to complete
B)  Implementation status for change requests
C)  Percent of work physically completed
D)  Status of deliverables

Question 4

As you work on projects they can be influenced by many different things, and many different Enterprise Environmental Factors. What sort of influence are Marketplace conditions on your project?

A)  External
B)  Internal
C)  Regulatory
D)  Public

Question 5

You have recently been promoted from your role as Project Manager to a role that manages a related group of projects, and ensures efficient use of resources among those projects to ensure they are delivered. What is your role?

A)  Functional Manager
B)  Project Manager
C)  Portfolio Manager
D)  Program Manager

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 07

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam PracticePMP Exam Question Session 7

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

You are working on a project and your project sponsor asks you to contribute to a decision on whether to continue the project. The project had an initial budget of $500,000, is only half complete and has spent $1,000,000. Should the organization consider the $1,000,000 when determining whether to continue?

A)  Ask the Project Team to vote so the process is democratic
B)  No, the money spent is gone
C)  Yes, that is our money spent, we should consider it
D)  Refer to the functional manager as they own the business unit

Question 2

You are working as a project manager, asking for proposals from a Third Parties to complete the work. Your brother works for one of the vendors bidding for the contract. You are part of the executive team which will accept a vendor. What do you do?

A)  Discourage the vendor bid as it would be a conflict of interest
B)  Help the your brother’s vendor in the bid so you can work together
C)  Inform your company and the vendor of the relationship
D)  Don’t tell anyone. Why complicate things?

Question 3

You are working as a project manager in a foreign country. It is customary that gifts be made to the government to obtain the necessary project approvals, however the country where your company is based does not allow this practice. What should you do?

A)  Don’t bother with getting project approvals
B)  Ensure you offer gifts to obtain the project approvals
C)  Allocate additional hidden funds in the project to obtain the gifts
D)  Do not offer gifts to obtain project approvals

Question 4

You are working on a complex project requiring expertise from the functional manager. What is your role as a project manager in a weak matrix organization?

A)  Coordinator
B)  Administrator
C)  Supporter
D)  Functional manager

Question 5

Project Constraints are any restriction that defines a project’s limitations and is the limit of what the project is expected to accomplish. Which of the following is one of the types of competing Project Constraints?

A)  Size
B)  Sponsor
C)  Quality
D)  Location

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 06

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam PracticePMP Exam Question Session 6

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

Present Value is the present day value of an amount that is received at a future date. The Present Value (PV) of $12,000 to be received 4 years from now, with an interest rate of 5% would be:

A)  $9,872
B)  $1,787
C)  $11,268
D)  $1,541

Question 2

You are choosing a project for an organization where Project X has an internal rate of return (IRR) of 8%, Project Y has an IRR of 7%, Project Z has an IRR of 9%, Project W has an IRR of 11%. Which project would be the best choice?

A)  Project W
B)  Project X
C)  Project Y
D)  Project Z

Question 3

You are a project manager and meeting the stakeholders along with your team. What is the first meeting of stakeholders and team members, which provides an opportunity to clarify roles and ask questions called?

A)  Meeting
B)  Kick-Off
C)  Launch
D)  Kick-On

Question 4

You are working in the procurement department for your project. One vendor is trying to give you an expensive gift with the understanding it would help them get the contract. What would you do if there are no rules regarding gifts in your company?

A)  Ask the vendor for an additional gift for your boss also
B)  Don’t accept the gift
C)  Accept the gift and help them, it is a nice gesture
D)  Seek advice from your boss

Question 5

You have been working as a project manager for some time, and have found different types of resistance to the change brought about by your various projects. What is the main source of resistance for any change in an organization?

A)  Project
B)  Process
C)  Technology
D)  People

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Practice Questions – All

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

PMP Practice Exam

You can pass the PMP Exam.

Below you will find links to hundreds of PMP and CAPM practice exam questions for you to test yourself on and practice before you take the real thing. Each session has five questions, where we go through and solve them together.

If you study hard every day, and take practice exams every day, I absolutely believe that you will gain the skills you need to pass the PMP Exam. I believe in you, and I know you can do it!