PMP® Exam Prep
Page 2 of Your Brain Dump -- Formulas (second Layer of six)
Page 2 Brain Dump
What Goes on Your Page 2 Brain Dump
Page two of your brain dump will be a collection of certain formulas. On page 27 of our eBook you will find a suggested collection and layout of material to include in your page 2 brain dump. You can take this as a starting point, and tweak it to fit your preferences.
Special Note for CAPM Students
(If you are studying for the CAPM exam you will find a slightly simpler page 2 brain dump on page 27 of the CAPM version of our eBook.)
Point of Total Assumption (PTA)
In the PMP exam, you may see questions on PTA (the Point of Total Assumption). Once you are completely solid on your page 2 brain dump as suggested in our eBook, you might consider adding the PTA formula to your brain dump.
Scenario Context for EVM Formulas
However you design your page 2 brain dump, be sure to include some context to indicate which formulas for EAC are associated with which scenarios. Some of our students even include a diagram similar to the one on page 19 of our eBook to provide good visual and scenario context for the EVM formulas. What are these scenarios? They are described in detail in our EVM module, but for a brief recap: the cumulative CPI and SPI metrics look at how we are doing at a given point in time. Now we can make various assumptions about the future:
"Scenario 1": Past performance is not indicative of future performance, and we expect to proceed according to the original plan -- where CPI going forward is 1.0
"Scenario 2a": Past performance is indicative of future performance, and the cumulative CPI is projected to remain the same on average for all future work
"Scenario 2b": The cumulative CPI and SPI are both projected to remain the same on average, going forward.
"Scenario 3": We forget about plan and we forget about cumulative metrics, and we ask ourselves what CPI going forward to we need to achieve in order to bring the project in at some particular target EAC -- Estimate At Completion? This is the concept behind the metric called TCPI -- To Complete Performance Index.
For some drills to recognize these scenarios, see here.
Keep it Lean
Don’t add too much material to your brain dump. It needs to be focused on what is most important and difficult to remember. You should be able to write out each page in less than 10 minutes.
Consistent Practice is Key
Once you have a format you like, practice it the same way every day, building muscle memory in your fingers and confidence that you have this foundation down solid.
When you sit down for the actual PMP exam, you will have this foundation rock solid and available to you throughout the exam.