PM Illustrated – The Fun Site to Support Your PMP® Exam Studies

This is a guest post by Mike Griffiths.

“Fun” and “PMP Exam” are rarely used in the same sentence. Too often, training materials are text-based, process-focused, and dry.

However, fun is a serious business in adult learning; it boosts retention and cuts study time. We recall facts about our favorite hobbies and sports teams much easier than boring information because our brains prioritize fun experiences for recall. This is why great trainers who can make a topic enjoyable are so valuable.

Visual learning

The other secret weapon in slashing our study time is Visual Learning. Research into visual thinking by David Hyerle, reports that 90% of the information entering the brain is visual. 40% of all nerve fibers connected to the brain are connected to the retina, and a full 20% of the entire cerebral cortex is dedicated to vision – so let’s use it.

Using a combination of cartoons, images, mind maps, and explanations, we can engage our brain’s right and left hemispheres to build stronger comprehension and better recall.

Tests show most people only remember 10% of what they heard three days ago. Add an image to the message, and this figure jumps to 65%.

But why animal cartoons?

Because they are cute, funny, and memorable. The memorable part is valuable for exam preparation. Images that are surprising for the context, such as using animals to show project management topics, are “stickier” in our brains.

In the book “Made to Stick“, authors Chip and Dan Heath explain we remember things that are simple, unexpected, and emotional.

Animal cartoons about project management do all three.

(Here, we see the herd welcoming zebra, who is a bit different, but it is all good.)

Our brains are lazy and filter out the ordinary or familiar. Recall vacations; the first few days are often memorable because everything is new and different. Then the last few days seem to pass quickly in a blur. Our brain skips the familiar stuff, presumably saving space for valuable fresh information.

To help us study for exams more effectively, we can trick our brains into marking everything as new, unusual, and needing to be stored away by associating it with the unfamiliar. 

(Be the bridge to success for others)

The good news is you will find recall much easier. The bad news is you might try and thank a snake instead of avoiding it.

Chock full of games for PMP skill testing

Test your application and recall of critical topics through a wide variety of fun games. There are word games (crosswords, word search), sorting games (process steps, hierarchies), and quiz show games.

There are also badges to earn and collect to track your progress, with points and optional leaderboards if you want to gamify your studies.

• See the big picture – Navigate the scope of the PMP Exam via three different roadmaps
• Chart your own adventure – travel through the topics in any order you choose
• Gamification – Track your progress by earning digital badges with voluntary leaderboards
• Self Assessment – Check your understanding at the end of each module with quiz questions

Here’s the link: PM Illustrated – A Visual Learner’s Guide to Project Management – while it works on mobile, it works best on desktop devices.

Managing projects is anything but dull; studying how to do it should not be dull, either.

---