PMP Exam Success 5th Edition: Concise Study Guide for Busy Project Managers by Diane Altwies & Janice Preston (2013) - Perfect for Exam Prep & Professional Certification Study

This is the 2nd exam review book I've purchased after being very disappointed with the "Head First" PMP title.This is a comment I left comparing the two books. I may return to write a full review later.I wrote a negative review on the Head First book here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RVE0RNXMKE5S2?ref_=pe_623860_70668520>> Pav Srin says:>>very helpful review. Since you are an experienced manager, it will be very helpful for rookies if you can suggest what book or resources you liked? ThanksSo I do want to pass this exam and did a fair amount of research on the material available. This is what I came up with:I purchased "Achieve PMP Exam Success, 5th Edition: A Concise Study Guide for the Busy Project Manager" by Diane AltwiesI believe this book is written by two people who teach PMP material. It's an excellent resource as it does two things remarkably well: 1) It explains the key concepts in intelligent and eloquent ways. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is to me. 2) it explains a simple and thorough methodology to pass the exam. These are serious pros who have helped scores of people pass the exam so their views appear to be more than a little authoritative. This too I value highly.Essentially, it's about quality vs. graphical style. In education, the quality of the material in how well it conveys information is utterly essential. Finding material prepared by professional instructors is a great way to gain value from their years of experience in education. Graphical style is far less important. The Head First material (and I assume the entire collection of books is similarly styled) is graphically entertaining which is perhaps compelling to the ADHD generation we have all become with out gadgets and incessant interruptions. Studying, at least for me, requires carefully constructed material and focus. The disarming graphics are far less important with the singular exception of selling books.Overall, I find that my confidence grows while reading this book. When reading the Head First book, I found myself getting increasingly aggravated due to the muddled and confused explanations.This discussion reminds me of teachers/professors. Some are charming, charismatic, and demonstrative people who focus on their disarming and entertaining style more than the quality of the material & to what extent the students are understanding and absorbing material. These are the professors who win awards for student popularity and in some schools, this brings professional advancement and pay raises. There are other less charismatic and charming professors who work like hell to build compelling and inspired material and present it carefully. They tend to challenge their students more and are shunned by those who want good grades more than an excellent education. Their peers understand and respect their efforts but many of the students don't see the need or value of dealing with them. This is exactly the difference I see between these two books. What are you looking for? A fun book or an excellent book? It's the PMP Exam for God's sake, look for fun after you pass the exam.