Are you wondering which books to read for project management? Let me break it to you this fact that the PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam does not use a single text as its foundation. What you are tested on is a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge encompassing a wide range of best practices and experiences. Simply put, there is no single best PMP exam prep book that will teach you everything you need to know to pass.

Students who are well-prepared use a variety of books and resources to ensure that their studies cover all the topics on the PMP exam outline. Then they put what they’ve learned to the test with sample questions from those books or, for a more thorough test experience, a PMP exam simulator.

What Books and Reading Materials Can I Use to Prepare for the PMP Exam?

Do you need to add reading to your list of study techniques when you have flashcards, notes, an exam simulator, videos, and best pmp study books? You certainly do! Reading other PMP books, in addition to the PMBOK® Guide, will help you prepare for the exam. This is why:

  • Reading aloud aids in the retention of important information.
  • Reading increases your vocabulary and improves your concentration.
  • Reading stimulates the brain.

  • Reading Aloud Aids in the Retention of Important Information.

According to research, reading aloud improves recall, and you’ll need to be able to recall facts during the exam!

What we found most intriguing about the reading research we examined is that your brain remembers differences more than similarities. For your studies, read important facts aloud. Because you’re reading them differently than the rest of your study materials, your brain should have an easier time recalling them.

Before you try this technique, make sure you’re in a place where you can read aloud without being distracted or distracting others!

  • Reading Expands Your Vocabulary.

Books provide context for learning new words. A long paragraph or a case study provides more context than simply looking up a word’s definition in a glossary or on a flashcard.

The more you read about a topic, the more acquainted you’ll become with it, in your own time and at your own pace. The terms will become second nature to you, and you will be able to use them with confidence. When you see different PMP exam question types and the jargon that goes with them in the exam, you’ll know exactly what’s being asked and how to interpret the situation.

How to Select the Best PMP Exam Preparation Book?

Here are a few things to think about before you spend any money in books to read for project management:

  • Topics Discussed

Examine the book’s contents. There is so much to learn for the PMP certification exam that no book can cover it all. Make sure that all of your PMP study materials cover the entire exam content outline.

There may be some overlap between books, so look over what’s included to make the most of your study budget by getting resources that serve different purposes without too much repetition.

  • Freshness of Content

Examine the date the book was published or last updated. The PMP exam is updated regularly, and the content is updated to reflect current best practices and what the role of a project manager entails.

It’s important to make sure that any PMP exam study guide you buy is the most recent edition and reflects the most recent version of the exam, especially if you’re buying used books to read for project management.

  • Author Qualifications

Check out the author’s bio to see who wrote the book. Do you believe the individual has the experience and credentials to explain the exam topics in depth? The best PMP study guide for you will be one written by someone you regard as a reliable source.

  • Style of Writing

If possible, look inside the books to read for project management to learn more about the author’s writing style. Texts for beginners will be simple to read. Other books will be written in a more academic tone, complete with footnotes and references. Both options (and anything in between) can be beneficial; it all depends on your personal preferences and prior experience with the subject.

Our advice is that if a book appears to be difficult to read, you are less likely to pick it up. Simpler, more accessible texts are sometimes a good choice because you can pick them up and dive right into the subject.

There is no exhaustive list of project management books. You can find books that are more appropriate for your learning style.

  • Scrum

The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland is a book written by Scrum co-creator Jeff Sutherland and Scrum CEO JJ Sutherland. This book is more of a chance to learn directly from the people who have shaped one of the most successful methods of applying project management principles and building high-performing teams.

  • The Lazy Project Manager

How to Be Twice as Productive and Still Leave the Office Early by Peter Taylor is a book that introduces you to simple, effective techniques to be productive at work and manage your time to get more value in your personal life, which is one of the best project management takeaways.

  • Strategic Project Management Made Simple

Terry Schmidt’s Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams contains numerous actionable steps that you can implement as a project manager. Even if you’re not planning on taking the PMP exam, this book is a great read that will help you in a variety of areas of your work.

  • PMP Exam Prep Book- Tenth Edition by Rita Mulcahy 

For many years, project managers have used this book to pass the PMP exam. The most recent edition has been updated to reflect the new PMP exam structure.

Conclusion

It takes a lot of work to prepare for the PMP exam, so anything that can help you comprehend the material and gain test-taking experience will increase your confidence. We strongly advise reading the PMBOK® Guide and the Agile Practice Guide from PMI, as well as a few other sources like PMP boot camps on Eduhubspot that will round out your knowledge and support the training program you have chosen.

You’ll be prepared to put your newfound knowledge into practice and assess your readiness for an exam once you’ve finished your studies and built a solid foundation of knowledge. To better understand each topic, read the explanations that go with each answer in the simulator and use the references as a starting point for additional reading.

I wish you luck in your studies!