Sample Entrance Exam

Read about the new Word Police training manual, Word Court, by Word Police Commissioner Barbara Wallraff.

Join a conversation on Word Police and Word Court in Atlantic Unbound's reader forum, Post & Riposte.

Read recent Word Court columns from The Atlantic Monthly, and browse the Word Fugitives archive, in The Court Record.

Sample Entrance Exam

Word Police exams consist of questions similar to the ones below. Here beneath each question we've told you which answer is correct, and explained why.

When you are taking an actual exam, once you've answered all five questions, press the "Submit answers" button to have your responses scored. If you're not sure of the answer to any question, why not take your best guess? (No points are deducted for wrong answers.) You'll need to get at least four answers right to be allowed to proceed. On the next page, you will be asked a final question that you must answer correctly in order to pass the exam.

The actual exams provide a clue about the intent of the questions that isn't available here -- namely, that each of them is the test for a particular squad or division. The questions on the entrance exam for any given squad will have to do with that squad's specialty. So, for example, on the entrance exam for the Number Unit, the focus of the questions will tend to be grammatical number (say, "the Word Police is ..." or "the Word Police are ..."?).

Fewer Less Whatever

Fewer is for things that can be counted ("one crime, two crimes ..."; "The fewer crimes the better"). Less is for things that pile up as amounts, not numbers of items, and aren't countable ("There hasn't been much criminal activity lately"; "There's been less criminal activity than usual"). Because crimes falls into the former class of things, fewer is the only correct choice here. (See pages 191-192 in Word Court.)

Between you and him Between he and the Word Police Force Between you and he

Any pronoun that comes after between ought to be one that can be used as a grammatical object (as in "The Word Police want us"), not one that is used as a subject (for example, "We want to join the Word Police"). He is a subjective pronoun, so neither the second nor the third answer can be correct. You can be either kind of pronoun, and him is objective, so "between you and him" is the right answer. (See pages 130-134 in Word Court.)

"It's a dull officer who spends all their time shining their badge." "It's a dull officer who spends all her time shining her badge." "It's a dull officer that spends all its time shining its badge."

An officer can't be plural. Nor is an officer neuter (its). An officer certainly can be female, though, so "... spends all her time ..." is fine. The second answer is the correct one. (See pages 28-32 in Word Court.)

"A Word Police officer must see that poetic justice is done everyday." "A Word Police officer can't concern himself with poetic justice on an every day basis." "A Word Police officer must at least try to see that poetic justice is done every day."

Once again, the real issue here is which of these statements is worded correctly. See those variations of everyday? Everyday, one word, is an adjective, and so when that's the form used, it's supposed to be modifying a noun. Every day is an adverb or a noun phrase. In the first answer, the adjective everyday is being used as if it were an adverb, modifying a verb; and in the second one, the adverb every day is being used as if it were an adjective, modifying a noun. Only in the third answer does the adverbial form match an adverbial function; this answer is correct. (See pages 190-191 in Word Court.)

Yes No

Alright is a very informal spelling. Standard English calls for all right. So no, it's not all right, thank you very much. No, indeed. (See page 153 in Word Court.)

AWS Certified Solutions Architect Exam Guide

How Long Does It Take To Get PMP Certification? Requirements And Timeline

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If you’ve ever thought about obtaining Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, one of the first questions to come to mind might have been: How long does it take to get PMP certification? If you’re still wondering about this, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll fill you in on everything you need to know about how to get PMP certification and how long this process takes. From work experience to applying for and passing the exam, you’ll be armed with the knowledge you need to approach the process with confidence.

The time it takes to earn PMP certification varies from person to person depending on each candidate’s professional experience and education level. For starters, prospective PMPs must satisfy a hefty work experience requirement of three to five years, depending on whether they have a bachelor’s degree.

If you haven’t earned a four-year degree, you need to have 60 months of experience leading projects before you qualify for PMP certification. This work should include experience in each of the five project management process groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing).

In addition, you’ll need to complete the standard 35 hours of professional development, also called “contact hours.”

If you have a bachelor’s degree, you’ll need only 36 months of experience leading projects. The 35 required contact hours remain the same.

The PMP certification process involves work experience, completion of contact hours through a PMP certification course and time to prepare for and take the certification exam. Below, we’ll break down the steps involved in obtaining PMP certification.

The best way to complete the required 35 hours of professional development is through a PMP certification training course. You must first determine whether you want to complete these hours in person or online.

Online courses are often self-paced and allow you to complete coursework from any location. In-person options, on the other hand, tend to follow a more rigid structure. However, these courses also allow for more collaboration and interaction with your instructor and peers.

Once you’ve met your work experience requirements and completed your PMP certification training course, it’s time to apply to take the exam. To do this, you must fill out an application from the Project Management Institute (PMI) website. Once you’ve applied, you should hear back from PMI within three to five days.

Note that applicants do not need to submit supporting materials with their application, but should have supporting materials available in case they are selected for an audit. PMI randomly selects individuals for an audit during the application process. If selected for an audit, applicants have 90 days to submit audit paperwork.

When PMI accepts your application, you should receive a unique ID to present when you schedule your exam. PMI recommends that you schedule your exam far in advance of your preferred testing date.

You can take the PMI certification test in person at a proctored location, or you can opt for computer-based testing. The test format is the same regardless of where or how you take it.

Expect 180 multiple-choice questions spanning a variety of project management concepts and styles. You’ll have about four hours to complete the exam, with two 10-minute breaks for online test-takers and no breaks for in-person test-takers.

Everyone learns at a different pace and in different ways. Only you can determine how much time you should spend studying and preparing for the PMP certification exam.

If you’re looking for PMP exam prep resources, you’re in luck. You can prepare for the certification exam through PMI-authorized training partners, company-sponsored programs, training schools and higher education institutions, among other providers. Consider creating a study timeline for yourself and taking practice exams, such as the $99 PMP prep test authorized by PMI.

Once you’ve completed the prerequisites and paid the fee to take the exam (the PMP exam costs $405 for PMI members and $575 for everyone else), the only thing left to do is pass the test.

Here’s where things get a bit complicated. PMI does not disclose what a passing score is for the PMP exam. When it comes to passing the exam, your best bet is to aim for a score of at least 75% on your practice exams. This should help you succeed on test day, though this isn’t a hard and fast rule.

Once you receive approval from PMI to take the PMP certification exam, you have one year to do so. You can take the exam up to three times in this one-year period. Retakes cost $375, or $275 for PMI members.

Once you successfully complete the PMP exam, you’ll be responsible for keeping your skills and knowledge up to date. You’ll do this by taking courses through PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program.

You must renew your PMP certification every three years to keep it active. In each three-year period, you should earn 60 professional development units (PDUs). If you don’t manage to keep your certification up to date, it will be suspended for one year.

Once you’ve completed the required PDUs, you may renew your PMP certification. Renewal costs $60 for PMI members and $150 for nonmembers.