By Rahul Dhakate · PMP & PSM I Certified · 27 June 2026 · learnxyz.in
Joseph Phillips’ PMP Exam Prep course is consistently one of the highest-rated and most-enrolled PMP courses on Udemy, with hundreds of thousands of students over the years. I want to be upfront: I did not personally use this course during my own PMP preparation. My research here is based on thorough investigation of the course content, structure, and extensive candidate feedback rather than firsthand experience.
What I can offer that is genuinely useful is a clear-eyed comparison of video courses versus the book and mentor-based approach I actually used — because that comparison matters more for your decision than a review of one specific course.
Contents
Video Courses vs Books — The Honest Comparison.
Who Benefits Most From a Video Course Like This.
Who Might Prefer the Book and Self-Study Route.
Current Udemy Pricing Reality.
What the Course Covers
Joseph Phillips’ course is structured around the current PMP exam content outline — covering all three domains (People, Process, Business Environment) with substantial video content, downloadable resources, and practice questions throughout. The course typically runs 20+ hours of video content, structured into manageable modules aligned with exam topics.
Phillips is a well-established PM trainer with decades of experience, and his teaching style is consistently described as clear, structured, and exam-focused rather than academic.
Video Courses vs Books — The Honest Comparison
This is where I can offer a genuinely considered view, because I have thought carefully about how different study formats serve different learning needs.
Video courses are good because you can see what the instructor wants to present — the visual and verbal combination helps many people grasp complex subjects more easily than reading alone. Watching someone work through an EVM calculation, with the numbers appearing on screen as they explain the logic, often clicks faster than reading the same explanation in text.
However, books and reading give a different and arguably deeper kind of retention. Reading through material, and especially re-reading the same content and question explanations multiple times, builds a stronger subconscious memory. The active process of reading — rather than passively watching — engages your mind differently. Re-reading the same book and the same question-answer pairs repeatedly develops better recall for answering exam questions under pressure.
My honest view: video courses help you grasp a subject quickly and intuitively. Books and re-reading help that knowledge settle into your subconscious where you can retrieve it reliably under exam pressure. The strongest preparation uses both — video for initial understanding, repeated reading for retention.
Who Benefits Most From a Video Course Like This
- Candidates who learn better through visual and auditory explanation than through dense text
- Candidates who want a structured, guided path through the material rather than self-directed reading
- Candidates who can dedicate consistent blocks of time to watching video content (commute time, dedicated evening sessions)
- Candidates newer to project management who benefit from an instructor walking through real-world context
Who Might Prefer the Book and Self-Study Route
- Candidates with significant PM experience who can engage directly with PMBOK without needing extensive translation
- Candidates who retain information better through active reading and note-taking than passive video watching
- Candidates on a tighter budget who want to maximise free PMI resources before purchasing additional materials
- Candidates who have access to mentor-led classroom training, which provides similar structured guidance to a video course
Current Udemy Pricing Reality
Udemy’s pricing model is famous for its frequent discounts. The listed price for Joseph Phillips’ course is often $90-100, but Udemy runs sales — sometimes multiple times per month — bringing the actual price down to $15-20. Never pay full price for a Udemy course. Wait for or trigger a sale notification before purchasing.
Practical tip: add the course to your Udemy wishlist or cart and wait 24-48 hours. Udemy’s algorithm frequently sends a discount email shortly after items sit in your cart unpurchased.
My Honest Recommendation
If you are a visual or auditory learner, or if you want guided structure rather than self-directed PMBOK reading, Joseph Phillips’ course is a well-regarded and affordable option, particularly when purchased during a Udemy sale.
If you have strong PM experience and prefer deep, repeated reading as your primary study method — as I did with the PMBOK and mentor materials — a video course is a supplement rather than a necessity. The right choice depends on how your mind retains information best, not on which approach is objectively superior.
| Joseph Phillips PMP Exam Prep (Udemy) | 15% Udemy affiliate commission | Add your Udemy affiliate link here — wait for sale price before recommending purchase timing |
About the Author
Rahul Dhakate is a PMP and PSM I certified project manager and product management leader based in Nagpur, India, with 20 years of experience managing software projects across BFSI, eCommerce, and enterprise software. He prepared for PMP through mentor-led classroom training and self-directed PMBOK study rather than Udemy video courses, giving him a comparative rather than firsthand perspective on video-based preparation. He writes at LearnXYZ.in to help working professionals pass the PMP exam without unnecessary expense.
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