All you need to know about Certified Associate Project Management (CAPM)
What is the CAPM Certification?
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Certification is one of the internationally recognized certifications in Project Management which is provided by the Project Management Institute. This certification is for those who have less experience in the project management area or for those who are interested in pursuing their career path in project management.
In any typical project, there are team members who contribute their specialist skills whether these are related to software, construction or any other domain. These will help them to work better in a project environment, understand the challenges and work with the project manager in a more aligned manner.
What are the benefits of CAPM certification?
CAPM certification brings several benefits to its credential holders.
When you do not have the experience required to sit in the PMP Exam, CAPM Certification is a good option because it gives you the foundation for the project management area. So you have an opportunity right from the start of your career to obtain project management skills that are globally recognized.
You prepare for the CAPM exam based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBok) which is revised by PMI on a regular basis to cover the latest trends and updates in the project management discipline. So your CAPM certification acknowledges that you have a good understanding of project management knowledge areas, process groups along with tools and techniques.
The dynamic environment poses a lot of challenges to upcoming professionals. Companies seek the best talent which is recognized through global certifications like CAPM. So companies prefer such candidates as their induction in the project teams will be a plus for the project completion.
Employers value PMI’s certifications. Hence the certified candidates get preference as compared to their noncertified professionals. In other words, the CAPM certified professionals are in more demand and also they get a 20% higher salary as compared to non-certified professionals.
CAPM certification enables individuals to handle the primary challenges of project management. So within the organization and the project teams, CAPM professionals are likely to get more opportunities.
As shown in the market research, project management skill is in higher demand in almost all organizations, and by 2020, nearly 1.57 million new positions will be created globally. To fill in these vacancies, the certified project managers and associate project managers are on top of the list.
What are the CAPM exam requirements?
PMI sets quite an elaborative criterion to appear in the CAPM Exam. Like other certifications, PMI is very considerate to ensure that the aspirants are well equipped with the desired education. In addition to this education level criteria, the CAPM exam requires Project Management education. So there are two options to meet the eligibility criteria for the CAPM Exam.
CAPM Exam Requirement
Education – Secondary diploma (high school diploma / global equivalent)
Project Management Education – 23 contact hours of formal education
A comprehensive 23 contact hours CAPM training is always helpful for the aspirants to understand the foundation level knowledge of the project management framework. In addition to this, you get a guided roadmap on how to prepare for the CAPM Exam. This will help you enhance your chances to qualify for the CAPM Exam on your first attempt. Furthermore, with the formal CAPM training, you can expedite your eligibility path as it takes 23 contact hours.
What is the CAPM exam structure?
CAPM Exam Basics
The CAPM exam is more simple than the PMP exam because it follows the PMBOK more closely. This certification is created for people who are beginning in business and who want to pursue a job in project management, not for those with practical job experience as a project manager. Therefore Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is a “knowledge-based exam” while the Project Management Professional (PMP) is an “experience-based exam”.
All the questions of the CAPM exam are focused on “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge”. As the structure of the CAPM exam requires learning the basics of project management, hence the outline of the CAPM Exam is aligned with PMBoK published by PMI. PMBoK covers the project management framework which includes project management basics like organizational context and projects, project life cycles, project management framework, project management processes, and project management knowledge areas. The main topics of PMBoK include:
Project and organization lifecycle
Project management processes
Integration management
Scope management
Time Management
Cost management
Quality management
Human resource management
Communications management
Risk management
Procurement management
Stakeholder management
CAPM Exam Structure
The CAPM exam is made of 150 multiple-choice questions. But out of these 150 questions, 15 are considered pretest questions. Pretest questions do not affect your score and they are only utilized in the exams as an effective and legitimate way to test the validity of future exam questions.
All questions are placed throughout the CAPM exam randomly.
Number of Scored Questions = 135
Number of Pretest (Un-scored) Questions = 15
Allotted Examination Time = 3 hours
You need to note a key point here regarding the breaks you take during the CAPM Exam. There are no scheduled breaks during the CAPM exam, although if you need you are allowed to take a break. But don’t forget that if you take a break during the exam, your exam clock does not stop during this break. So you need to be careful about the time management of your breaks during the CAPM exam.
CAPM Exam Content Outline
As per PMI, CAPM Exam Content Outline’s percentage-wise breakup is as follows:
ContentPercentage
Introduction to Project Management - 6%
Project Environment - 6%
Role of the Project Manager - 7%
Project Integration Management - 9%
Project Scope Management - 9%
Project Schedule Management - 9%
Project Cost Management - 8%
Project Quality Management - 7%
Project Resource Management - 8%
Project Communication Management - 10%
Project Risk Management - 8%
Project Procurement Management - 4%
Project Stakeholder Management - 9%
Total100%
What is the CAPM exam passing score?
Even if there is a common opinion that you may pass the exam if you score above 61 %, actually no one can guarantee the truthfulness of this. I suggest you aim for more than 70% in your CAPM exam.
Yes, it is a common belief that 61% is the passing score for the CAPM exam. However, this is not an official passing score as no hard carded passing score is available. The passing score is subject to PMI discretion. The most important point you should consider is what should be the percentage of practice tests while your preparation. That can help you assess your readiness to crack the CAPM exam. I can safely recommend that aspirants must score at least 70% in their practice exams to guarantee their success. The better the practice score, the better the chance to succeed.
How the training is helpful for the CAPM exam?
As it is mandatory that the aspirant gets 23 hours of training to sit in the CAPM Exam. Therefore you can opt for 23 hours training program offered by the training providers. However, you may also opt for 35 hours of PMP training.
The training will get you aligned with the PMBoK. You will cover the latest trends, project management processes, knowledge areas, tools, and techniques. Also, these training are helpful as they focus on the CAPM exam preparation. So you learn good tips and tricks along with activities and mock-ups.
Furthermore, you may opt for a PMP course of 35 contact hours to sit in the CAPM Exam. This will get you good exposure to the project management framework along with additional tasks and activities. In addition to this, these 35 contact hours will also help you to apply for the PMP Exam at a later stage. However, this certainly means more costs associated with the training.
CAPM ExaminationPMI Member Examination Fees(USD)Non-PMI Member Examination Fees(USD)
CAPM Exam (Member) $225
CAPM Exam (Non-Member) $300
CAPM Re-attempt Examination
Member $150
Non—member $200
PMI membership offer benefits
Let me share with you the price of the PMI Membership. There is a membership fee of $129 and a joining fee of $10. However, this membership saves you a certain cost at the time of the CAPM Exam payment. One can also avail of the benefit in case of an examination re-attempt. There are also some other benefits of being a PMI member. The PMI membership offers the following benefits to the members:
You gain free access to downloading standards, guides and other valuable material relevant to Project management. This also includes the Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBok). All the material is available on the PMI site pmi.org.
Variety of templates that help project managers
Access to webinars and events
Discounted price in the examination fees and re-examination fees
Discounts price in the CCR renewal fees
Therefore, I recommend you to opt for the PMI membership prior to initiating your CAPM Exam application.
CAPM Exam Preparation Time
Once you complete the CAPM Exam training and earn 23 contact hours, then you need to start the self-study and self-assessment period. This is a critical time that you spend to ensure that you can qualify for your CAPM Exam. This Exam preparation time is the intangible cost that you need to invest in terms of time and effort.
The advantage you get with the CAPM training is that your study roadmap is pretty much defined. The training providers may also suggest a CAPM exam preparation roadmap. So you can follow this training plan after the training. Even though you can start your self-study prior to the training, following the roadmap after the training is more effective as you already have an understanding of the process framework and project management basics.
This time may vary from 2 to 3 months based on your daily and weekly effort in terms of hours. If you have bought an online preparation course, then you should go through your course to initiate your follow-up preparation plan. These online courses help you repeat the lectures where you find gaps in your preparation. So you can boost your study road map with an online course.