Course Overview
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Intermediate About CAPM and its Exam
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a world-renowned and recognized organization instituted for the promotion and induction of project management skills and professionals across the globe. This institute churns out high profile project managers with a view to empower projects and organizations with standard project management best practices. Founded in 1969, PMI got the world together to recognize industry best practices to be followed across businesses, with a world view of helping such organizations to bring out the best with regard to their processes and functioning.
With PMI gaining accolades for their work and standardizations, it started offering certification courses such as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) in the year 2003. This certification course gathered a huge chunk of managerial aspirants to come together and be part of a unique learning experience. As this particular exam gained popularity, so did the wave of adoption of best practices and methodologies swamped businesses and organizations. Individuals would study hard and gain a lot of exposure with these courses and bring about great improvements in the business outputs.
CAPM is an entry-level certification for project managers. An abbreviation for Certified Associate in Project Management, CAPM is for those interested in gaining a great entry into the world of project management on the whole. It captures the essence of the PMI’s project management framework mentioned in the PMBOK® Guide. As compared to PMP, CAPM was introduced in the year 2003 and is relatively a new certification offered for project manager aspirants and those who want to cover up the basics of the gigantic framework.
The eligibility criteria need you to have some kind of experience in any kind of project, basic knowledge and know-how of the field of project management and a secondary degree or equivalent diploma. This certification in addition requires that the project team member is able to document their work experience and pass through an online examination based on the PMBOK® Guide.
I’ve enlisted the complete requirement needed in order to get closer to achieving a CAPM certificate:
- Project management education not needed
- Secondary diploma or global equivalent degree is mandatory
- 1500 hours of work performed with a project team (roughly 3 years’ experience on a project), or 23 hours of project management education from a PMI REP (Registered Education Provider)
- Re-examination is required every 5 years to be constantly updated of the changes in the project management world
- Members of the PMI will pay $225 for the test, while non-members will have to pay $300
- PMI memberships cost $32 for students but as an individual you pay $139
The online examinations look something like this:
- 135 scored multiple-choice questions
- 15 pretest multiple-choice questions
- 3 hours for the completion of the examination
Pros and Cons of CAPM
CAPM can be a great effort to begin with in project management and can give you that undue advantage over your peers and colleagues. Listed here are a few pros and cons to CAPM.
Pros of the CAPM certification:
- No prior project management work experience is needed to take on CAPM
- CAPM doesn’t require post-graduate or post-secondary education taken
- A CAPM certificate can indicate to recruiters and your employers that you’re a dedicated individual towards pursuing a career in project management
- CAPM also indicates your behavioral aspect and your willingness to learn and grow
- CAPM will give you a whole-rounded experience in every aspect of basic project management
- The CAPM exam isn’t difficult as it is believed to be
- Studying for CAPM is the predecessor to the studies involved in PMP
Cons of the CAPM certification:
- CAPM doesn’t hold equal weightage in the industry as does PMP
- CAPM is a buddying certification and still gaining recognition in the field currently
- CAPM involves a lot of studying
- When weighed against its benefits, CAPM does stand out as an expensive course
CAPM Primer Course Description
- CAPM Introduction – In this section, you will get a clear introduction into the world of CAPM. Learn about the essence of CAPM and how it can be your driving force into the world of project management. Learn about the project definition and features from the CAPM point of view and be project-ready for anything that comes to you after you take on this exam and get introduced to the CAPM credentials.
- Project, Program, Portfolio, PMBOK – Get a warm welcome to the world of project management and all that it encompasses. As a project manager, you will need to understand the very basics of project management and its different aspects. Understand the concepts of program and program management, and decide for yourself if your next step after gaining a good experience in projects would be diving into program management. Understand portfolio management and how it tags along with projects and programs in the world of project management. Get introduced to PMI’s official project management guide, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) and learn about the standard terminologies and guidelines to industry-wide best practices.
- Important Basic Concepts – The world of project management is a vast expanse of concepts and tools and techniques all well integrated make a standard industry practice under the flagship of PMI. With CAPM and preparatory courses, you will be able to learn all the nuances of project management right from scratch. You will be able to grasp the concepts of project stakeholders, enterprise environmental factors, and the use of projects in your organization. Learn broad concepts such as functional organization, matrix organization, and the different organizational structures. Dive into the vast oceans of project life cycle and learn how a project objective turns into a completed executed project action. Also, understand all about project management life cycle and how it helps you to handle the different types of projects on the go.
- Project Framework – Practice Q&A – Understand the project framework inside and out and test your knowledge through practice Q&As. With this you’re CAPM-ready!
What Are the Prerequisites for this CAPM Primer?
Learning about project management can be really helpful for your career as it is, if you’re working towards making a career in the world of projects. With the basics credential offered in the form of CAPM, PMI is bestowing upon you a knighthood to carry on project management job roles and activities. To kick-start this training, all you will need are the following requirements fulfilled:
- Basic computer operational skills
- Basic computer and Internet configuration
- Basic business process and organizational structuring knowledge
- Basic project know-how and functionality knowledge
- Passion and Zeal to learn and keep growing
- Fulfillment of requirements as per CAPM exam standards (read the CAPM description)
Once you have these onboard, you can kick-start your journey towards working towards achieving the CAPM credential.
Target Audience
CAPM is a widespread credential adopted by the young and old within project management. Being a certified professional would mean being associated with the premier project management institute to be credited as a recognized associate complying to the definitive project management standards and best practices. With this online CAPM Primer, we are aiming to bring potential project managers and project professionals an inch closer to realizing their position within project management and hold a globally-recognized credential that can boost their career to the heights. We are looking forward to the following individuals to take up this CAPM Primer:
- Project managers
- Program managers
- Portfolio managers
- Senior managers
- Operations managers
- Quality managers
- Project team members
- Project professional
- Production managers
- Quality executives
- Students aspiring to be managers
- Project sponsors
- Key Business Partners
- Supervisors
FAQs – General Questions
- What is the difference between the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) and the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certifications?
The CAPM® certification validates a fundamental understanding and knowledge of processes and terminologies as defined in the PMBOK® Guide. These are needed for effective project management performance and handling. Whereas, The PMP® certification validates and recognizes the experience, formal education, and competency level of a potential candidate in leading, managing, and directing project teams. If you’re a beginner or a novice within project management, then, in order to have your skills recognized on a greater platform, for you to stand out to employers and maximize your job opportunities, the CAPM® credential is the right choice for you.
- Does getting the CAPM certification make sense if I am already a project professional, but want to change to a career in hardcore project management?
Yes! Taking up the CAPM certification would make absolute sense. CAPM is globally recognized by business professionals and employers across the globe as a validation of your skill set and the standard of professional conduct and best practices you’ve achieved during the process of achieving this credential.
- Will a PMP or CAPM certification help with job opportunities?
Project management skills are in demand in the growing businesses of today. In the global market, there’s a lot of scope for project managers and adding a credential will only make it easier for employers to come up with great opportunities for you to tap on. Kick-starting your career with the CAPM certification can be a great boost for you and can help you tap on those promotions and improved business scenarios.
- What are the requirements for obtaining a CAPM certification?
There are 2 options: you will either need to have 1500 hours of project management experience (that translates to about 3 years’ experience working on a real-life project) or 23 hours of project management training from a PMI-Registered Education Provider (REP). If you have studied project management as a subject at college/university, it would be another way to qualify for the CAPM certification.
- How do I apply for the CAPM exam?
Go to PMI’s online certification page at
https://authentication.pmi.org/Default.aspx?r=certification.pmi.org/default.aspx&s=true
This page will allow you to set up an account with PMI for enrollment purposes and for getting information on membership and CAPM certification.
- How long does the application for CAPM examination process take?
The CAPM exam application process may take up to 10 working days from the date of application submission. Once the application processing is complete, you will receive an e-mail regarding the payment of fees and other notices. Once you pay the fees, PMI will send you another e-mail to help you schedule your CAPM exam at a Prometric center at advised by them.
Course Testimonials
Ashish Sharma
This has been a really great experience for me. A good way to start your project management certification career. The objectives of the training were clearly met with and the explanations were also very clear and concise and to the point. I am thankful to the support group for bearing with all my queries and doubts and providing awesome service. Educba is a great choice for all project management beginner course. Currently, I am attending the Project Management Training course for myself. Enjoying it.
Dinkar Bhosale
I am appearing for my CAPM certification exams soon and I need a great CAPM Primer to prepare for it. The objectives and the course curriculum gave me a great view of what I was going in for. I took the plunge and was successful. Very good study material. The videos are amazing and simple to understand content. Looking forward to educba for my further courses as well. Highly recommended to students and other professionals.
Ross Michel
The project management concepts are carefully constructed in this CAPM Primer and it’s formatted and put in front of me in very simple ways. I understood the pointers very clearly. I am happy to having taken this course. I feel confident for my project management career ahead.
Career Benefits
As a successful candidate at this online training CAPM Primer, you will be able to boast of great project management knowledge. Post this training, you will:
- Gain the relevant knowledge and project management skills that you will need to pass the CAPM exam
- Possess the fundamental knowledge of the implementation of various project management practices to attain project success
- Demonstrate strong affinity towards the project management world on the whole
- Become a strong project professional
