This document outlines the eligibility criteria, application process and fees, and the examination process for the CAPM certification. This is a resource designed towards helping you to earn your CAPM Certification from Project Management Institute (PMI)®. If you are looking for information about the PMP Certification, please refer to our PMP Certification Requirements page.
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® Certification is targeted towards professionals who are just starting or are yet to start their project management career. This certification is an ideal way to demonstrate knowledge in project management methodologies and best practices.
Between 2010 and 2020 an estimated 15.7 million new project management jobs will be added globally... reaching an economic impact of over $18 trillion, across seven project-intensive industries. In the United States, the demand for project management professionals will grow by nearly 700,000 jobs. Strong demand will be reflected in average salaries far higher than non-project-oriented professionals.
Eligibility Requirement | Option 1 | Option 2 |
---|---|---|
Academic Education | Secondary Degree* | Secondary Degree* |
Secondary Requirement | 1,500 Hours of Professional Experience on a Project Team | 23 Contact Hours of Formal Education |
* A secondary degree is defined as a high school diploma, associate's degree, or global equivalent.
Tip: If you are unsure which of the two secondary requirement options are best for you, we recommend submitting Education documentation, as it is significantly easier to compile and also prepares you to pass the CAPM exam. To learn more about our CAPM courses view our CAPM course page here:
Tip: It is incredibly important that you do not falsify any of the information in your application. PMI has a random audit process which requires anyone being audited to present evidence to validate all information submitted with their application. Falsifying application documentation will result banishment from all future attempts to obtain any PMI certification.
To simplify the entire process of CAPM application, you can optionally use the PMTI CAPM Application Exam Prep Tool after you register for one of PMTI’s CAPM Exam Prep classes to help facilitate your application documentation.
You can submit your CAPM application on PMI's certification website, certification.pmi.org. You will need to submit the following information:
Cost Category | PMI® Member | Non-Member |
---|---|---|
PMI® Membership Fee | $139 | N/A |
CAPM Exam Fee | $225 | $300 |
CAPM Re-Examination Fee | $150 | $200 |
In order to maintain the integrity of the CAPM certification and enhance the credibility of CAPM certification holders, PMI routinely conducts random audits of a certain percentage the CAPM exam applications. Although PMI does not publish what percentage gets audited, our 16 years of experience shows about one in four or five of the applications get audited.
Generally, you will not know you are audited until your application has been accepted and you have been authorized to pay. Once you complete the payment, you will be informed if you have been selected as an audit candidate within a few minutes via email or the online application portal. If you receive an email with an approval code or receive an approval code within your PMI application portal then you have not been audited and can schedule your CAPM exam at your convenience.
While the auditing process may appear intimidating just from the phrase, it is not as long as you follow the steps outlined by PMI. As part of our application prep tool assistance process we provide several tips that will simplify this process and will make it easy for you to navigate.
Once PMI informs you of your audit, you will be able to download the audit package. This audit package will contain instructions for providing verifications for the various items submitted with your CAPM application. PMI will require you to provide proof of:
Although PMI’s official line is that it will take then 5-7 days to approve the application, we have seen that applications verifications sent overnight get approved within only a couple of days.
It generally takes PMI® 24 hours to review your application and respond. Once your application is approved you will receive an invitation to pay for and schedule the exam. You will schedule your exam with Pearson VUE at https://home.pearsonvue.com/. You will have one year to take the exam after your application has been approved and may take the exam up to three (3) times during the eligibility period.
Once you have been approved to take the CAPM certification exam, you will need to schedule, take, and pass the test at a Pearson VUE test center near you. You can find a complete list of testing locations on the Pearson VUE website. You will need the testing code PMI has provided you to successfully schedule your exam. This code should be included in your application acceptance email as well as in your PMI.org account, if you do not receive your Pearson VUE testing code contact PMI directly.
The CAPM Exam is taken at your nearest Pearson VUE test center. The exam is only administered in English; however, there are 14 languages (listed below) supported via language aids. Keep in mind that these language aids are for the test only and not the pre-exam tutorial session.
The exam is 150 questions with a 3 hour time limit. 135 questions are scored while 15 questions are pretest questions. Pretest questions are questions that are used by PMI to test the validity of future exam questions. The table below brakes down the question pool by chapter in the Guide.
Chapter # | Chapter Title | Percentage of Questions |
---|---|---|
Chapter 3 | Project Management Processes | 15% |
Chapter 4 | Project Itegration Management | 12% |
Chapter 5 | Project Scope Management | 11% |
Chapter 6 | Project Time Management | 12% |
Chapter 7 | Project Cost Management | 7% |
Chapter 8 | Project Quality Management | 6% |
Chapter 9 | Project Human Resource Management | 8% |
Chapter 10 | Project Communications Management | 6% |
Chapter 11 | Project Risk Management | 9% |
Chapter 12 | Project Procurement Management | 7% |
Chapter 13 | Project Stakeholder Management | 7% |
One of the advantages of the computer based exam is that you will receive your score immediately!
If your test results show that you received a passing score, congratulations! You are now a CAPM! You may use the CAPM credential immediately for the next 5 years! After this period you must re-take the CAPM certification exam to maintain your CAPM certification.
The CAPM certification exam is a difficult exam and non-passing scores are no need for alarm. If you have failed an attempt it is extremely important not to get discouraged. You have 3 attempts during your eligibility period to pass the CAPM certification exam. Here are some simple next steps you can take to get ready for your next attempt.
If you are a PMTI student, simply let PMTI know and we will assist you with preparations to retake the test. With the PMTI guarantee backed by our dedicated instructors, our detailed retake study plan, and our online learning tools, you can feel confident you will be ready before your next test. After following your customized study plan, you simply need to schedule your 2nd CAPM exam attempt through Pearson VUE.
If you are not a PMTI student, you should take your detailed score report and note the areas where you scored below proficient. Re-read the PMBOK® Guide, paying particular attention to areas you noted. When you feel you are ready, you can re-schedule your exam with Pearson VUE.
The fee to retake the test is $150 for PMI® members and $200 for non-members. Please visit the PMTI guarantee for details.
The Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM) certification is a PMI certification in project management that verifies one has been trained on and have mastered the best practices and ethics under the globally recognized gold standard of project management education, the PMBOK® guide. This is an entry-level certification.
Two aspects of CAPM certification exam are changing.
The CAPM certification requirements starting August 28, 2019 are
Anyone who is aspiring to become a true project management professional in the future and seeks a credential to 'get in the door' of project management.
As stated above, this certification evidences your education on the globally recognized gold standard of project management education which will hold more ground than experience alone, in most cases. As tough of a pill as that is to swallow for anyone who's experienced and uncredentialed, being trained to lead and direct a project the correct way and having experience in leading and directing a project are two different things.
Although the PMI CAPM exam is considered 'entry-level', expect it to be mentally taxing. PMTI is a globally recognized PMI approved training provider which boasts a 99% pass rate for 16+ years running and a money-back guarantee to back it. PMTI 3-Day CAPM Boot Camp is your best bet to maximize your chances of passing the exam on the first try!