What is a Certified Associate in Project Management?
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is a vendor-neutral, entry-level certification to help individuals acquire project management (PM) skills. It is one of several certifications administered by the nonprofit Project Management Institute (PMI).
The CAPM was introduced in 2003. It provides fundamental knowledge and training in how to manage complex projects and a project team. It is a tool for career growth geared toward students, recent graduates and others seeking to add project management experience, gain more responsibility or manage larger projects.
Project managers are critical in planning, organizing and implementing large-scale business projects. Employers worldwide are expected to need nearly 88 million people with project management skills by 2027, according to the PMI's research report "Project management job growth and talent gap 2017-2027."
To earn the CAPM status, candidates must pass a three-hour exam with 150 multiple-choice questions. The exam is based on PMI's project management framework described in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide.
What is the CAPM exam format?
The CAPM certification is less rigorous than PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Still, PMI recommends students use study aids to prepare for CAPM, including courses, self-study and practice testing in groups.
PMI provides a handbook to help with exam preparation. It provides information on exam-related topics, including how to apply, exam policies and procedures, and certification policies and procedures.
The exam format is as follows:
Administration. Candidates can take the exam at a registered testing center or as an online exam, monitored by an off-site proctor.
Questions. The CAPM examination consists of 150 multiple-choice questions. Project management professionals developed and validated the questions. All questions are derived from material in the PMBOK guide, which includes an examination blueprint emphasizing key areas.
Answers. Fifteen of the 150 questions are "pretest" questions that are used to test future exam questions. They are placed randomly throughout the test and do not factor in the final score.
Timing. Test-takers have three hours to complete the exam.
Scoring. A criticism of PMI's test is lack of transparency into individual test scores. PMI does not provide a numerical score. Instead, test-takers receive an email saying if they passed or not. They can get a breakdown of how they did on each performance rubric in the PMI portal.
Is the CAPM worth it?
The CAPM is generally considered an entry-level project management certification. So how do you know it’ll be worth the effort? Here are a few things to consider.
CAPM salary and jobs
The CAPM can prepare you for entry-level project management jobs such as project coordinator, junior project manager, and associate project manager.
Project management is an in-demand skill, and a growing career field. A report by Burning Glass Technologies found that there were over 280,000 entry-level project management positions posted over March 2019 to February 2020. The report also found that the number of these postings grew by 51 percent from 2017 to 2019. In a report published by the PMI in 2021, the global economy will need 25 million new project professionals by 2030 in order to keep up with demand.
In this course, we will focus on preparing for the exam itself.
We have prepared three tests that will prepare you to pass the CAPM Certification exam and get the badge you want!
All questions are in line with the latest CAPM Certification release.
Additionally, you will find an explanation for each question.
BONUS: Free eBook "How to Pass Any Exam in a Week: Tips & Tricks"
