The globally recognised and sought-after CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) qualification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the profession for those starting out in project management or looking for a new career path. The CAPM exam can be taken by those with less experience. There are a number of international qualifications in the profession to choose from, but none provide the comprehensive, detailed body of knowledge and confidence that can be applied in any project environment as the PMI qualifications.
The certification is based on the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, commonly known as the PMBOK, maintained and edited by PMI, now in its sixth edition.
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When should you think about getting the CAPM certification?
If you are thinking of choosing project management as your profession and career path, or you want to prove your professional competence to your superiors in the hope of getting a project management position, or you simply want to differentiate yourself from your colleagues in terms of professional dedication and desire to improve, the CAPM exam is the perfect choice. The qualification demonstrates that the holder has outstanding knowledge in the knowledge areas, process groups and specific processes of project management.
The certification may also be a worthwhile choice for those seeking to obtain the PMP (Project Management Professional) or other PMI certification ( PMI-PBA, PMI-ACP etc.), but are not yet able to meet the requirements of those qualifications due to their lack of professional experience. Rather than simply waiting until the requirements for professional experience are met, it is a good decision to obtain the CAPM certification, as it provides the perfect foundation for preparing for future PMI certifications.
The seriousness and value of the CAPM exam is demonstrated by the fact that there are more prerequisites for candidates to meet - although these are much easier to meet than the prerequisites for other PMI exams:
- At least secondary school education and
- a minimum of 23 hours of project management training/education prior to the exam (our training covers 30 hours, so this condition can be easily met).
The exam fee is USD 300 for non-members, USD 225 for members.
What do I need to know about the CAPM exam?
CAPM exam syllabus, types of questions
The CAPM exam syllabus is fully consistent with the latest edition of the PMBOK, edited and maintained by PMI. At the time of writing, this is the sixth edition and the book, including supplementary material summarising the specifics of project activities in an agile environment, comprises more than 900 pages of study material.
The PMI brings together the best practices from a number of project management-related knowledge areas in the PMBOK, as well as other areas such as the project environment, the person and the role of the project manager. Due to the different depth of the different topics, they are not covered in the same weighting in the exam. The list below shows the full syllabus of the CAPM exam, with the percentage of the subject in the exam next to it:
- Project management basics - Introduction to Project Management (6%)
- Projects and organisations - Project environment (6%)
- Roles and actors - Role of the Project Manager (7%)
- Integration of knowledge areas - Project Integration Management (9%)
- Scope and requirements - Project scope management (9%)
- Scheduling and timing - Project Schedule Management (9%)
- Cost baselining and estimations - Project Cost Management (8%)
- Project and product quality - Project Quality Management (7%)
- Resources - Project Resource Management (8%)
- Communication - Project Communication Management (10%)
- Risk planning and responses - Project Risk Management (8%)
- Managing 3rd parties - Project Procurement Management (4%)
- Stakeholder engagement - Project Stakeholder Management (9%)
The exam does not only check the correctness of the answers to the questions by looking at specific lexical knowledge: it also indirectly measures other skills and competences that project managers need. Concentration, insight, communication skills and the ability to identify the root causes of problems are essential project management skills: a small number of the questions in the exam are particularly long and detailed, and the interpretation of them is a task in itself, all in 3 hours.
Style of questions
As the exam is specifically designed for professionals with little experience, it differs from the PMP in that questions testing practical knowledge do not appear in the exam at all. The questions measure only lexical knowledge, regardless of how they are packaged. However, it is becoming increasingly common to encounter questions which, like the PMP qualification, require the candidate to solve a situation in a professional manner. However, such questions in CAPM exams are much simpler and more direct, and the situational questions test clear lexical knowledge rather than professional practice, so there is nothing to be afraid of.
The exam will ask you about the characteristics of the knowledge areas listed above, the specific processes within them, the inputs and uses of different project management documents, different project management tools and techniques. Each individual project management process has inputs, tools and techniques to use, and outputs, abbreviated as ITTOs (inputs, tools & techniques, outputs). ITTOs are typically 20-30 questions out of 150 may apply. In our opinion, apart from a few very specific items, there is no need to memorise all 49 processes in ITTOs, which is essentially impossible. However, understanding and mastering the underlying logic of the body of knowledge is of paramount importance in answering the questions on these items correctly.
UPDATE: From September 2019, the types of questions will change, for details click here!
Pass score for a successful exam
The difficulty of the exam is that the PMI does not publish the pass score or the percentage. Currently, professionals estimate the percentage of correct answers needed to pass the exam at between 62-75%. For our exam preparation students, we recommend that when practising the exam questions at home, you should aim for a consistent pass rate of 80% or above, so that you will be sure to pass.Whether you pass or fail the exam, the PMI will still provide you with some support for your performance. It classifies our performance both in terms of our overall examination performance and in terms of the different knowledge areas into four categories:
- Needs improvement - worst category, our knowledge gaps are significant;
- Below target - unsuccessful category, our performance was not sufficient to pass;
- Target - we have passed the exam, we have a good level of PMBOK knowledge;
- Above target - we passed the exam with excellent results.
No other help or information further explaining the points is provided. You will see these results on the computer as soon as the exam is over. The exam centre will print them out for you and the PMI will send them to the e-mail address you have provided. If you pass the exam, you will also receive your certificate of qualification by post in approximately 2-4 weeks. Our certification is valid for 5 years, after which, if we want to keep our CAPM certification, we will have to retake the material. However, as the CAPM qualification approaches the expiry date, most people aim to obtain the PMP qualification, which can be maintained without re-examination.
Characteristics of the computer-based exam
The exam is 3 hours long and consists of 150 multiple-choice questions, where you have to mark one correct answer out of 4 possible answers. You have just over a minute per question to mark the correct answer, but there is no time limit on a given question, so you can spend as long as you like on a trickier question. The PMI changes and updates its questions regularly, so it is unlikely that we will get a question that we have already practised or that a friend has encountered in a previous exam. The questions include 15 questions for which no points are awarded. These are questions and which may appear as real questions in later series of exams, the PMI measures the difficulty and applicability of the questions on a controlled sample. We are not told or identified in any way which of the 15 questions we are dealing with, so we stress the importance of answering all 150 questions to the best of our knowledge.
The exam software
The exams are computer-based and administered by PMI-certified exam partners. Before the exam starts, you will have about 15 minutes to familiarise yourself with the interface, functions and buttons of the exam software. Don't be intimidated, the questions presented here are usually much more difficult than the questions in the live exam. The answers to these questions will not count towards any final score, we don't need to worry about getting them right, it's just a matter of getting familiar with the interface, which we will be using for another 3 hours. You will not be allowed to use your own calculator for the exam, but you will be provided with a digital calculator on the computer screen.
The software's feature that allows you to mark questions that you think are difficult and navigate without answering is a great help in the real exam. Once you reach the end of the exam row, you can easily find and review the marked questions using the side navigation panel. You cannot submit your answers if you have even one question that you have not answered. If there is a question that you simply do not know the answer to, do not despair: give the answer you feel is most correct and move on. No points will be deducted for incorrect answers.
The value of the exam and the qualification is that it can only be taken in English. Language support is available in 13 languages, with questions and answers translated, but unfortunately this is not available in Hungarian. As PM is working internationally to establish, maintain and raise the quality standards of the profession, it is essential that the global profession speaks a common language. With a strong intermediate level of English, you can start the certification process with confidence.
The exam environment
On the day of the exam, although we will have our photo taken as part of the security protocol for identification, this photo will not be published anywhere, so we recommend comfortable clothing, as we really don't need to dress up for this exam.
The examination conditions are very strict: before entering the testing room, all personal belongings must be locked in a secured locker, and only the key to this locker is allowed in the room. This is no joke: you can't even bring your own tissues, if you need it, the test venue will provide it for you.
Before entering, you must also pass a metal detector check, turn your pockets inside out and lift up your trouser legs to show that you are not carrying any prohibited items. We will not be much more comfortable in the examination room: we will be under constant surveillance by the exam proctor through a glass wall, and directly above our examination station we will also be under constant camera surveillance, which will record the entire duration of our test.
What can we use in the exam?
You will of course be provided with a writing utensil and a sheet of paper for the exam, and a digital calculator on the computer screen for the calculation-based questions. Some exam centres may even provide earplugs so that you are not disturbed if you are taking the exam at the same time as others. The strictness continues after you leave the test room: you are not allowed to take any equipment provided by the test venue with you. You may not even take any tissues or earplugs you may have used; you must throw them away in the presence of the exam proctor.
You can take a break at any time during the exam. If you want to use the toilet, drink a glass of water or wet the back of your neck, you can leave the exam room as many times and for as long as you like. However, each time we leave, we have to repeat the exit and entry check (metal detector, pocket unrolling), which takes a considerable amount of time. This is important because there is a time limit for the exam and the clock is ticking while we are outside the exam room.
At first glance, the strictness may seem strange and unjustified, but it is a very important measure to maintain the seriousness of the qualification and to ensure a level playing field at global level. We don't usually think about it, but it also plays an important role in protecting the intellectual property of PMI: we have to throw away our tissues, earplugs and notes because the exam questions are the intellectual property of PMI, so their distribution and recording requires prior permission.
Tips for a successful exam
- Don't organise any other activities, work or tasks for the day of the exam, have a good night's sleep.
- Due to the length and fatigue of the exam, we recommend that you wear comfortable clothing.
- Before the exam, either at home or on the way to the exam venue, answer 10-20 easy questions.
- You will have 15 minutes to familiarise yourself with the exam software. Make sure you use this time to relax.
- After the first exercise, write down the formulas needed for various calculations.
- After reading the questions, do not immediately start looking for the correct answer, but first try to answer the question yourself. Then read through the answer choices and choose the one that is closest to your own answer.
- Many questions will not be answered perfectly or fully. In many cases, we will have to select the best possible, but not perfect, answer from a range of possible answers. There is a correct answer to every question (especially according to PMI)!
- If you're unsure about something, use the small flag icon and move on. You may find a partial answer to the marked question in later questions, or you may remember the correct answer later in the exam. You can always navigate back to the marked question and mark the answer you think is correct.
- If you're on time, you should take a 5-minute break around the middle of the exam. Go outside for a drink of water, wash the back of your head, stretch your legs.
- Take your time, if you can finish faster use the remaining time to check the unclear answers you have marked, this will earn you lots of points!
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