How long does it take to prepare for the CAPM exam and how should I get started?

A possible timetable

Learning vs. mastery

Since the CAPM qualification measures lexical and theoretical knowledge - as opposed to the PMP qualification, which measures practical preparedness - there is no way around intensive learning. Of course, this does not necessarily mean memorisation, but we should be prepared to encounter a lot of things to understand. It will not always be enough to roughly remember terms, document types, tools.
The need to encourage students to study has long been a matter of debate among those who prepare for exams. We represent the school that believes that memorizing is an unnecessary and inefficient use of time. This is true if you plan to prepare within a healthy timeframe (i.e. you can devote at least a month to dedicated preparation). However, it is essential to understand the logic and ideas that link the individual elements together to answer even the driest lexical questions with confidence.
If you have to prepare for the exam in an extremely short time, memorizing is an option, maybe even a necessity, but don't expect an easy ride. Just as an example, the 49 individual project management processes may have up to 10-20 unique inputs, outputs, tools and techniques each, which should be noted in this way. And this is just a slice of a long list of items to be noted.

In what order should you go through the materials?

We will go through a number of materials, notes, tables and supplementary learning aids during the preparation period, but we have recommendations on the order in which they should be dealt with. In all cases, we recommend that candidates should start practising as soon as possible, but before doing so, they should invest energy in theoretical preparation. We recommend the following order of preparation, with the proviso that only move on from one point to the next once you have confidently learned and mastered the previous point:

1. A preparation course of your choice understanding the material received, reading it through in full at least twice. In doing so, aim to:
   • Try to understand the basic logic of the PMI framework.
   • Try to understand and remember the purpose of different documents and tools, the possibilities and limitations of their use and their content.
   • Supplement these materials with your own notes and comments, if any.
   • If you get stuck somewhere, ask your trainer, the PMBOK or, if you have one, the preparation summary books (e.g. Rita Mulcahy's preparation book) for help.

2. Let's study the PMBOK matrix, the interfaces and logical alignments of knowledge areas, process groups and processes; start to learn about the logic behind ITTOs, the principles of ordering.

3. Learn the formulas needed, practise writing them down correctly.

4. Let's review the PMI Glossary (a collection of definitions of terms used by PMI).
   • Learn unfamiliar terms by looking for examples of them on the internet.
   • For connoisseurs, the full Glossary can be found and learned at using the free online student card service below. In this interface, terms you already know or have learned can be ignored or skipped.
   • However, we do not recommend that you learn the entire glossary, but you should be familiar with the terms you will come across and use frequently by the time you take the exam.

5. Continuous practice with exercises provided by the trainer and other reliable sources . This is the most critical, most important point of our preparation.
   • The theory is easy and logical, but its robustness makes it easy to confuse the easier theory.
   • These exercises point out our weaknesses, so not only practising endlessly, but also evaluating the exercises is an important task.
   • Always have a notebook handy to record your most important experiences and learning points.

6. Continuous study of our notes and materials.