CAPM, Certified Associate in Project Management is a certification for inexperienced project managers or team members. This is a good start for the people who are either entering in Project Management Profession or have plans for doing it. This will help you get ready for a big job from the beginning.

	PMP	CAPM
Duration	230 Minutes (3 hours & 50 Mins) with 2 Scheduled Breaks (4 H and 10 Mins)	3 hours
No of Questions	180 Questions (175 will be scored) covering 1. people, 2. process, and 3. external business environment. And 50% of the exam will be on agile methodologies 50% will be on predictive/waterfall methodologies.	150
Fees	$555 for Non-Members $284 for Members	$210 for Non-Members $158 for Members
Questions	Multiple-choice Multiple responses   Matching Hotspot   Fill-in-the-blank Sample Questions	Tests your aptitude on Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts.
Pre-Req	Secondary Education + 60 months of experience leading projects OR Bachelor’s Degree + 36 months of experience leading projects	Secondary Education+ 23 Hours of PM Study
Validity	3 years renewable	5 years non-renewable
Course	35 Hours of Contact Learning or CAPM	23 Hours of Study
	PMP ECO	CAPM ECO
		Course Deals with; Agile Frameworks/Methodologies Business Analysis Frameworks Predictive Plan-Based Methodologies
PMI Membership Fee	$109	$109

So CAPM or PMP?

PMP: if you have 5 years of professional experience and the majority is in some leadership role on your previous assignments, this is for you.

CAPM: If you want to begin your Project Management Journey.

Visit for important links Important Links – Mudassir Iqbal, Professional Skills Trainer

2. PMP without a bachelor’s Degree

PMI is not after your degree, they want your experience. So with Higher education, you need to provide 60 months of experience leading projects in the last 8 years.

You need to be in the Leading role in your project. This project can be ON Job or maybe a community project.

Any project you have done in the last 8 years qualifies for submission.

Quick Tips;

• Avoid gaps in your experience
• Make sure that you have experience in all 5 Process Groups i.e initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing.
• Make sure that you have a communication channel available with the Manager of the Project. Because you might need to contact the manager in case of an Audit
• The audit is Sampling, so your selection is not based on the quality of your submission, but god forbid if you are selected then the whole application will be scrutinized

3. PMP Eligibility

• A secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or the global equivalent)
• 60 months of experience leading projects
• 35 hours of project management education/ Contact Hours or CAPM

OR

• Four-year degree
• 36 months of experience leading projects
• 35 hours of project management education or CAPM

4. My Suggestion to Crack the Exam

For me, one size doesn’t fit all. But having more than 15 years of experience in this field of coaching and training PMP aspirants for me parameters remain the same.

1. PMBOK 7 (read once)
2. Process Guide (Once)
3. PMI ACP Guide (read twice)
3.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNIHysh2ZW4&t=0s ( A Review of 200 Agile Questions by Mclachlan)
4. PMP terms and concept Page
5. Any Exam guide which you like (1 only)
6. Coach – Must have ( I usually advise that if the coach has no time for you he isn’t worth it. Because it’s a journey where you need quick guidance to keep the circle small and efficient)
7. Simulator ( Do look for discount codes)
7.1 https://tiaexams.com/product/pmp-exam-simulator-course/
7.2 https://www.tiapmtraining.com/p/pmp-exam-prep1
7.3 PMI Study Hall with 20-0 Questions

With these, I believe many can pass the exam quickly and with fewer headaches.

2-3 months of 12-14 hours a week with 2-3 hours a day. You should be consistently scoring 80% above in all your exams taken home that’s the point you should be considering that you are ready for the exam. It is also important that you begin your studies with PMP Exam Content Online and PMP Handbook.

5. Exam Day

1. Be there early
2. No calculators allowed. Get used to computer-based calculators
3. If you have scheduled in the morning, make sure that  you have a good night’s sleep
4. Don’t forget your ID
5. Keep a sweater or extra jersey, in case the room is uncomfortably cold.
6. A brain dump is not allowed
7. whatever you do, you can’t have the same exam room pressure at home, so relax and take your time to get into 5th Gear
8. You may mark the question for review, un answered and can come back easily
9. Get yourself familiar with exam software.
10. Use the breaks which are provided after 60 and 120 questions.

My advice

1. Use four cycles
   1. First, one should go fast, don’t think about the question, just answer what you know. Mark if you are doubtful, but don’t read the question the second time. it is important to go through all questions – Here you should have answered about 60%
   2. Second, go through all calculation questions – another 1-5 questions
   3. Go through your marked questions, and if you don’t know the answer remove the selection mark them unanswered and go through them in the last cycle – This should take your count to 75-80% guaranteed questions.
   4. now answer remains, as there is no negative marking

6. Your Managers

While filling out a form always make sure that you are in contact with the person whose name you will be using against every project. God-Forbid if you are selected for audit, you need their digital signatures on the audit forms. So please contact your supervisors and managers before you use their names on the form

7. Exam Security

PMI has a zero-tolerance policy on exam misconduct and the attempt to misuse exam content and intellectual property

Since the switch to online testing for the PMP, PMI has seen a significant increase in the advertisement of services that promise a “100% pass guarantee” or “pass without taking the exam.”. PMI uses multiple methods to detect all forms of candidate misconduct, including but not limited to those who hire someone to take the exam for them (proxy testing), steal exam content, have access to exam questions before taking the exam, and have live assistance during the exam. 

• What are examples of misconduct during exams? Exam misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
  • Receiving – and not reporting – confidential information about test questions before your exam
  • Taking pictures of exam questions and content and sharing them with individuals in any way
  • Leaving the testing room during an exam (unless it is during a scheduled exam break)
  • Bringing unapproved products or personal items into the testing room, including calculators, notebooks, cell phones, etc.
  • Participating in proxy testing: Proxy testing is when someone is paid to take and pass an exam on behalf of a registered candidate.
• What are the consequences of misconduct during exams? First, if your proctor detects misconduct during your exam, they can immediately end your testing session. Additionally, our Exam Security team will investigate any instances of suspected misconduct. If the investigation shows misconduct did occur, we can take disciplinary action, including:
  • Cancelling your score
  • Revoking your certification(s)
  • Banning you from taking PMI exams, either permanently or for a period of time
  • Pursuing legal action

Read More

Also Message on Security from Jennifer Tharp, PMP, chair, 2022 PMI Board of Directors

FAQs On Enhanced Exam Security for Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam

8. Breaks in the PMP Exam (Confusing Item)

Now we have two scheduled breaks during the PMP exam. Once you take the break, you are not allowed to go back and modify the answers.

The first break will happen after you’ve answered and reviewed questions 1-60. The second break will happen after you’ve answered question 120 and reviewed all 120 questions

So what does it mean?

It means after you are done with 60 questions and even “mark” 10 questions to further check, the system will first prompt you to review and once you are finished with the review, you need to click another “confirm” button to start the break. This is the last time that you’ll be able to see these questions.

Take the breaks, ensure you have snacks and water in your locker, and then get back to the test. Best of luck!

Make sure that you TIME the exam properly, I have received complaints about less time for the last and too much time for the last set.

9. CAPM Certification

Therefore, unlike the current CAPM which tests only the project management fundamentals, the new CAPM examination will test the skills that entry and associate-level individuals need in order to understand project management fundamentals as well as predictive, adaptive, and business analysis principles.

CAPM Exam has changed since October 2023.

Comparison of the current outline and the new outline:

SN	CURRENT  OUTLINE	NEW CAPM OUTLINE
1.	Introduction to Project Management (6%)	Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts (36%)
2.	Project Environment (6%)	Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies (17%)
3.	Role of the Project Manager (7%)	Adaptive Frameworks/Methodologies (20%)
4.	Project Integration Management (9%)	Business Analysis Frameworks (27%)
5.	Project Scope Management (9%)
6.	Project Schedule Management (9%)
7.	Project Cost Management (8%)
8.	Project Quality Management (7%)
9.	Project Resource Management (8%)
10.	Project Communication Management (10%)
11.	Project Risk Management (8%)
12.	Project Procurement Management (4%)
13.	Project Stakeholder Management (9%)