Secondary diploma
RequiredA high school diploma, GED or global equivalent. You must also be at least 18.
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Exam Guide
Validates foundational knowledge of project management, predictive delivery, agile approaches and business analysis for supporting project work.
CAPM tests whether you understand project management terms, approaches and roles well enough to apply them to short workplace scenarios. Take a course that covers the four exam domains, then use practice questions to learn PMI’s way of choosing the best answer.
Understand the exam
Syllabus
IProject management fundamentals and core concepts36%
- Task 1Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes
- Task 2Demonstrate an understanding of project management planning
- Task 3Demonstrate an understanding of project roles and responsibilities
- Task 4Determine how to follow and execute planned strategies or frameworks (e.g., communication, risks, etc.)
- Task 5Demonstrate an understanding of common problem-solving tools and techniques
Example scenario: A team member reports that a supplier might deliver late next month. Is this an issue or a risk, and where should it be recorded?
IIPredictive, plan-based methodologies17%
- Task 1Explain when it is appropriate to use a predictive, plan-based approach
- Task 2Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule
- Task 3Determine how to document project controls of predictive, plan-based projects
Example scenario: A task on the critical path slips by two days while a task with five days of float slips by three. What happens to the project end date?
IIIAgile frameworks/methodologies20%
- Task 1Explain when it is appropriate to use an adaptive approach
- Task 2Determine how to plan project iterations
- Task 3Determine how to document project controls for an adaptive project
- Task 4Explain the components of an adaptive plan
- Task 5Determine how to prepare and execute task management steps
Example scenario: Requirements for a new app are expected to change every few weeks. Which approach fits, and how would you plan the first month?
IVBusiness analysis frameworks27%
- Task 1Demonstrate an understanding of business analysis (BA) roles and responsibilities
- Task 2Determine how to conduct stakeholder communication
- Task 3Determine how to gather requirements
- Task 4Demonstrate an understanding of product roadmaps
- Task 5Determine how project methodologies influence business analysis processes
- Task 6Validate requirements through product delivery
Example scenario: At release review, a stakeholder asks whether every approved requirement has been built and tested. Which document answers this?
CAPM Exam Content Outline · 2023 update
Format
- Questions
- 150
- Duration
- 3h
- Delivery
- Test centre or online
- Languages
- English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish
Question types
Read a short scenario or question and choose the one best answer from the options.
CertUp example
A project team is building a new warehouse system and the scope, budget and deadline are fixed in a signed contract. Which approach is the best fit?
Show answer
Predictive, plan-based. Fixed scope, cost and date favour a plan that is set up front and then controlled.
Match items in one column to the matching items in the other by dragging each box onto its partner.
CertUp example
Drag each item to the project document where it is recorded.
Show answer
A supplier might deliver late goes to the risk register; the affected person goes to the stakeholder register; accepted work goes to the deliverables list; the cost estimate goes to the cost baseline. Each document holds one kind of information.
Read a scenario and click the area of an image that answers it; hot area questions highlight the options as you hover.
CertUp example
A network diagram shows five tasks. Click the tasks that make up the critical path.
Show answer
Click the longest path with no float. The critical path sets the earliest finish date, so a delay on it delays the project.
Watch a short animation or read a comic strip that shows a workplace situation, then answer a multiple-choice question about it. Online candidates see comic strips only.
CertUp example
A comic strip shows a developer telling the product owner that a new request will not fit this iteration. What should the product owner do?
Show answer
Add the request to the product backlog and prioritise it. Changes in an adaptive project go to the backlog and are ordered by value.
Eligibility and booking
Apply on pmi.org with your diploma and training hours. Once approved, you have one year to pass and up to three attempts.
Make a study plan
Finish the 23 hours first, apply while the material is fresh, then spend the rest of your time on the weaker domains and practice questions.
Most candidates spend 40–80 hours. Plan for the low end if you already work on projects; add time if project management or agile terms are new to you. Includes the 23-hour course.
- 1Understand the examRead the syllabus and format, check you’re eligible and pick a target date.3 h
- 3Learn the core conceptsWork through one main course or book, topic by topic.29 h
- 4Practice with mock examsTake timed practice tests and review every mistake.15 h
- 5Prepare for exam dayBook the exam and check the ID and delivery rules.3 h
Learn the core concepts
Choose one course that gives you the 23 hours and follows the 2023 outline. The outline is your syllabus.
Best valueCAPM Exam Prep E-Learning 25 Hour Class
Best official courseCAPM Exam Prep Course
Best for beginnersGoogle Project Management CertificatePractice with mock exams
Start with PMI’s free sample questions, then use a larger bank. Review every wrong answer against the outline.
See all 7 CAPM practice tests →
Are you ready?
- You can explain every task in the four domains in your own words.
- You score consistently well on full practice exams from more than one source.
- You finish 150 questions in under 3 hours with time to review.
Prepare for exam day
Schedule with Pearson VUE once PMI approves your application. Choose a test centre or an online proctored exam.
Before travelling to the test centre
Before testing from home
- Bring a current government-issued photo ID with your signature, and a name that exactly matches your PMI application.
- You can take the scheduled 10-minute break after question 75. Any other break comes out of your exam time.
- Run the system test and prepare a private room with a clear desk and working webcam.
- Have your government-issued photo ID ready for check-in.
- Only the scheduled break is allowed. Leaving your desk at any other time ends the exam.
- Once you start the break you cannot return to questions 1 to 75.
- Reschedule or cancel at least 48 hours ahead. A change within 30 days of the exam costs $70.
- The screen at the end shows a congratulations message if you passed. PMI emails the official result.
Advice from exam takers
Pair a course with a question bank.
Recent pass reports most often mention Andrew Ramdayal’s course for the training hours, plus Pocket Prep and other question banks for practice. Some found the Google certificate too general as their main exam preparation.
Give business analysis extra time.
A candidate who scored above target in every domain found business analysis the hardest, with more questions on the requirements traceability matrix than expected.
Book the date, then study to it.
One candidate found course material faded when months passed before the exam, and recommends a short, focused study period ending on a booked date.
The final screen tells you if you passed.
Candidates describe a congratulations message at the end of the exam; the official result followed by email within a few days.