CAPM

Overview

The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is an entry-level project management credential issued by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the US-based body that also runs the more senior PMP certification. CAPM is aimed at people who are new to project management or early in their careers, and it tests foundational knowledge of how projects are run using both traditional, plan-based methods and agile approaches. Unlike PMI's PMP, CAPM does not require any prior project-management work experience.

Who can apply

PMI asks a CAPM candidate to hold a secondary credential — a high school diploma, associate's degree, global equivalent, or similar — together with 23 hours of project management education completed by the time of the exam. This education can come from a college course, a corporate training programme, or a dedicated exam-prep course (including one PMI sells itself), and is expected to cover areas such as project scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, procurement, integration, and agile practice. No professional project-management experience is required to apply.

Exam pattern

PMI's content outline splits the exam across four domains:

Marking and results

PMI reports a CAPM result as Pass or Did Not Pass rather than a numeric score, alongside a breakdown of how the candidate performed in each of the four domains. A candidate who does not pass may retake the exam, up to three attempts within the one-year eligibility period that follows PMI's approval of the application.

Fees

For 2026, PMI lists the CAPM exam fee at $225 for PMI members and$300 for non-members. A retake (reexamination) costs $150 for members and$200 for non-members. PMI individual membership is a separate, optional annual purchase — around $154 a year plus a one-time$10 application fee for new members — that lowers both the exam fee and the later renewal fee, so it can pay for itself even for a one-time candidate.

How to apply

Candidates submit a certification application to PMI online, recording the 23 contact hours of project management education. Once PMI approves the application, the candidate pays the exam fee and books a seat through Pearson VUE, choosing either a physical test centre or an online, remote-proctored session.

After the exam

A CAPM certification is valid for three years from the date it is earned. To keep it active, the holder must earn 15 professional development units (PDUs) under PMI's Continuing Certification Requirements programme within that three-year cycle — at least 9 of the 15 through the Education category, with up to 6 allowed through the Giving Back category — and pay a renewal fee ($60 for members,$150 for non-members). No re-examination is needed if the PDUs and fee are completed before the cycle ends.

Preparation tips

PMI publishes the CAPM Examination Content Outline, which lists the exact tasks and knowledge areas the exam draws from and doubles as a syllabus for study planning. PMI also sells its own CAPM Exam Prep Course, which can be used to satisfy part or all of the 23-hour education requirement.