You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
PMICertified Associate in Project Management
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification validates your understanding of fundamental project management concepts, processes, and terminology as defined in the PMBOK Guide. It is designed for early-career project team members and students who want to demonstrate a solid foundation in project management. Earning the CAPM signals to employers that you possess the knowledge to contribute effectively to project teams and is a stepping stone toward the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential.
Exam formatMultiple choice
Duration180 minutes
DeliveryPMI
Free questions411
Content last reviewed 21 March 2025 · Up to date
The certification
What Certified Associate in Project Management proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
19objectives
85concepts
US $225exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification is PMI's entry-level credential for individuals who are new to project management or seeking to formalize their foundational knowledge. It demonstrates that you understand the globally recognized processes, terminology, and best practices outlined in the PMBOK Guide, enabling you to work effectively as a member of a project team.
Earning the CAPM shows employers that you have a structured understanding of how projects are initiated, planned, executed, monitored, and closed. It is ideal for recent graduates, career changers, and professionals who work on projects but do not yet have the experience required for the PMP. The certification provides a competitive edge in the job market and a clear pathway for professional growth in project management.
Who it’s for
The CAPM is designed for project team members, entry-level project managers, and students who are beginning their careers in project management. It is also suitable for professionals from other disciplines who regularly contribute to projects and want to formalize their understanding of project management principles. If you are looking to demonstrate your commitment to the profession and build a solid foundation before pursuing more advanced credentials like the PMP, the CAPM is the right starting point. No prior project management experience is required, making it accessible to those early in their careers.
Recommended experience
While not mandatory, PMI recommends that candidates have some exposure to project management concepts, such as through coursework or participation in project teams. Completion of a formal project management training course (e.g., PMI's CAPM Exam Prep course); Basic familiarity with the PMBOK Guide and its processes; Some experience working on or contributing to projects, even in a non-leadership role
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective PMI measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official PMI exam outline · checked 21 March 2025 · See the source
Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
- Task 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes.
- Task 2 Demonstrate an understanding of project management planning.
- Task 3 Demonstrate an understanding of project roles and responsibilities.
- Task 4 Determine how to follow and execute planned strategies or frameworks (e.g., communication, risks, etc.).
- Task 5 Demonstrate an understanding of common problem-solving tools and techniques.
Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies
- Task 1 Explain when it is appropriate to use a predictive, plan-based approach.
- Task 2 Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule.
- Task 3 Determine how to document project controls of predictive, plan-based projects.
Agile Frameworks/Methodologies
- Task 1 Explain when it is appropriate to use an adaptive approach.
- Task 2 Determine how to plan project iterations.
- Task 3 Determine how to document project controls for an adaptive project.
- Task 4 Explain the components of an adaptive plan.
- Task 5 Determine how to prepare and execute task management steps.
Business Analysis Frameworks
- Task 1 Demonstrate an understanding of business analysis (BA) roles and responsibilities.
- Task 2 Determine how to conduct stakeholder communication.
- Task 3 Determine how to gather requirements.
- Task 4 Demonstrate an understanding of product roadmaps.
- Task 5 Determine how project methodologies influence business analysis processes.
- Task 6 Validate requirements through product delivery.
On the day
The exam itself
Everything PMI publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
Secondary degree (high school diploma or global equivalent) AND 23 hours of formal project management education
CertificationCertified Associate in Project Management
Exam formatMultiple choice
Duration180 minutes
DeliveryPMI
LanguagesEnglish, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
PricingUS $225
Certification levelAssociate
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path PMI lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Certified Associate in Project Management
PrerequisiteSecondary degree (high school diploma or global equivalent) AND 23 hours of formal project management education
Credential earnedCertified Associate in Project Management Associate level certification Renewal and maintenance
The CAPM certification is valid for three years. To maintain it, you must earn 15 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in the project management education category before the end of the three-year cycle. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. PMI maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by PMI
Exam registration
Register for the exam through PMI, PMI’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official PMI certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the CAPM relate to the PMP certification?
The CAPM is an entry-level credential that validates foundational project management knowledge, while the PMP is a more advanced certification for experienced project managers. Earning the CAPM can be a stepping stone toward the PMP, but it is not a mandatory prerequisite.
Is the CAPM exam available in both online and test center formats?
Yes, the CAPM exam can be taken either online with remote proctoring or at a physical test center. Both options require a reliable internet connection and a quiet, distraction-free environment for online testing.
What is the retake policy for the CAPM exam?
If you do not pass the CAPM exam on your first attempt, you can retake it after a 30-day waiting period. After the second attempt, you must wait 90 days before each subsequent attempt. There is no limit on the number of attempts within a one-year eligibility period.
Are there any hands-on or lab-based components in the CAPM exam?
No, the CAPM exam consists entirely of multiple-choice questions. There are no hands-on labs or performance-based tasks.
What job roles does the CAPM credential map to?
The CAPM is relevant for roles such as project coordinator, project assistant, junior project manager, and project team member. It is also valuable for professionals in other fields who work on projects and want to demonstrate their understanding of project management principles.
Can I recertify the CAPM by passing a higher-level PMI exam?
Yes, earning the PMP certification automatically renews your CAPM credential, as the PMP is a higher-level certification. You do not need to earn PDUs for the CAPM if you hold an active PMP.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the CAPM exam?
The CAPM exam is available globally through PMI's network of test centers and online proctoring. However, availability may vary by country, and some locations may have limited test center options. Online proctoring is generally available in most regions.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2025-03-21 Up to date
Practice free questions 411 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept PMI measures — each one written out.
4domains
19objectives
85concepts
90free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official PMI exam outline · checked 21 March 2025 · See the source
1Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts120 questions
Task 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes.7 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 2 Demonstrate an understanding of project management planning.7 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 3 Demonstrate an understanding of project roles and responsibilities.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 4 Determine how to follow and execute planned strategies or frameworks (e.g., communication, risks, etc.).3 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 5 Demonstrate an understanding of common problem-solving tools and techniques.6 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →
2Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies66 questions
Task 1 Explain when it is appropriate to use a predictive, plan-based approach.5 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 2 Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule.11 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 3 Determine how to document project controls of predictive, plan-based projects.3 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →
3Agile Frameworks/Methodologies101 questions
Task 1 Explain when it is appropriate to use an adaptive approach.4 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 2 Determine how to plan project iterations.5 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 3 Determine how to document project controls for an adaptive project.1 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Task 4 Explain the components of an adaptive plan.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 5 Determine how to prepare and execute task management steps.2 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →
4Business Analysis Frameworks124 questions
Task 1 Demonstrate an understanding of business analysis (BA) roles and responsibilities.4 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 2 Determine how to conduct stakeholder communication.2 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 3 Determine how to gather requirements.4 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 4 Demonstrate an understanding of product roadmaps.5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 5 Determine how project methodologies influence business analysis processes.3 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 6 Validate requirements through product delivery.3 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Task 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes.7 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
31 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
411 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
411questions
90pages
19objectives
Freealways
Start anywhereTask 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the various project life cycles and processes. 31 questions · 7 pages
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts120 questions
2Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies66 questions
3Agile Frameworks/Methodologies101 questions
4Business Analysis Frameworks124 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
85concepts
411free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from PMI
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
1official link
85concepts mapped
The source
PMI’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official PMI outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 19 objectives, 85 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When PMI changes the outline, this page changes with it.
19objectives on the outline→85concepts written→411free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.