CAPM — study prep broken down!
I’ve spent hours and hours on Youtube watching people talk about their journeys of breaking into the PM sphere. Having been a “jack of all trades, master of none” kind of person all my life, Project management (a combination of technology, business, and user design) has always been a field of inspiration for me. I’m a graduate student (at the time of writing), and I haven’t had a lot of experience in the PM domain. However, a random conversation with a friend (who happens to be a Project Manager) introduced me to CAPM, a certification to be a Certified Associate in Project Management. As soon as I got home, I dove straight into researching CAPM.
I recently passed my CAPM on my first attempt ABOVE-TARGET (yay!), and I wanted to share my experience with fellow CAPM aspirants, in case you’re looking for a one-stop article on how to go about the certification exam!
Before we dig into the “how”s and “to-do”s, let’s talk about the “what”.
What is CAPM?
CAPM is a certification designed to demonstrate project management knowledge in people with none to little experience. It is offered by PMI, Project Management Institute, a globally recognized standard. which Think of it as a tool that gives you credibility as a project manager, regardless of your industrial field (IT, construction, healthcare, etc.).
It’s your intermediate step between zero experience as a PM and a PMP-certified project manager.
CAPM is based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge — PMBOK. The main contents of the PMBOK guide focus on the ITTOs (Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs) for 49 processes. These processes are spread across 5 process groups, and 10 knowledge areas. [It’s not too much, trust me).
The exam has 150 MCQs, out of which 130 questions determine your final score (you won’t know which questions are counted and which aren’t). These questions have to be answered over the span of 3 hours but expect to spend 30 minutes before the exam setting everything up and being verified by a proctor.
How to get started?
First things first, BOOK YOUR TEST DATE. Honestly, if there’s anything that can get you to allot time for CAPM prep amongst your 100 other responsibilities, it’s seeing the “PASS CAPM TODAY!” written on your calendar.
However, to book a date, you need to fulfill the requirements provided on the official PMI website.
- Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or the global equivalent)
- 23 hours of project management education completed by the time you sit for the exam.
[Source: https://www.pmi.org/certifications/certified-associate-capm]
I have a Bachelor’s degree, so the first criteria was easy to satisfy.
I registered for Joseph Phillip’s course on Udemy “CAPM Exam Prep Seminar — PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition” to obtain my 23 hours of education since I didn’t have the required hours of professional experience.
What is the Udemy course like?
Joseph really did his best at curating a perfect course that teaches you all the concepts you require to clear the CAPM exam. It is broken down systematically, and honestly, what kept me going was his sense of humor. You’ll find a dad-joke thrown into every other video!
The language is simple, it is easy to follow, and you won’t feel lost at any point because of how it’s structured.
Tips: Even though he recommends following the given structure, you can mix it up once you reach the individual knowledge areas. I used to do this every time I felt demotivated to study a really large section (like Risk Management). I didn’t feel like there were any huge knowledge gaps.
How did I go about the exam?
If there’s one piece of advice I’ve gotten from Joseph and my friend who took it before me, it was:
“FINISH YOUR CAPM PREP IN ONE MONTH.”
Not only was it very helpful, but it reduced the amount of “drag” that you feel while studying the same topic over a long period of time. I created a 4-week schedule to study the contents required for the exam and practice for it.
Now here’s a minor catch, you’re not allowed to schedule your exam unless you satisfy both of the criteria mentioned above (Diploma; 23 hours of work ex.) because they’re a possibility of them asking you for proof. So mark your calendar and mentally prepare yourself to take the exam one month from your prep start.
I used three resources to prepare:
- Udemy course: “CAPM Exam Prep Seminar — PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition” by Joseph Phillips
- Rita Mulcahy’s CAPM Exam Prep — Fourth Edition
- PocketPrep CAPM App (iOS and Android) — 800 questions
These are the bare minimum resources you’d require.
I spent the first 2–3 weeks preparing material from Udemy and Rita Mulcahy’s book. I would finish one topic from Udemy, come back to Rita Mulcahy’s book and skim through the content to make sure I didn’t miss out on any information, and answer the questions provided after each topic.
[Note: I sped up going through the Udemy content so I could register for my test after getting my certificate from Udemy.]
In the 4th week, I revised each topic and practiced questions off the PocketPrep premium app (It’s worth it, I promise!).
The Udemy course itself came with 2 practice tests, but there are other tests you can find online if you have more money to invest in them. I had to make more economical choices as a student, so I made the best from the Udemy practice test, followed by making my own mocks from the PocketPrep App.
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to rote the ITTOs for each process (I didn’t). I would actually suggest NOT to. Instead, remember the order of processes and it’s importance. The questions on the exam are logical, and it’s more helpful if you understand the purpose of each process and logically think about what would be an input, tool and output, instead of learning them by heart.
Additionally, as you study the ITTOs, prepare flashcards to help you remember the purpose of the process and any “outstanding” inputs or outputs you notice. You will find common patterns within them, like EEFs and OPAs being an input for most processes.
What is the exam like?
One month later, it was time for my test! The test was about 3.5 hours long. The initial check-in process was simple, I just had to make sure my space was clear (no water, no notes, no phones, no interruptions) and a proctor would verify it. After the check-in, I was allowed to start my exam.
People usually finish the exam in 1.5 hours, but I took my time with it and re-checked my answer choices to feel like I gave it my best shot.
The questions are similar to the questions from Rita Mulcahy’s book and the PocketPrep app. Make sure you’re familiar with such questions and take your time to analyze your mistakes!
After the exam, I got my results directly within the next 10 minutes! :D
Retrospective:
The whole process of learning the contents opened my eyes to a lot of processes I had no idea about. This exam focuses less on roting concepts, and more on understanding the field logically.
In hindsight, had I dragged out the process, I would’ve lost my motivation to stick to the schedule I created.
All in all, 4 weeks, and you’re CAPM ready! :)
I hope this article was helpful and works as your one-stop to preparing for and passing your CAPM on your first try!
Checklist:
- [ ] Begin filling your application
- [ ] Create a study schedule
- [ ] Joseph Phillip’s CAPM Exam Prep Seminar — PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition
- [ ] Rita Mulcahy’s CAPM Exam Prep — Fourth Edition
- [ ] Pocketprep premium- PMI CAPM (phone/desktop app)
- [ ] Mock tests (your own, or online simulators)
- [ ] Trust your preparation and give the exam! :D
Additional resources:
Alvin the PM — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-jgm_JH2SOmIC4QOwABonw/featured
Reddit: r/capm
