Project Management Institute Certifications

Below are the certifications offered by PMI institute. We will talk about CAPM here.

As the name suggests, Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is a comprehensive field with limited experience and specialization as compared to other Project Management certifications. CAPM credential marks the attainment of project management skills at any career stage. With the rapid growth in management practices, CAPM certified professionals have a high demand and lead in career opportunities.

Average Salary Range For CAPM

USA : $80,000 Per Year (Source)

India: 6,47,000 INR Per Year (Source)


Who Should Apply For CAPM?

This certification is open to all the job profiles and anyone willing to gain relevant project management experience can become CAPM certified. It provides exposure to larger projects and project management competence to the current role. This certification is designed with a view to providing basic knowledge about project management techniques and practices. Therefore, it accounts for a minimal to no experience in the respective field at the time of applying for this credential.


Benefits of Doing CAPM

  1. Global Exposure
    This certification earns the praise of senior professionals globally and hence helps in providing the candidates with career opportunities to prove their worth. The trust built in this certification is exactly what permits the employers to give adequate international exposure to the CAPM certified practitioners.

  2. CAPM Pay
    It is expected that this certification improves the pay of the professional by 25% bare minimum. The professionals can demand higher salaries as compared to non-certified professionals and they are also likely to receive better incentives.

  3. Growth and Development
    This certification focuses not only on the corporate growth but also on the personal growth and development of the practitioner. It bags the expected job profiles for the certified such as Business Analyst Consultant, Communications Coordinator, etc.


Training Cost of CAPM

The training cost applies only when a candidate does not have the required project management experience i.e. 1500 hours. It becomes mandatory to attend a 23 contact hours training program in such a case. The overall training cost varies from US$9.95 - US$199.

Preparation Cost of CAPM

The overall cost for the certification depends upon the PMI membership status of the candidate. Moreover, it is also dependent upon whether it is a center-based test or an online-proctored test.

Examination Fee

Center-Based Testing (CBT)/ Online-Proctored Testing (OPT)

US$225.0 (Member) | US$300.0 (Non-member)

Validity of CAPM

CAPM certification is valid for exactly five years from the date of the certification with no renewal process. For instance, Paul got his certification on 10 July 2018, then it will be valid until 10 July 2023.

How To Take The CAPM Exam

Eligibility Criteria
  1. Secondary Diploma (High School Diploma/ Global Equivalent)
  2. 23 contact hours of formal education

Examination Details

  1. It comprises 150 multiple-choice questions out of which 15 are pretest(unscored) questions.
  2. There are two methods of conducting the test. It can either be a center-based test or an online-proctored test.
  3. The allotted examination time is three hours with no scheduled breaks.

Time Taken To Prepare For The Exam

It can be detrimental to assume that since this test is basic to project management, it will involve less preparation time. A typical CAPM exam requires 45-60 hours of preparation time in total which is equivalent to 8-10 weeks, with 6 hours of studying each week.


For more details, log on to official PMI Website.

Click on the certifications below to know more about them