CAPM Exam Prep Online
CAPM Exam Prep Online
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is a valuable qualification that sets you apart from project management professionals. If you want to pass the CAPM certification exam, continue reading for a list of the best exam prep tips that we found online.
Passing the CAPM exam, whether you prepared to take it at a test center or with an online training course, puts you in a prime position to secure a job as a project manager or coordinator. CAPM training and certification is an investment of both time and money, so it’s a good idea to prepare before the exam to pass it.
Although the assessment can be retaken, it’s stressful and requires more effort on your part. Understanding the CAPM exam cost and requirements prepares you for the effort you’ll be making to ensure that you pass the first time.
CAPM Exam Eligibility Requirements
The CAPM certification and assessment lets you undertake more advanced projects and tackle a new project environment, ultimately progressing in your career. Project management is a growing field, with a variety of project management processes and project manager certifications to consider. To earn the certification, you don’t need experience. According to the CAPM Handbook, you need three things to become CAPM certified:
- A secondary degree such as a high school diploma, an associate degree or equivalent
- 23 hours of project management education to be completed before you sit for the exam
- A passing score on the certification exam, which has 150 multiple-choice questions and needs to be passed within three hours
You can take a CAPM exam prep course in the classroom, virtually or online to meet the required 23 hours of project management education. A CAPM certification training course can help you understand best practices of becoming a PM, offering you flashcards, sample assessments with pretest questions and exam questions to help you practice, as well as other study materials that boost your project management skills based on the best CAPM exam prep books and education requirements.
Benefits of Passing the CAPM Exam
Project management job opportunities are seeing huge growth. CAPM certification opens the door to secure a junior role by setting you apart from other aspirants, which then gives you the opportunity to gain a little bit of experience. The CAPM certification is recognized globally as a sign that you possess a high-quality project management education. It costs less than an MBA but is a credential that can give you a leg up in the job market.
Consequently, the CAPM community is growing and you can get dozens of networking opportunities that can help you find the job you’ve always wanted. We’ve found that the CAPM certification positions you for the next certification, the PMP credential, which can boost your salary by about 26%.
PMBOK Guide and CAPM Exam Prep
The CAPM exam information comes from “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge,” a publication printed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). More importantly, the 5th edition of the PMBOK® Guide contains over 700 pages with 13 chapters. The CAPM certification exam covers all 13 chapters in some fashion. You can’t get away with just scanning the book to pass the exam—this makes taking a CAPM prep course worth the extra time and energy.
Test-takers need to have a study plan to work through the book and gain a thorough understanding of project management. Consider taking an in-person, virtual or online exam prep course to increase your likelihood of passing the CAPM exam on your first try.
Establish a Baseline
To determine how much study time you need to prepare for the CAPM, it can be helpful to take a practice exam. With the score on your practice exam, you can see where you stand based on current knowledge. Later, when you complete your CAPM exam prep training, you can use your initial score to tell whether it’s been effective. You can even use the wrong answers from your baseline test to study. You can learn a lot from the things you got wrong.
Plan Your Study
If you already know your exam date, you can work backwards and determine how many hours a week you need to put in for exam preparation. Ideally, you should try to study each day to complete a course. Cramming for any exam in the last few days is highly discouraged. The more time you spend preparing for the test, the more confident you will feel when you take it. How much time you need depends on your familiarity with the subject matter and your comprehension level.
You should probably plan to dedicate a few hours each week for three to six months before the CAPM exam.
Take an Online CAPM Exam Prep
Studying a huge volume like the PMBOK can be intimidating, but it helps that it’s well-formatted and features questions to help you process information. Nevertheless, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Finding a CAPM exam prep course can boost your engagement with the material.
Brain Sensei’s online CAPM exam prep course uses storytelling to enhance your learning experience. Stories have been used for thousands of years as part of effective teaching methods. Exam prep not only becomes more interesting but is also broken down into smaller, manageable segments.
Make Time to Study
Finding time to study can be difficult when you’re already working and have other responsibilities. If you are serious about this step in your career plan, you need to make it a priority. Self-paced courses can be ideal, but you’ll still need to set a schedule and keep to it. Remember that this effort is only temporary. Once you pass the test, you won’t have to study for it any longer and all that study time will free up again.
Understand the Format of the Test
The CAPM test has 150 questions that must be answered in three hours or less. Fifteen of the questions are pretest questions and aren’t scored. These questions are randomly placed throughout the exam. Test-takers do not know which questions are pretest and which are scored. Don’t spend time worrying about whether any particular question could be a pretest or not—treat all the questions the same. If you do come across a particularly confusing question, do your best and move on.
Read Each Question Carefully
You should have enough time to answer every question on the exam without rushing. By taking CAPM exam practice tests, you can gauge your time more effectively. You should be answering 50 questions in each hour of the test. Read every test question carefully and watch for qualifiers, such as “best,” “not,” “most,” etc. Even simple and straightforward questions should be read thoroughly. Use the entire time of the test. You don’t get bonus points for finishing early.
Go With Your Strengths
When you sit down to take the CAPM exam, write down the formulas you may need to use during the exam on a piece of paper. At test centers, you should be provided with paper and a pencil or an electronic whiteboard. There’s no rule that says you have to answer each question in order. If you want to skip over questions and return to them, you can. Answering the questions that you feel certain about can give you more confidence as you go through the test.
Don’t Cram Before the CAPM Exam
If you’ve properly prepped for a few weeks before the test, you may want to rest the week before the exam. Have some basic notes that you go over each day but stop cramming new information. Practice self-care by getting enough sleep and eating right. Let your mind process the information it knows. Be confident. Believe in yourself. When you study and prepare for an exam, you’ll do well.
Prep Online Using Practice Exams
When you’re taking practice exams, make a note about which questions you guessed on. Use those questions to focus your studies. Go back and check to see whether you got the right answer. Even if you guessed and got the right answer, you need more confidence in that area of study. When you’re scoring 80% or better without guesswork you can know that you’re prepared to take the CAPM exam.
Access Other Materials
Using an online prep course can help you digest a large amount of information in a shorter time, but don’t forget to read the PMBOK and PMI’s CAPM Handbook. A study group of friends can be another asset to studying. If you don’t know other people who are studying for the CAPM certification, look on social media for a group that you can discuss questions and problems with.
Read trade publications and peruse the PMI website to learn as much as you can about project management. This can help you process theoretical information by seeing how it is put into practice.
Be On-Time for the CAPM Exam
Check with the exam center where you’ll be taking the CAPM certification to know what is expected of you. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early and give yourself plenty of time to get through traffic and parking. Make sure to have your ID. Be nice to the administrators. They have a process that they must adhere to so that they don’t lose their testing license. If you’re taking the test online from your home, make sure to check the system requirements before the actual test date.
What Happens if You Fail the Exam?
Life doesn’t end if you don’t pass the exam on your first try—it’s just a setback. Think about what went wrong and what you can do better next time. You are allowed to retake the exam two more times within a year of your application.
If your access has expired, Brain Sensei extends your online course prep if you fail the first time around. If you put in the work, you can pass the exam. We keep up with all the changes to the PMBOK Guide and exam to make sure that you have the information you need.
You’ve Passed! What Happens Next?
Once you’ve passed the certification, you can call yourself a certification holder until you get the actual certificate by mail, which takes six to eight weeks. Make sure you know what you must do to maintain your certification. You may need continuing education and re-certification. Of course, you may want to step up to the next level. If you have a bachelor’s degree and three years of project management experience, you can pursue the PMP certification.
Get ready to take your PMI CAPM exam by preparing online with Brain Sensei. Our eLearning course helps you understand and retain the material. Moreover, we offer a CAPM practice exam to help you know where you stand. With all of our resources, you’ll feel more confident and prepared.
Sign-up for a 7-day free trial! Try the first two modules of Brain Sensei’s story-based PMP and CAPM Exam Prep courses and a mini practice exam and see how it all works
Conclusion
Passing the CAPM certification exam is a significant accomplishment that can boost your project management career. By following the best online exam prep tips outlined in this article, you can effectively prepare for the CAPM exam and increase your chances of success. From understanding the exam structure to selecting high-quality study materials, practicing with mock exams, managing your time effectively, and staying calm and confident, these tips will set you on the path to achieving your CAPM certification goals. Embrace the journey, stay dedicated, and enjoy the rewarding experience of becoming a Certified Associate in Project Management.
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