Preparing for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^® Exam

What is this course about?

In this course, you gain in-depth knowledge and skills to assist you in preparing for the Project Management Institute's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^® exam.

Through course activities, practice exams and workshops, you learn essential Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) terminology, tools and techniques required to pass the exam.

What is the PMBOK^® Guide - Fourth Edition?

The PMBOK^® Guide - Fourth Edition serves as the official basis for the CAPM Certification Exam and provides a reference for anyone interested in the profession of project management. The PMBOK^® Guide offers a basic structure for understanding project management, the environment in which projects operate and an overall view of how the various project management processes interact. Divided into nine knowledge areas, described in terms of component processes and five process groups, the PMBOK^® Guide has become the framework by which many organizations develop their project management practices.

What background knowledge should I have?

Basic project management knowledge is highly recommended. (A copy of the PMBOK^® Guide - Fourth Edition is given to each course participant to keep on the first day of class.) This course is valuable for project team members, new project managers, those who are planning to take the CAPM in the near future, and those interested in acquiring knowledge of project management best practices.

How is this course different from Course 276: Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Exam

Although the study materials for both courses come from the PMBOK^® Guide, Course 3601, Preparing for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®Exam gives more of an overview of the knowledge areas and processes. While, Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)^®Exam gives a more indepth look at PMBOK^® Guide content as the PMP credential is aimed at more experienced project managers.

What are the eligibility criteria for taking the CAPM exam?

The CAPM eligibility criteria, as established by the Project Management Institute, are divided into two catagories:

Category 1 maintains that the canidate hold a minimum of a high school diploma and have at least 1,500 hours of project management experience within the five process groups.

Category 2 maintains canidates possess a high school diploma and have accumulated at least 23 contact hours of project management education (23 PDUs) from a PMI Resgistered Education Provider (R.E.P.), such as Learning Tree International. Course 3601, Preparing for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®Exam fulfills this PDU requirement.

If you hold a bachelor's degree and/or have 3 - 5 years of project management experience, you should consider taking Course 276,Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)^®Exam.

I'm interested in taking the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. Will this course help me prepare?

No, this course prepares you for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam. While the material s similar to what you need to study for the PMP exam, this course does not prepare you for the PMP exam. You should instead consider Course 276: Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Exam. The PMP and CAPM exams are notably different in the degree of PMBOK Guide knowledge required.

What are the PMI requirements for maintaining the CAPM certification?

The CAPM certification is valid for 5 years. At the end of your 5-year period, PMI requires that you retake the exam. Once certified, you are not required to achieve professional development untist (PDU). There are no other requirements for maintaining this certification.

How much time is spent on each topic?

How much of this course is spent in workshops?

Approximately 45 percent of this course is spent in a series of individual practice workshops and simulated exams. Workshops include:

• Taking CAPM^®style practice exams and cross-referencing answers to PMBOK^®Guide
• Speaking the PMBOK^®Guide language
• Mapping PMBOK^® Guide knowledge areas and process groups
• Customizing process summaries for future study
• Developing a study guide and personalized preparation plan

How many questions make up the CAPM exam?

The exam consists of 150 total questions, 135 are scorable questions and 15 questions are pretest items, which are not scored. PMI uses pretest questions to determine their performance prior to counting them towards a candidate's score.

What happens if I don't pass the exam?

If for any reason you do not pass your CAPM Exam after completing our course, Preparing for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^® Exam, contact us within 60 days of your original course attendance to schedule a free course retake.

Will I be prepared to take the exam immediately after this course?

That is entirely up to you. This course is designed to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of CAPM certification candidates, from those on the verge of taking the exam, to those who are in the earlier planning stages of exam preparation. Upon completion of this course, you will have undergone an examination of the PMBOK^® Guide, taken a series of in-depth practice exams, and created a personalized study guide to assist you in discovering your areas of strength and weakness, all of which will help you to determine your level of exam readiness.

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

While the emphasis of this course is on CAPM exam preparation, Learning Tree offers a series of project management skills courses to further your knowledge base, including:

• 296: Project Management: Skills for Success provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to organize, plan, schedule, monitor, and control projects
• 340: Project Management for Software Development provides the tools you need to effectively organize and select process choices, create realistic plans and see them through to successful delivery
• 287: Complex Project Management provides you with the skills to manage complex projects by applying advanced tools and techniques to meet conflicting business and technical demands

For those interested in additional PMI certifications, Learning Tree offers these courses:

• 276: Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam 
• 920: Preparing for the Program Management Professional (PgMP)® Exam 
• 286: Preparing for the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Exam 
• 248: Preparing for the PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)® Exam 

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