How much does getting the CAPM Certification costs?
Before we get into the factors that determine the final cost of CAPM certification — you need to understand what is the basics of this entry-level project management credential are.
A certified associate in project management — CAPM, is a globally renowned project management credential for project managers and practitioners with less industry experience. This credential, this entry-level project management credential is offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), United States.
At present, there are more than 70,000 CAPM certification holders in the world.
Candidates whose is to become CAPM certified need to meet two conditions:
· Education: a secondary diploma or high school diploma or a global equivalent.
· Experience: 23 hours of CAPM training
Once a candidate has met both these requirements do you need to prepare and take on the CAPM certification exam. There are 150 questions you need to solve in order to pass the certification exam. Regardless of the project management education you hold, they still need to effectively prepare for the exam.
On average, it takes around 3 to 4 weeks to grasp the knowledge of the examination course and ace the certification exam.
Now let’s get around the cost involved in CAPM certification.
· The first factors of the CAPM certification cost are your examination fee. If you sign up for a PMI membership you can get a discounted examination fee of $225 — whereas if you don’t have a PMI membership you need to submit $300 while submitting your examination application. There is also an optional cost of re-taking the exam, in case you fail to clear it on the first attempt.
· Speaking about PMI membership, bring us to the next factor of the CAPM certification cost. There are numerous benefits of becoming a PMI member. As discussed above, one of these includes a discounted examination fee, plus there is access to free examination resources such as study guides, examination tools, etc. You can also attend PMI seminars and webinars that are frequently conducted across the globe. There, you can meet certified project managers — as well as practitioners — and share insights on how to deal with the journey to get CAPM certified.
· This brings us to the third factor which is CAPM training. Besides being mandatory, the 23 hours of project management education is an effective and interactive learning session that boosts your skills, knowledge, and expertise of entry-level project management concepts and terminology. At present, there are three different pathways You can sign up for a CAPM training program: Classroom, Live instructor-led, And self-paced courses. The average cost can range anywhere between $50-$200.
· You have submitted your exam application — it’s time to prepare for it. In order to answer the scenario-based questions asked in the examination — it is mandatory to go through the PMBOK study guide. This is one of the exam prep resources you will require to pay for. Other additional costs include reference material, prep books, examination tools, etc. The total cost together with the basic resources to clear the certification exam can range anywhere between one $50-$200. As mentioned above, you can save the $100 fee for the PMBOK guide by enrolling in a PMI membership.
· This brings us to the final factor involved in the CAPM certification cost. It is important that you solve previous year question banks as well as examinations simulators to get an idea of the type of questions and pace required to deal with the CAPM certification exam. You can find free sample papers by doing a random Google search. Also, if you are a PMI member you get access to PMI archives.
Ready to become a certified project manager? Start your career progression by signing up in a PMP, CAPM, or ACP Certification training program today!
