PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® Certification
PMI's entry-level credential — proof you know how projects run, whether they're planned up front, delivered in sprints or shaped by business analysis.
About the exam
The Certified Associate in Project Management is PMI's starting credential for students, career changers and team members who want to show they understand project work. It needs no project experience — just a secondary diploma and 23 hours of project management education — and an active CAPM also covers the 35 training hours required for the PMP later on.
The current exam follows PMI's 2023 CAPM outline and covers four areas: project management fundamentals (life cycles, planning, roles, problem-solving tools), predictive plan-based methods, agile frameworks, and business analysis — requirements, stakeholders, product roadmaps and validating what gets delivered. Business analysis alone is over a quarter of the exam, so this isn't just a vocabulary test of the PMBOK Guide.
Our practice is written to the tasks in PMI's CAPM outline. Items are original scenarios and concept checks built on public, widely taught ideas — they're not recalled exam questions or text from PMI publications.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
CAPM Examination Content Outline – 2023 Exam Update (in force as of October 2026; no newer CAPM outline announced) — 150 items modeled on the CAPM exam across 4 domains — fundamentals 36%, predictive 17%, agile 20%, business analysis 27%. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts 36% of the exam
86 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies 17% of the exam
40 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Agile Frameworks/Methodologies 20% of the exam
48 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Business Analysis Frameworks 27% of the exam
66 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions aligned to PMI's CAPM outline
Every question is tagged to one of the 4 domains — fundamentals, predictive, agile and business analysis — and the task it tests.
Exam-critical hints
Reveal the idea that unlocks the question — the term, the formula, the role that owns the decision. Every answer comes with the full rationale.
Adaptive testing
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted by how much each domain counts on the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice exams
Full-length exams at the real pace — 150 questions in 3 hours — with a live pacing indicator and a full review.
Flashcards, case simulations and guides
100 flashcards for life cycles, scheduling, Scrum and business-analysis terms, 6 case simulations where a project moves from requirements through delivery decision by decision, and 4 interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress for every blueprint area
Each domain moves from Not started to Getting started, Developing, Proficient and Exam ready — so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
Apply online at pmi.org with proof of your 23 hours of project management education. Once approved, you have one year to pass and up to three attempts, booked through Pearson VUE.
At a Pearson VUE test center
- Computer-based exam at a Pearson VUE center.
- Bring government-issued photo ID that matches the name on your PMI application.
- Expect multiple choice plus interactive items such as matching, drag-and-drop and hotspot.
- You see pass/fail at the end, and a report with your rating in each domain follows.
Online proctored
- Same exam, taken at home or work with a remote proctor watching by webcam.
- You need a quiet, private room, a clear desk and a system that passes Pearson VUE's check.
- Run the system test well before exam day, on the same computer and network.
- Leaving the camera view outside a scheduled break can end your exam.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 150 questions in 3 hours.
Pacing checkpoints
Hit these and you finish with time to revisit your flagged questions. Our timed practice exams run at this same pace.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice exam 3–5 days out, then rest.
- Spend your last sessions on fundamentals and business analysis — together they're almost two-thirds of the exam — plus anything still below Proficient.
- Know the Scrum roles, events and artifacts cold, and who owns the backlog.
- Rework the basics from a blank page: critical path and float, CV/SV/CPI/SPI, and communication channels.
Exam morning
- Eat a real breakfast; seat time is a little over 3 hours.
- Test center: arrive 30 minutes early with matching ID. Online: clear the room and check in early.
- Use the restroom right before you start.
During the exam
- Decide first whether the scenario is predictive, agile or hybrid — the right answer often depends on it.
- Watch for the role in the stem: the product owner, the business analyst and the project manager own different decisions.
- Flag long items and come back; at 1.2 minutes a question there's little slack.
- Fifteen items are unscored and you can't tell which ones, so give every item your best.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the stem.
- You're measured against a fixed standard, not other test-takers.
- Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the stem.
Keeping your CAPM
- The CAPM runs on a 3-year cycle.
- Earn 15 professional development units (PDUs) in each cycle — through courses, teaching, presenting, reading, volunteering or creating content.
- Report PDUs and renew in PMI's online certification system before the cycle ends.
- An active CAPM also satisfies the 35-hour training requirement when you apply for the PMP.
Official sources and further reading
- CAPM Certification ↗Eligibility, exam format, domain weights and renewal.
- PMBOK® Guide – Eighth Edition ↗PMI's current standard (November 2025).
- PMP Certification ↗The next step once you have project experience.
Ready to start?
240 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
CAPM, PMP, PMBOK and PMI are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI or Pearson VUE. PMI's publications and Examination Content Outline are copyrighted. Our practice items are original, not recalled exam questions or PMI text. Exam details are summarized from PMI's published certification pages and the 2023 CAPM Examination Content Outline. Formats, fees and requirements change — always confirm at pmi.org before you apply. Item counts per domain are PMI's published percentages applied to 150 questions, rounded.