CAPM vs PMP

Updated June 2, 2023

Difference Between CAPM vs PMP Certification Exams

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a world-renowned and recognized organization instituted for the promotion and induction of project management skills and professionals across the globe. This institute churns out high-profile project managers to empower projects and organizations with standard project management best practices. Founded in 1969, PMI got the world together to recognize industry best practices to be followed across businesses, with a world view of helping such organizations to bring out the best concerning their processes and functioning.

With PMI gaining accolades for its work and standardizations, it started offering certification courses such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) in 1984 and 2003, respectively. This CAPM vs PMP certification course gathered a huge chunk of manager aspirants to come together and be part of a unique learning experience. As these exams gained popularity, so did the wave of adoption of best practices and methodologies that swamped businesses and organizations. Individuals would study hard, gain much exposure to these courses, and greatly improve their business outputs.

These changes sparked a new era of competitiveness among organizations, and CAPM vs PMP certification was at the forefront. So, in this article, CAPM vs PMP, we will learn a little more about this two CAPM vs PMP competitive exams and help you find the best one!

This article on CAPM vs PMP is structured as below:-

• All About Project Management
• Why Do You Need a CAPM vs PMP Certification?
• CAPM vs PMP Certification Infographics
• What is CAPM?
• Advantages and Disadvantages of CAPM
• What is PMP?

All About Project Management

In this section, let’s brush on what project management is and what brings you closer to getting all your projects completed and executed in the most efficient and effective manner.

Managing a project is much an art as it is a science. There are 5 points that a project manager or a certification aspirant should look out for:

• In every project, a day’s delay always adds to a lot of costs
• Issues need resolution as early as possible; they can later turn out to be barriers to implementation
• Scope management is important at all times, and the delay caused by scope expansion can be detrimental to the project’s ROI
• Effective project management can help organizations to be able to conduct superb initiatives if triggered in a systematic and professional manner
• Progress is assured when project management is conducted efficiently

Project management is the application of the knowledge you garner, the skills you hone, and the techniques you master to effectively and efficiently implement projects under your forte. Along with PMI’s certification course, the Project Management Institute initiated “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBOK® Guide). This all-encompassing guide was all set to build up a project management paradigm with standards and best practices to be uniformly used throughout the global business.

Project management

Why Do You Need a CAPM vs PMP Certification?

While at the end of the day, it is the experience and caliber you possess that makes you worth an awesome project, nowadays, certification courses offered by PMI, such as CAPM vs PMP, are bringing in some stardust to sprinkle on your resume, and work experience that could benefit you immensely and welcome you into the fraternity of project managers, aiming to break the jinx of unsuccessful projects or unruly management across the different industries.

Certifications are a basic means of unifying the entire profession of project managers, intending to create a common language to look up to and to be able to help project managers resort to standard practices while executing different projects. This has been proven to improve a project’s performance tremendously.

While certification to your name doesn’t necessarily make you better than a non-certified project manager, it is based on your caliber to pull it off and help you benefit from it. All the training and hours spent concentrating on your profession will always give you an edge in this competitive world.

The training and study that a project manager is exposed to while pursuing either a CAPM or PMP certification are extremely beneficial to the project’s outcome. With in-depth knowledge of the different tools and techniques and the best ways to carry out those procedures, you can systematically put the project into high gear and get your wheels rolling toward success.

Head to Head comparisons CAPM vs PMP Certification (Infographics)

Below are the Top 8 Comparisons of CAPM vs PMP

What is CAPM?

Now we understand what we are headed toward, and you’ve decided to pursue a PMI certificate, I am sure you’re faced with the issue of which one you should go for. Each certificate aims to achieve a different set of functionalities, which depends on what you are looking for in your development areas. You should choose one of the two: CAPM vs PMP Certification. In this section, we will be answering your question about what exactly CAPM is. Let’s dive in.

This is an entry-level certification for project managers. An abbreviation for Certified Associate in Project Management, These certifications are for those interested in gaining a great entry into the world of project management. It captures the essence of the PMI’s project management framework mentioned in the PMBOK® Guide. Compared to PMP, CAPM was introduced in 2003 and is a relatively new certification offered for project manager aspirants and those who want to cover the basics of the gigantic framework.

The eligibility criteria require you to have some kind of experience in any project, basic knowledge and know-how of project management, and a secondary degree or equivalent diploma. This certification also requires that the project team member can document their work experience and pass an online examination based on the PMBOK® Guide.

I’ve enlisted the complete requirement needed to get closer to achieving a CAPM certificate:

• Project management education is not needed
• A secondary diploma or global equivalent degree is mandatory
• 1500 hours of work performed with a project team (roughly 3 years experience on a project), or 23 hours of project management education from a PMI REP (Registered Education Provider)
• Re-examination is required every 5 years to be constantly updated on the changes in the project management world
• Members of the PMI will pay $225 for the test, while non-members will have to pay $300
• PMI memberships cost $32 for students, but as an individual, you pay $139

The online examinations look something like this:

• 135 scored multiple-choice questions
• 15 pretest multiple-choice questions
• 3 hours for the completion of the examination

Advantages and Disadvantages of CAPM

This can be a great effort, to begin with, project management and can give you that undue advantage over your peers and colleagues. Listed here are a few pros and cons of CAPM.

Advantages of the CAPM certification:

• No prior project management work experience is needed to take on CAPM
• This certificate doesn’t require post-graduate or post-secondary education taken
• A CAPM certificate can indicate to recruiters and your employers that you’re a dedicated individual towards pursuing a career in project management
• CAPM also indicates your behavioral aspect and your willingness to learn and grow
• This will give you a whole-rounded experience in every aspect of basic project management
• The CAPM exam isn’t difficult as it is believed to be
• Studying for CAPM is the predecessor to the studies involved in PMP

Disadvantages of the CAPM certification:

• CAPM doesn’t hold equal weightage in the industry as does PMP
• This is a buddying certification and isn’t well-respected in the field currently
• This involves a lot of studying
• When weighed against its benefits, This course stands out as expensive.

What is PMP?

An abbreviation for Project Management Professional, PMP is the much sought-after project management certification course. This is a popular credential for most project managers in the US and the Asian continent. This certification course is built on the assumption that the candidates pursuing it have already worked as project managers. These professionals seek a higher level of understanding of what makes projects click. Unlike CAPM, This is an advanced certification for those professionals who have completed their Bachelor’s degree and have already completed 3 years of extensive project management work.

This industry-recognized certification offers a highly competitive edge to the recipients on the global business stage. With PMP, you are instantly accredited as a professional project manager as you go through rigorous tests and training for your role in the project. A PMP certification demonstrates a great deal of experience and knowledge in project management and demonstrates a high level of competency for the candidate.

PMP-certified project managers are expected to undertake heavy-duty endeavors such as turning strategic plans and goals into tangible and realistic objectives and actions, reorganizing systems, introducing systemic revolutions within the organization, and perfectly balancing the triple constraints clause within projects of different shapes and sizes.

Like CAPM, PMP urges candidates and hopefuls to document their work experience and take online tests as needed. I’ve enlisted the requirement in totality for the PMP experience:

• 35 hours of registered project management education is needed
• A secondary diploma or global equivalent degree is needed, or Bachelor’s degree or global equivalent is needed
• Category 1 includes 60 months of unique and distinctive, non-overlapping professional management experience, during which at least 7500 hours of directing and leading the project have taken place, OR Category 2 includes 36 months of unique and distinctive, non-overlapping professional management experience, during which at least 4500 hours of leading and directing of the project has taken place.
• You will need to collect 60 PDUs (professional development units) within 3 years to apply for re-certification
• Members of the PMI will pay $405 for the test, while non-members will have to pay $555
• PMI memberships cost $32 for students, but as an individual, you pay $139

The online examinations look something like this:

• 175 scored multiple-choice questions
• 25 pretest multiple-choice questions
• 4 hours for the completion of the examination

Advantages and Disadvantages of PMP Certification

To everything, there are pros and cons, and we can’t leave PMP far behind. In this section, we’ll go through a small listing of PMP’s pros and cons. Here we go:

Advantages of the PMP certification

• A PMP certification looks good on your resume, giving you that added benefit.
• It’s a certificate to give validity to your project management experience
• This certification can give you an improved pay scale to work with
• This certification can give you vast networking opportunities and mega job openings
• Certifies your commitment toward project management
• This certification is globally renowned
• The vast and rigorous training ensures that you fill gaps between your knowledge base and the collection of tools and techniques in project management.
• The knowledge gained is expandable and spans a wide range of industries

Disadvantages of the PMP certification

• There’s a lot of studying required as it is a closed-book exam
• This training doesn’t provide the common sense needed to adapt to different situations
• The PMP certification is quite expensive and requires a lot of time and effort
• The framework offered by PMI is just one framework among the many that exist on the earth

CAPM vs PMP Certification Comparison Table

The table listed below will give you a sharp comparison between the CAPM vs PMP certification:

Basis of Comparison	CAPM	PMP
Started in	2003	1984
The official book of reference	PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) 5th Edition
Examination time	3 hours	4 hours
The validity period of the credential	5 years	3 years
Re-certification after validity	A re-exam needs to be undertaken	Collection of 60 PDUs to apply
Eligibility criteria	Secondary diploma 1500 hours of project management experience OR 23 hours of project management education from PMI REP	Category 1: Secondary degree 60 months of unique project management experience with 7500 hours of leading and directing project 35 hours of formal education   Category 2:   Bachelor degree 36 months of unique project management experience with 4500 hours of leading and directing of project 35 hours of formal education
Cost	PMI members: $225Non-PMI members: $300	PMI members: $405Non-PMI members: $555

Conclusion

Between the 2 certification courses mentioned, CAPM vs PMP, employers normally give more emphasis on PMP than CAPM as they require a project manager with advanced experience to pull off the different types of a project for different industries. It’s up to you to decide where you see your career heading. That way, you can weigh the pros and cons of CAPM vs PMP certification and, according to your caliber, head out towards obtaining CAPM vs PMP certification courses to enrich your project management career. All the very best!