CAPM vs PMP. Similarities and Differences.

PMP stands for Project Management Professional and CAPM stands for Certified Associate in Project Management. Both of the programs are administrated by the PMI, Project Management Institute USA.

Since both the programs are popular in Qatar and there is a lot of confusion about the differences between the two, in this article I will sum up the major differences between PMP and CAPM.

Eligibility

For CAPM, the minimal entry requirements are “A high school diploma” and at least 1,500 hours of work experience or 23 hours of project management education. So basically, anyone who is a high school graduate and who takes our training program at Excellence Training Centre can go for CAPM.

The PMP eligibility requirement is as follows:

For high school graduates: Minimum 5 years(60 months) project management experience during which at least 7,500 hours should be spend leading and directing projects. You also need 35 contact hours of formal education.

For four years bachelors degree holders: Minimum of three years (36 months) project management experience during which at least 4,500 hours should be spent leading and directing projects.

Exam structure

For CAPM, the exam consist of 150 multiple choice question and students have 3 hours to answer them. The CAPM exam is generally much easier than the PMP exam.

Taking the CAPM exam can also help you pass the PMP exam since both are based on the PMBOK, Project Management Body of Knowledge and there are a lot of similarities between the two.

Exam time

CAPM is a 3 hours computer based exam whereas PMP is a 4 hours computer based exam.

Exam fee

CAPM exam costs US$225 for PMI members and US$300 for non-PMI members. PMP exam costs US$405 for PMI members and US$555 for non-PMI members.

Validity

CAPM is valid for a period of 5 years whereas PMP is valid for a period of 3 years.

Exam Centres

CAPM exam is conducted at Pearson VUE authorized Centres. Excellence Training Centre Qatar is licensed to conduct CAPM exams by Pearson. PMP exams are conducted at Prometric exam centers.

Basically, PMP is a designation designed for people with a lot of project management experience. CAPM is a designation which proves that you have good knowledge and skills about project management, but you are not necessarily a project manager.

Training

Most of the resources and training material for both the exams is similar. So you can take our 36 hours course at Excellence Training either to go for PMP exam or for CAPM.

For any queries about the PMP or CAPM programs, contact our expert counselors at Excellence Training Centre who will make things clear for you. Know more about our project management training programs by clicking here.

Article written by Hasham Abbasi for Excellence Training Centre.