What is CAPM Certification?

The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification is the top professional certification for new and aspiring Project Managers. Taking the exam and earning CAPM certification will lead to more job opportunities, increased chances of getting hired, and a higher salary. In this overview, you’ll learn more about CAPM certification, what it can do, who uses it, and how to learn it to determine how to add this skill to your professional toolbox.

What Can You Do with CAPM Certification?

CNBC calls project management “a great way for people with non-tech backgrounds to earn lucrative tech salaries.” The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is the world's leading entry-level project management certification. Earning a CAPM certification will make you stand out on the job market, open the door to more opportunities, and increase your salary. 

We are in the golden age of project management: some of the industries with the largest growth in project management jobs include construction and manufacturing, information services, management and professional services, utilities, and oil and gas. Across industries, Project Managers make above-average salaries. According to PMI, the median annual salary for a Project Manager is around $116,000. The average U.S. salary for all occupations is around $50,000, which means that becoming a Project Manager would most likely nearly double your salary. For example, in an interview with CNBC, a Project Manager reports that switching from higher education to project management more than tripled her salary. 

CAPM-certified Project Managers earn even more than their non-certified colleagues: PMI reports that CAPM certification results in around a 25% salary increase.

How Do You Get a CAPM Certification? How Much Does it Cost?

To become CAPM-certified, you must pass the CAPM certification exam administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI is the leading project management professional organization responsible for creating the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) which defines the processes, practices, and terminology that make up the field of project management. 

PMBOK is the foundation for PMI’s professional certifications, including the more junior Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and the more senior Project Management Professional (PMP). CAPM certification has significantly fewer prerequisites than PMP certification: the CAPM is intended for entry-level and newer Project Managers, and PMP certification is for more advanced Project Managers who have several years of professional experience managing projects. 

Because PMI has had so much influence in defining the field of project management, its certifications are the most highly regarded in the industry. PMP-certified and CAPM-certified Project Managers earn around 25% more than non-certified Project Managers. 

You must meet a few prerequisites to qualify for the CAPM certification exam. First, you’ll need to have a high school diploma, an associate’s degree, or the global equivalent of either. Then, you’ll need to acquire 23 hours of project management education, such as the Project Management Bootcamp offered by Noble Desktop. 

Once you’ve met all of the prerequisites, you can apply to take the CAPM-certification exam. The price to take the exam is $225 for PMI members and $300 for test-takers who aren’t PMI members. It is recommended that new and aspiring Project Managers join PMI for networking, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. You will also be eligible for the discounted CAPM certification exam price.

The CAPM certification exam has 150 questions, mostly based on PMBOK. Test-takers have 3 hours to complete the exam. The material is regularly updated, so you’ll want to ensure your project management education hours come from a trusted source. As of 2024, the four primary areas of focus on the exam are agile frameworks and methodologies, business analysis frameworks, predictive plan-based methodologies, and project management core concepts and fundamentals. 

CAPM-certified Project Managers must maintain their CAPM-certification status by earning 15 professional development units (PDUs) each year. PMI and other project management professional organizations can be a great source for ongoing networking and professional development opportunities. Annual membership in PMI is around $130 per year and will provide you with many opportunities to maintain your CAPM certification status.

What Are the Benefits of Learning CAPM Certification Skills?

Project management is a very hot career path. The Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates that project management jobs will increase by 33% over the next five years, with 22 million new project management jobs created by 2027. 

Project management is a skill-based field, meaning your skills are more important than formal education. It is also a relatively new field that is still establishing its career paths and expectations. PMI’s CAPM certification is the top professional certification for aspiring and entry-level Project Managers. Project Managers who are CAPM certified have more job opportunities, are more likely to get hired, and earn higher salaries. PMI estimates that CAPM-certified Project Managers earn 25% more than non-certified Project Managers. 

If you’re serious about becoming a Project Manager, then it is recommended that you seek Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification. CAPM certification benefits include a higher salary, demonstrating your capabilities, more job opportunities, better understanding of project management practices, and industry-recognized credentials. 

CAPM-certified Project Managers earn around 25% more than non-certified professionals. The average annual salary for a CAPM-certified Project Manager is around $101,000. More senior Project Managers earn a lot more, with a median annual salary of around $125,000. Earning a CAPM certification can help you get hired: it allows you to demonstrate that you have training in project management practices, theories, and methodologies. 

Read more about CAPM Certification.

CAPM Certification Careers

CAPM certification is used for aspiring and entry-level Project Managers in every industry. Traditionally, project management jobs have been clustered in construction and engineering. However, every industry now recognizes the need for Project Managers. 

Some industries hiring the most Project Managers include manufacturing and construction, information services, finance, management and professional services, utilities, and oil and gas. The healthcare industry, which is experiencing less growth in project management jobs than other industries, is still seeing a 6% increase in hiring Project Managers. That’s around the same rate for all occupations in the United States. 

How to Learn CAPM Certification Skills

If you’re interested in pursuing a new project manager career, you’ll want to consider earning the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification. Offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), CAPM is the top entry-level professional certification. 

Earning a CAPM certification will lead to more project management job opportunities, a higher chance of getting hired, and an increased salary: CAPM-certified Project Managers earn around 25% more than non-certified, entry-level Project Managers. 

Live classes, either in-person or online, are the most recommended way to train to pass the CAPM-certification exam. One huge advantage of live classes includes real-time interaction with an expert instructor, leading to greater networking and mentorship opportunities. Some schools, such as Noble Desktop, ensure that all of the instructors in their project management courses are PMP-certified Project Managers. 

If your CAPM certification class is happening live, you’ll be able to ask questions and collaborate with your classmates and instructor in real time. You may think of live classes as only happening in person, but live online classes work exactly like in-person classes. CAPM certification courses can be difficult to find if you don’t live in a major city or tech hub. You can gain access to an expert instructor and world-class instruction methods no matter where you live. You can use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me Tool to find live online CAPM certification courses. 

On-demand courses are a popular online training option. Typically, these courses are delivered through a series of pre-recorded video lectures. Some on-demand courses may be delivered through email lessons directly into your inbox if you’re using on-demand courses to study for the CAPM certification exam. On-demand courses are easy to access and usually affordable. They can also be great for people with very little free time since on-demand courses can be accessed anytime from anywhere. They’re also great for those who might be interrupted since they can be paused and restarted anytime. Some potential drawbacks of on-demand CAPM certification classes include the need for more expert instruction, mentorship, and networking opportunities. On-demand courses may also be out-of-date, which can be especially negative if you’re using it to pass the CAPM certification exam, which is updated often, most recently in 2024.

You can find free introductory CAPM certification courses online. YouTube can be a great resource for free introductory CAPM certification and other project management resources. For example, Noble Desktop offers free online videos for several topics relevant to project management, including Microsoft Excel and using Python for Data. 

Read more about how to learn skills required to pass the CAPM Certification exam.

A Brief History of CAPM Certification

The need for project management skills began as large-scale projects, called mega-projects, became more common in the post-war United States. Several iconic mega projects responsible for developing Project Managers and project management skills include NASA and the Apollo Space Program, the development of nuclear weapons in the Manhattan project, and the construction of the U.S. interstate highway system. 

The industries of these early megaprojects continued to be the primary industries using project management skills for decades: construction, aerospace and defense, and engineering. In the 1990s, software companies began recognizing the need for employees with project management skills to assist in software development. It became clear that those with technical skills don’t always excel at project management skills, especially soft skills like communication, conflict resolution, time management, and leadership. 

In the late 1960s, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was founded to provide a professional network for project management professionals. Today, PMI has nearly 3 million members and hosts more than 300 local chapters worldwide. PMI’s largest chapter, Washington DC, has more than 10,000 project management professionals as members. 

PMI has been the primary force behind defining and refining standards in project management. In 1983, nearly 90% of PMI members voted for establishing a certification program. In 1984, 56 people took the very first certification exam, and 43 of those test-takers became the first Project Management Professional (PMP) certified Project Managers. 

 In 1996, PMI released the first version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). PMBOK defines the field of project management by establishing standard practices, concepts, and terminology. PMI’s professional certifications are based on an individual's ability to demonstrate knowledge of PMBOK. 

PMI’s membership body began lobbying for a certification process, which led to the creation of the Project Management Professional PMP certification. PMP certification is considered the gold standard for Project Managers and other project-management professionals. 

Comparable Applications/Programming Languages/Fields

PMI now offers several professional certifications in project management, including Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and several certifications for the Agile framework. 

The Project Management Professional (PMP) is the most prestigious professional certification in project management. PMP-certified Project Managers are in high demand and command lucrative annual salaries of around $125,000. PMP certification is an advanced certification with significantly higher education and experience requirements than CAPM certification. For example, you must be able to demonstrate 36-60 months of professional experience leading projects to apply for PMP certification. 

New and aspiring Project Managers will want to begin by pursuing CAPM certification, which is PMI’s professional certification for entry-level project management professionals. CAPM certification has project management education prerequisites but does not require prior working experience as a Project Manager. CAPM-certified Project Managers have lesser requirements when attempting PMP certification. 

The International Project Management Association (IPMA) offers four levels of project management professional certification. IPMA’s entry-level Certified Project Management Associate (CPMA) is the most comparable to PMI’s CAPM certification. There are no prerequisites for IPMA’s certification. However, it is not as recognized in the project management industry as PMI’s CAPM certification. 

Learn CAPM Certification Skills with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is the top professional certification for new and aspiring Project Managers. Earning a CAPM certification is highly recommended for anyone serious about pursuing a new career in project management. Being CAPM-certified will create more job opportunities and lead to a higher salary: reports show that CAPM-certified Project Managers earn around $101,000, 25% more than non-certified entry-level Project Managers. 

There are prerequisites to taking the CAPM exam. Before you can apply to take the CAPM-certification exam, you will need to have 0 to 3 years of project management job experience, a high school diploma, and 23 hours of project management education. Enrolling in a bootcamp like Noble Desktop’s Project Management Bootcamp is a great way to accrue the required education hours to take the exam.

Noble Desktop is a coding, business, and design school that offers project management courses live online and at its state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan. All of Noble Desktop’s project management courses are taught by PMP-certified Project Managers using Noble Desktop’s highly-rated, unique approach to learning: expert instructors teach a “micro-lecture” and then immediately guide students through applying what they just learned. This unique approach to training ensures that students learn the skills they need to get hired.

Noble Desktop’s Project Management Bootcamp is highly recommended for aspiring Project Managers and those seeking CAPM certification. Students are guided hands-on through managing real-world projects to develop skills in the five phases of project management, foundational project management concepts and terminology, project scope, resource management, project costs and budgeting, and risk management. Students also get an overview of several Agile Project Management Frameworks: Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), and Kansan. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion to demonstrate their credentials.

Key Insights

• The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is an entry-level professional certification for new and aspiring Project Managers. 
• Project management is a very hot career path, with 22 million new jobs expected to be created by 2027.
• You can receive comprehensive CAPM certification training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.