CAPM: eligibility and professional experience

First and foremost it's important to understand the basics of CAPM. CAPM is an abbreviation for certified associate in project management. CAPM certification is issued by the PMI that is the project management institute, a world leader in portfolio, program and project management. CAPM major goal is to ensure that at the end of the day a certified individual has the fundamental understanding of projects management processes and terminologies. CAPM certification being an internationally recognized program commands great respect in the field of project management as it exemplifies and demonstrates experience, education and knowledge. Project management institute offers other credentials apart from CAPM certification such as project management profession (PMP) , PMI-scheduling profession, PMI- risk management profession just to name a few.

Getting started in CAPM certification

For one to enroll for CAPM certification there certain professional and education requirement one should meet. If already you have the requirements which I will name later you can go ahead and file your application through PMI website. It's important to note that once you start an online application it impossible to revoke or cancel it. You can just save it while still unfinished and later edit any information you had already entered. The application remains open for a time of 90 days within which a reminder email will be sent for completion of the application. Ensure that before submission the right information is provided especially a valid email address which will be the primary mode of communication throughout the process. During and after the application process you will have the responsibility to schedule and sit for you examinations. Ensure you re read your application before submitting to avoid providing wrong information, also you should understand and agree to PMI code of ethics.

Requirement for CAPM eligibility

As previously stated there various requirement you should meet in order to pursue a CAPM certification. CAPM certification is an entry level of PMP, this means less tough eligibility requirement for CAPM certification exam compared to other PMP certification exam, basically its a level for the less experienced project management professionals. They are into two categories i.e. education background and professional experience/professional management education.

Education background

For one to pursue CAPM certification he/she first must have gone through secondary education and attained a high school certification. Some countries refer to it as secondary diploma while in other it refered to as a secondary education certificate.

Project experience or project management education

On the part of professional experience one is required to have worked for at least 1500 hours on a project management team. Ensure you provide a detailed documentation of your work on the application for this option.

For the case of the project management education option ensures you have at least 23 contact hours of formal education. For this option one should have attended one of the education providers stated below:

  • University or college academic and continuing education programs

  • Distant learning

  • Training or consultant companies

  • Project management institute education providers. First check from their website the availability PMI education providers within your locality

Having met the above requirement you can go ahead and enroll for CAPM certification. It's advisable to subscribe for membership in the PMI to enjoy cheaper rates that is cheaper test fee by about $75 and cheaper text books.

Recording of experience or education on the application

For the part of professional experience there are two sections provided in the application form to record either of the options that is professional project experience and project management education section. For the first options incase you want to report 1500 hours of professional project experience ensure you record your work on projects individually regardless of the number of projects. Ensure not to group project experience.

For the second option that is project management education incase you choose to report 23 contact hours of learning program that entailed project management. Report all the 23 of them or more regardless of when they occurred. One contact hour means one hour classroom work this means that only the hours spent on project management are applied in coming up with the total contact hours.

It's important to ensure that all the course work is fully complete. The coursework may include project quality, project scope, project cost, project appraisal techniques, human resource just to name a few.

In a nutshell it's important to state that enrolling and successfully acquiring CAPM certification improves ones ability to manage larger projects and obtain additional responsibility.

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