Mallory DashProject Manager| ConverseonBayonne, Nj, United States
I have started out on my PM career fairly recently and while I have a lot of PDUs under my belt, I am still behind in my overall project-based work hours.
Is there a benefit to getting your CAPM as a "filler" before you're eligible for the PMP? I've heard mixed things- including that its basically something the PMI made up to get more money.
I already have a PM job, but I'm wondering if it makes sense to get that added boost from the CAPM before I'm ready to write the PMP exam.
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Anonymous
Hi Mallory, I would recommend waiting until you have enough work hours to take the PMP exam. I am not sure that the cost and effort to take the CAPM exam is worth it if within 2 years you will also take the PMP exam. Even if you are job hunting in that 2 year period, I am not sure that the CAPM carries enough name recognition to be of benefit.
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Andy HesseyDirector| AHmedia (Project Management) LtdCrawley, United Kingdom
I was weighing it up, but the amount of hours I was short would have been covered by the time I had achieved my CAPM.
Personally, I don't think that the CAPM carries any weight at all with organisations unlike the PMP - especially in the UK
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Taralyn Frasqueri-MolinaSenior Project Manager| Independent ContractorPasadena, Ca, United States
Your PDUs don't count with PMI unless you have a PMP, PgMP, RMP or SP credential already. You can't store them up and bust them out after you achieve the credential :)
One question I have for you is, do you know "how far" behind you are in your project-based hours? If you think you'll accumulate the missing hours within the next few months, then skip the CAPM. But if you're looking at 8 months, a year, or more, I think you should give the CAPM a serious look.
I have both my CAPM and my PMP, and I have no regrets with getting my CAPM first. It was 1 year before I could qualify for my PMP. To disclose, my exam fees (but not my study materials) were paid for by my employer, so I did not have as much of a financial burden. Also I write for PMI (however I didn't start this until after I achieved my PMP).
Going for the CAPM first seriously prepared me for going for the PMP. First the pressure was off. The CAPM is a junior level certification and isn't as difficult as the PMP. There's a lot more riding on the PMP, so taking an official credential exam without all the stress was great.
By going through the CAPM process like it was a dress rehearsal for the PMP, I learned first hand about things such as:
- How the application worked
- Credential requirements and how to report them
- How PMI's online system worked
- How to schedule and pay for exams
- Studying and where to find the right materials (I didn't take any bootcamps or classes for either the CAPM or PMP)
- How to maximize on my study habits
- The testing site's physical environment
- What the actual test looked like on the computer
- How to take the test
- How and when to take breaks (these exams are long and taxing!)
- The kinds of questions I could be asked on the PMP
- The areas I would need to work on
By the time I could take my PMP exam, I was cool as a cucumber and passed without trouble.
Additionally, going for and earning the CAPM showed my manager that I was serious about improving myself as a project manager, and was committed making the best out of our projects.
It's true that the CAPM doesn't have the same popularity as the PMP (neither does the PgMP for that matter). I think it's still a boon. Like an AA in junior college for a BA, it's a stepping stone to something larger, and shows you're on your way to bigger things.
