What is the CAPM certification and how does it work?
It’s likely that if you’re a project manager, or if you’ve ever considered becoming one, you’ve looked into the most widely recognised certifications. The Project Management Institute, for example, is best known for its Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which is the most widely recognised. As the most well-known, it’s also the one that most project managers would want to get as a standard certification. Some of their other certificates, such as “PMI Scheduling Professional” and “PMI Risk Management Professional,” are primarily focused on particular topics such as scheduling or risk management.
What should you do to prepare for the CAPM exam?
The best option to choose if you aren’t sure of the answer to a question is B, since it has the greatest likelihood of being accurate based on the statistics of the exam questions. Do not do that, I repeat, DO NOT DO THAT! There are no quick shortcuts to passing the test. There is no solution that is chosen more often than others. It is not always the case that the “longer response” is the right one. However, there are a few things that will assist you in better preparing for the test.
Get your hands on the books.
Consider if it is preferable to purchase “Rita’s book” or the “PMBOK Guide.” The answer is “it depends.” Both of these were provided to me as part of my training. Because I attended the PMP preparation workshop, I was assigned the “PMP Exam Prep” rather of the “CAPM Exam Prep,” but I elected to remain with it because I anticipated that “PMP Prep” would be an expanded version of “CAPM Certification Prep.” In terms of preparing, you for the test, Rita’s book is quite beneficial. Because it is created for those who are preparing to take the test, there are several tips and observations about what is particularly essential to know. It is an excellent companion to the handbook and fills in many of the holes.
For example, I read in the PMBOK that there are PMOs – Project Management Offices – that assist project managers in the performance of their duties. However, it was only via Rita’s book that I discovered that there are three distinct ways to how they function. And each of them is known by a distinct moniker. Something that I believe is important to know before taking the test. Rita’s book was particularly useful for the sections “around” project management, that is, not the procedures themselves, but everything else that went along with them.
Take a course to learn more.
The PMBOK manual is quite dry. Many subjects are covered, but many tiny nuances that you will need to know about will be left out, making the book a poor choice for the test. It also doesn’t go into much detail regarding how to act in real-world situations. This is when taking a course may be quite beneficial. It is much simpler to comprehend and remember when you have someone who explains each step and Sprintzeal provides you with concrete examples.
The cost of attending a live workshop might be too high. If I had to pay for it myself, I probably wouldn’t do it until I was certain that I would need this certificate. However, there are video courses available, such as those offered by Udemy, that are available for purchase most of the time. Investing in one of them is a smart move, particularly since some of them will count toward the minimum 25 hours of formal certification training. Udemy does not provide any Project Management courses, however I have taken various other courses (such as “AWS Solution Architect”), and they provide excellent value for money during the course’s sales period. A reasonable price for a 20-hour course that someone maintains on a regular basis (in order to maintain positive ratings) is a good value.
Put yourself in the shoes of a project manager.
When taking the test, the most essential thing to remember is to approach the questions as if they were questions regarding a “project that is controlled by the book.” It makes no difference how you manage projects inside your organisation. It doesn’t matter if you do certain things a little differently than everyone else as long as it works. You must ask yourself, for each question, “What would a wonderful project manager do?” before answering. Frequently, there will be more than one response that seems to be accurate. And it’s possible that all four answers will be accurate at the same moment. It is your responsibility to choose the most appropriate one. Occasionally, you will notice that one answer encompasses many other answers. There will be instances when you will be asked “this and this has been completed, what should you do next?” and you should select a procedure that will be completed quickly after the previous process.
Learn about the many inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
In each step, you’ll learn about the Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs. Make a mental note of them. With a thorough grasp of each step, you can go a long way. Although Rita’s book states that you should comprehend procedures rather than remember them, there are several minute variations that you must know in order to function properly. It’s puzzling, for example, that the process “Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis” includes meetings as one of its Tools & Techniques, yet the process “Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis” does not. You are not permitted to meet with anybody, are you? If you are undertaking “Data Analysis” and “Interviews” as part of the data gathering process, you are not permitted to have a meeting. Why is this the case?
Although memorising the ITTO will allow you to answer a large number of questions correctly, it is truly “Updates” or “Project Management Plan Updates” that is an outcome of a process.
