Pass PMI CAPM Exam in First Attempt Easily

Earn Your CAPM Certification

1. Explore the Entire Course

Hi, and welcome to our CAPM exam prep seminar. I'm so glad you've decided to start this course and work towards earning your CAPM certification. Let's talk a little bit about what you're going to experience in this course. In this first section, we're going to look at what it takes to earn the C APM certification and make sure that we're all on the same page with what it takes to get the C APM certification. So we'll talk about the CAPM exam, the certification process, the possibility of an audit, and we're also going to look at PDUs versus contact hours. So that's what we'll start off with. Then we're going to get very specific with the CAPM. We're going to look at the CAPM exam domains so you know exactly what to study for as you prepare to pass, not take, but pass the CAPM. So we're going to spend a lot of time on the CAPM exam objectives. A lot of people study things that are not needed in order to pass the CAPM. That's not what we're doing. We're going to focus on exactly what you need to pass. And that's really our goal and our mindset that we'll have throughout this course, that we're focusing on passing the CA PM, not taking it. So in order to do that, we're going to focus on the specific exam objectives. We're going to do that by creating a good foundation for what is a project and what is project management from the Pinbock point of view. So it may be a little different than what you're experiencing in your role as a project manager, but I'm sure that most of it will align with the CAPM Exam objective. So what is a project manager, and what is a good foundation in project management? Then we'll move into the knowledge areas, and this is really what the CAPM Exam focuses on. So in these knowledge areas, we're going to talk about project integration management. This is the fourth chapter of the Pinbock. This is all about the gears of project management—that what I do in one area affects other areas of my project. So for example, if I do a poor job of planning my schedule, that will definitely affect cost, communication risk, and so on. That's project integration management; the project is integrated. and so we'll spend some time there. Then we'll get into Chapter Five in a Pinbockon on Scope Management, about creating the scope and controlling the scope, the work breakdown structure, how we control changes to the scope, and things of that nature. That concludes Chapter Five of Pinbaugh's book on scope management. We'll have time to move on to Chapter Six of The Pinball we'll have time. So it's all about project time management, about creating time estimates, creating our schedule, and controlling our schedule. and this is where we'll spend some time calculating flow. So in Chapter Six of the Pinball on Time Management, we move into Chapter Seven on Cost Management, creating cost estimates, creating and controlling our budget, and controlling changes to cost. So it's all about cost management. Chapter nine in the PIN box comes after chapter eight. Chapter eight is on quality. So we need quality management. Chapter Eight is on quality. So we'll do quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control. Then we go into Chapter Nine on Project Human Resources Management. So we'll talk about the HR plan, the staffing management plan, the different structures that you may operate in, and how that affects your authority as a project manager. And we'll look at some HR theories—some things you need to know for your exam that you won't necessarily find in the PIN box. So pay attention to that. When we get into HR management, we go into communications on Chapter 10. So communications management planning involves talking about who needs what information, when they need it, the modality that's needed, sensitive information, and dealing with the public. So, chapter ten is a lot of planning and abiding by your enterprise's environmental factors, the governance, and the rules that you have to follow in your organization. Then we'll get into a very important topic in Chapter 11 of the Pinball, and that's risk management. So risk management all about identifying risk, doing risk analysis, qualitative and quantitative, creating some risk responses, and then controlling risk throughout our project. Really important chapter, then chapter twelve is on procurement. If you deal with vendors, or sometimes you are the vendor, how do you manage a project with vendors or as a vendor in an organization? So, chapter twelve on procurement is all about the procurement process, purchasing, and contracts. A lot of information there in chapter twelve in the Pinbach about procurement management. Finally, we'll go into Chapter 13, the new chapter in the Pinball Guide, Fifth Edition, the new knowledge area. And this is stakeholder management. So identifying stakeholders, engaging stakeholders, and managing that engagement So we'll talk all about stakeholder management. This is a new knowledge area, so you can look forward to seeing a lot of questions on stakeholder management on your CAPM exam. We will wrap up the course with a few odds and ends, talk about the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional conduct, and then we'll be looking at a few other items that will help you pass the CAPM exam. So, there are a lot of things to talk about in this course, and I know you're eager to go, and I'm eager to go as well. So let's go ahead and keep moving forward. Welcome to the CAPM exam preparation site. Keep moving forward. You can do this. Be confident. Be smart. Be excited about what you're about to do. So I look forward to chatting with you throughout the course, and I want you to keep moving forward, so let's knock this thing out. So I'll see you in the following lecture.

2. Earn the CAPM Certification

Do you know what it takes to earn your CAPM certification? Let's talk about that. Let's talk about the pinball machine and projects, and how they relate to the CAPM executive, A. M. With the CAPM exam, there are some requirements. Not everyone can take this. It's a pretty generous set of requirements, but you do have to qualify. You'll complete your application [email protected]. Once PMI reviews and accepts your application, you'll receive an eligibility letter from PMI. You'll have one year from the date of that eligibility letter to actually sit for and pass the exam. Now, you can take the exam up to three times within one year. Should you fail all three times, then you'll have to wait one year to reapply. Now, I'm only sharing that with you for information purposes. You will not fail it three times. You're going to focus, you're going to work hard, and you're going to pass the CAPM exam. But those are the PMI rules. As I mentioned, there are some prerequisites for the CAPM exam. You have to have a secondary degree, which is a high school diploma, an associate's degree or better, and 1500 hours of just working on any project. You don't have to be the project manager to be working on a project. So 1500 hours of project experience or a secondary degree, again, a high school diploma or better, and 23 hours of project management education. Yes. This course, which you're viewing right now, if you complete it, will constitute 25 hours of project management education. So all of the videos, all of the activities, all of the games and exercises, the sum of that is 25 hours. So this does qualify for your CAPM exam. So, yes, there's no need to email me with that question. You're good here. You can qualify for the CAPM exam if you have a secondary degree or better and 23 hours of project management education. For this course, how much does it cost to take the CAPM exam? It's $225 if you are a PMI member. If you're not a PMI member, it's $300. Well, how much is it to join PMI? It's $129 to join PMI. I'm a big proponent of people joining PMI. There are a lot of reasons why. But did you know that there are a lot of resources that you can download as part of your PMI membership, including the Pinbock Guide, fifth edition, that's in PDF format and you can download it? The reason why I like the electronic version is that I can put it on my iPad and my phone. I can put it anywhere I want, in the cloud or not. I can access it wherever I go because it's just for me. It'll be a password just for me to open this PDF document, and then I can search for particular words. So if a person in one of my classes or a customer asks a question about why I thought we did so and so, or what's this process, or what's an output of this process, I can very quickly just open it up in my PDF reader and search it and find the answer. So I like people to join PMI because I think that is a tremendous benefit. In addition to the PIN box, there are a lot of other resources that you can access online. They have a newsletter and a magazine, and you'll be up to date on what's going on in the project management community. In addition to these fees, I think you ought to consider joining your local PMI chapter. It's a great place to network, to meet your colleagues, and to hear some good speakers that come in. I will occasionally speak at PMI chapters, and so maybe we'll meet there. But I think it's a good opportunity to join PMI and to join your local chapter to be involved in the project management community. So look at that. When you go to register and join PMI, you can see you saved $75. So there are a few nice little savings there. By joining PMI, you're only paying a little bit more. Local chapters are typically like twenty five dollars to forty dollars a year to join. So just plan accordingly. If that's for you, which I think it is, I think you'll get a lot out of it. Let's talk more about the exam. All right. The CAPM exam has 135 scored questions. There are 15 pretest questions. These are test questions, and you don't know if they are pretests or scored questions. So what's a pretest question? It's a seated question. They're sprinkled into your exam, and based on how the pool of CAPM candidates answers these questions, it will prove the validity of the question and should become part of future exams for future CAPM candidates. So you don't know if you're answering an actual question or one of these pretest questions, so just be aware of that. You have to answer all 150 questions as if they all counted towards your passing score. But really, there are only 135; you just don't know which one. You have 3 hours to complete the exam, and you'll do this at a Prometric testing center. We'll talk about that coming up. The exam is based on the Pinbock Guide, Fifth Edition. This course is based on The Pinball Guide, Fifth Edition. So I'm keeping track of what you'll see on the exam and what is consistent with all of PMI's exams at this point. As I mentioned, you'll submit the application [email protected]. Once you start your application, you can stop it and save it. You don't have to do it all at once. It really doesn't take that long to do, though. So I encourage you to get online and get that application done as soon as possible. Don't wait until you finish this course, unless you need the hours, of course, to qualify for the CAPM, but don't put it off. Don't wait. The longer you wait, like anything in life, the worse it's probably going to be. There are only a few things that you have to wait on. wine and pies to cool. All right, let's move on. At the end of this course, you will receive a Certificate of Course Completion. The Certificate of Course Completion is given at the end of the seminar. But you'll only need this if you're audited by PMI. Not everyone is audited. You do have to complete the entire course to claim the certificate. I get emails from time to time. Can I just watch the parts? I don't know. No, you can't. You have to watch the whole course. That's why it's called the certificate. Of course, completion It means you completed the course. So if you need this for your CAPM exam hours, you have to watch the whole thing. So be aware of that. When you receive the course completion certificate, at the very end, you'll get one that has some fields in it, and that's where you will type in your name and your date of completion. So, that is how this works in this relationship. You enter the name. I'm not typing in thousands of names and certificates. However, you only qualify for that when you get to the end. So you have to get to the end to get the certificate. All right? The name that you type in on that certificate should be exactly the same as the name that you put on your PMI application. So if on your application you put in Bob, but on your certificate you put in Robert, it's kind of a mismatch. You want them to match everywhere, in fact. On your application, whatever's on your ID that you're going to present at the testing center, that's what you should put on your application or on the certificate so everything matches. So don't put Bob and Jim, but Bob and Robert. Make it all under your real name. The information to provide on your CAPM Exam application is the name of the company you received your training from, Instructing.com LLC. We are a PMI-registered education provider. Number 40,82 This course is worth 25 contact hours of project management education. and the instructor. That's me. Joseph Phillips. And I am a PMP. A certified technical trainer and a PMI ACP CompTIA Project Plus. Or you can just put my name in and it'll be fine. Are you ready to get to work? Are you ready for a quick activity? It shouldn't take you very long to do this at all, and it does. I want you to go out to PMI.org. You're going to click on certifications. You'll choose the Cam certification, and so you will then apply for the CPM. You're just going to start it. So if you don't have an account out there, you can go out and start it, create an account, and just begin going. You don't have to do it. All right? Now let's just take some steps to work towards getting that CAPM application done. All right? Good job. You're moving forward. You're making progress already. That's great. So let's keep pressing on. I'll see you at the next lecture.

3. Activity: Create a Study Strategy

Are you ready to get to work? Are you ready to do a quick activity here? We're going to create a study strategy. Our goal is to study to pass the exam, not just take the exam that we are not working to take it. And so in a comment or if I ever hear someone say that, I'll correct them and say no, you're not taking the exam, you're going to pass the exam. But I believe there's a real mindset. But in order to really pass the CAPM, you have to do some work. So let's talk about some things you need in order to pass the CAPM. You really want to think about what your schedule is like. Can you realistically put three or four hours in every day? I know some of you can, but others can't because you're too busy. We've got other demands on your life. So what's your schedule like? Well, obviously the schedule is going to affect when you can go past the exam and how much time you can invest each day. Now I'm a big proponent of putting in a given amount of time every single day. You don't take a day off because you focus on passing the exam, and that's going to require you to do some work. And so that means that you need to put in X number of hours every day, even if it's just 1 hour a day. I think that's important. So some people can put in two or three every day, but you have to find what's best for you that you can do every single day. My recommendation is that you don't put this exam off. Get in here, focus, put in the time, and pass the exam. When you stretch it out, you expose yourself to a slew of dangers. Just like in a project, the longer a project lasts, the more opportunity there is for risk. And the same is here: when you focus on passing your exam, So we want to compress the study cycle. So I recommend about four to six weeks; that's it. And if you're taking months to do it, by the time you get to the third or fourth month, you're going to lose touch with what you studied way back here in the beginning. So the longer you wait, the worse it gets. Yes, complete this entire course, and you can complete this course in any order that you want. Jump around however you want. However, I recommend that you take the course and follow the order that I have laid out here because it's the same order as the PMP objectives and the same order as the Pinbox. Once we get out of some of these preliminary chapters here, take notes as you move through the course. You're not going to remember everything. So take notes. And there is a course workbook coming up that you'll be able to download in PDF format. But take notes as you move throughout the course. Review your notes before you leave a module, and then ask questions. If you've got a question, go up and post a question. I'm usually pretty quick about responding. I try to do those every day. So ask questions and use the discussion feature. We need to know what's on the CAPM exam. There are 13 chapters in the Pinbacheide fifth edition, and most of these chapters are what the exam focuses on. And I say most because if you look at the CAPM exam objectives, which we will come up with, you're going to see the real focus is on chapters four through 13 in the PIN box. So we're talking about scope, time, cost, quality, HR, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management. I believe I have them all. So those are chapters four through 13 in the Pinbox, but it's also what you are tested on, what the CAPM Exam objectives are, or content from those chapters. So let's talk about creating this study strategy. So let's say you want to do it in four weeks. This is a sample strategy, so don't think that you have to do it this way. Make up whatever works for you. Maybe yours is five weeks or six weeks. I've got another one. But do what works for you. If you think you can do it in three weeks and you've got that time, hey, more power to you. This is just a sample, all right? So you don't have to do this week or go through this whole seminar, all right? Then week two, you hop right into maybe scope, time, cost, quality, HR, week three, communications, and so on. I know I skipped Module Four here, but I just did that as a sample. If you really know a chapter, maybe you blow by it and don't spend as much time on it. But all that I'm saying is that you break this out into a way that works for you, that's going to help you pass the CAPM exam, and then maybe you have a week where you just put it all together. And so that was week four in this little sample here. You take practise exams, all these exams and quizzes in the course, over and over until you can score 100%. I'm a big fan of flashcards, so get some three-by-five cards, put the term on one side, and then on the other side, put the definition, and then buzz through those every day in your exam prep. So you'll see me talk about flashcards occasionally throughout this course. There are also some exam memory sheets that you'll see coming up, and I encourage you to print those out and study them and memorise them. And then that will help you when you go past the cave. a six-week strategy, kind of the same approach, just a little bit less each week. So maybe you finish half of the CA this week. And the next week, you do the other half. And then in week three, you study some chapters and break it out however you want. And then at the end, maybe you wrap it all up. I'm really not a fan of people taking longer than six weeks to prepare to pass an exam. It will just begin to slip away from you. It's too much information. So focus. Get in here. Don't spend too much time. So that's your next strategy. Do you have to spend an hour on this? Spend 20 or 30 minutes on this, if even that long. But look at the course curriculum. Look at what your schedule and your life will allow you to do. And then get in here and dedicate yourself to the project, and create a calendar of what you're going to do each week. And then let's get back in. And I hope that today you start your study plan and keep moving forward in the course. So a very simple activity shouldn't take you two years to do. And I'll see you at the next lecture.

4. Consider the CAPM Exam Application Audit

There is a chance that your CAPM application could get audited. An audit is a review of what you put on this app, and then there has to be confirmation that what you've put on the app is indeed accurate. So why does PMI even bother auditing applications? Well, the goal is to confirm your education and your experience, so it enhances the credibility of the certification. It filters out paper, project managers, and people who have not gone through the process to qualify properly. So there is a chance that your application could get audited. There's really only one way to avoid an audit—just don't apply for the exam. A small percentage of people, not everyone, but a small percentage of people, will get audited. So they're randomly selected. There is no keyword or buzzword that will cause your app to be audited. Completely random. So don't think about that. There's some way you can get around being audited if you apply for a PMI exam. You just can't do it. You can't avoid the chance. There's no profiling; there's no special word, but there is a small chance. So don't let this worry you. It's a very small chance that you'll get audited. So what is the audit like? If you get audited, you will have to verify your education experience. So you'll need a photocopy of your degree or your transcripts and proof of course completion for this course. So that certificate of completion And as I mentioned, that's the only time that you'll need that certificate of completion if you get audited. You can print it out and hang it on your wall, but you really want the CAPM certification to hang on your wall, not this course certificate, but that's what you'll give the PMI. If you are audited, you'll also have to verify your project management experience. So whatever you put on your CAPM application—if you went that route of documenting your project experience—that experience will become a PDF document. And then you'll have to give that to the project supervisors, and they're going to have to sign off on what you wrote. And then they'll put that in an envelope, and they'll sign the back of that envelope as well. You'll gather all of that together, this little audit package, and you'll put it all in one envelope or one box or whatever it is, one package, and you'll mail that back to the PMI headquarters, and then PMI will get that. It'll review and compare the signatures to ensure that everyone signed off that you do have a certificate of completion for this course, which you will when you complete it, and then they will respond that you've passed the audit. It takes about ten days, is what they tell us, and then you can go forward and schedule to pass the actual exam. You won't know if you've been audited or not until you actually pay for the exam. So they don't give you the opportunity to get to the audit and then back out without paying. You actually pay first as part of the application process, and then you'll find out if you're audited or not. So I know it's a little stressful, but really, it's not a big deal. I've known lots and lots and lots of people—people that have taken this course and other courses that have been audited. And yes, it's stressful, but they get through it, and they go on, and they pass the test. So don't let it rattle you. It's not a big deal. All right, let's keep moving forward.

5. Earn Contact Hours -Not PDUs

What is the difference between a contact hour and a PDU? Well, a lot of people think that this course gives PDUs. Well, that depends. We're going to talk about our PM. Are you earning PDUs or are you earning contact hours? So let's take a look here at the difference between PDUs and contact hours. Contact hours are project management education hours that you need in order to qualify for the exam. Contact hours happen before your exam application. Contact hours happen before you are an APMP. So you don't get PDUs until you are APMP. You get office hours. This course is eight contact hours. If you are not a PMP, you're getting contact hours, which is what you want and what you need. So in the contact hours, they have to cover project management. So if you're taking a course on accounting, that's not project management contact hours. You need a course on project management to get project management contact hours. What are PDUs? PDUs are professional development units. So a PDU happens after your exam. Once you're a PMP, then you get PDUs. Now, once you're a PMP, you need 60 PDUs every three years. So if you do about 20 a year, you're in great shape. Now, 1 hour of education constitutes 1 PDU. So it's just a one-to-one contact hour before you're a PMP. PDUs 60 every three years following Europe. So PDUs happened after the exam. Now, in 2015, PMI has created a new requirement for the PDUs. So it was effective December 1, 2015. You have to have 35 of your 60 PDUs come from education. 25 is the maximum that you can earn from giving back, like serving as a project manager, writing a book, writing an article, or volunteering with your PMI chapter. Those are all great, but you can't get all of your PDUs from giving them back. You have to have 35 minimum continuing ed. Now, what you can do if you think about this here, so 35 of these is about twelve a year. I have lots of courses that will help you earn PDUs, and you can take all of them online. So you could take a couple of my courses and knock out the bare minimum of 35 PDUs. Or I've got courses that allow you to get all 60 PDUs, but you want to make a plan of, okay, how can I give back? It's a great idea to volunteer with PMI, like at their chapter meetings, or to speak at a chapter meeting, and then you can earn PDUs where you are participating, and then do 35 PDUs where you are learning. Now, certainly, you can get all of your PDUs from learning. The most you can get from giving back is 25. So that's the new PMI PDU requirement. PMI has also set up a talent triangle. So it's a distribution of where your PDUs come from in education. You have to have a minimum of 35 PDUs in education and continue to get those 35 PDUs broken down. In the category of technical project management, you have to have eight PDUs; in technical project management leadership, you have to have eight PDUs; in business and strategic management, you have to have eight PDUs; and then you can do a combination from any three areas with eleven PDUs. So you can have up to 35 minimum PDUs, but they have to be distributed across technical leadership in business and strategic management. Again, I have lots of courses that will satisfy these PDU requirements. So when you go to claim your PDUs, after you pass the PMP, let's say you've taken a class on communication, and that's worth five PDUs. You go into the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements, and that's worth And you'll log in, and then you'll claim PDUs. And so you'll find that course on communication, and then the provider of that course will say that this is worth two PDUs in leadership and three PDUs in business and strategic management. So that's how you accrue those eight PDUs in the different categories. All right, that's just a big picture. Once you get a little bit deeper into the PMP world, that'll make more sense. don't really need to know that for your exam. I just get a lot of questions on this talent triangle, contact hours, and PDUs. So that's the idea of continuing education—giving back. As I mentioned, you can get 25 PDUs by giving back to the industry by creating new knowledge and volunteering. You can even get eight PDUs just by serving as a project manager. So a lot of people don't know that, but there you go; you can. But again, right now we're focusing on passing the exam, not PDUs. Once you earn the PMP, and you will, then you can worry about PDUs. So look, for my training, I'll help you out, and you can find your PDUs, and you'll knock it out with no problem. They're really not that hard to do.

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