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5.2

Side by side

PMP® vs CAPM®: which one should you take?

Take the CAPM if you cannot yet document the 24 to 60 months of project leadership the PMP asks for; take the PMP if you can. That experience requirement decides it, and most of the other differences follow from it (PMI®, as of October 2026).

Exam
PMP
Updated
Oct 13, 2026

01PMP and CAPM side by side

From PMI's PMP and CAPM pages and PMI's U.S. store, as of October 2026

PointPMPCAPM
IssuerPMIPMI
≠Project experience24 to 60 months leading projects in the last 10 years, by education tierNone
≠EducationSecondary diploma or higherSecondary diploma; age 18 or older
≠Training before the exam35 hours (an active CAPM counts as all 35)23 hours of project management education
≠Exam180 questions (170 scored, 10 pretest), 240 minutes150 questions (135 scored, 15 pretest), 180 minutes
≠ContentPeople 33%, Process 41%, Business Environment 26%Fundamentals 36%, Predictive 17%, Agile 20%, Business Analysis 27%
≠Exam fee, member / non-member$405 / $655$225 / $300
≠Renewal60 PDUs every 3 years15 PDUs every 3 years

≠ marks a row where the two differ. U.S. store prices; PMI notes that prices vary by membership status and region.

02Signs the CAPM is the better first step

  • Your project work so far has been supporting someone else's plan rather than leading one
  • You are short of the months for your education tier (see PMP requirements)
  • You want a credential now and the PMP within a few years
  • You have not done 35 hours of training yet, and the 23-hour CAPM requirement is the nearer target

03The CAPM pays forward

While your CAPM is active, PMI credits it as the full 35 training hours on a PMP application, so you document no course at all. The experience months still apply. The details are on the PMP 35 contact hours page.

04Choosing between the two

Does the CAPM test the same material as the PMP?

The vocabulary overlaps, the weighting does not. The CAPM outline gives 36% to fundamentals and 27% to business analysis; the PMP splits People, Process and Business Environment and asks you to apply experience to on-the-job scenarios (PMI, as of October 2026).

Which one costs less?

The CAPM, on exam fees: $225 for members and $300 for non-members, against $405 and $655 for the PMP at PMI's U.S. store as of October 2026. Membership is $139 a year. Retakes and the rest of the PMP budget are on PMP exam cost.

Can I skip the CAPM and go straight to the PMP?

Yes, if you meet an experience tier; the CAPM is not a prerequisite. The rest of the field is in the certification overview.

05Sources

  1. PMI: PMP certification page checked Oct 13, 2026
  2. PMI: CAPM certification checked Oct 13, 2026eligibility, exam, content outline
  3. PMI store: PMP exam (CBT) checked Oct 13, 2026U.S. price
  4. PMI store: CAPM exam checked Oct 13, 2026U.S. price
  5. PMI: PMP Examination Content Outline (rev. August 11, 2026) checked Oct 13, 2026PMP tiers, CAPM training credit
  6. PMI Continuing Certification Requirements Handbook (April 2026) checked Oct 13, 2026PDU counts