cost capm certification exam

If you are interested in becoming a CAPM, you might wonder about the CAPM certification cost

The answer to this question is complex.

The cost requirements for the CAPM certification process vary from person to person. It is not a fixed cost because it depends on your requirements and circumstances. However, I can give you an idea of the approximate cost of earning this certification.

CAPM Certification Cost

Let’s start with the training cost.

CAPM Training Cost

You must attend a 23 contact hours training program in project management to become eligible to apply for the CAPM exam.

If you search for a 23 CAPM contact hours training program, you won’t find many results. Among those, even fewer are known for their quality.

You can visit the course provided below if you are looking for a reputable online CAPM training program. The cost of this program is the lowest, and the training provider is renowned.

Cornelius Fichtner’s CAPM Program

The cost of the CAPM training can vary from 9.95-199 USD. 

If money is not an issue, you can join any 35 contact hours training program for the PMP certification exam and then apply for the CAPM exam. These training programs will give you more in-depth knowledge.

Also, if your CAPM certification is expired, you can apply for the PMP exam without attending any training. 

The cost of a 35 contact hours training program varies from 150 USD to 4,000 USD. Online PMP training programs are the cheapest, and classroom training is the costliest.

PMI Membership Fee

This is an optional investment.

I recommend you join the PMI before applying for the exam because membership offers you immense benefits.

CAPM Exam Fee

The CAPM exam costs 225 USD if you are a PMI member and 300 USD for non-members.

CAPM Exam Retake Fee

You have two more attempts if you fail the exam initially. The CAPM re-examination fee is 150 USD for PMI members and 200 USD for non-members.

Cost of CAPM Reference Book

This includes the cost of the CAPM reference books you will use for the CAPM exam preparation.

The first book is the PMBOK Guide. You must study this book to understand the project management process flow. The CAPM exam is based on this guide, so read the PMBOK Guide until you understand the processes.

This guide is free for you if you are a PMI member; otherwise, you will have to buy it. The cost of the PMBOK Guide on Amazon is 58.99 USD.

Many aspirants fall into the trap of ignoring the PMBOK Guide. They find it too boring and limit their preparation to other reference books and training materials.

Don’t do this. You will face problems on the exam if you ignore the PMBOK Guide since the test is mostly derived from the Guide.

It may bore you on the first read, but you will enjoy it once you understand it.

There are many CAPM exam reference books available for your exam preparation. One of the most famous books is Rita Mulcahy’s CAPM exam preparation book, which costs 89.00 USD.

I recommend you refer to at least two good CAPM exam reference books. This will cost you around 150 USD.

Cost of CAPM Practice Questions

There are only a handful of training providers that offer CAPM simulators. The most well-known is Cornelius Fichtner.

You can buy this simulator for 69 USD and practice the sample questions:

CAPM Exam Simulator

Other CAPM Exam Certification Costs

The other CAPM costs are for optional materials like flashcards, apps, formula guides, etc.

Since these optional costs vary so much, I cannot give you an estimate for this section since you may or may not spend money on these.

Additional CAPM costs may include traveling, lodging, and food. I am also not including these expenses as they depend on your location and other choices. You will pay these expenses if you join a classroom training program that is unavailable in your location. You can avoid this cost by joining an online training program.

If the test center is not available at your location, you can go for a proctored test, attempt the CAPM exam from home, and avoid the test travel cost.

Total CAPM Cost

Now, let’s look at the total cost of the CAPM certification process:

capm-exam-cost

So, the CAPM exam certification cost may vary from 441.99 USD to 577.99 USD.

The cost may vary from 451.94 USD to 776.99 USD if you don’t have experience in project management.

You may notice little difference between the minimum and the maximum cost. This is because I have not included live classroom training programs. 

I do not recommend that you choose costly training for the CAPM certification.

Note:

* If you are a PMI member, you can download the PMBOK Guide for free. You can subtract the cost from the calculation.

** If you are a PMI member, the exam fee is 225 USD. Otherwise, it is 300 USD.

Please adjust the cost if you are a PMI member. The PMI membership fee is 139.00 USD, and the renewal fee is 129.00 USD.

Summary

The cost of the CAPM varies between 441.99 USD and 776.99 USD. This may drastically increase the cost if you choose a classroom training program. Since this certification is an entry-level qualification, I do not recommend you spend too much on it. Pass the CAPM exam, get experience, and then apply for the PMP exam, which is more valued, highly regarded, and offers you many more benefits.

Please note that the cost of the CAPM certification may go up or down depending on your preferences. The estimation given here is just a rough idea.

I hope this blog post was useful to you. If you have any questions on cost requirements for the CAPM certification process, please post them in the comments section, and I will reply.

Fahad Usmani, PMP

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.