Question 1The schedule and the plan
Activity D can start only after both B and C finish. B's early finish is day 9 and C's early finish is day 7. What is D's early start?
Is the CAPM exam hard?
It is PMI's entry-level certification and needs no project experience. What makes it hard is breadth: one exam covers project fundamentals, predictive planning, agile frameworks and business analysis, and asks you to apply each to short workplace scenarios.
| Questions | 150: 135 scored and 15 unscored |
|---|---|
| Time | 3 hours, with a 10-minute break after question 75 |
| Domains | Four, weighted 36%, 17%, 20% and 27% |
| Passing score | Not published by PMI |
| Experience needed | None; 23 hours of project management education |
What makes it hard
- Breadth: four domains, from earned value and the critical path to Scrum events and requirements traceability.
- Business analysis carries 27% of the questions, a larger share than many candidates expect.
- Scenario questions: you must pick the best action, not just recall a definition.
- Some questions are drag and drop, hot spot or comic strip items rather than plain multiple choice.
What makes it easier
The exam stays at associate level. A few formulas carry the calculation questions (cost and schedule variance, performance indexes, float), and the rest is knowing what each tool, role and artifact is for. Short daily practice on scenarios pays off more than long reading sessions.
How long to study
PMI does not publish study hours beyond the 23 hours of education needed to apply. Start with the free diagnostic: your score in each domain shows where the ground is, and the weakest domain is the place to begin.
Try 3 questions
Question 2Planning iterations
A project manager has a WBS for an online course platform with three deliverables: course catalog, payments and student dashboard. The team will now work adaptively. How should these deliverables be represented?
Question 3Gathering requirements
A national charity wants input on a new donor portal from 3,000 volunteers in many cities, and a set of fixed questions will cover what it needs. Which technique fits best?
Next step
Questions people ask
Can you pass the CAPM with no project experience?
Yes. PMI requires no project experience for the CAPM: a secondary degree and at least 23 hours of project management education completed before the exam.
Is the CAPM harder than the PMP?
No. The PMP is for experienced project leaders, needs 24 to 60 months of experience leading projects, and has 180 questions in 240 minutes. The CAPM is the associate-level exam.
What is the hardest part of the CAPM?
For many candidates, the business analysis domain, which carries 27% of the questions, and the scenario questions that ask for the best action.