RESOURCES TO PASS YOUR CAPM & PMP EXAM
The BEST Exam Prep Resources
The tools and resources below are here to help you save time for studying for your CAPM Exam and PMP Exam!
This list is here to help you filter all of the noise and place all resources onto one page, so you can become Certified in Project Management much faster and easier, and pass your PMP & CAPM Exam on your first try!
I stand 100% behind these resources and I hope these help you achieve success and pass your CAPM Exam & PMP Exam in the upcoming year.
Note: I am NOT affiliated with and am not sponsored by any of the Authors, Publishers, or Companies. I do NOT receive any commission from the Authors or Publishers for referencing or reviewing their material. No hype, just the real deal with what’s helped me master Project Management and pass my CAPM Exam in October 2020 (Above Target in all Domains), and which I intend to use to pass my own PMP Exam by the end of 2021.
LET'S GET TO IT: What You Need at a Minimum...
To help focus your efforts, I highly recommend that you have at minimum:
- The latest edition of PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). As of January 2021, the latest edition is the 6th edition, which contains material which will be present on both the CAPM Exam and PMP Exam
- One Exam Prep Reference Book (for example, Rita’s)
- Exam Content Outline (ECO) for the CAPM Exam or PMP Exam
- PMI Handbook for the CAPM Exam or PMP Exam
- An Exam Simulator or Book containing Practice Questions
CAPM EXAM Prep - Here are the BEST Resources to PASS Your CAPM Exam
- PMI Official Exam Information
Read the following PMI Official Exam Information cover-to-cover so you know what to expect on the CAPM Exam and the steps that you must take to qualify for and apply for the CAPM Exam.
- PMI Handbook for the CAPM Exam found here on PMI’s website
- PMI Exam Content Outline for the CAPM Exam
- This is hands-down one of the most important resources you need, so you can identify what is actually being covered on your CAPM Exam!
2. Tools & Software
- Anki Flashcard Software
- I used this free software to create my own flashcards and practice my ITTOs and hard-to-remember vocabulary on a daily basis.
- What’s great about Anki is that it uses spaced repetition and targeted learning to help you hone in on the concepts you struggle the most with mastering.
- If you like using electronic flashcards to test yourself on a day-by-day basis, this is a MUST-HAVE!
- Pocket Prep CAPM Exam App, found here
- This is a MUST-HAVE, especially if you’re looking for Practice Questions to test your knowledge on the PMBOK. To download this, search for PocketPrep CAPM Exam on your mobile app store.
- By far, this was one of the MOST USEFUL tools I used on a daily basis to get exam-prep ready, and that I used to pass my own CAPM Exam! It has a total of 800 practice questions which helped me really master the fundamentals and hone in on the Knowledge Areas, Process Groups, and ITTOs I struggled with on the CAPM Exam.
- Since it’s an app on your phone, you can practice a quick set of questions anytime you have downtime at work, when you’re running errands, waiting in line at the groceries, or right in the morning/night before you go to bed. It not only features a Daily Question of the Day, but also allows you to choose how many questions to practice at any given time.
2. CAPM Exam Simulators
- Alvin the PM’s Exam Simulator Package >> CLICK HERE to grab your copy of my Exam Simulator
- Use these Mock Exams that I’ve personally created to help you prepare and pass your CAPM Exam.
- This has EVERYTHING that you need to practice Mock Exam Simulators, discover my proven exam strategies & shortcuts, gain exclusive access to ALL of my Cheat Sheets & Formula Guides, my comprehensive Exam Roadmap to Success & Nine-Week Comprehensive Study Plan, and full mastery of the Agile Framework, Earned Value Analysis, and all ITTOs.
- My Ultimate Exam Package is my way of offering not just my own personal experience from taking and passing my own CAPM Exam, but also all of my lessons learned, knowledge, and strategies to help you prepare & pass your CAPM Exam.
- So, don’t miss out on this opportunity to accelerate your learning curve and get ready to become Certified in Project Management! Grab your copy by clicking this link here.
- PrepCast CAPM Exam Simulator
- When I was studying, this was the Exam Simulators I used to prepare for my own CAPM Exam. Since this is a little bit on the pricier side at $69, this does require a larger investment from your side. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly Exam Simulator, I recommend checking out the Exam Simulators which I’ve personally created, as I discuss above.
- I practiced each of the Practice Exams on the Exam Simulator two weeks before the day of my CAPM Exam, and this helped me tremendously identify where to focus my areas before the day of my actual exam. I felt like these questions were the most similar to the ones I experienced on the day of my exam, and helped prepare me take a 3-hour long exam with 150 Questions.
3. Books
- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide – 6th Edition)
- If you’re already a PMI Member, you can download this for free. If not, this costs ~$60 on Amazon.
- The PMBOK Guide is the ULTIMATE source for the test. I highly recommend referencing the PMBOK Guide throughout your studies so you can become well-versed in the project management lingo and terminology that will be covered on your exam. Since the PMBOK Guide is a reference book, it can read ‘dry’ at times.
- Just remember, it’s an incredible reference manual, but it is not an action thriller or page-turner by any means.
- And so, I recommend referencing this while you’re reviewing your Exam Prep Book, and using this to fill-in any gaps and dig a little bit deeper to solidify the key project management principles.
- Rita Mulcahy’s CAPM Exam Prep, 4th Edition
- This is an excellent learning tool and super helpful with understanding the logic and reasoning behind each process group, especially the key inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs, to focus your studying efforts on. As Rita discusses, it’s all about understanding how each process is used.
- I highly recommend you also cross-reference the PMBOK Guide since Rita’s Exam Prep Book also includes cross-links to the PMBOK Guide.
- During my CAPM Exam Prep Journey, I would read one Chapter of Rita’s followed by a review of the PMBOK Guide, and this helped me feel invincible and made sure I thoroughly understood the key concepts that would appear on the day of my exam.
- James Haner and Cate McCoy’s CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management Practice Exams
- If you’re looking for additional practice questions, check this book out to practice your knowledge on each of the different domains and process groups.
- Peter Landini’s Project Management: Practice Questions For CAPM and PMP Certification Exams
- Others have recommended this to me as another way to obtain practice questions for both the CAPM Exam and PMP Exam.
4. Courses
- Udemy
- There’s quite an extensive list of Udemy Courses covering the CAPM Exam.
- I recommend checking out Joseph Phillip’s CAPM Exam Course as a cost-efficient way to fulfill the required Project Management Educational Contact Hours. Oftentimes, Udemy will sell the courses on the website at highly discounted prices of $11.99.
- So, if you’re looking for a way to fulfill the required 23 contact hours of formal project management education in order to qualify for the CAPM Exam, I recommend checking this out!
- Coursera
- There’s an online Project Management Certification Course from the University of Irvine, California, which fulfills the minimum Educational Requirements to sit for both the CAPM Exam and PMP Exam.
- After taking four 6-week courses covering how to Launch a project, how to Plan a project, how to Execute a project, and a Project Management Practicum, this course really helps solidify the concepts in project management and gives you an opportunity to work with others virtually, as if you had study partners and others to collaborate with.
- If you’re looking to add a Certificate to your resume to showcase that you’ve had formal Project Management Training, or if your employer is willing to help subsidize your learning expenses, this is a really great option to look into!
NEW PMP EXAM 2021 - Here are the BEST Resources to PASS the NEW PMP Exam
*Note: Some of the following PMP Exam Prep Resources overlap with the CAPM Exam Prep resources. The only difference is that the courses or books may be more specific to the PMP Exam. I’ll continue to update this as I find resources and prep material that I’ll be using to study for my PMP Exam in 2021.
- PMI Official Exam Information
With the amount of uncertainty, difficulty, & expectations surrounding the NEW 2021 PMP Exam, you 100% need to read PMI’s PMP 2021 Handbook and PMP Exam Content Outline to have an understanding of how the new PMP Exam will be structured, along with what types of questions to expect on the new exam.
- PMI Handbook for the new 2021 PMP Exam, found here on PMI’s website
- PMI Exam Content Outline for the 2021 PMP Exam found here on PMI’s website
2. Tools & Software
- Anki Flashcard Software
- Pocket Prep PMP Exam App
- This is a MUST-HAVE, especially if you’re looking for Practice Questions to test your knowledge on the PMBOK. To download this, search for PocketPrep PMP Exam on your mobile app store.
3. Books
The following reference books are the ones recommended by PMI for the new 2021 PMP Exam. I’ll continue to update this list once new PMP Exam Prep books are released supporting the 2021 PMP Exam format.
- PMI’s Agile Practice Guide
- PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 6th Edition
- Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, & Controlling (Harold Kerzner)
- Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, Hybrid (Robert K. Wysocki)
- Fundamentals of Technology Project Management, 2nd Edition (Colleen Garton with Erika McCulloch)
- Project Managers Portable Handbook, 3rd Edition (David Cleland and Lewis Ireland)
- Information Technology Project Management, 7th Edition (Kathy Schwalbe)
- Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process (Kenneth S. Rubin)
- Project Management: The Managerial Process (Erik Larson)
- The Project Management Tool Kit: 100 Tips and Techniques for Getting the Job Done Right (Tom Kendrick)
4. Courses
Once I found out more information about upcoming Exam Prep Courses for the new 2021 PMP Exam, I’ll list them here.
GOOD LUCK!
I hope these resources help you out on your journey to become a Certified Project Manager.
Best of luck on your Journey to passing your CAPM Exam & PMP Exam!
Cheers, Alvin