CAPM versus Project+

In Project Management there are two different types of certifications you can get when you are looking into which direction to go if you are not looking at currently going for your PMP.

You can go through PMI and as someone new to project management you could get your CAPM which is short for Certified Associate in Project Management. This requires you to have 23 hours of education or 1,500 hours of experience and a secondary degree before you can even apply to write the exam. The exam is 3 hours and there are 150 questions that you will be required to answer. This exam is based on the PMBOK and it is one that you will need to be able to memorize 47 processes along with all the inputs, outputs and tools and techniques as part of your studying. If you get your CAPM certification and want to maintain this level without going towards your PMP you are going to be required to retake the exam every five years.

Project+ you are going to have to learn a lot of the same information but in a different way as this one is more covering project management in general and not as focused on just the PMBOK as the source of the material. You are still going to need some experience in actual project management or some education but these are not mandatory like the education or work experience are for applying to write your CAPM exam. The Project+ exam is also 95 questions with an exam length of 90 minutes. Once you have passed the Project+ exam you do not have to retake the exam at any time.

	CAPM	Project+
Cost of exam	$225 US if PMI member $300 US if not PMI member	$294 US
Length of exam	3 hours	90 minutes
# of questions	150	95
Retake	Every 5 years	N/A
Info as of Apr 6/17

Yes there are going to be differences between the two exams and what you are going to get out of it. I have had my CAPM and now have my Project+ and there is one difference that I have seen at least for myself. During the time I had my CAPM I used the initials after my name as that was allowed and if people noticed them I would normally get asked what they stood for and then get the OH! When I explained it. The Project+ doesn’t come with initials that you can use but you can use a logo that started you are CompTIA Project+ Certified.

At least for me I have found that since I passed the Project+ exam people have understood what I have said when I mention it. When I have said I was going to resit the CAPM exam as it was up for renewal it would get the blank look or in some cases just a look like ok, whatever that is. I know that this experience is going to vary based on people and also the industry that you are in. I am in IT so yes I have found that CompTIA is known in the small to medium businesses a little more than PMI. I am not saying that either exam is better than the other exam but I have found for me I think passing the Project+ exam is going to help me a little more at least in the areas where I focus.

Results of self imposed stress

Previously, I wrote about the self-imposed stress that I had put upon myself about trying to achieve something that I really wanted.  Well the exam was Friday and thanks to modern technology I know the results already, and they are I passed the exam.  I achieved my CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) and now know that if I put my mind to something, I can achieve it.

This certification has been a lot of hard work, but I put the effort into achieving it and after wanting to postpone the exam because I doubted myself, I pushed ahead and wrote it.  Knowing that I did this has helped me see that I shouldn't doubt myself as much as I have in the past.

So now that I have achieved this, I am going to start thinking a little differently about things and I will know that if I put my mind to it, I can do it.

Dealing with self imposed stress

Like a lot of people, I put undo stress on myself.  I am admitting this because this week I have been adding more and more stress for no real reason.  I think part of it is because of writing a CAPM exam on Friday, I am starting to worry about the outcome.  Last night, I hit the point of wanting to postpone the exam so that I didn't have to deal with the outcome this week.  Basically, all I was going to do was postpone the outcome instead of facing it head on.

This morning I woke up feeling a lot better about things and realize that no matter what the outcome, at least I have given it my best try and that is all anyone can expect.  Yes, anyone does include me now, instead of how I normally deal with things and forget to include me.  Knowing that people are there to support me is helping because sometimes being your own worst enemy sure doesn't help.  I am the one that questions if I am ready, while everyone else is saying that I know the material. 

Facing things head-on instead of always questioning your ability is what I should do more often because I know I can do lots of things and will continue to do them.  Now the challenge until the weekend is to try not to add any more stress to myself and know that what happens, happens.

Off to do some studying, but will not try and pack the brain too much today so that I can also take some time to relax and enjoy life.