In this blog, you would normally read about experiences of newly anointed PMP credential holders. But today is different. In today’s post you would find CAPM exam experience of Regan Forrester. She has written about how she prepared for CAPM certification exam and what study material she used. She has also recommended a few sure-shot techniques to pass the exam.
You might be wondering what is the big deal about CAPM. It is an entry level exam. It is not too difficult to pass.
Yes! As compared to PMP it easier but still it is one of the most difficult exams to pass.
Regan recently passed the exam and shared her experience on Linkedin. I requested her to let me share her experience on this blog. I wish her good luck for the future.
Over to Regan.
How To Prepare For CAPM Certification Exam – Study Sources
I’d like to share how I prepared. I prepared for 3 months. Typically I devoted 2-3 hours each night after work, and then approx. 4 hours on both Sat and Sunday.
For my preparation (because I know I relied heavily on the feedback and recommendations from members who’d successfully passed before me) this is what I used:
- Rita’s Exam Prep – hands down- very clear, easy to understand language; useful tools and tricks, very relevant exam prep questions at the end of each chapter area, and tips.
- PMBoK – while not as interesting as Rita’s I used this after finishing each section in her book to solidify that chapter.
- Udemy – Joseph Philips – CAPM exam prep – I did this following Rita/PMBok for each chapter
- Udemy – CAPM® Exam Prep 2018. This was very helpful for taking practice exams that are very much like the real deal!
While it seemed like overkill to use so many references together I feel the different learning methods helped to solidify the vast knowledge into reasonable, and understandable terms.
In addition to the above, I used these tools:
- I downloaded the PMP Exam Mentor (by Byte AppStudio) to my phone, which I could easily use anytime and anywhere. A very inexpensive app (less than $4)
- Pocket Prep – downloaded to my IPad – they have a number of exams to practice on, and the progress is tracked so you can see your improvement and understand the areas to focus on the most.
Regan’s Recommendation
In addition to the above, I would HIGHLY recommend understanding the process/knowledge area chart – while it seems difficult to remember this, its vital to your passing. For the proctor exam, they do not allow any paper or pencils – so you have only your memorization
I would also recommend setting up a study schedule so each day you are learning a bit more.
Best of luck to anyone about to embark on this journey!
Over To You
Regan used a lot of CAPM study material for her studies. Do you think additional study material increases the chances of success? Which is your main study source? Do you also have any tips for CAPM preparation?
Please leave a comment.
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