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Certification path

PMI certification path

PMI gates on documented project hours rather than on other certifications. CAPM asks for a secondary degree and 23 hours of project management education; PMP asks for 36 months of leading projects with a four-year degree, or 60 months without one. That gap is the whole reason CAPM exists.

Where to start

PMP is the certification the market pays for. Sit CAPM only if you cannot yet document the PMP hours — it is a waiting room, not a rung, and PMP does not require it.

  1. 01

    Entry

    2 exams

    For people without the project hours PMP demands. No experience requirement beyond the education hours.

  2. 02

    Core

    1 exam

    The one certification most of this list orbits, and the one recruiters filter on.

  3. 03

    Agile

    5 exams

    PMI's agile line, from a two-day scrum master certificate up to value-stream consulting.

  4. 04

    Specialist

    4 exams

    Depth in one discipline. Each assumes real project experience, and none requires PMP first.

  5. 05

    Programme and portfolio

    2 exams

    Above single projects. PgMP wants four years of programme management on top of project experience; PfMP wants eight.

Work the whole ladder on one plan

$39.99 a month covers all 14 exams on this page and every other exam on the site — which is the point of a path. Or read 10 questions from any of them first, free.

See pricingAll PMI exams

Common questions

Where should I start on the PMI certification path?
PMP is the certification the market pays for. Sit CAPM only if you cannot yet document the PMP hours — it is a waiting room, not a rung, and PMP does not require it.
How many PMI exams are there?
14 of them are covered here, arranged into 5 tiers: entry, core, agile, specialist, programme and portfolio. Retired versions still in our catalogue are deliberately left off — the point of this page is what to sit next.
Do I have to take the PMI exams in order?
PMI gates on documented project hours rather than on other certifications. CAPM asks for a secondary degree and 23 hours of project management education; PMP asks for 36 months of leading projects with a four-year degree, or 60 months without one. That gap is the whole reason CAPM exists.
Can I practise these before paying?
Yes — 10 free questions on every exam on this page, with no card and no account. Each also has a timed practice test of 65 questions in 130 minutes.
What does it cost to prepare for the whole path?
$39.99 a month opens every exam on this page and every other exam on the site, which is the plan that makes sense if you are working through a ladder. A single exam on its own is a one-time $19.99 for 30 days.

Other certification paths