This CAPM cheat sheet distills PMI's entry-level project management exam into a printable rundown of the facts examiners test most across all four domains. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free CAPM toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
CAPM exam at a glance
- Questions: 150 (135 scored + 15 unscored pretest)
- Time: 3 hours (180 minutes), with one optional 10-minute break after Q75
- Result: Pass / Fail — no fixed % cut score; per-domain performance rating
- Cost: $225 PMI members / $300 non-members
- Eligibility: Secondary degree + 23 contact hours of project management education (no experience required)
- Administered by: PMI via Pearson VUE (test center or online proctoring)
What’s on the CAPM cheat sheet
- Project Management Fundamentals & Core Concepts (36%) — life cycles, planning artifacts, roles, servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and the PMI Code of Ethics — the largest domain.
- Business Analysis Frameworks (27%) — BA roles, elicitation techniques, requirement types, traceability matrices, roadmaps, and validating delivery — the second-largest domain.
- Agile Frameworks/Methodologies (20%) — when agile fits, the Agile Manifesto, Scrum roles and events, Kanban and WIP limits, and agile artifacts.
- Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies (17%) — the WBS and 100% rule, critical path and float, estimating techniques, and earned value management.
How to use it in your final week
- Memorize the four earned-value formulas cold — CV = EV − AC, SV = EV − PV, CPI = EV ÷ AC, SPI = EV ÷ PV — and the reading rule: below 1 or negative is unfavorable.
- Front-load by weight: Fundamentals (36%) and Business Analysis (27%) are 63% of the exam, so give the sheet's top two blocks the most passes.
- Drill the distinctions PMI loves — sponsor vs. project manager, scope creep vs. progressive elaboration, crashing vs. fast-tracking, and Scrum vs. Kanban.
- Read the sheet the morning of the exam for a final pass on the memory hooks, then simulate the 3-hour, 150-question clock with one timed practice set to lock in pacing.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your CAPM practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
CAPM cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the CAPM cheat sheet downloads as a PDF at no cost and needs no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free CAPM practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole prep stack is free.
It condenses the highest-yield facts from all four PMI domains: Fundamentals & Core Concepts (36%), Business Analysis Frameworks (27%), Agile Frameworks/Methodologies (20%), and Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies (17%). You get the EVM formulas, Scrum roles, scope traps, and estimating techniques on one quick-reference layer.
Yes — CV = EV − AC, SV = EV − PV, CPI = EV ÷ AC, and SPI = EV ÷ PV are all on the sheet, with the rule that below 1 or negative is unfavorable. These are the calculations PMI most often asks you to run in the Predictive domain.
No — it's a review and last-week cram tool, not a full course. The CAPM is criterion-referenced across 135 scored questions, so use the sheet to lock in facts and the practice test to confirm you're scoring above target before you book.
Click the download button or the preview card near the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly. Bookmark the page so it's one tap away during your final review week.
References
- 1.Project Management Institute. “Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Certification.” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.Project Management Institute. “CAPM Examination Content Outline (2023 ECO).” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.Project Management Institute. “CAPM Certification Handbook (eligibility, fees & scoring).” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
- 4.Project Management Institute. “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 7th ed..” pmi.org, 2026. ↑
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