Lots of Qualifications but what do the levels mean? (Part 2 of 3)
The final part of our look at qualifications – finishing up with PMI and APM!
PMI, the Project Management Institute, provides the CAPM and PMP levels. All PMI exams must be applied for directly to PMI and can only be taken online at Prometric centres.
CAPM is the Certified Associate in Project Management – it requires you to demonstrate some entry level experience in project management or a set number of hours of certified training as a pre-requisite to the exam. This exam is multiple choice.
PMP is the Project Management Professional – it requires you to demonstrate sufficient Project Management experience and to have completed a set number of hours of certified training as a pre-requisite to the exam. The exam is situational multiple choice.
The CAPM is broadly equivalent to Foundation level for APMG / AXELOS exams and PMP broadly equivalent to Practitioner level.
APM, the Association of Project Management, provides Fundamentals or Introductory Certificate (IC), APMP and APM PQ levels.
The Fundamentals or IC level is a multiple choice entry level qualification which requires candidates to know what is in the APM Body of Knowledge. This is broadly equivalent to the APMG / AXELOS Foundation level.
APMP is the main project management qualification provided by APM. The exam does not require IC level as a pre-requisite, but you should be working in projects to be confident of passing. It is a written exam which uses situations to provide context to questions. This is broadly equivalent to the APMG / AXELOS Practitioner level.
APM PQ (Practitioner Qualification) is an Assessment Centre based qualification that requires candidates to demonstrate the ability to use their knowledge to deliver projects. Candidates work in groups on a case study project which needs to be planned and delivered with the risks and issues being managed all through. Interpersonal conduct is assessed as well as project knowledge. This is broadly equivalent to the PRINCE2 Professional.
Lots of qualifications to cover with each institute having a slightly different approach, but I hope that this has helped you to understand more about what is on offer and the different levels. CUPE International offers all these qualifications as well as consultancy support to implement your knowledge.
If you’d like to know more about our qualifications or have any questions on which is most suitable for you, feel free to fill out a contact form or call us on +44 (0) 1202 555 733!