Short answer
- Exam fee: $300, or $225 for PMI members (PMI).
- PMI membership costs $139 a year and saves $75 on the exam. For the CAPM alone it doesn’t pay for itself, not even if you have to retake the exam once.
- Retake: $200, or $150 for members. You can attempt the exam up to three times in one year.
- Renewal every three years: 15 PDUs plus $150, or $60 for members.
- Cheapest way to earn the CAPM and keep it for three years: $300, plus your 23 hours of required education.
Most CAPM cost guides add PMI membership to the total as if it were part of the price. It isn’t required, and for most CAPM candidates it costs more than it saves. This guide lists every fee PMI charges for the CAPM, shows six realistic totals, and explains the one situation where membership does pay: when the PMP is next. Every fee links to PMI. We checked them on September 22, 2026.
Every CAPM fee in one table
| Fee | Member | Non-member | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | $225 | $300 | After PMI accepts your application |
| Retake (per extra attempt) | $150 | $200 | Only if you fail |
| Renewal (every 3 years) | $60 | $150 | At the end of your 3-year cycle |
| PMI membership | $139 per year + a small activation fee | – | Optional |
| 23 hours of project management education | price set by the provider | price set by the provider | Before the exam |
Sources: exam fee, retake, renewal, membership, activation fee. Retake, renewal and membership prices are the ones PMI’s online store shows for those products.
PMI charges the exam fee only after your application has been accepted (PMI). There is no separate application fee listed.
What the CAPM really costs: six scenarios
| Scenario | Membership | Exam and retakes | Total before education |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Don’t join, pass the first time | $0 | $300 | $300 |
| B. Join PMI, pass the first time | $139 | $225 | $364 |
| C. Don’t join, fail once | $0 | $300 + $200 | $500 |
| D. Join PMI, fail once | $139 | $225 + $150 | $514 |
| E. Don’t join, keep the CAPM through its first renewal | $0 | $300 + $150 renewal | $450 |
| F. Join, then take the PMP within your membership year | $139 | $225 CAPM + $405 PMP | $769 (vs. $955 without membership) |
Add PMI’s activation fee to B, D and F. Add the cost of your education hours to all six.
Three things the scenarios show:
- For the CAPM alone, skip membership. It saves $75 on the exam and $50 on a retake, but costs $139. Even in the failing-once case (D vs. C) you’d pay $14 more as a member.
- Membership pays when the PMP follows quickly. If you take both exams within one membership year, the savings add up to $325 ($75 + $250), which is $186 more than the dues. The PMP fee is based on PMI’s PMP page as of September 2026 (PMI); see our PMP cost guide for the full breakdown.
- You have room for a second and third try. PMI allows up to three attempts in one year (PMI).
The 23 education hours
You need at least 23 hours of project management education before the exam, plus a secondary degree (high school diploma, GED or equivalent), and you must be at least 18 (PMI). PMI doesn’t set the price for those hours, so this is the part of the budget you control.
PMI lists its own on-demand CAPM Exam Prep course and instructor-led courses as ways to meet the requirement, but they’re not the only option.
One route worth knowing about: the Google Project Management Certificate on Coursera. Its program page says completing it qualifies you “for over 100 hours of project management education” that apply to PMI credentials such as the CAPM (Coursera). It costs $49 a month in the US and Canada, and Google says it can be completed in under six months at under ten hours a week. At six months that’s $294, and you’d have a separate credential on top.
How the CAPM saves money on the PMP
This is the part most CAPM cost guides leave out. PMI’s PMP page states: “An active CAPM certification also fulfills PMP training requirements” (PMI). The PMP normally requires 35 hours of project management training, and from December 1, 2026 live classes only count if they come from a PMI Authorized Training Partner or an accredited higher-education program.
The key word is active. The PMP also requires two to five years of project experience, depending on your education (PMI), so many people take the CAPM years before they can apply for the PMP. If your CAPM lapses in the meantime, the waiver is gone. Keeping it active means earning 15 PDUs and paying the $150 renewal ($60 for members) every three years (Scenario E). Compare that with the price of the 35-hour course you would otherwise need.
Renewal
The CAPM is valid for three years. To renew, you need 15 Professional Development Units in each three-year cycle; each PDU represents one hour of learning, teaching, presenting, reading or volunteering (PMI). The renewal fee is $150, or $60 for members (PMI store).
Fifteen hours over three years is light. Webinars, reading and work-related learning can cover most of it without buying a course.
The exam, briefly
- 150 questions, of which 15 are unscored pretest questions, in 180 minutes.
- Content: project management fundamentals and core concepts (36%), predictive, plan-based methods (17%), agile frameworks (20%), business analysis frameworks (27%).
- Taken at a Pearson VUE test center or online.
Source: PMI CAPM page.
CAPM vs. PMP vs. Google Project Management Certificate
| CAPM | PMP | Google Project Management Certificate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuer | PMI | PMI | Google, on Coursera |
| Type | Certification (exam) | Certification (exam) | Certificate of completion |
| Experience needed | none | 2 to 5 years leading projects, depending on education | none |
| Exam fee | $300 / $225 member | $655 / $405 member | none |
| Other required cost | 23 hours of education | 35 hours of training (waived with an active CAPM) | $49 per month subscription |
| Renewal | every 3 years, 15 PDUs + $150 / $60 | every 3 years, 60 PDUs + $150 / $60 | no renewal stated |
Sources: CAPM, PMP, Google Project Management Certificate. For the difference between a certificate and a certification, see our Certification Cost Index.
Is the CAPM worth $300?
PMI’s CAPM page cites an average US salary of $100,750 for CAPM-certified project managers, with Forbes as the source (PMI). That figure comes from people who hold the credential and work as project managers; it doesn’t show what the CAPM adds for someone starting out.
A more useful way to decide: the CAPM makes the most sense if you’re heading toward the PMP and can keep it active until you’re eligible, because then it replaces the PMP’s 35 training hours. As a standalone credential for an entry-level role, compare it with what employers in your field ask for before paying.
If your employer pays, in the US they can cover up to $5,250 of education costs a year tax-free under an educational assistance program (IRS Publication 15-B). General information, not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the CAPM exam?
$300, or $225 for PMI members, as listed on PMI’s CAPM page on September 22, 2026.
Should I join PMI before taking the CAPM?
Only if you plan to take the PMP within the same membership year, or you want membership for its other benefits. For the CAPM alone, membership costs $139 and saves $75.
How much does a CAPM retake cost?
$200, or $150 for members. You can take the exam up to three times in one year.
How much does it cost to renew the CAPM?
$150, or $60 for members, every three years, plus 15 PDUs.
Does the CAPM count toward the PMP?
Yes. An active CAPM fulfills the PMP’s training requirement, according to PMI’s PMP page. You still need the PMP’s experience requirement.
How we checked these numbers. Every fee comes from PMI’s CAPM page or PMI’s online store, linked where it appears, checked on September 22, 2026. PMI notes that prices can vary by region, so confirm the amount in your PMI account before paying. Certificate Quest is not affiliated with PMI, Google or Coursera and earns nothing from links on this page.