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Here's what each certification actually is — and who it's for.
A hands-on, self-paced 7-course series. Build real artifacts — charters, schedules, risk docs — and a portfolio you can show in interviews. No prerequisites. Includes AI modules as of 2026.
A proctored, exam-based certification recognized worldwide. 150 questions in 180 minutes covering predictive, agile, and business analysis frameworks. Requires a secondary degree + 23 hrs PM education.
Choose Google PM if you want hands-on, job-ready skills fast, with portfolio artifacts and the lowest upfront cost. It's beginner-friendly, self-paced, and now includes AI modules.
Choose CAPM if you need a globally recognized, exam-based credential that hiring managers know and screen for — and if you're tracking toward PMP.
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Every detail you need to make an informed decision.
| Criteria | 🅶 Google PM | 🏅 CAPM |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Google (via Coursera) | PMI (Project Management Institute) |
| Type | Certificate of completion | Exam-based certification |
| Prerequisites | None | High school diploma + 23 hrs PM education |
| Cost (US) | ~$49/mo (finish in ~3–6 months) | $225 member / $300 non-member |
| Time to Complete | 3–6 months (~10 hrs/wk) | 6–10 weeks of focused study |
| Format | Self-paced video + graded assignments | Proctored exam (150 Qs, 180 min) |
| Renewal | None | 15 PDUs every 3 years |
| Portfolio artifacts | ✓ Charter, WBS, risk/stakeholder docs, capstone | ✗ Exam only |
| AI training (2026) | ✓ Included | — |
| Agile coverage | ✓ Scrum, Kanban, hybrid | ✓ 20% of exam (Scrum, Kanban, XP) |
| Global recognition | Growing — employer consortiums in multiple countries | High — established global standard |
| PMP pathway | ✓ Counts toward 35-hr education requirement | ✓ Active CAPM satisfies 35-hr requirement |
| College credit (ACE) | ✓ Up to 9 credits (institution-dependent) | — |
| ATS/recruiter screening | Moderate | High — often listed in job filters |
Answer each question about yourself on a scale of 1–5. Your recommendation updates in real time.
Week-by-week plans you can start today. Pick your path:
PM vocabulary, project life cycles, stakeholder identification, and the initiation phase. Create your first project charter draft.
WBS, estimates, scheduling, risk register, and stakeholder communication plan. These are your core portfolio artifacts.
Scrum ceremonies, Kanban boards, backlog handling, and hybrid approaches. Key differentiator for modern PM roles.
Quality management, change control, performance reporting, and communication artifacts for project execution.
Complete the capstone project, compile your portfolio case study, and complete the AI job-search module.
Project life cycles, ethics and professional conduct, PM roles and responsibilities, planning components, and process groups.
Scrum, Kanban, XP — ceremonies, roles, artifacts. Adaptive metrics, velocity, burndown, and iteration planning.
WBS, CPM, critical path analysis, Earned Value Management (CPI/SPI/EAC), quality management, and integration.
Requirements elicitation, traceability matrices, acceptance criteria, stakeholder analysis, and solution evaluation.
Two complete 150-question, 180-minute timed practice tests. Include drag-and-drop and hotspot item types. Analyze misses by domain.
Targeted review of your lowest-scoring domains. Final 150-question mock exam. Readiness check — aim for 75%+ before exam day.
Everything you've wondered about, answered plainly.