A practical CAPM® study plan: 30-day intensive, 60-day balanced, and 90-day part-time schedules with weekly focus by domain and tips for using the Mastery Cloud app.
This page answers the question most candidates actually have: “How do I structure my CAPM® prep?”
Pick the timeline that matches your weekly availability, then follow the loop: Syllabus → drills → review misses → mixed sets.
Choose a plan based on hours per week:
| Time you can commit | Recommended plan | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 10–15 hrs/week | 30‑day intensive | fast coverage + lots of practice |
| 6–9 hrs/week | 60‑day balanced | steady progress + room for review |
| 3–5 hrs/week | 90‑day part‑time | slower pace + repetition |
If you want a single rule: start with ~70% learning + 30% practice, then invert it to ~30% learning + 70% practice in the final 1–2 weeks.
CAPM domain weights (PMI ECO, 2023):
| Domain | Weight | What to be good at |
|---|---|---|
| Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts | 36% | terminology, roles, planning basics, executing strategies, problem-solving tools |
| Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies | 17% | WBS/schedule logic, artifacts, basic EVM and variance interpretation |
| Agile Frameworks/Methodologies | 20% | when to use adaptive, iterations, controls/artifacts, Scrum/Kanban components |
| Business Analysis Frameworks | 27% | elicitation, traceability/backlogs, roadmaps/releases, acceptance criteria and validation |
If you want a simple allocation rule: for any given week, spend time roughly proportional to the weights (then adjust based on your weak areas).
Target pace: ~10–15 hours/week.
Goal: finish the syllabus quickly, then harden instincts through drills and mixed sets.
| Week | Focus | What to do | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fundamentals + core concepts | Build vocabulary + artifact recognition. Start short daily drills and keep a miss log. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 2 | Predictive planning (scope/schedule/cost/quality) | Learn the “order of operations” and the key formulas (PERT/EVM). Do targeted sets after each section. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet |
| 3 | Agile ways of working | Practice scenario reading: when agile is a fit, how Scrum/Kanban flows work, and what to do next. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet |
| 4 | Business analysis + integration review | Drill elicitation/requirements/traceability and do mixed sets that blend predictive/agile/BA. | Practice • FAQ |
Target pace: ~6–9 hours/week.
Goal: cover each domain with room for reinforcement and spaced repetition.
| Weeks | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Fundamentals | Learn definitions + artifacts + stakeholder/team basics. Start small daily drills. |
| 3–4 | Predictive methods | Scope → schedule → cost/EVM → quality → risk/change/procurement. Drill after every section. |
| 5 | Agile | Scrum/Kanban basics + planning/estimation + quality in delivery. |
| 6 | Business analysis | Needs assessment, elicitation, modeling, documentation, traceability, evaluation. |
| 7–8 | Mixed review | Mixed sets + revisit weak objectives; tighten formulas and decision rules. |
Target pace: ~3–5 hours/week.
Goal: slow-and-solid coverage with repetition and steady practice.
| Month | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fundamentals | Build vocabulary and workflow instincts; light drills 3–4×/week. |
| 2 | Predictive + Agile | Alternate weeks: predictive planning and agile ways of working. |
| 3 | BA + consolidation | BA coverage, then mixed sets and “miss log” cleanup. |