Do I need CAPM before PMP?

No. If you already meet the PMP experience requirement, you can apply for PMP directly. CAPM is a good first step if you do not yet have enough documented project leadership experience, and a current CAPM can also satisfy the education requirement for PMP.

Will an Alalamia course count towards my contact hours?

Our certificate records the contact hours you complete on a project management course, and you can list them in your application. To receive the certificate you must attend at least 80% of the course, and for the full 35 or 23 hours you need to complete those hours. PMI reviews each application and decides what it accepts.

Can I sit the PMP or CAPM exam in Damascus?

Yes. PMI exams are delivered through Pearson VUE, and Alalamia is an Authorised Test Centre for Pearson VUE and Prometric in Mazzeh, Damascus. Once PMI approves your application, tell us the exam you are booking and we will confirm it before you book or pay.

PMP or CAPM: Which Is Right for You?

Two certifications, two stages of a career

The Project Management Professional (PMP) and the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) both come from the Project Management Institute (PMI), and both are built on the same body of knowledge. The difference is who they are for. PMP recognises people who already lead projects and can prove it. CAPM recognises people who understand project management principles and want to start or grow a project career, with no experience required.

Choosing between them is less about ambition and more about evidence: what can you document today?

Who can apply

PMI sets the eligibility rules and reviews every application. These are the main routes as we understand them; confirm them on PMI's official pages before you apply, because PMI updates its handbooks.

PMP with a four-year degree: at least 36 months of experience leading projects within the past eight years, plus 35 contact hours of project management education or training (or a current CAPM).
PMP with a secondary diploma or associate's degree: at least 60 months of experience leading projects within the past eight years, plus 35 contact hours of education or training (or a current CAPM).
PMP through a degree programme accredited by PMI's accreditation centre: PMI offers a shorter experience route for these graduates; check the handbook for the current requirement.
CAPM: a secondary diploma, plus 23 contact hours of project management education completed before the exam. No project experience is needed.

What the exams look like

The PMP exam is a long, scenario-based exam covering three domains: people, process and the business environment. It mixes predictive, agile and hybrid approaches, and includes several question types such as multiple choice, multiple response, matching and hotspot questions, with scheduled breaks during the session. PMI refreshed the PMP exam content outline in 2026, so check the current number of questions, timing and domain weightings on PMI's website before you plan your revision.

The CAPM exam is shorter and tests your understanding of project management fundamentals, predictive planning, agile frameworks and business analysis basics. It focuses on knowledge and application rather than on judgement drawn from years of leading teams.

Keeping your certification active

Both certifications run on a three-year cycle. To renew PMP, you earn 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three years, split between education (learning in ways of working, power skills and business acumen) and giving back to the profession, with education making up most of the total. CAPM is also renewed through PDUs on a three-year cycle under PMI's current policy, at a much lower requirement than PMP.

Every hour of relevant structured learning, including our courses, can be recorded as education PDUs, subject to PMI's rules.

Which one suits you?

Choose CAPM if you are a student or recent graduate, if you coordinate or support projects without leading them, or if you are moving into project work from another field. It shows employers that you speak the language of project management and gives you a clear path to PMP later.

Choose PMP if you have led projects, meaning you directed and managed the work, even without the formal title of project manager, and you can document the required months. PMP is widely recognised as the senior credential and is often requested for project manager roles in larger organisations and international projects.

How to log your experience for PMP

Most delays in PMP applications come from weak experience descriptions, not from a lack of experience. Prepare your record before you open the application.

List each project with its start and end dates, your organisation, your role and a contact who can confirm your work.
Describe each project briefly in your own words: the objective, your responsibilities, the outcome, and the stages you led, from initiation to closing.
Use the language of leading and directing, and focus on what you did, not what the team did.
Remember that overlapping projects count once in calendar months, so running two projects at the same time does not double your experience.
Keep supporting evidence such as certificates of attendance for your contact hours, in case PMI selects your application for audit.

Studying while working

Most of our project management learners study alongside a full-time job. What works best is a steady rhythm: a fixed weekly schedule, a short daily review, and regular practice questions under timed conditions in the final weeks. Link what you learn to your own projects, because the PMP exam rewards practical judgement in realistic situations.

Our live online classes and short live classes make it easier to fit study around work, and our self-paced library and the Alalamia Unlimited subscription let you revise at your own pace for 12 months.

Sitting PMI exams in Damascus

PMI exams, including the PMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP and PMI-RMP, are delivered through Pearson VUE, and you can sit them at Alalamia's Authorised Test Centre in Mazzeh, Damascus, on a secure, individually proctored workstation. Your result is recorded directly with PMI.

Before you can schedule, PMI must approve your application, including your experience and contact hours for the PMP. Once you are approved, tell us the exact exam you are booking and we will confirm it before you book or pay. The list of exams we deliver is on our Exams we deliver page.

How Alalamia can help

Our Management & Leadership courses prepare you for PMP and CAPM with instructor-led sessions, case studies and exam practice. Your Alalamia certificate records the contact hours you complete, which you can list in your PMI application; PMI decides what it accepts. Exam fees are separate and paid to PMI or its delivery provider.

Call or WhatsApp +963 991 099 555, or email info@alalamia-sy.com, to talk through your eligibility and the right course for you.

PMP or CAPM: which project management certification is right for you?