The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)is a great certification for individuals that do not meet the experience requirements for the PMP, but yet still want to differentiate themselves within the market.

The process to apply for the CAPM was already relatively painless, especially in comparison to the other PMI credentials, however, PMI has made it a bit easier, effective immediately.

According to PMI Community Post, 28 January 2011, the changes are:

1. Expanded window for education hours for eligibility:
One of the eligibility criteria for the CAPM certification requires a candidate to complete 23 hours of project management training, which must be completed at the time you submit your application. Now, you must agree to complete the 23 hours of education before you sit for the exam. Therefore, if you apply in February and don’t plan to sit for the exam until May, you have those few months to complete your training.

2. Increased number of test centers:
PMI and its test administration partner, Prometric, have expanded the network of test centers available for the CAPM exam to approximately 5,000, thereby giving candidates more computer-based testing centers to choose from when scheduling their exam. The complete list can be found on Prometric’s website.

To learn more about the CAPM certification, you can view the CAPM handbook on the PMI site