Three schedules, one outline
Each row links its topic pages: read the page, clear its practice board, then read the note under every option you missed. PMI publishes weights for the four domains only, and each topic page names the domain it belongs to. The eight-week plan gives every topic page a slot; the twelve-week plan gives each domain weeks in proportion to its weight: four, two, two and three.
4 weeks
For someone who already works around schedules, registers and backlogs. The outline falls into rough thirds, so the first three weeks do too.
Week 1
Fundamentals and core concepts (36%)
The largest domain gets a full week: life cycles and portfolios, plans and registers, risks and issues, roles and leadership and meetings and problem solving. Clear each board before moving on.
Week 2
Predictive and agile (17% and 20%)
Predictive processes, WBS and critical path, cost and schedule variance, then agile fit and frameworks and iterations and backlog. Put the earned value formulas on the flashcards on day one so they have the week to settle.
Week 3
Business analysis (27%)
BA roles and communication, requirements and tracing and roadmaps and releases. End the week by re-running every miss from weeks 1 and 2.
Week 4
Two sprints and the gaps between them
Run the timed sprint early in the week, reread the topic page behind every miss, then run it again before the weekend.
8 weeks
The middle setting, and the sensible default when you are unsure where you stand. Iterations and backlog runs across two slots, because Domain III has only two topic pages to carry its weight.
Week 1
Life cycles & portfolios · Plans & registers
Life cycles & portfolios. Plans & registers. Read the topic page, then clear its board.
Week 2
Risks & issues · Roles & leadership
Risks & issues. Roles & leadership. Board first, reading second. Read the notes on every miss.
Week 3
Meetings & problem solving · Predictive processes
Meetings & problem solving. Predictive processes. Re-run the misses from last week before anything new.
Week 4
WBS & critical path · Cost & schedule variance
WBS & critical path. Cost & schedule variance. One topic page per sitting. Finish the board before stopping.
Week 5
Agile fit & frameworks · Iterations & backlog
Agile fit & frameworks. Iterations & backlog. Read the topic page, then clear its board.
Week 6
Iterations & backlog · BA roles & communication
Iterations & backlog. BA roles & communication. Board first, reading second. Read the notes on every miss.
Week 7
Requirements & tracing · Roadmaps & releases
Requirements & tracing. Roadmaps & releases. Re-run the misses from last week before anything new.
Week 8
Timed sprint and review
Run the timed sprint, then reread the topic pages behind every miss.
12 weeks
For a first contact with project management, or a calendar with other things in it. Domain I gets four weeks, the rest in proportion.
Week 1
Life cycles and portfolios
Life cycles and portfolios. Clear the board, then run it again for whatever you missed.
Week 2
The plan and its milestones
Plans and registers, milestone cards included. Read the notes on every miss.
Week 3
Risks and issues
Risks and issues, from the charter to the risk register. Re-run last week’s misses first.
Week 4
Roles, meetings and problem solving
Roles and leadership, RACI included, then meetings and their root cause tools. Domain I ends here.
Week 5
Predictive processes and the WBS
Predictive processes, then WBS and critical path. One topic page per sitting.
Week 6
Schedule and cost control
Back to the critical path cards for any float you missed, then cost and schedule variance. Formulas go on the flashcards on day one.
Week 7
Choosing and running an agile approach
Agile fit and frameworks, with Scrum and Kanban side by side. Re-run the Domain II misses first.
Week 8
Iterations and backlog
Iterations and backlog, from user stories and story points to burndown charts. Domain III ends here.
Week 9
Business analysis roles
BA roles and communication, stakeholder analysis included. Board first, reading second.
Week 10
Requirements and acceptance
Requirements and tracing, including the traceability matrix and done against acceptance criteria. Read the notes on every miss.
Week 11
Roadmaps and releases
Roadmaps and releases, MoSCoW included. Then re-run every miss from the whole plan.
Week 12
Timed sprint and review
Run the timed sprint, reread the topic pages behind every miss, then run it again at the end of the week.
How long to study for the CAPM
PMI publishes no recommended number of study hours, and this site does not invent one. What PMI does set is the entry requirement: 23 hours of project management education, completed before you sit the exam (CAPM ECO, checked October 30, 2026). Those hours have to come from a provider type the outline lists: PMI Authorized Training Partners, PMI chapters, employer programs, training companies, distance learning with an end-of-course assessment, or universities. Practice boards and apps, this site’s included, are not on that list; CAPM requirements covers what is.
Choose a plan by your starting point. Four weeks suits someone who already uses schedules, risk registers and backlogs at work and mainly needs the exam’s vocabulary. Twelve suits a first contact with the field. Eight sits between them.
The calendar has an outer edge. PMI’s eligibility period is one year, with up to three attempts inside it (PMI Certification Handbook, checked October 30, 2026). Any of these plans fits well inside that year; the usual problem is starting in month eleven, not running out of plan.
The exam itself is 3 hours (180 minutes) with one 10-minute break at the halfway point, and the first half closes once you take it (CAPM ECO, checked October 30, 2026). What that format asks of you is on how hard is the CAPM exam.
Where the weight sits
PMI’s four domain weights, with the topic pages filed under each (CAPM ECO, checked October 30, 2026)
Weights: 2023 ECO (PMI CAPM Examination Content Outline, 2023 update).