CAPM Online or at a Test Center? OnVUE Rules, Check-In and What Ends a Session

PMI offers the CAPM in two ways: at a Pearson VUE test center, which PMI recommends, or online with Pearson VUE's OnVUE remote proctoring. PMI's certification FAQ frames online testing as the option for people who are unable to test at a center, mentions testing "from your home or office," and adds that "some restrictions apply." Pearson VUE's own rules are stricter about the room, as the checklist below shows. The exam is the same 150 questions in 3 hours either way. What changes is the setup, the notes you can take, one question style, and the ways a session can go wrong.

Test center or online: a CAPM decision checklist

The rules in the right-hand column come from PMI's Certification Handbook (revised June 2026), PMI's CAPM Examination Content Outline and Pearson VUE's OnVUE page for PMI, the vendor page the handbook points to, as checked on October 27, 2026.

The ID rule is the same in both modes. You need a valid, unexpired, government-issued ID with your photo and signature, in English (Roman) characters or with an official English translation, and the name must match your scheduling notification exactly. If your government ID lacks a photo or a signature, the handbook allows a current secondary ID that supplies what's missing. If you test in the country that issued the ID, local characters are accepted. Anywhere else, only an ID in Roman characters works.

Whichever you choose, rehearse in conditions close to it. You can rehearse a 3-hour sitting at your own desk with the browser-based timed mock planned for full CAPM prep, which isn't on sale yet.

Before you book the CAPM online: identity check and system test

Two steps come before an online exam day:

1. Pass PMI's pre-scheduling identity verification. The handbook makes it a condition for booking an online appointment, on top of the ID review at the start of the exam. If you fail it, PMI directs you to book a test center instead. If you ask for a refund after failing it, PMI deducts a US$100 administrative fee.
2. Pass Pearson VUE's system test on the same computer and network you'll use on exam day. Pearson VUE also suggests restarting your computer before the exam and making sure no one else on the network is streaming or downloading.

Pearson VUE's minimum setup, as listed on its PMI page:

Pearson VUE warns that failing these requirements on exam day can mean immediate cancellation and loss of the exam fee. In Japan and South Korea, PMI's FAQ says the PMP has a separate online option through ATA, and other online PMI exams there, the CAPM included, go through Pearson VUE.

CAPM exam day online with OnVUE

1. Start check-in 30 minutes before your appointment. You complete technology checks, photograph yourself and your ID, and do a 360-degree scan of the room.
2. Clear the desk. Only the computer, pre-approved items and a drink in an unmarked container may stay. Everything else on, under or within arm's reach goes: electronics, books, notes, paper and pens, tissue boxes, food, bags, wallets, coats and glasses cases. Clear any whiteboard or note board in the room.
3. Take the exam. There is an optional tutorial, then 150 questions in 3 hours, with a digital whiteboard on screen. Animation items appear as comic strips. After question 75, once you have reviewed your answers and started the 10-minute break, you can't return to the first 75.
4. Stay in view. The session is recorded. Pearson VUE says not to leave the webcam view unless your exam confirms you are on an approved break, not to speak or read aloud, not to let anyone see your screen, and not to touch your phone unless a proctor allows it.
5. If something breaks, use the in-exam chat. Proctors can't pause or extend your exam or fix your device, so if the computer freezes or disconnects, close and relaunch OnVUE from your downloads folder, then contact Pearson VUE's customer service if the problem continues.

When the exam ends, the handbook says computer-based candidates receive a score report with an overall result and feedback by domain. The CAPM passing score and results guide explains how to read it.

CAPM exam day at a Pearson VUE test center

Most of the handbook's exam-day rules describe the center experience. A timeline for a fictional 9:00 a.m. appointment, with approximate times:

A few center rules surprise people:

• The locker stays shut. You can't open it again until your appointment is over, so if a medical condition means you need medication, food or a drink in the testing room, you need PMI's authorization before you schedule.
• Layers stay on. You can wear a sweater or jewelry into the testing room, but you can't take it off once inside.
• Unscheduled breaks are possible. You need the proctor's permission, sign out and back in, show your ID each time, and go through security again. The handbook doesn't say the exam clock stops, so plan as if it keeps running.
• Speak up in the moment. If anything goes wrong during the exam, raise your hand while it is happening. Every session is recorded on audio and video.

Budget about four hours at the center: 30 minutes of check-in, up to 15 minutes of tutorial, 3 hours of exam and a 10-minute break, plus the survey. The last few days before that are easier with a plan, and a Cram plan for your final days is planned as part of full CAPM prep.

What can end a CAPM session early, online or at a center

The handbook lets the administrator or proctor dismiss a candidate, and PMI cancel scores, when there is a reasonable basis to conclude the candidate did any of the following:

• Used, or tried to use, someone else to take the test
• Failed to provide acceptable identification
• Had access to or used notes or any prohibited aid
• Created a disturbance
• Communicated with anyone other than the administrator or proctor about the test
• Tried to remove scratch paper from the room, or tore it
• Ate or drank in the testing room
• Left the testing room or the center's vicinity without permission
• Removed, or tried to remove, exam material in any form
• Tampered with a computer
• Engaged in any other dishonest or unethical conduct, or broke other exam rules

Three more ways to lose the session before it starts: refusing any part of PMI's Candidate Security Acknowledgment ends it immediately, an ID that is damaged or doesn't match your booking exactly means you can't test and must reapply and pay the exam fee again, and, online, an environment that fails Pearson VUE's checks means you can't test and forfeit the fee.

Switching between online and a test center after you book

The handbook lets you change the delivery type by canceling your appointment and choosing the other type when you reschedule. Timing decides the cost:

Two related limits: PMI can't add accommodations to an existing appointment, and it can't change the language of one. In both cases you cancel first, then make the request. The CAPM exam cost guide covers the fees, and the CAPM exam format guide compares the tools in each mode and works through the pacing.

Rehearse the CAPM in the mode you'll test in

The most useful preparation for either mode is one full rehearsal that copies it. For online, sit at the same desk and computer, run the system test the same week, and use only an on-screen notepad, not paper. For a center, use paper or a small whiteboard and sit for the full 3 hours with the break after question 75. Start with Passy's 20 free CAPM practice questions to check your footing, and once you have a date, see which planned CAPM access period covers the weeks up to your appointment.