Hello Chad,
First of all, thanks for being a student and customer. I sincerely appreciate it!
Regarding your question: the 23 hours is the
minimum number of training hours that PMI requires so that you can sit for the exam. And in October of last year, I spoke to Sierra Hampton-Simmons (Head of Certification at PMI) and she told me that their surveys indicated that most CAPM candidates spend "a lot more" in training and studying. This is in fact the reason, why PMI decided to make this change to the PMP exam: If you are CAPM certified, then you do not have to show 35 hours of training.
Also, please take a look at The PrepCast Module and Lesson Directory here:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dt6PnIwh...aIM/edit?usp=sharing
In particular, check out Column I where we recommend which lessons you should watch for the CAPM. You can skip those we list as "optional". It reduces the load somewhat.
I agree that it's still a lot to take in, but it will not only prepare you for the CAPM but set you up for a career in project management and it's your first step toward the PMP as well.