Disclosed is a method of controlling the flow rate of a hydraulic pump, which controls the discharge flow rate in proportion to a manipulated amount of a manipulation lever operated by a user even when the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump is varied. The method of controlling the flow rate of a variable capacity hydraulic pump for a construction apparatus according to the present invention includes: a first step of calculating the required flow rate of the variable capacity hydraulic pump according to a manipulated amount of a manipulation lever operated by a user; a second step of calculating the maximum discharge flow rate within a range equal to or less than a preset horsepower or torque of the variable capacity hydraulic pump corresponding to the pressure detected by a discharge pressure detecting sensor; and a third step of controlling the discharge flow rate of the variable capacity hydraulic pump in proportion to a manipulated amount of the manipulation lever within a range equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate set in the second step.