Cracking the PMI ACP exam starts with the right mindset (just like Agility!) We’ve summed up all the information, advice, and tips from Certified PMI-ACPs around the world so that you have no gaps or doubts before charging ahead.
So, if you’re considering PMI ACP, preparing for the exam, or doing final research, this guide will be your handy checklist! (Make sure to bookmark it or share it with your peers! :P)
Here’s an overview of what we’ll cover:
- What is the PMI ACP exam
- New Updates to the PMI ACP exam
- Exam Format & Technicalities
- Ways to Prepare for the PMI ACP exam
- Exam Day tips (actually useful ones!)
What is the PMI ACP Exam?
It is the official ISO-accredited certification exam designed by PMI for its Agile specialization certification – PMI ACP.
This PMI ACP exam tests your knowledge in 4 domains – Mindset, Leadership, Product, and Delivery.
Within these domains, it covers different agile practices like Scrum, XP, Lean, and more making it a truly agnostic Agile certification (and you, a versatile professional!) Since it creates such a strong foundation, it is ideal for agile practitioners across positions be it scrum masters, product owners, or agile project managers.
However, the ACP exam does have some eligibility requirements. Around 2 years of experience and formal training are required at the minimum. And let’s not forget – passing the 3-hour-long PMI ACP exam!
Successfully persevering through it all would make you an Agile Certified Practitioner, attested by the largest body for project management – PMI. An elite certification for a reason, isn’t it?
Well, that was the overview of the PMI ACP exam. Now let’s catch up on some recent developments to the exam – in case you missed it.
New Updates to the PMI ACP Exam
The PMI ACP exam saw updates to its syllabus, structure, and eligibility requirements recently.
Now, the first question would be – why did the update take place?
Answer: To provide the most relevant course content to agile practitioners and maintain the high standard of the certification.
The natural follow up question: on what basis do they update the curriculum?
Since the PMI ACP exam is provided by PMI – a body with rigorous examination processes – it follows industry best practices and aligns with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.
So, PMI regularly conducts a Global Practice Analysis (GPA) and a Job Task Analysis (JTA) to figure out what knowledge, skills, and tasks professionals use the most. This is to understand if the certification matches the need of the practitioners and the workforce.
For PMI ACP too, there was a JTA conducted, through which the exam was developed based on the knowledge, skills, and experience required as per industry standards for an agile practitioner. This ensures that the PMI-ACP exam accurately tests what matters in the real world!
When was the previous update? And how much time later is this update coming in?
The previous revision of the PMI ACP exam took place in December 2014. Thus, the new version came in a whole 10 years after – on November 2024!
Overview of the Updates
- Expansion of the Primary Audience: The new PMI ACP expanded its primary audience of agile project managers and scrum masters to include product development roles as well.
- Existing 7 Domains Replaced: The PMI ACP syllabus introduced 4 new domains in place of the previous 7 domains. The current ones are: Mindset, Leadership, Product, and Delivery. For a detailed breakdown of the domains, you can check out our blog on the updated PMI ACP Syllabus.
- Training Requirement Increased: Instead of 21 hours, PMI ACP exam candidates must now fulfill 28 hours of formal training requirements.
- New Question Types Introduced: The PMI ACP exam now includes multiple-response questions, drag-and-drop items, and exhibits along with the usual multiple-choice questions.
- Experience Requirement Increased: Previously, candidates needed a combination of project management and agile experience adding up to 20 months to qualify. PMI ACP now requires a minimum of 2 years of agile experience in the past 5 years. However, there are some credits for prior learning and education – to check it out, you can visit our post on PMI ACP Eligibility Requirements.
PMI ACP Exam: What’s in it?
If you’re wondering what the PMI-ACP exam looks like, here’s a simple breakdown of the format, timing, and rules.
Exam Format
- Total Questions: 120
- 100 scored questions
- 20 unscored pretest questions (These don’t count toward your final score but are mixed in randomly to test future exam questions.)
- Time Limit: 3 hours
- Extras (optional, not included in exam time):
- Tutorial before the exam.
- Survey after the exam.
- 10 Minute Break: You get a break after completing questions 1-60 (i.e. half the exam). *Note: Once you take the break, you cannot go back to previous questions.
Question Types
- Case Study/ Exhibit-based Questions
- Multiple-choice Questions
- Multiple-response Questions
- Drag and Drop Questions
- Calculation-based Questions
- Situation-based Questions
Scoring & Results
- Passing Score: PMI doesn’t disclose the exact number, but it’s assumed to be between 60-70%.
- Results: Shown immediately after the exam as Pass or Fail. You’ll get your performance in each domain with your confirmed results in the PMI portal.
Exam Mode Options
- Online Proctored Test: Take the exam from home.
- Center-Based Test: Visit a designated Pearson VUE exam center.
Exam Fees
- PMI Members: ₹25,010
- Non-Members: ₹28,454
PMI ACP exam fees vary from region-to-region. It’s best to consult your zone area for a clear view of the pricing. For more insights into other typical expenses besides the exam fee, you can visit our guide on PMI-ACP Certification Costs.
Having second thoughts? PMI ACP:
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- Helps you get better jobs. Companies value certified agile professionals.
- Proves you know agile (which companies love). Shows you understand multiple agile frameworks, not just one.
- Shows you’re dedicated to professional advancement!
This is just the gist of it. To learn more about what PMI ACP brings to the table, check out our detailed blog on PMI ACP Benefits!
Ways to Prepare for the PMI ACP Exam
We saw what’s in the exam, now let’s see how to gear up for it!
Preparing for the PMI-ACP exam requires a structured approach, balancing study, practice, and lesson retrospectives. Let’s look at how you can effectively do that:
1. Taking up a PMI ACP Certification Course
A dedicated PMI ACP certification course would naturally give an effective start to your exam preparation – But, note that it’s also a mandatory requirement!
As per PMI’s eligibility criteria, you must report 28 hours of training on your application before sitting for the exam.
💡Note: Choose an ATP to ensure your training is PMI-approved. ATPs would give you Instructor-Led Training (ILT) materials that are designed to meet the exam requirements. This helps eliminate any blind spots in your learning.
You can opt for a prerecorded course online or go for intensive live training. Currently, the self-paced courses online are not updated to the current curriculum.
As for live PMI ACP training, it typically spans 3-5 days, depending on the pacing of the provider. By investing in a live course, you basically trade your lack of time for focused, tailored resources. These resources include personalized tips, one-on-one teaching, and study materials, all designed to ensure you’re exam-ready easily.
At ProThoughts, we take it a step further by incorporating game-based learning into our courses. This interactive approach keeps you engaged and also helps reinforce all the important Agile concepts.
> Creating a Study Plan
- Time Commitment: You would need 6–8 weeks of focused study, based on your existing agile knowledge & experience. Candidates who work in agile environments typically find the prep easier.
- Daily Study Time: Aim for 1–2 hours per day. If you have a full-time job, block study time in the early morning or after work hours – but maintain a consistent schedule.
- Create a Calendar: Assign specific topics for each week, covering theory first, followed by practice questions.
> Studying for the PMI ACP Exam
Exam Content Outline: While studying, your first step should be reviewing the Exam Content Outline (ECO) provided by PMI. Moreover, you must align your preparation with the PMI ACP Exam Content Outline (ECO). Prioritize topics based on the exam distribution of the Domains, Tasks, and Enablers and how difficult you find the concepts.
Agile Practice Guide: The Agile Practice Guide is a recommended read for your PMI ACP exam. It explains PMI’s “language” in Agile. It is free for PMI members (you can access it here: Agile Practice Guide). Non-members would have to purchase it.
PMI ACP Exam Books & Guides for Extra Reading: You can supplement your learning from the Guide and the ECO with 1-2 reference books suggested by PMI for the PMI ACP exam.
- Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great by Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber
- Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game – 2nd Edition by Alistair Cockburn
- The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility by Michele Sliger, Stacia Broderick
- Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins
- Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products – 2nd Edition by Jim Highsmith
- Becoming Agile: …in an imperfect world by Greg Smith, Ahmed Sidky
- Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn
- The Art of Agile Development by James Shore
- User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development by Mike Cohn
- Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber
- Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility by Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott
You don’t have to read them all to prepare for the exam. Sticking to 1-2 books, and the training material given by your course provider would be more than enough.
💡We recommend thoroughly reading through a topic, and taking quizzes or practice questions on that topic right after.
> Practicing & Identifying Knowledge Gaps
As you study, keep practicing questions on the topics to get the feel of how the exam would test your knowledge. After reading through a topic, take quizzes online or through one of the reference books on it. Mike Griffith’s book has such questions at the end of each chapter.
Analyze your mistakes from the practice questions and note down your weaker areas. Which formula did you mess up? Is a concept not sitting right for you in situation-based questions? Which term did you completely blank out on? – Focus on all these areas when you revisit the topic.
You can revisit concepts using:
- Flashcards: After a while, reading lengthy material becomes cumbersome. Stick to flashcards when you can.
- Pocket Prep app: You can use this app to practice questions on the go – easier when you’re testing your knowledge once again.
- ChatGPT/AI tools: You can use AI tools to simplify, analyze, and explain confusing concepts and questions. Although, be careful with its explanations to exam questions – it might not be 100% accurate.
- YouTube Videos: There are quite a few videos online explaining specific Agile concepts or solving Agile or PMI-ACP questions. You can watch these, if reading becomes too difficult!
Rinse and repeat for all the domains, tasks, and enablers in the PMI ACP syllabus and keep tracking your progress.
💡Remember to not get stuck on one single topic for too long! You can ask questions in online study groups or your trainer directly if it is consuming too much time on your own.
> Mock Exams – Aim for 70%+
Once you complete the practice questions, start taking full length mock exams. While taking the PMI ACP mock exams, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Stick to the Exam Timing: Many candidates struggle with time management for the PMI ACP exam (even more than PMP!). To ensure you’re not scrambling for time, take the mock exams like you would take the real exam!
- Practice Focusing for 3 Hours Straight: While this sounds like the point above, it’s a tad different. Most of us are not used to sitting and studying for longer periods. So, it gets difficult to focus and you might find yourself getting restless during the actual exam. Take your mock exams with complete discipline to build this habit.
- Analyze your results: Keep checking where you’re going wrong and right. Build on the weaker areas, and use the stronger areas to pace through questions quicker. And of course – keep taking practice exams till you’re confident!
- The Real Exam will be Tougher: Recent exam takers have found that the official PMI ACP exam is tougher than the mock exams. You’ll see 2 really good answer choices and have to pick the “better” one. Also, some questions are too long, forcing you to re-read them which wastes time.
Key Exam Prep Tips:
- Handwritten notes will be your best guides while studying.
- Don’t procrastinate – Study a little every day. Consistency beats cramming!
- Don’t try to memorize everything – The exam tests application. So, simply focus on your concepts.
- For lengthy questions – Read the answer choices first, then the question. It helps filter out unnecessary details.
- Practice elimination method – When you’re unsure, remove wrong answers first. It’ll give you a clearer perspective – practice this until perfect!
- The breadth of Agile concepts in the exam is huge – but trust your foundational knowledge of scrum and project management while learning.
Conclusion
The exam is challenging, but with consistent study, practice, and the right mindset, you can succeed. Stick to your study plan, trust your preparation, and walk in confidently on exam day.
