PMI-ACP Exam Guide

A week-by-week PMI-ACP study plan covering all seven exam content domains, plus Agile exam-day strategy and the key topics to master.

Exam Information

180 minutes

Duration

120 questions (approx.)

Questions

Above Target in each domain

Passing Score

$495 USD (PMI members $360)

Exam Cost

Recommended Study Plan

Week 1

Agile Principles and Mindset

16% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: The Manifesto still values items on both sides; it simply values the left side more when there is a tradeoff
Agile Manifesto (4 values, 12 principles)
Servant leadership
Self-organizing teams
Psychological safety
Sustainable pace
Cynefin framework

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#agile-principles-mindset

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 2

Value-Driven Delivery

20% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Prioritize by value and risk, not by who has the loudest voice on the team
MVP and MMP
MoSCoW, Kano, WSJF prioritization
Velocity and burn charts
User stories and INVEST
Kanban and WIP limits
Technical debt

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#value-driven-delivery

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 3

Stakeholder Engagement

17% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Engagement is continuous, so avoid answers that limit stakeholder contact to one phase
Stakeholder analysis and power/interest grid
Communication planning
Sprint reviews and demos
Active listening
Personas and user research

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#stakeholder-engagement

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 4

Team Performance

16% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: The Tuckman model helps you choose the right coaching stance for the stage a team is in
Tuckman model
TDD and pair programming
Continuous integration
Collective code ownership
Servant leadership

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#team-performance

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 5

Adaptive Planning

12% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Velocity is team-specific, so comparing it across teams is a classic wrong answer
Progressive elaboration
Velocity-based forecasting
Planning poker and story points
Release and iteration planning
Cone of uncertainty

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#adaptive-planning

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 6

Problem Detection and Resolution

10% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Retrospectives must be blameless to get honest input from the whole team
Sprint retrospectives
5 Whys and fishbone diagrams
Risk management in agile
Spikes
Technical debt management

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#problem-detection-resolution

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 7

Continuous Improvement

9% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Continuous improvement applies to product, process, and people, not to process alone
Kaizen and PDCA
Communities of Practice
Retrospective formats
Inspect and adapt
Value stream mapping

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#continuous-improvement

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 8

Final Review & Practice Exams

All domains

8-10 hours

Complete all three full-length practice exams
Review incorrect answers and weak domains
Revisit flashcards for key terms
Timed review of highest-weight domains

Recommended Resources:

Practice exams

Flashcards

Study notes PDF

Exam Tips & Strategies

Answer From the Agile Mindset

PMI-ACP rewards the values of the Agile Manifesto — prefer collaboration, working software, and responding to change over rigid plans and documentation.

Budget About 1.5 Minutes per Question

The exam gives you 180 minutes for 120 questions. Flag lengthy scenario questions and return to them rather than losing time up front.

Master the Tools per Domain

Know which technique answers a scenario: WSJF and Kano for prioritisation, Planning Poker for estimation, and burn charts for tracking value delivery.

Serve the Team, Do Not Command It

Prefer servant-leadership answers — remove impediments, coach, and let the team self-organise — over directive management choices.

Key Topics to Master

Agile Manifesto (4 values, 12 principles)

Servant leadership

MVP and MMP

MoSCoW, Kano, WSJF prioritization

Stakeholder analysis and power/interest grid

Communication planning

Tuckman model

TDD and pair programming

Progressive elaboration

Velocity-based forecasting

Sprint retrospectives

5 Whys and fishbone diagrams

Kaizen and PDCA

Communities of Practice

For the most up-to-date exam information, visit the official exam guide.

View Official Exam Guide

Recommended Study Plan

Week 1

Agile Principles and Mindset

16% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: The Manifesto still values items on both sides; it simply values the left side more when there is a tradeoff
Agile Manifesto (4 values, 12 principles)
Servant leadership
Self-organizing teams
Psychological safety
Sustainable pace
Cynefin framework

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#agile-principles-mindset

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 2

Value-Driven Delivery

20% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Prioritize by value and risk, not by who has the loudest voice on the team
MVP and MMP
MoSCoW, Kano, WSJF prioritization
Velocity and burn charts
User stories and INVEST
Kanban and WIP limits
Technical debt

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#value-driven-delivery

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 3

Stakeholder Engagement

17% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Engagement is continuous, so avoid answers that limit stakeholder contact to one phase
Stakeholder analysis and power/interest grid
Communication planning
Sprint reviews and demos
Active listening
Personas and user research

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#stakeholder-engagement

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 4

Team Performance

16% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: The Tuckman model helps you choose the right coaching stance for the stage a team is in
Tuckman model
TDD and pair programming
Continuous integration
Collective code ownership
Servant leadership

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#team-performance

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 5

Adaptive Planning

12% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Velocity is team-specific, so comparing it across teams is a classic wrong answer
Progressive elaboration
Velocity-based forecasting
Planning poker and story points
Release and iteration planning
Cone of uncertainty

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#adaptive-planning

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 6

Problem Detection and Resolution

10% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Retrospectives must be blameless to get honest input from the whole team
Sprint retrospectives
5 Whys and fishbone diagrams
Risk management in agile
Spikes
Technical debt management

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#problem-detection-resolution

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 7

Continuous Improvement

9% of exam

6-8 hours

Focus: Continuous improvement applies to product, process, and people, not to process alone
Kaizen and PDCA
Communities of Practice
Retrospective formats
Inspect and adapt
Value stream mapping

Recommended Resources:

PMI official objectives

/certifications/pmi/acp/notes#continuous-improvement

/certifications/pmi/acp/practice

/certifications/pmi/acp/study-guide

Week 8

Final Review & Practice Exams

All domains

8-10 hours

Complete all three full-length practice exams
Review incorrect answers and weak domains
Revisit flashcards for key terms
Timed review of highest-weight domains

Recommended Resources:

Practice exams

Flashcards

Study notes PDF

Exam Tips & Strategies

Answer From the Agile Mindset

PMI-ACP rewards the values of the Agile Manifesto — prefer collaboration, working software, and responding to change over rigid plans and documentation.

Budget About 1.5 Minutes per Question

The exam gives you 180 minutes for 120 questions. Flag lengthy scenario questions and return to them rather than losing time up front.

Master the Tools per Domain

Know which technique answers a scenario: WSJF and Kano for prioritisation, Planning Poker for estimation, and burn charts for tracking value delivery.

Serve the Team, Do Not Command It

Prefer servant-leadership answers — remove impediments, coach, and let the team self-organise — over directive management choices.

Key Topics to Master

Agile Manifesto (4 values, 12 principles)

Servant leadership

MVP and MMP

MoSCoW, Kano, WSJF prioritization

Stakeholder analysis and power/interest grid

Communication planning

Tuckman model

TDD and pair programming

Progressive elaboration

Velocity-based forecasting

Sprint retrospectives

5 Whys and fishbone diagrams

Kaizen and PDCA

Communities of Practice