PMI-ACP® Certification Preparatory Course
Why the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) Certification?
The ability to deal with complexity in several different ways, thriving on rapid change to move projects forward and the understanding of various agile ideas makes professionals sought after across small and large organizations alike. While there are many different certificates one can pursue, Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner is sought after and valuable due to its overarching nature – it covers multiple methodologies while never losing its focus on the agile mindset and thinking.
PMI is best known for its Project Management Professional (PMP®), which is one of the most valuable certificates one could acquire as a project manager. The PMI-ACP® was the result of their attempt to expand into the agile space, and it went through a significant overhaul in November 2024 to better reflect the changing nature of the adaptive approach.
PMI-ACP® Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the PMI-ACP® credential, you must meet certain educational and professional experience requirements, listed below:
| Educational Background | Secondary degree (high school diploma or global equivalent) |
| Agile Project Experience | 24 months/ 2 years of agile experience within the last 5 years (a current PMP® satisfies this requirement but is not mandatory |
| Training in Agile Practices | 28 hours of training in agile practices, frameworks, and methodologies. Candidates with a third-party certification or who have completed a GAC core project management course, are pre-approved to fulfil this requirement. |
PMI-ACP® certification curriculum and examinations
The exam is based on the latest edition of the PMI-ACP® Examination Content Outline, a document developed by PMI® that details the theoretical knowledge required for the exam. The exam questions cover four domains identified by PMI® – Mindset, Leadership, Product and Delivery. The three-hour test consists of 120 multiple-choice questions that are designed to measure the student’s comprehension of both the agile mindset and its tools.
The PMI-ACP® certification examination is conducted in English. It is a computer-based test operated by Pearson VUE, either in test centres or online. Test centre locations are listed here: https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/pmi.html
Online tests are proctored and come with strict rules on location and computer hardware. Check the details here: https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/pmi/onvue.html
What does EY Academy of Business offer?
Our course is based on the latest Exam Content Outline, updated by PMI in November 2024. It is specially designed to help candidates apply effective examination techniques while offering participants thorough understanding of the agile principles and mindset. They usually take place over weekdays and are conducted in English.
The comprehensive course materials have been specially prepared to cover the entirety of the PMI-ACP® Examination Content Outline. Our training package includes access to a high quality, internationally recognized, extensive bank of questions (4 full tests, 480 questions in total) to help participants finish their preparation individually after the course.
28 contact hours (PDUs) are granted for attending the PMI-ACP® Programme.
Training methodology
To pass the certification examination, participants must be up to date with and fluent in a wide range of topics, demonstrate a clear understanding of the agile mindset and its tools, and be able to apply that knowledge quickly and confidently. Candidates must therefore prepare thoroughly and undertake a serious study to pass the examination.
To ensure that candidates obtain maximum support and guidance, we provide an intensive modular course that covers all the topics tested in the PMI-ACP® certification exam. The course will take the form of a workshop and will facilitate effective self-study. In addition, participants will have opportunities to test their knowledge through sample questions to ensure that they can apply both their knowledge and examination techniques.
The tutors are PMP® and PMI-ACP® certified, have long experience in both predictive and adaptive (agile) methodologies and have been running preparatory courses for other PMI certificates for more than 15 years with outstanding success rates – almost all participants pass on their first attempt.
The course is primarily aimed at:
- Professionals working on Agile teams
- People from organizations considering or currently adopting Agile
The course will:
- Bring the understanding of the necessary concepts and mindset necessary for passing the exam.
- Explain the tools and techniques backed with real-life examples to make their understanding easier, thanks to our trainer who has more than 20 years of agile experience.
- Give you a question database with 480 questions (4 full tests) so that you can continue to prepare individually after the course.
PMI-ACP® course outline
The course follows the PMI-ACP® Exam Content Outline document (found here) and is based on four domains:
Domain 1 – Mindset (28% of questions)
Agile practitioners should have a deep understanding of the agile mindset and principles and the ability to apply them in practice. They should be able to create an environment that fosters innovation, experimentation, and continuous learning. Additionally, they should be able to promote collaboration and teamwork, establish a shared vision and working agreements, and develop high-performing teams. They should also be able to use retrospective findings to improve the team and breakdown silos. Finally, agile practitioners should be able to evaluate the team’s understanding of agile and tailor the approach accordingly, as well as identify the appropriate inter-team coordination approach.
Domain 2 – Leadership (25% of questions)
Agile practitioners should possess the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively lead within an agile team. This includes a deep understanding of agile principles and methodologies and the ability to create a collaborative team environment that fosters innovation, learning, and growth. They should also be able to apply principles of systems thinking to classify scenarios and identify the importance or risks of each classification. Additionally, they should be able to interpret the output of agile suitability tools and integrate agile models based on needs. Other key skills include the ability to establish team vision and working agreements, form and develop high-performing teams, use retrospective findings to improve the team, and use collaboration practices to break down silos. They should also be committed to the team’s decisions even in disagreement and be able to evaluate the team’s understanding of agile to tailor the approach.
Domain 3 – Product (19% of questions)
Agile practitioners should have a deep understanding of agile methodologies, including (but not limited to): Scrum, Kanban, and Lean, and be able to apply them to project management and product development. They should have experience in product development, building product roadmaps, creating user stories, and managing product backlogs. They should have foundational technical knowledge and be able to work closely with development teams to understand technical requirements and constraints. Practitioners should have excellent communication skills and be able to effectively communicate with stakeholders, including customers, development teams, and executives. The candidate should have strong leadership skills and be able to lead cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality products. Additionally, they should be committed to continuous learning and be willing to stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in agile project and product management and development.
Domain 4 – Delivery (28% of questions)
Agile practitioners should have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively manage and deliver projects and products using agile approaches. The candidate should have strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams. Experience in agile project management tools and techniques such as user stories, sprint planning, and retrospectives. Knowledge of agile development practices such as continuous integration, continuous delivery, and test-driven development. Familiarity with agile frameworks and methodologies, but not limited to, such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and Lean. Ability to adapt to changing requirements and priorities in a fast-paced environment. Experience in using agile metrics to measure project progress and success. Seeking early feedback from internal and external customers to ensure alignment with their needs. Managing risks proactively to minimize impact on project and/or product delivery. Eliminating waste by focusing on delivering value to the customer. Performing continuous improvement to enhance project delivery and team performance. Engaging customers throughout the project to ensure their needs are met. Optimizing flow by focusing on delivering value quickly and efficiently. In addition, agile practitioners should also have a strong commitment to continuous learning and improvement and a passion for delivering high-quality products and services to customers.
Balazs Horvath - a recognized expert in project and business management with more than a decade of experience in various industries around the world. Balazs is an expert in both predictive and adaptive project management.
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