PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) certification overview

Introduction

PMI-ACP certification is a credential offered by PMI for people working in agile project management environments. The process of earning this credential involves fulfilling eligibility criteria and passing a exam. PMI-ACP certification carries a high level of professional standing and credibility as it requires a combination of agile education, experience on agile practices and examination on Agile practices.

 

Eligibility Criterion

Education Level	Secondary degree (high school or equivalent) or higher
General Project Experience	2,000 hours working on project teams. Must have been earned in the last 5 years.
Agile Project Experience	1,500 hours working on Agile Project teams or in Agile methodologies. These hours are in addition to the 2,000 hours required in general project experience. These hours must have been earned in the last 3 years.
Training in Agile Practices	21 contact hours. Look for trainer or REP for formal training.
Examination	Test knowledge of Agile fundamentals and ability to apply to basic project
Maintenance	30 PDUs per cycle (3 years)

Exam Information

Exams are available at multiple Prometric locations around the world. You will have up to one year from the date your application is approved to take your exam.  If you fail your exam, you are allowed to re-test twice within your one year eligibility period.

You will need to provide 2 forms of identification upon arriving at the test center.  All of your belongings, including your cell phone, etc., are placed in a locker and are not accessible during the exam.

You will have 3 hours to complete 120 multiple-choice questions.  Of the 120 questions, 20 questions are considered pre-test and are not scored.

The split of exam questions will be:

    Agile tools and techniques - 50% of the exam questions
Agile knowledge and skills - 50% of the exam questions

There are no scheduled breaks during your exam and as such, the clock will continue even if you step away from the exam.

Questions are provided one at a time and can either be answered, answered and marked, or left blank and marked for review. Upon submission of the exam, you will be asked to answer a survey prior to receiving your results. Upon completion of the survey, you will be notified as to whether you have passed or failed the exam

The exam center will provide you with a paper copy of your results, including your proficiency level in each of the domains. Proficiency levels are: Proficient, Moderately Proficient and Below Proficient

PMI-ACP Exam Fees

The fee for computer-based test is $435 for members and $495 for non-member. On the other hand the re-examination fee is $335 for members and $395 for non-members. The membership for one year costs $119 plus a one-time $10 joining fee.

What is tested

-          Your knowledge of Agile practices

-          Your understanding of the terminology used to describe Agile

-          Your ability to apply established Agile practices

-          Your understanding of certain Agile methodologies

-          Your understanding of PMI’s testing biases