PMI-ACP® Examination Content Outline Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts about the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Examination Content Outline that will help you make the most of this important resource as you prepare to sit for the PMI-ACP Exam. We highly recommend that you read the entire Content Outline and use it as a guide to understand the different areas of content included on the exam. This is because the Content Outline describes the knowledge, tasks, and skills required to effectively perform in the role of Agile Practitioner on your Agile Projects, as well as what you will be tested on when you sit for the exam. It is also important to note that trusted and experienced training providers such as OSP International use the Exam Content Outline as the basic foundation to develop their PMI-ACP® Exam training materials in order to target those areas of knowledge necessary to successfully pass the PMI-ACP® Exam.

The PMI-ACP Exam consists of 100 scored items and 20 unscored (pre-test) items. These questions are ‘experimental’ and used to determine their feasibility for inclusion in future versions of the exam. The unscored items are not identified and are randomly distributed throughout the exam. The allocation of questions is as follows:

Domain I. Agile Principles and Mindset (16% of Total Questions)
Domain II. Value-Driven Delivery (20% of Total Questions)
Domain III. Stakeholder Engagement (17% of Total Questions)
Domain IV. Team Performance (16% of Total Questions)
Domain V. Adaptive Planning (12% of Total Questions)
Domain VI. Problem Detection and Resolution (10% of Total Questions)
Domain VII. Continuous Improvement (9% of Total Questions)

Following is a high-level description of the content you will find in each of these domains in the Content Outline:

Domain I. Agile Principles and Mindset - Explore, embrace, and apply agile principles and mindset within the context of the project team and organization.
Domain II. Value-Driven Delivery - Deliver valuable results by producing high-value increments for review, early and often, based on stakeholder priorities.
Domain III. Stakeholder Engagement - Engage current and future interested parties by building a trusting environment, and promote participation and collaboration throughout the project life cycle.
Domain IV. Team Performance - Create an environment of trust, learning, collaboration, and conflict resolution that cultivates a culture of high performance.
Domain V. Adaptive Planning - Produce and maintain an evolving plan, from initiation to closure, based on goals, values, risks, constraints, stakeholder feedback.
Domain VI. Problem Detection and Resolution - Continuously identify problems, impediments, and risks, and prioritize and resolve them in a timely manner.
Domain VII. Continuous Improvement - Continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and value of the product, the process, and the team.

The PMI-ACP® Examination Content Outline further decomposes the exam content within these domains according the critical Tools & Techniques and Knowledge & Skills necessary to master to become PMI-ACP certified.

And not surprisingly, as with most PMI® publications, you may find the PMI-ACP Examination Content Outline to be a bit dry. However, this should not prevent you from including it as a critical ingredient in your study plan recipe. One recommendation I make to my students is to actually use the Content Outline as a checklist for your studies. Refer back to it often because as you progress through your studies you will see that more and more of the concepts will become familiar to you. When you understand 80% - 85% of the Tools & Techniques and Knowledge & Skills in the Content Outline you will be well on your way to possessing the knowledge necessary to become a PMI-ACP. And remember, if you feel ‘happy’ about your knowledge of the ‘content’ of the PMI-ACP Exam, you will be ‘pleased’ with your actual PMI-ACP Exam results!