Lessons learned shared by - Allen Matheson, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSP

My background: Currently a Product Owner on a Scrum project, was a software project manager for several years prior to that (Waterfall/ISO/CMMI). PMP since 2005, CSM since 2010.

Study Resources:
- PMI-ACP Exam Prep (Mike Griffiths) – by far the best resource – I read it in detail cover to cover once, then skimmed over it quickly a second time. This covers almost all material for the exam.
- ACP Exam Prep Plus Desk Reference (Stenbeck/Berthot/Drammissi) – read a few chapters, skimmed over the rest (good material, but I highly recommend the Griffiths book instead of this one)
- Agile webcasts from ASPE: www.aspe-sdlc.com/webseminars/seminar_archive.php - excellent set of free archived webcasts.
- Scrum Guide: www.scrum.org/Scrum-Guides
- Agile Estimating and Planning (Mike Cohn)
- User Stories Applied (Mike Cohn)
- A few videos on YouTube (Mike Cohn and others)

Practice Exams I took:
- 120 questions ($29, one week access): insite.velociteach.com/pmi_acp_practiceTest_A.aspx - Best practice exam I found – similar to the actual test, and a good indicator of your readiness. Only down side is each time you take the test, you get the same 120 questions, instead of 120 questions selected from a larger pool of questions.
- 30 questions: www.gr8pm.com
- 25 flashcards: thepm-instructors.com/flashcards/PMI-ACP...Prep-Flashcards.html
- 20 questions: www.proplanx.com/index.php/free-resource...tice-mock-simulation
- 35 questions: www.scalestudy.com/features/
Mike Griffiths book: 120 question exam – a little easier than the actual exam, but a good test nonetheless
- ACP Exam Prep Plus Desk Reference: 120-question exam – a little more difficult than the actual exam

Audit
When I made payment for the exam on 11/16/12, I was immediately selected for a random audit. PMI requested from me:
- Proof of attendance for the Agile training I had taken (Letters of Attendance, Copy of my CSM certificate)
- Proof of Agile experience: Overview of the Agile Project where I work (start date, how many hours on it, description, etc); signed by my manager.
They received it on 11/26 and approved it on 11/27.

Exam Topics
Learn the topics outlined here:
www.pmi.org/Certification/~/media/Files/...Content_Outline.ashx
The exam covers most of what is in that outline, and Mike Griffiths book covers most of that material as well.