What Exactly is the PMI-ACP Exam Syllabus?

[NEW! For the 2015 July PMI®-ACP Exam syllabus] For PMI-ACP® exam aspirants, the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus seems to be a mystery. Yes, PMI does spell out the details of what would be tested on the PMI-ACP® exam in the PMI-ACP® Examination Content Outline (REVISED DECEMBER 2014), however it is written in PMI jargons that render the meaning not readily understood if you have not previously attempted a PMI exam. This post attempts to explain the PMI-ACP® exam content in plain language so that every Agile practitioners will be able to fully understand what the revised PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus is about.

PMI-ACP® Exam Format

• There are 120 questions for the PMI-ACP® Exam (20 random questions (called as pre-test) from the 120 questions are not to be counted towards the final score)
• All questions are multiple-choice questions with 1 correct answer from 4 choices
• The PMI-ACP® Exam lasts for 3 hours
• The PMI-ACP® Exam is computer-based in most cases (i.e. to be answered on a computer in a selected exam centre)

PMI-ACP® Exam Syllabus

• Unlike the PMI PMP Certification Exam which is largely based on the PMBOK® Guide as the core exam syllabus (though the PMP exam also has PMP Examination Content Outline which lists out a lot more content than just the PMBOK® Guide), the PMI-ACP® does not have a guide to the body of knowledge of Agile project management (yet).
• The Exam Syllabus is outlined in terms of “Domains of Practices”:
  • 7 Domains of Practices for the PMI-ACP® Exam
    • Domain I Agile Principles and Mindset (16% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
    • Domain II Value-driven Delivery (20% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
    • Domain III Stakeholder Engagement (17% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
    • Domain IV Team Performance (16% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
    • Domain V Adaptive Planning (12% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
    • Domain VI Problem Detection and Resolution (10% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
    • Domain VII. Continuous Improvement (Product, Process, People) (9% of PMI-ACP® Exam questions)
• The PMI-ACP® Exam Content Outline also includes the “Agile Tools and Techniques” and “Agile Knowledge and Skills”. These tools and skills are not used as categorization in the allotment of the examination questions yet they are important for the examination. The tools and skills represent what an Agile practitioner (i.e. PMI-ACP® aspirant) should be able to master. The tools and skills are:
  • 10 Areas of Agile Tools and Techniques
    1. Agile Analysis and Design
    2. Agile Estimation
    3. Communications
    4. Interpersonal Skills
    5. Metrics
    6. Planning, Monitoring, and Adapting
    7. Process Improvement
    8. Product Quality
    9. Risk Management
    10. Value-Based Prioritization
  • Agile Knowledge and Skills
• There are many overlaps between the Domains and Tasks for PMI-ACP® and the Agile Tools and Techniques / Agile Knowledge and Skills outlined above.

PMI-ACP® Exam Syllabus Re-organized

• Mike Griffiths, in the book PMI-ACP® Exam Prep, tries to create a more structured for the PMI-ACP® Exam syllabus by grouping Agile Tools and Techniques / Agile Knowledge and Skills into the Domains (which can be thought of as different aspects of Agile project management).
• Inspired by Mike’s effort, I have created the following PMI-ACP® Exam Syllabus matrix (for the new PMI-ACP® syllabus) to give PMI-ACP® aspirants a more concrete grasp of what would be tested on the PMI-ACP® Exam.
• This table can also serve as a last minute revision notes for PMI-ACP® Exam takers to test whether they have understood all the concepts as included below.

Summary: PMI-ACP® Exam Syllabus

This post elaborates on the PMI-ACP® Examination Content Outline published by the PMI. The PMI-ACP® Exam Syllabus was originally written in a somewhat formal but vague language, this post aims to explain the exam syllabus in a more easy-to-understand language for PMI-ACP® aspirants.