The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® will test your knowledge of many Agile concepts that cover a wide array of principles, tools, techniques and methods. So how do you know which of these concepts to concentrate on to create the most effective study plan? Well, a good start is to know and fully understand the Values and Principles of the Agile Manifesto. This is because it forms the basis for the majority of Agile concepts and constitutes the absolute minimum amount of knowledge required to correctly answer many questions on the PMI-ACP® Exam.

A fun and effective way of memorizing the underlying concepts behind the 12 Agile Manifesto Principle concepts is to describe each of these principles in two words or less, such as the example below.

Regardless of whether you are new to project management or have been practicing it for years you have probably heard the term ‘Agile’ and are somewhat familiar with the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI)® and the benefits of obtaining it for your projects and career. Many people and companies alike see holding the PMI-ACP^® certification as a demonstration of professionalism in one or more Agile methods. However, you may not be familiar with the eligibility requirements to sit for the exam and if you personally meet these requirements. Let’s review the basics so that you can determine for yourself if sitting for the PMI-ACP^® Exam is the right choice for you.

Here are some quick tips about the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam format that will make you feel more comfortable when sitting for the exam. There are a total 120 questions on the exam. However, not every question counts toward your result. 20 of the questions are considered pretest or experimental questions and are not scored when you take the exam. This is an effective way for PMI^® to test the validity of possible scored questions on future exams. So your result will be based on the remaining 100 scored questions. The caveat is that you will not know which questions are unscored and which are scored, so be sure to answer them all as if they will be scored.

One of the most important and often most overlooked PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam Prep Tools is the use of PMI-ACP Exam Prep social media forums. The use of these sites offers many benefits, but you should also be aware of some of the risks and pitfalls of participating on these sites so that you do not end up hindering your studies rather than augmenting them.

Just as a golfer must learn to “drive” and “putt” before they ever step onto an 18-Hole golf course, before you sit for the PMI-ACP^® Exam you must learn the mechanics of taking the exam and what to expect when you arrive at the testing center in terms of the exam questions you’ll be asked. Being able to answer exam sample questions is crucial to your success and the best way for you to prepare for the actual exam questions is to practice with sample questions and taking full 120-Question Simulated PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam. A large number of free PMI-ACP^® Exam sample questions are available from a variety of resources on the internet, which is a good start to this phase of your study plan.

The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Handbook is a document created by Project Management Institute (PMI)® that outlines the history of the PMI-ACP^® Certification and the policies and procedures necessary for you to apply for and sit for the PMI-ACP^® Exam. This document should be the first document you read when studying for the PMI-ACP^® Exam because it provides the foundational information necessary to maximize your PMI-ACP^® Exam success. I recommend that you read at least the first 22 pages, so that you better understand what’s ahead of you. Here is what you will find:

Studying for and earning your PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^® Certification can be a costly affair, but there are ways to cut your costs and still have access to valuable and useful study tools. One of the easiest ways to cut your costs is to join the Project Management Institute (PMI)®.

If you are not already a member of PMI^® we suggest you join as soon as possible. You are not required to be a member of PMI^® to sit for the PMI-ACP^® Exam, but being a member can lead to substantial savings.