PMI · Project Management Institute

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner

PMI-ACP

The PMI-ACP is the Project Management Institute's flagship agile credential, validating that you can apply agile principles across Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and hybrid delivery rather than one framework alone. PMI rebuilt the exam from the ground up in November 2024, collapsing the old seven domains into four scenario-driven ones. With a single Pass/Fail result, no numeric score, and a $495 sitting fee on the line, there is no partial credit for a near miss — you either clear it or pay to retake. This page breaks down exactly what the new exam tests, how it's delivered, and how to get it done right the first time.

3 hours
120 Questions
Pass / Fail
Center or Online

Pay Only After You Pass

No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.

Exam Spec Sheet

Provider PMI
Format Linear · 4 domains
Duration 3 hours (180 min)
Questions 120 (100 scored)
Scoring Pass / Fail (no numeric score)
Fee $435 member / $495 non-member
Proctoring Pearson VUE / OnVUE
Validity 3 years (30 PDUs to renew)
Languages English (+ others)
Discuss My PMI-ACP

EXAM FORMAT

How the new PMI-ACP is built — at a glance

120

Questions

100 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest items mixed in invisibly. You won't know which is which, so every question counts in practice.

3h

Single Sitting

180 minutes with no built-in scheduled breaks. That's roughly 90 seconds per item across scenario-heavy questions — pacing is a real constraint.

3

Question Types

Multiple-choice, multiple-response (select all that apply), and drag-and-drop matching — framed around realistic agile situations, not rote definitions.

The November 2024 overhaul

PMI retired the original PMI-ACP content outline — which had seven domains and heavy tool-and-technique coverage — and replaced it with four practice-based domains. The new exam leans on judgment and situational reasoning across Scrum, Kanban, Lean, XP, and hybrid models rather than memorized terminology.

How scoring works

There is no published passing percentage. PMI uses a psychometric model that weights the difficulty of the questions you answered, then reports a single Pass or Fail. Your score report shows a proficiency band — Above Target, Target, Below Target, or Needs Improvement — for each of the four domains, so consistent performance across all four is what gets you over the line.

WHAT'S TESTED

Four domains from the 2024 outline — bars show each domain's share of the scored questions

1

Mindset

28%

Agile values and principles, empiricism, psychological safety, and creating an environment where teams can inspect and adapt. The largest single domain, tied with Delivery.

2

Leadership

25%

Servant leadership, facilitation, coaching, conflict resolution, and aligning stakeholders. Tests how you enable a team rather than command it.

3

Product

19%

Value definition, backlog strategy, prioritization, and the split between discovery and delivery. The smallest domain, but a common stumbling block.

4

Delivery

28%

Iterative planning, flow and throughput metrics, quality practices, and managing risk and dependencies. Tied with Mindset as the heaviest domain.

Because results are reported per-domain in proficiency bands, a single weak area — most often Product — can drag down an otherwise strong sitting. The new outline rewards candidates who can reason across multiple frameworks rather than recite the mechanics of one.

DELIVERY & PROCTORING

Two ways to sit the exam — and what to expect on test day

At a Pearson VUE test center

You sit the exam in a quiet, monitored room at a Pearson VUE center. Staff verify your government-issued ID, store your belongings, and watch the room. You're provided an erasable noteboard. This is the most stable option PMI offers for the redesigned exam.

Online, proctored via OnVUE

You take the exam from a private room at home through Pearson VUE's OnVUE platform, monitored by a live proctor. You'll run a system check, an ID check, and a 360-degree room scan beforehand. A clear desk and an uninterrupted connection are mandatory — physical scratch paper is not permitted.

ID & identity check

A valid, unexpired government photo ID with your name matching your PMI profile exactly. The proctor captures a photo before the exam unlocks.

Environment scan

A clear desk, no second monitor, no phone within reach, and a 360° webcam scan of the room. No one else may enter during the exam.

During the exam

Stay in frame and on-camera the whole time. There are no scheduled breaks; leaving the seat or losing connection can flag or void the session.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS

The PMI-ACP is built for practitioners working across agile frameworks

  • Project managers moving from waterfall into agile delivery
  • Scrum Masters and agile coaches wanting a framework-neutral credential
  • PMP holders adding a recognized agile certification to their profile
  • Product owners, business analysts, and team leads on agile teams
  • Professionals working in hybrid or scaled (SAFe, LeSS) environments

PREREQUISITES & DIFFICULTY

Real eligibility gates — and a genuinely demanding exam

  • Secondary degree (high-school diploma, associate's, or global equivalent)
  • 24 months of general agile experience within the last 5 years
  • 28 contact hours of agile training (raised from 21 in 2024)
  • Active PMP or PgMP waives the agile-experience requirement

Difficulty: The redesigned PMI-ACP is widely seen as harder than the old version. It tests judgment across many frameworks, not the mechanics of one, so memorizing Scrum alone is not enough. Most candidates invest 60–120 hours of focused prep — and a failed sitting costs another full fee, which is exactly the pressure point our help is designed to remove.

HOW EXAM ASSIST HELPS YOU PASS THE PMI-ACP

The PMI-ACP is a single Pass/Fail gate with a $495 fee on every attempt — a near miss earns you nothing but a retake bill. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted agile specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model, so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.

1

Share your exam details

Tell us your delivery method (center or OnVUE), test date, eligibility status, and which domains worry you most. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.

2

Get an honest feasibility answer

We review your timeline and readiness and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.

3

The sitting is handled

Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with an agile specialist who maps the work around the four-domain outline and the OnVUE environment — discreetly and confidentially.

4

Settle after the verified result

You only pay once your passing result is confirmed on your official PMI report. No verified result, nothing owed.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED

Straight answers about the PMI-ACP exam

What is the passing standard for the PMI-ACP exam? +
PMI does not publish a fixed percentage or numeric passing score for the PMI-ACP. The result is reported as Pass or Fail, determined by a psychometric analysis of the difficulty of the questions you answered. Your score report breaks performance into proficiency bands — Above Target, Target, Below Target, or Needs Improvement — across the four domains, so a balanced, consistent performance is what carries you over the line.
What changed in the new PMI-ACP exam? +
PMI overhauled the PMI-ACP in November 2024. The old seven-domain content outline was replaced with four domains — Mindset (28%), Leadership (25%), Product (19%), and Delivery (28%). The agile training requirement rose from 21 to 28 hours, and questions are now more scenario-based, mixing multiple-choice, multiple-response, and drag-and-drop formats.
Can I take the PMI-ACP exam online from home? +
Yes. PMI delivers the PMI-ACP through Pearson VUE both at a physical test center and as an OnVUE online-proctored exam you sit from a private room at home. The online option requires a webcam, a stable connection, a quiet space, a 360-degree room scan, and a government photo ID check before the exam unlocks.
What are the eligibility requirements for the PMI-ACP? +
You need a secondary degree (high-school diploma, associate's, or global equivalent), 24 months of general agile experience within the last 5 years, and 28 contact hours of agile training. Holders of an active PMP or PgMP certification automatically satisfy the agile-experience requirement and only need the training hours.
How long is the PMI-ACP certification valid? +
The PMI-ACP is valid for 3 years. To keep it active you must earn 30 professional development units (PDUs) in agile topics within each 3-year Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) cycle, then renew. Letting the cycle lapse means re-sitting the exam.
Do I pay Exam Assist before or after I see my PMI-ACP result? +
You settle only after your verified passing result is confirmed. There is no upfront fee — you share your exam details, receive an honest feasibility answer, and decide before any money changes hands. We advertise a guaranteed pass with money back if you do not pass; we offer a transparent, results-first arrangement.

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