How I passed the PMI Agile certified practitioner exam

At the end of August I set upon a challenge to pass the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner exam. I had managed a few agile projects up to this point and I was looking to improve my knowledge in the area. I chose this certification because it was more about adopting the agile mindset. In my current role there isn’t a particular methodology we follow so I thought it would be best to go for a certification that covered all agile methodologies.

Applying for the exam

You must apply to sit the PMI ACP exam. The process for approval can take up to 10 working days while the information you submit is vetted. You must supply information about the following:

• A secondary degree (anything after High school level in America).
• 12 months of general project experience in the last 5 years
• 8 months of agile project experience in the last 3 years — in addition to the traditional project experience
• 21 contact hours on an approved agile course

Where to get your 21 contact hours

With the current restrictions requiring people to take exams online, it has also made accessing course content more affordable as in person classes are no longer an option.

You can attend courses online with prices ranging between £200 and £400. You can also buy courses you can watch at your own pace from sites like Pluralsight (using their monthly subscription to access their entire library) and Udemy (they have regular sales making access really affordable). I bought a course from Udemy that included 13 hours of video, assignments, section tests and a mock exam.

How much time do you have spare?

The longest section on the course I bought was 2 hours and 37 minutes long., the shortest was 38 minutes. I spent roughly 4 times the length of each section making sure I took the content in and making flash cards for revision. If you have a lot of time you can get through each section in roughly two days. If you aren’t as time rich, an hour or two a day will see you get through most sections in a week. I work full time and have a one year old, so 1–2 hours in the evening after my daughter went to bed worked for me.

Taking mock exams

The jump from understanding the concepts in the courses to being able to consistently apply them in different concepts is stark. For this reason it is important to take mock exams as you study to acquire the knowledge. I found the quality of mock exams varied, mostly dependant on how much you were willing to pay. There were free mock exams available online:

• Grey Campus
• 360 PMO
• PMI ACP app (good for practicing questions by section)

The best mock exams I took were ones i bought through Udemy, these tended to have a heavier focus on the situation and made you work harder to decipher which concept to apply to it. In the end these were tougher that the actual exam questions.

The only issue I had with the exams i bought was there wasn’t aggregated feedback to give me insight into which areas I needed to focus on. I had to do this kind of leg work myself. If you need support in this are the best option for mock exams would be the Prepcast simulator, which costs $99 for 90 days of access.

The best way to use any of the mock exams listed is to answer the questions as best you can. Read the explanations for incorrect answers and look up terms you haven’t taken in. Update or add to your flashcards wherever answer explanations provide explanations that help the information stick. The passing score is rumoured to be 70%, you should aim to get close to 100% on mock exams regularly. Keep doing them until you get to your exam date.

When to book your exam

This comes down to how much time you have. If you have lots of time you can commit to learning the material, taking mock exams and working on weak areas, you should book your exam sooner and have a clear date to work towards.

If you are short on time you should book your exam further ahead into the future.

You should also note you can reschedule your exam for free as long as you have more than 30 days before the date.

Taking the exam online

The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner exam is now an online proctored exam. On exam day you will download software from PearsonVue and be connected via your webcam and microphone for the entire duration of your exam.

• You have up to three hours to complete the exam
• There is no food or drinks allowed in your room
• You won’t be permitted a toilet break

It is advised to tidy the room you are in before you take the exam and specifically remove any books related to the subject. You will be required to take photos of the room you are in.

You can keep your phone in the room (your proctor may try to contact you by phone). Just make sure it isn’t within arms reach.

Your proctor will warn you against touching your face for an extended period of time and looking away from your screen at any time. They will often contact you through the examination software with an instant message.

Try to access the exam software 30 minutes early so you can upload the images of your exam area and use any remaining time to take comfort breaks, eat and drink some water.

Book your exam for the afternoon and use the morning for some last mock exams. Read the explanations for incorrect answers and take a break before you sit the exam.