PMI-ACP Certification Requirements: Exam, Cost, and Eligibility
Master Agile Project Management with Our 3-Day PMI-ACPĀ® Online Training Course!
01
PMI-ACP Exam Cost
Exam fees are $435 for PMI members and $495 for non-members.
02
Experience
Requires 2,000 hours of general project experience (or PMP/PgMP) and 1,500 hours in Agile projects. Requires 24 months (2 years) of Agile experience in the last 5 years or a PMP.
03
Education
Secondary degree or higher, plus 28 contact hours in Agile practices.
04
Exam Process
Submit your application online, await PMI approval, schedule your exam, and complete the 120 multiple-choice questions within three hours
The Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) Credential is targeted towards professionals who are looking to validate and sharpen their Agile project management skills. This certification is an ideal way to demonstrate knowledge in Agile project management methodologies and best practices.
PMI-ACP Certification Eligibility Criteria
PMI-ACP eligibility requires a minimum secondary degree (high-school equivalent) or higher with 24 months (2 years) of Agile experience in the last 5 years, and 28 Agile training hours.
The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Ā®ļø is a globally recognized entry-level credential that validates your foundational knowledge of project management principles and prepares you for more advanced certifications like the PMP.
Educational background
General project experience
Agile training
Secondary degree (high school diploma), associate's degree or global equivalent
24 months (2 years) as an Agile team member in the last 5 years
28 contact hours in Agile practices
OR
Educational background
General project experience
Agile project experience
Training in Agile practice
Bachelor's or post-graduate degree or global equivalent
NA
8 months working on project teams using Agile methodologies in the past 3 years
28 contact hours of formal education
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What is required for PMI ACP Certification?
To qualify for the PMI-ACP exam, you need a secondary degree (or higher), 24 months (2 years) of Agile experience, and 28 contact hours of Agile training. Training can be completed through PMI ATPs, PMI chapters, or accredited providers to meet the eligibility requirements.
For professionals focused on Agile methodologies, our PMI-ACP Training covers all aspects of the PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner exam. From Agile tools and techniques to real-world scenario practice, our course ensures youāre fully prepared to earn your PMI-ACP certification with confidence.
Get Certified š
2,000 Hours of general project experience hours must have been earned over the last five (5) years
Must be as part of project group(s) that are non-overlapping and must be documented by project and summarized by process group to be counted on the PMI-ACP application. Refer to the above table for full PMI-ACP experience requirements. Tip: A current PMP or PgMP will satisfy this requirement.
According to PMI's Pulse of the ProfessionĀ® report, organizations boasting a higher percentage of ACP-certified project managers witnessed a remarkable 30% decrease in project failure rates.
You are required to have a Secondary Degree* to qualify for the PMI-ACP exam
You will need the name of the institution, the year you graduated, and your major.
Agile Project Experience
24 months (2 years) of Agile experience in the last 5 years and must be documented on the PMI-ACP application. Refer to the above table for full PMI-ACP experience requirements.
Tip: A current PMP or PgMP will satisfy this requirement.
Tip: PMI will credit 12 months towards the 2 years Agile project experience if you have any Scrum, SAFe or other Agile certifications and can provide proof of documentation.
Training in Agile Practices
You will need to show 28 contact hours of Agile Project Management Education. Agile training topics can include topics covering agile philosophy, agile methodologies, and agile principles and practices. PMTI plans ahead for our students and provides an inclusive online course so you qualify for this requirement even prior to attending the class.
Moreover, Google's internal research demonstrates teams led by ACP-certified professionals exhibit a staggering 25% increase in productivity and efficiency, as evidenced by Google's in-depth analysis.
Need help getting PMI-ACP certified? Get expert advice tailored to youāclaim your free consultation now
What do I need to apply for PMI-ACP?
To apply for the PMI-ACP certification, visit PMI's certification website at certification.pmi.org. You will need to provide the following information:
Contact Information:
Home address, work address, email, and phone number
Educational Background:
School/university name, address, degree, year awarded, and field of study
Experience Details:
General Project Management Experience: Project title, start/end dates, role, industry, and hours for each project
Agile Project Management Experience: Project title, start/end dates, role, industry, and hours for each project
Project Management Education
Course title, institution, start/end dates, hours completed, and certificate details (including full name for certificate)
PMI-ACP Application Fees
Cost Category
PMIĀ® Member
Non-Member
PMIĀ® Membership Fee
$164
N/A
PMI-ACP Exam Fee
$435
$495
PMI-ACP Re-Examination Fee
$335
$395
PMIĀ® Membership Fee
PMIĀ® Member
$164
Non-Member
N/A
PMI-ACP Exam Fee
PMIĀ® Member
$435
Non-Member
$495
PMI-ACP Re-Examination Fee
PMIĀ® Member
$335
Non-Member
$395
PMI-ACP Application Audit Process
PMI randomly audits 20-25% of applications to ensure certification integrity. You'll be notified of an audit after payment via email or the portal. If you receive an approval code, no audit is required, and you can schedule your exam.
Why Does PMI Audit PMI-ACP Applications?
In order to maintain the integrity of the PMI-ACP certification and enhance the credibility of PMI-ACP credential holders, PMI routinely conducts random audits of a certain percentage the PMI-ACP exam applications. Although PMI does not publish what percentage gets audited, our 19 years of experience shows about one in four or five of the applications get audited.
How Will I Know If I'm Being Audited?
Generally, you will not know you are audited until your application has been accepted and you have been authorized to pay. Once you complete the payment, you will be informed if you have been selected as an audit candidate within a few minutes via email or the online application portal. If you receive an email with an approval code or receive an approval code within your PMI application portal then you have not been audited and can schedule your PMI- ACP exam at your convenience.
I'm Being Audited by PMI, What Do I Do Now?
While the auditing process may appear intimidating just from the phrase, it is not as long as you follow the steps outlined by PMI. As part of our application prep tool assistance process we provide several tips that will simplify this process and will make it easy for you to navigate.
Once PMI informs you of your audit, you will be able to access the audit instructions. These audit instructions will contain guidance for providing verifications for the various items submitted with your PMI-ACP application. PMI will require you to provide proof of:
Academic Education:
This could be a copy of your education stated in your application. If you do not have a copy of the certificate or if the certificate is too big to copy, PMI will accept transcripts. Most schools and universities will provide a means of verification upon request.
Agile Education:
This refers to the 28 contact hours of training you have included in your PMI-ACP exam application. Most companies will provide a certificate and a copy of this certificate should suffice. Please ensure it states the number of hours you spent in training. The training must be in areas related to Agile project management.
Agile Project Management Experience:
As part of the PMI audit instructions stated above, you will be required to provide the email of the supervisor or any colleague who can verify for each of your position experience to verify.
TIP
If your immediate supervisor for the position is not available, identify any other person who has knowledge of the project and is able to verify it for PMI.
PMI will accept 28 contact hours until March 31, 2025 after which the above requirements become active.
How Long Is The Audit Approval Process?
Although PMI's official line is that it will take them 5-7 days to approve the application, we have seen that applications verifications sent overnight get approved within only a couple of days
Approval & Eligibility Period
It generally takes PMIĀ® 24 hours to review your application and respond. Once your application is approved you will receive an invitation to pay for and schedule the exam. You will schedule your exam with Pearson VUE at http://www.pearsonvue.com/pmi/. You will have one year to take the exam after your application has been approved and may take the exam up to three (3) times during the eligibility period.
PMI-ACP Examination Process
Once approved, schedule your PMI-ACP exam at a Pearson VUE test center using the testing code provided by PMI. The exam consists of 120 questions, with 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest questions, to be completed within 3 hours(180 minutes). The test is offered in English only, with no language aids available.
Scheduling the Exam
Once you have been approved to take the PMI-ACP certification exam, you will need to schedule, take, and pass the test at a Pearson VUE test center near you. You can find a complete list of testing locations on the Pearson VUE website. You will need the testing code PMI has provided you to successfully schedule your exam. This code should be included in your application acceptance email as well as in your PMI.org account, if you do not receive your Pearson VUE testing code contact PMI directly.
Taking the PMI-ACP Exam
The PMI-ACP Exam is taken at your nearest Pearson VUE test center. The exam is only administered in English; however, there are 14 languages (listed below) supported via language aids. Keep in mind that these language aids are for the test only and not the pre-exam tutorial session.
PMI-ACP Language Aids
There are currently no language aids provided for the PMI-ACP exam. This exam is only offered in English.
PMI-ACP Exam Format
The exam is 120 questions with a 3 hour time limit. 100 questions are scored while 20 questions are pretest questions. Pretest questions are questions that are used by PMI to test the validity of future exam questions. The table below breaks down the question pool by chapter in the PMI-ACP Examination Content Outline.
Question Breakdown by PMI-ACP Examination Content Outline Domain
Domain Number
Chapter Title
Percentage of Questions
Domain I
Agile Principles and Mindset
16%
Domain II
Value-driven Delivery
20%
Domain III
The Role of the Project Manager
17%
Domain IV
Project Integration Management
16%
Domain V
Project Scope Management
12%
Domain VI
Project Time Management
10%
Domain VII
Project Cost Management
9%
After March 31, 2025 when the PMI ACP exam is going to change and will have the following domains:
Domain Number
Chapter Title
Percentage of Questions
Domain I
Mindset
28%
Domain II
Leadership
25%
Domain III
Product
19%
Domain IV
Delivery
28%
One of the advantages of the computer based exam is that you will receive your score immediately! If your test results show that you received a passing score, congratulations! You are now a PMI-ACP! You may use the PMI-ACP credential immediately for the next 3 years! After this period you must retake the PMI- ACP certification exam to maintain your PMI-ACP certification.
How to Maintain Your PMI-ACP Certification
To maintain your PMI-ACP certification, you must participate in the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. This program ensures that you stay current with agile practices and maintain your professional edge. Here's what you need to do
Earn 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs)
Over a three-year cycle, you need to earn at least 30 PDUs in agile-related education and professional development activities PDUs can be earned by attending workshops, webinars, or conferences, or by volunteering in agile initiatives.
Report Your PDUs to PMI
Log in to your PMI account and submit your PDUs through the CCR System. Ensure your activities align with the PMI Talent TriangleĀ®: Technical, Leadership, and Strategic & Business Management skills
Pay the Renewal Fee
PMI Members: $60
Non-Members: $150
Renew Your Certification
Once your PDUs are approved and the fee is paid, your certification will be renewed for another three years.
PMI-ACP Certificate Verification Process
PMI provides a simple and efficient way to verify a PMI-ACP certification for employers or stakeholders. Here's how the verification process works:
01
Visit the PMI Certification Registry
Go to the PMI Certification Registry page on PMI's official website.
02
Search for the Certification Holder
Use the certificate holder's first and last name to locate their certification status.
Alternatively, search by their PMI certification number.
03
Verify Certification Status
The registry will confirm the individual's certification title, validity period, and whether it is active or expired.
The PMI Certification Registry ensures transparency and allows organizations to validate the credentials of PMI-ACP holders
I Failed my PMI-ACP exam, Now What
The PMI-ACP certification exam is a difficult exam and non-passing scores are no need for alarm. If you have failed an attempt it is extremely important not to get discouraged. You have 3 attempts during your eligibility period to pass the PMI-ACP certification exam. Here are some simple next steps you can take to get ready for your next attempt.
If You are a PMTI Student
Simply let PMTI know and we will assist you with preparations to retake the test. With the PMTI guarantee backed by our dedicated instructors, our detailed retake study plan, and our online learning tools, you can feel confident you will be ready before your next test. After following your customized study plan, you simply need to schedule your 2nd PMI-ACP exam attempt through Pearson VUE.
If You are not a PMTI Student
You should take your detailed score report and note the areas where you scored below proficient. Re-read the PMI-ACP Examination Content Outline, paying particular attention to areas you noted. When you feel you are ready, you can re-schedule your exam with Pearson VUE. The fee to retake the test is $335 for PMIĀ® members and $395 for non-members. Please visit the PMTI guarantee for details.
PMI-ACP Certification FAQs
PMI ACP stands for Agile Certified Practitioner, a certification exam conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The exam tests your knowledge of agile principles and skills with agile techniques. The PMI-ACP(r) is one of PMI's fastest-growing certifications. PMI-ACP covers many modern management approaches such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, extreme programming (XP) and test-driven development (TDD)
For PMI Members the exam fee is US$435 (PMI membership fee is US$139), the nonmember exam fee is US$495
A three day PMI ACP training typically costs between US$1595 to US$2000. You can sign up for boot camp style classes at PMTI web site.
PMI ACP re-exam cost for PMI members is US$335, for nonmembers it is US$395
