The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam costs US$435 for PMI members and US$495 for non-members, takes three hours, and has eligibility requirements: formal agile training, a secondary diploma, and agile experience. Whether it is worth it depends on what you want it to do for your career, so this guide lays out the real cost, the requirements, the exam format and the four domains, and the questions that decide it.
TL;DR
- Exam fee: US$435 for PMI members, US$495 for non-members
- 120 items in 3 hours: 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items, with a 10-minute break after item 60
- Four domains: Mindset (28%), Leadership (25%), Product (19%), and Delivery (28%)
- Eligibility: a secondary diploma, 21 hours of formal agile training, and agile experience, with several accepted routes
- If you do not pass, you can attempt the exam up to three times in one year, and holders need 30 PDUs in each three-year cycle to maintain the certification
What Does the PMI-ACP Cost?
PMI lists the exam price at US$435 for members and US$495 for non-members. Membership is sold separately, so compare PMI's current membership fee with the US$60 difference before you decide whether to join.
The exam fee is not the only cost. You also need 21 hours of formal training in agile practices, frameworks, and methodologies before you apply, and what that costs depends on the provider you choose. Add the price of any practice questions or study materials you use, and leave room for the possibility of a second attempt: you can attempt the exam up to three times in one year if you do not pass.
To keep the certification you earn 30 professional development units (PDUs) in each three-year cycle. A PDU is one hour spent on learning, teaching, or volunteering, so this is mostly time, plus whatever PMI charges for renewal.
Who Is Eligible?
PMI's exam content outline sets three requirements:
- Educational background: a secondary diploma, such as a high school diploma, GED, or global equivalent
- Learning: 21 hours of formal training in agile practices, frameworks, and methodologies
- Professional agile experience: one of the following
- 2 years of agile experience in the past 5 years
- 1 year of agile experience and a degree from a Global Accreditation Center (GAC) program
- 1 year of agile experience and an active third-party agile certification that you earned more than a year ago
- an active PMP certification
The 21 hours must be completed before you submit your application, with proof of completion. PMI says the training should align to the exam content outline, include experiential exercises, balance subject matter expertise with test-wise content such as practice exams, and provide an end-of-course assessment and certificate of completion. If you hold a third-party agile certification such as one in Scrum or SAFe, PMI credits you with 12 months towards the two years of agile experience.
What Does the Exam Look Like?
The PMI-ACP exam has 120 items: multiple-choice, multiple-response, drag-and-drop-style items, and exhibits. Of those, 100 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest items that are placed randomly and not identified. You have 3 hours.
There is a 10-minute break after you complete items 1 to 60 and have reviewed your answers. Once you review your responses and start the break, you cannot return to the items in the first section, so be sure you are finished with them before you break.
The exam content outline in force is dated November 2024, with four domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Mindset | 28% |
| 2. Leadership | 25% |
| 3. Product | 19% |
| 4. Delivery | 28% |
What Does Each Domain Cover?
Domain 1: Mindset (28%)28%
Seven tasks: experiment early; embrace the agile mindset (including applying complexity frameworks such as CAS, the Stacey Matrix, and Cynefin, and interpreting the output of agile suitability tools); promote a collaborative team environment (team vision, working agreements, high-performing teams, retrospectives, inter-team coordination such as scrum of scrums); build transparency; foster psychological safety; shorten feedback loops; and embrace change.
Domain 2: Leadership (25%)25%
Six tasks: empower teams (trust, motivation, coaching and mentoring, emotional intelligence, and the difference between training, coaching, and mentoring); facilitate problem resolution (including root cause analysis); promote knowledge sharing; promote agile mindset principles and practices; promote shared vision and purpose; and facilitate conflict management.
Domain 3: Product (19%)19%
Four tasks: refine the product backlog (clarify, prioritize, decompose, and size backlog items); manage increments; visualize work; and manage value delivery, including defining success criteria.
Domain 4: Delivery (28%)28%
Seven tasks, including seeking early feedback, managing agile metrics, managing impediments and risk, recognizing and eliminating waste, performing continuous improvement, actively engaging customers, and optimizing flow.
Mindset and Delivery are the largest at 28% each, and Leadership adds another 25%, so those three domains make up 81% of the exam. Product is the smallest at 19%, but its tasks, such as backlog refinement and value delivery, appear throughout the other domains.
What Will You Actually Spend? Three Scenarios
The exam fee is only part of the total. Here are three ways it can add up, using PMI's published prices. The training line depends on the provider, so it is shown as a separate item.
The lean route. You already have the 21 hours of qualifying training and the experience, and you are a PMI member. The cost is the exam fee of US$435, plus any practice questions you use. As a non-member it is US$495.
The usual route. You buy the 21 hours of formal training, pay the exam fee, and use a practice question bank. Add the training price from your provider to US$435 or US$495, and then the cost of practice material. This is the route most people take, so get a training quote before you decide.
The second-attempt route. You pay the fee, do not pass, and attempt again. PMI allows up to three attempts in one year, and you should plan for the fee to apply again each time you register. Treat a retake as a real possibility in your budget, not a prediction.
After you pass there are no large upfront costs, but you need 30 PDUs in each three-year cycle. A PDU is one hour of learning, teaching, or volunteering, so budget the time and whatever you pay for courses or events that earn them.
How Do I Turn the Content Outline into a Checklist?
PMI's outline lists each domain's tasks with the specific skills under them. Copy them into a document and rate each one after every practice set. A few examples of what the tasks ask for:
- Apply the appropriate complexity method to classify a scenario, for example CAS, the Stacey Matrix, or Cynefin
- Establish team vision and working agreements, and use retrospective findings to improve the team
- Recognise the differences between training, coaching, and mentoring and when to apply each
- Investigate the root cause of problems, for example with root cause analysis or an Ishikawa diagram
- Clarify, prioritise, decompose, and size product backlog items with the customer or stakeholder
- Determine which agile metrics are appropriate for a given audience and use them for decisions
- Visualise the end-to-end flow of value and use metrics and feedback loops to identify waste
Rate each task from "can explain it and apply it to a scenario" to "have not met this before." Anything in the second group moves to the top of your plan, weighted by its domain. A gap in Mindset or Delivery, at 28% each, costs more than the same gap in Product at 19%. Re-rate yourself after each timed set, and use the final days on whatever is still weak.
How Should I Handle the Break and the Clock?
Treat 3 hours as a budget. With 120 items that is about 90 seconds per item, and some items, such as those with exhibits, will take longer than others. Move quickly on the short ones.
The 10-minute break comes after item 60. Before you start it, check that you have reviewed all your answers for the first section, because you cannot go back to those items afterwards. Plan what you will do in the break, for example stand up, drink water, and reset, so that you start the second section calm.
Because 20 of the 120 items are unscored pretest items spread randomly through the exam and not identified, treat every item as if it counts. Do not spend a long time on a single difficult item: flag it and move on, or make your best choice, and come back if time allows.
So Is It Worth It? Five Questions That Decide It
1. Do you meet the requirements already? If you have the agile experience and a qualifying route, the remaining step is the 21 hours of formal training. If not, the certification is a longer-term goal and the cost of getting there should be part of your decision.
2. What do you want it to do? The outline describes the credential for agile practitioners such as team leads, scrum masters, and agile project managers. If your goal is to show a recognised standard for those practices, or to use the structured outline to fill gaps in your knowledge, that is a clear reason. If your goal is a specific job, check whether the roles you want ask for it.
3. What is the full cost? The exam fee is US$435 or US$495, plus the 21 hours of training, any practice questions, and a second attempt if needed. Add those up before you commit.
4. Can you commit the time? The training alone is 21 hours, and the exam is three hours. Count back from the exam date and set aside regular study blocks.
5. How will you keep it? Holders earn 30 PDUs in each three-year cycle, which is about ten hours of learning, teaching, or volunteering a year.
If your answers are clear, the investment is reasonable. If any of them is unclear, resolve it first.
How Should I Prepare?
Start with the content outline and turn each task into a checklist item. Rate yourself on each task: can you explain it and apply it to a scenario? Anything you cannot explain goes to the top of your plan, weighted by domain.
Because the exam includes exhibits and drag-and-drop-style items, practise in those formats as well as multiple choice. Work in timed sets: 120 items in 3 hours is about 90 seconds per item. After each set, read the explanation for every option and update your gap list.
CertCompanion's PMI-ACP practice questions give you scenario-based practice with explanations for every option. Start with the 30 free questions to see which domains need work.
| PMI-ACP question bank | |
|---|---|
| Questions | 843 |
| Single-answer | 777 |
| Select-all-that-apply | 66 (8%) |
| Median explanation length | 87 words |
For the other PMI credentials on CertCompanion, see the PMI certification practice exams page.
How Does a Realistic Question Work?
An organization adopts agile and asks teams to track earned value metrics including Planned Value, Earned Value, and Cost Performance Index. Teams report this adds significant overhead without improving delivery. What should an agile coach recommend? (Select one!)
- A. Replace earned value with agile metrics like velocity, cycle time, and working product demonstrations
- B. Automate earned value tracking through specialized software tools
- C. Hire a dedicated project manager to handle earned value calculations so teams can focus on development
- D. Continue tracking earned value as it provides objective project status to stakeholders
Show the answer and the reasoning
Correct answer: A. Replace earned value with agile metrics like velocity, cycle time, and working product demonstrations
Earned value management is a traditional project management approach that conflicts with Agile Principle 7: working software is the primary measure of progress. Agile teams should use metrics directly tied to value delivery and flow, such as velocity for planning, cycle time for process improvement, and working increments for stakeholder feedback. These provide more meaningful insights with less overhead. Continuing traditional metrics because stakeholders expect them reinforces waterfall thinking. Adding roles or tools doesn't address the fundamental misalignment between earned value and agile values.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the PMI-ACP exam cost? US$435 for PMI members and US$495 for non-members.
How many questions are on the exam, and how long is it? 120 items in 3 hours: 100 scored items and 20 unscored pretest items.
Is there a break? Yes. There is a 10-minute break after items 1 to 60, once you have reviewed your answers. You cannot return to those items afterwards.
What are the eligibility requirements? A secondary diploma, 21 hours of formal agile training, and agile experience through one of the routes PMI lists: 2 years in the past 5, 1 year with a GAC degree, 1 year with an active third-party agile certification, or an active PMP.
How many times can I attempt the exam? Up to three times in one year if you do not pass.
How do I maintain the certification? By earning 30 professional development units in each three-year cycle.
Which domains does the exam cover? Mindset (28%), Leadership (25%), Product (19%), and Delivery (28%).
Ready to find your gaps before you pay? Start with free PMI-ACP practice questions at CertCompanion.
Checked against official PMI PMI-ACP exam documentation and current candidate reports. Last verified 2026-10-30.