PMI-ACP PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

The correct answer is A – Facilitate a team discussion to identify knowledge gaps and determine the best way to address them.

The agile coach's role is to foster team ownership and encourage collaborative problem solving. When knowledge gaps are uncovered, the first step is to create transparency and engage the team in identifying how to resolve the gap—through pairing, mentoring, spikes, or backlog adjustments.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile leaders coach teams to self-identify impediments and explore solutions collaboratively. Coaching helps teams build awareness and take ownership of their development and process improvements.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.2 – Coaching the Agile Team)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Rather than providing direct solutions, agile coaches should help teams uncover their own improvements through retrospection, facilitated discussion, and group problem solving.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement / Coaching)

Why the other options fall short:

B & C externalize the problem instead of building team capability.

D may be part of the solution, but the team should explore it collectively—not as a unilateral decision.

Answer: A

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

Stakeholder participation, especially during sprint reviews, iscritical to agile success. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.2: Stakeholder Engagement)emphasizes the importance ofactively engaging stakeholdersthroughout the project lifecycle, particularly during key ceremonies like sprint reviews, where feedback shapes the product.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement)states that stakeholders need tounderstand the value of their inputand how it influences product direction. The agile practitioner or Scrum Master should educate and influence stakeholders bydemonstrating the tangible impact of their participation.

Option Dis correct: aligning stakeholders with thebenefits of engagementfosters participation.

Option A,B, andCare passive substitutes and don’t address the root issue of stakeholder disengagement.

The correct answer is C – Invest in technology-collaboration tools to enable effective communication and ensure a common understanding of the scope, issues, and solutions.

Agile encourages high-bandwidth communication, preferably face-to-face. However, when working with distributed teams, modern collaboration tools serve as essential enablers of shared understanding and timely feedback, reducing the risk of miscommunication and rework.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“While agile prefers face-to-face communication, geographically dispersed teams must rely on tools to mimic these interactions as closely as possible. These include video conferencing, online whiteboards, and real-time collaboration platforms to create a shared understanding.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.3 – Communication and Collaboration)

Mike Griffiths supports this as well:

“Remote teams need strong communication enablers. Collaboration tools help mitigate the challenges of distributed work by enabling transparency, synchronous discussions, and shared visibility of the work.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Why the other options are less appropriate:

A assumes majority rule over inclusive engagement.

B is often impractical and does not reflect Agile’s adaptability.

D is vague and lacks actionable commitment.

Answer: C

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

The correct answer is D – Implement a spike to enhance creativity by experimenting with new techniques and process ideas in order to discover more efficient and effective ways of working.

A spike is a time-boxed research or prototyping activity used to explore uncertainty, investigate a technology, or gain deeper knowledge of an implementation. Spikes are especially useful when a team lacks familiarity with certain technologies, as they reduce risk and support better estimation.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Spikes are a type of exploration that agile teams use when they are uncertain about a technology or technique. They are time-boxed research efforts aimed at reducing risk and improving future delivery.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Spikes)

Mike Griffiths further explains:

“Spikes allow the team to gain knowledge needed to understand a technical or design problem. They are particularly useful when the team lacks domain or technical experience and are often used to improve estimation accuracy.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Why other options fall short:

A and B manipulate iteration length without addressing the core problem (lack of technical knowledge).

C increases overhead without solving the learning gap or preventing the root cause (rework).

Answer: D

══════════════════

answers and comprehensive explanations drawn from authoritative sources including the PMI Agile Practice Guide, PMBOK® Guide, Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, and Andy Crowe’s PMI-ACP Exam materials.

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

If the team members are already communicating regularly with each other and the customer, the daily coordination meetings may not be necessary. The project manager should adapt to the team's needs by reducing the frequency of these meetings, allowing the team to focus more on delivering work. This approach supports Agile principles of minimizing waste and encouraging efficient communication, ensuring that meetings are only held when they add clear value. The team can use alternative methods (e.g., a digital board or asynchronous communication) to stay aligned.

The correct answer is C – Meet with the team to discuss the issue and identify specific actions to reduce or eliminate the issue. Agile coaches facilitate team self-management, guide reflection, and encourage the team to solve performance issues collaboratively. Open discussion fosters ownership and accountability.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile coaches guide teams through self-reflection and help them identify root causes of issues. Coaches support team-driven resolutions to behavioral and performance problems.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Agile Coaching and Team Performance)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Effective agile leadership involves enabling the team to identify and resolve their own challenges. Top-down directives may harm morale and self-organization.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance and Coaching)

Incorrect options:

A and B bring in external control, undermining team autonomy.

D is punitive and contradicts agile principles of empowerment and trust.

Answer: C

In Agile, changes are expected and are part of the iterative process. The product owner should take the opportunity to coach the stakeholder on agile principles, explaining how continuous feedback, flexibility, and adaptability are core to delivering value in an Agile project. Instead of pushing back on changes, the product owner can help the stakeholder understand that responding to change helps improve the product and better meet user needs. This helps align the stakeholder's expectations with Agile practices and fosters better collaboration throughout the project.

The product owner is responsible for managing the product backlog and ensuring that it reflects the priorities and vision of the product. While the Scrum team can suggest changes or improvements during the refinement process, the product owner has the final say on what changes are made to the backlog. This ensures that the product backlog aligns with business needs, stakeholder expectations, and the overall product vision. Therefore, the product owner can reject changes to the backlog if they believe the changes do not align with these priorities.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.2: Stakeholder Engagement), managing stakeholder expectations starts with establishing ashared visionand involving stakeholders in key activities likeiteration reviews. This ensures transparency, feedback, and alignment on progress and priorities.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement)supports the idea that acommon vision and shared goalsfoster trust and improve stakeholder relationships.

Option Ais correct: a shared vision and active involvement lead to better stakeholder alignment.

Option BandCare partially right butlimit collaborationor dismiss stakeholder input.

Option Dis inconsistent with agile’s emphasis onopen, continuous communication.

The correct answer is C – Seek regular input from project stakeholders, and reflect this input in the backlog’s priorities. Agile is a stakeholder-driven process, and backlog refinement should be informed by continuous feedback. The product owner maximizes value by regularly reviewing stakeholder needs and reprioritizing accordingly.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“The product owner is responsible for maintaining the backlog and ensuring it reflects stakeholder priorities. Ongoing engagement with stakeholders ensures the product delivers maximum value.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Product Backlog Management)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Agile product owners engage stakeholders continuously to update priorities and deliver value incrementally.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A is good practice but doesn’t address the stakeholder engagement challenge.

B confuses story size with business value.

D lacks the agility required in a fast-moving project.

Answer: C

────────────────────────────────────

The correct answer is D – Brainstorm with the team to identify a solution.

Agile promotes collective ownership and team-based decision-making. When a critical issue such as architectural scalability arises, the team should be involved in brainstorming alternatives, weighing trade-offs, and deciding how best to move forward collaboratively.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile encourages collaborative problem-solving and cross-functional ownership. Teams should collectively analyze challenges and determine the most appropriate course of action.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Collaborative Decision-Making)

Mike Griffiths also affirms:

“When teams face significant technical or architectural risks, they should come together to explore options and make decisions based on consensus, feasibility, and value.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Why the other options are inappropriate:

A is authoritarian and ignores team input.

B risks performance degradation without team consensus.

C may be part of the process, but only after the team has evaluated options.

Answer: D

═══════════

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

The principles of Extreme Programming (XP) focus on improving software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements. The key principles include:

Rapid feedback: Getting feedback quickly from customers or stakeholders to ensure that the development process is on track.

Assume simplicity: Focusing on simplicity in the design and code to avoid overengineering and to ensure the software is easy to understand and modify.

Incremental change: Delivering software in small, manageable increments that can be easily adjusted based on feedback.

Embrace change: Being flexible and adaptable, especially in response to new requirements or changes in technology or business needs.

Quality work: Ensuring high-quality software by emphasizing practices such as automated testing, continuous integration, and refactoring.

The correct answer is C — Ask probing questions to other team members to encourage dissenting viewpoints.

Agile coaches foster team collaboration and help surface diverse opinions. When one member dominates, the coach should use facilitation techniques to ensure equal voice. Encouraging quieter team members to contribute through thoughtful questions promotes balanced participation and trust.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile coaches foster an environment of trust and collaboration. When team dynamics are unbalanced, the coach helps ensure psychological safety and equal participation.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.2 – Coaching the Agile Team)

Mike Griffiths:

“Coaches use powerful questions to draw out quieter team members and help build a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect choices:

A is extreme and non-collaborative.

B ignores the coach’s facilitative responsibilities.

D is reactive and too late.

—

The correct answer is A – Perform value stream analysis to eliminate the processes with wastage. Value stream mapping is a lean and agile technique used to identify and eliminate non-value-adding activities, optimize flow, and increase delivery efficiency—especially crucial when facing tight deadlines.

From PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Value stream mapping is used to analyze the flow of materials and information required to bring a product or service to a consumer. It helps teams eliminate waste and improve speed and quality.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.4 – Continuous Improvement and Feedback Loops)

From Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book:

“Value stream analysis is a lean technique that helps agile teams identify delays, bottlenecks, and handoffs that waste time. When velocity lags behind expectations, understanding the end-to-end process is essential to improvement.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement)

Option B (removing high-risk stories) may introduce more long-term risk and undermine value.

Option C suggests manipulating metrics instead of addressing root causes.

Option D may help identify risks early, but it doesn’t address why velocity is low.

Answer: A

The correct answer is C – Determine who is best qualified to address the challenges. Agile teams are self-organizing and empowered to make technical decisions. When challenges arise, the team collaboratively identifies who is best suited to resolve issues, rather than relying on external direction or top-down task assignment.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams are self-organizing. When challenges or new work arises, the team decides how to proceed, including task allocation based on skills and availability.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Self-Organization)

Mike Griffiths also notes:

“Team members decide how work is divided and who tackles what. When technical complexity is involved, those with relevant expertise are encouraged to step in, with support from the rest of the team.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect options:

A violates the principle of team autonomy.

B delays delivery rather than solving the problem.

D incorrectly places the Product Owner in a team management role.

Answer: C

In Agile, building increments and ensuring early feedback are key to delivering value quickly and meeting tight deadlines. By focusing on delivering a minimum viable product (MVP), the team can provide the customer with a version of the product that delivers essential functionality early, which allows for feedback and adjustments before the final version is released. This approach helps the team stay within the limited budget and timeline while ensuring that they are delivering the most important features first. Additionally, early customer feedback ensures that the team is on track to meet the project goals and allows for the rapid adaptation of the product.

In Agile, collaboration is important, but it should not disrupt the team’s ability to focus on sprint goals. The Scrum Master can address this situation by designating a single team member to represent the team in external meetings, which reduces the impact on the rest of the team’s working time. Additionally, establishing a capacity buffer helps ensure that the team has enough time for their tasks while accounting for the time needed for meetings. This solution maintains both collaboration and productivity without overwhelming the development team.

Agile promotestransparency and ongoing communicationwith all stakeholders, including legal and compliance teams. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.1 Communications), one of the Scrum Master's responsibilities is tokeep stakeholders informedof project progress and projections using tools like burnup/burndown charts, velocity trends, or product roadmaps.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement)emphasizes thatsharing the trajectoryof progress and scope delivery builds trust and provides clarity to non-technical stakeholders.

Option Cis correct: sharing actual progress and trends with legal ensures alignment and transparency.

Option Amisplaces the responsibility—it's the stakeholders who need visibility.

Option Bshifts product decisions prematurely.

Option Dassumes satisfaction trumps contractual obligations—this can cause legal issues.

The correct answer is A – The Agile team should engage stakeholders regarding the proposed designs and ensure that sufficient engagement occurs throughout the project in an adaptive way.

Agile thrives on continuous stakeholder engagement. Ignoring feedback or rigidly sticking to past decisions defeats Agile's principle of responding to change over following a plan. Even if designs have been created, collaboration must continue.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Engaging stakeholders early and often helps ensure alignment and mitigates late surprises. Adaptive planning allows for feedback and refinement throughout the lifecycle.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths emphasizes:

“Stakeholder collaboration and frequent inspection are cornerstones of Agile. Late feedback is better than no feedback. Teams must adapt.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 3 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Other options:

B discourages collaboration.

C emphasizes documentation over interaction.

D is drastic and unnecessary.

Answer: A

══════════════════════════════════════════════════