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

The correct answer is D — Work with the team to analyze the market opportunity and create a tailored agile approach if needed.

Agile promotes context-based tailoring. Just because an approach works well in one project doesn’t guarantee it will fit another. The agile leader should collaborate with the team to analyze current needs and adapt or design the most suitable process accordingly.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Agile methods should be tailored to suit the project context and objectives.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.1 – Tailoring Agile)

Mike Griffiths:

“Teams must evaluate project needs and customize their process accordingly. Blind reuse of past methods often fails to address unique challenges.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Incorrect options:

A involves stakeholders, but D emphasizes team and tailoring for delivery.

B ignores the unique needs of the new project.

C undermines agility and team ownership.

Answer: D

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Theretrospectiveis the agile ceremony designed for teams toinspect and adapttheir process based on actual performance. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6: Retrospectives), discussingvelocity issues and delivery concernsduring retrospectives allows the team to collaboratively identify improvement actions.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)also notes thatretrospectives are the best settingto discuss variations in velocity and refine estimation or planning practices based on empirical evidence.

Option Cis correct: the retrospective is where the team adapts based on reality.

Option Amay come later but doesn’t address the root issue.

Option Bgoes against agile principles of stable teams and empirical planning.

Option Dis reactive and may mask underlying process issues.

The correct answer is B – Manage communication between all team members and the customer to promote effective and transparent collaboration. Agile values open, direct, and frequent communication, particularly between team members and stakeholders. Transparency, collaboration, and shared understanding reduce misunderstandings and promote customer satisfaction.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile values individuals and interactions over processes and tools. Frequent, open, and direct communication with stakeholders is essential. Agile teams are encouraged to engage stakeholders frequently to ensure alignment and transparency.”

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

Mike Griffiths emphasizes:

“Agile fosters transparency and trust through direct communication. Information should flow freely between all team members and stakeholders to facilitate quick feedback and mutual understanding.”

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

Incorrect options:

A and C limit communication and transparency.

D is useful for conflict resolution, but not for broad issue management or stakeholder communication.

Answer: B

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The correct answer is C – Work with the stakeholder directly rather than go through different layers of people. Agile emphasizes direct communication and collaboration with stakeholders to reduce miscommunication and ensure clarity. When requirements differ depending on who is asked, the agile practitioner must go directly to the source for clarification and alignment.

From PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Face-to-face conversation is the most effective method of conveying information to and within a development team. Agile encourages working directly with stakeholders and product owners to minimize miscommunication.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement; Agile Manifesto Principle #6)

From Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book:

“To reduce noise and confusion, agile practitioners are encouraged to engage stakeholders directly rather than relying on intermediaries or second-hand interpretations.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Option A contradicts agile’s value of responding to change. Option B is an indirect solution that does not eliminate confusion. Option D is internal to the team and doesn’t resolve inconsistencies from stakeholder communication.

Answer: C

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The correct answer is B – Recommend an Agile delivery approach and provide information to the stakeholders on Agile values and principles.

Agile enables early and continuous delivery of valuable software, short feedback loops, and faster time to market. When competitive advantage and speed are critical, introducing Agile principles allows the organization to remain flexible, respond to change, and deliver increments faster.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile approaches provide quicker feedback, faster time to market, and more opportunity to deliver business value early. They are ideal in dynamic environments with evolving customer needs.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 1.3 – When to Use Agile)

Mike Griffiths states:

“Agile emphasizes early and continuous delivery, allowing organizations to test, learn, and adjust quickly to changes—critical for achieving business agility and competitive advantage.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 1 – Agile Mindset)

Why other options are not optimal:

A suggests a predictive mindset and planning before implementation.

C focuses only on Scrum roles, which may be too narrow for organizational-level change.

D relies on traditional governance structures that may resist Agile change.

Answer: B

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The correct answer is D – Features should be prioritized and then teams should be organized around those priorities. In agile scaling and reorganization, forming feature teams allows for the creation of cross-functional, end-to-end value delivery units. This reduces dependencies and promotes customer-focused outcomes.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Teams are best organized around delivering customer value. When scaling or merging efforts, restructuring around features or customer priorities improves flow, minimizes handoffs, and supports agility at scale.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.5 – Agile Scaling Considerations)

Mike Griffiths notes:

“Agile scaling favors organizing teams around features and capabilities rather than components. Feature teams are cross-functional and able to deliver end-to-end slices of functionality with minimal dependencies.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Scaling Agile and Team Formation)

Incorrect options:

A can lead to chaos without structure.

B reinforces siloed, component-based teams which increase integration risk.

C recreates functional silos rather than cross-functional teams.

Answer: D

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When significant architectural flaws are discovered, agile teamsinspect and adapt. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6: Retrospectives and Adaptation), the product owner and team shouldcollaboratively reassess priorities and rewrite backlog itemsto reflect the rework needed. This is aligned with agile’sincremental delivery and continuous adaptation.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)stresses that rework should be handled through backlog refinement and collaborative planning—not panic or reactive decisions.

Option Cis correct: reassessing the backlog with stakeholders aligns with agile practices.

Option Aabdicates product responsibility.

Option Bis too rigid for agile, unless the risk matrix is already very mature and agile-focused.

Option Dcancels value delivery and is unnecessarily drastic.

Step 1: Identify Total Story Points in the Backlog

From the backlog table:

Total story points = 6 + 4 + 8 + 4 + 21 + 7 + 5 + 9 + 3 + 5 = 72

Step 2: Determine the Team's Velocity

The risk register mentions a burn reduction of 1 story point per sprint from sprint 4 to sprint 6 due to a holiday schedule. However, assuming a normal velocity of 5 story points per sprint, we can estimate sprint completion.

Normal sprint velocity: 5 story points per sprint

Reduced velocity for sprints 4-6: 4 story points per sprint

Step 3: Calculate Total Sprints Needed

First 3 sprints: 5 points per sprint → 5 × 3 = 15 story points completed

Sprints 4-6: 4 points per sprint → 4 × 3 = 12 story points completed

Remaining story points after sprint 6: 72 - (15 + 12) = 45 story points

Remaining sprints needed at normal velocity (5 story points per sprint): 45 ÷ 5 = 9 sprints

Total Sprints Required

Sprints 1-6: Already planned.

Additional 9 sprints needed.

Total sprints to complete the backlog: 6 + 9 = 15 sprints.

The role of a servant leader focuses on serving the team by removing obstacles, providing support, and ensuring that the team has what it needs to be successful. The agile coach is advising the project manager to adopt this mindset, which is central to Agile leadership. In this role, the project manager focuses on enabling the team’s success rather than taking a directive or authoritative approach.

The product owner should work closely with the team to ensure that the most critical features are prioritized and clearly understood. Inviting the customer to the sprint planning meeting helps ensure that the team has a direct understanding of what is most important to the customer and their business needs. This fosters collaboration and ensures the team works on the most valuable features first.

Additionally, refining the product backlog and identifying the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ensures the team knows the minimum set of features required for the product to provide value to the customer. By focusing on the MVP, the team can quickly deliver a product that addresses the core needs, enabling faster feedback and iterations.

The correct answer is B – Evaluate the impact of the change request and let the team and Product Owner decide and reprioritize based on value. Agile allows for mid-iteration changes only in exceptional cases where business value is at risk. Such changes must be evaluated collaboratively.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams may allow scope changes mid-iteration if the benefit clearly outweighs the cost. In such cases, the Product Owner and team collaboratively assess and decide whether to accommodate the change.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Iteration Planning and Scope Flexibility)

Mike Griffiths also explains:

“While mid-iteration changes are discouraged, if the change is critical to business value, the team and Product Owner may replan collaboratively. Agile encourages flexibility with customer-focused decision-making.”

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

Incorrect options:

A and D bypass collaborative evaluation.

C is too extreme for a small but valuable change.

Answer: B

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The correct answer is C — Work with the customer to understand which user stories will deliver the best business value, re-prioritize the backlog, and share it with the customer to provide release plans.

Agile allows for adaptive planning and continuous prioritization but also provides transparency and planning via product roadmaps and release planning. Collaborating with the customer to align on value and priorities fosters trust and offers predictability through rolling wave planning.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile release planning provides a high-level roadmap of deliverables based on value. It enables stakeholder alignment while remaining flexible to changing priorities.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Adaptive Planning and Release Planning)

Mike Griffiths:

“Agile doesn't reject roadmaps—it refines them iteratively. Teams work with stakeholders to determine business value and build release forecasts that evolve with each iteration.”

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

Incorrect options:

A is rigid and misrepresents agile's balance between planning and adaptability.

B inappropriately shifts responsibility to the customer.

D is valid but lacks the engagement and re-prioritization aspect.

Answer: C

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The Scrum Master should help ensure that stakeholders understand Agile principles and terms correctly to facilitate smooth decision-making. Organizing training sessions is an effective way to address misunderstandings and create awareness around Agile values. By ensuring all stakeholders are on the same page, the team can move forward with a shared understanding, which is critical for successfully implementing Agile methodologies. This approach promotes long-term buy-in and alignment, rather than simply pushing for a decision without proper education or consensus.

The correct answer is D – Ask the team to decide if the task should be reassigned. In agile, the Scrum Master serves as a servant leader and facilitator, not a manager. Task decisions are made by the team through collaboration and self-organization.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams self-organize and make decisions collaboratively. The Scrum Master facilitates discussion and decision-making but does not dictate task assignments.”

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

Mike Griffiths adds:

“The Scrum Master’s role is to empower the team to find their own solutions and make informed decisions that support sprint goals. When adjustments are needed, the team should decide how to proceed.”

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

Incorrect options:

A undermines self-management and may create fear or pressure.

B implies outside control instead of team autonomy.

C ignores opportunity for improvement and team input.

Answer: D

Frequent feedback is key to agile success. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.3: Sprint Review and Feedback)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement), thesprint review (demo)is the primary event designed to obtain feedback from stakeholders. If stakeholders are unresponsive,increasing the opportunities for engagement, such as byscheduling more demos or review checkpoints, encourages their involvement.

Option Dis correct: demos provide structured opportunities to collect feedback.

Option Amight increase delivery cadence but doesn't guarantee feedback.

Option Bis inappropriate—daily stand-ups are for the team.

Option Cviolates role responsibilities—estimation is owned by the team, not stakeholders.

Spikes are valuable for reducing uncertainty, but agile discouragesspending multiple sprints solely on spikeswithout delivering value. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2 Spikes and Exploration)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), learning and delivery should occurconcurrentlywhenever possible. Teams should strive toinclude high-priority deliverables alongside spikes, particularly in early sprints, to build momentum and maintain stakeholder engagement.

Option Cis correct: executing high-priority stories in parallel with spikes promotes learning and value delivery.

Option AandDsupport spikes but ignore the risk ofdelayed value.

Option Bis valid but administrative; the better choice is to avoid needing prolonged spike sprints at all.

In Agile, estimates are initially based on previous experiences or expert opinions, but as the team progresses through sprints, they gain more insight into the project’s actual complexity and the team's capacity. Agile estimates evolve over time based on the team's velocity, which reflects how much work the team can realistically handle. This is why the actual scope and timelines can differ from initial estimates. The agile lead should emphasize that the initial estimates were helpful for understanding feasibility, but the true estimates are refined continuously as the team gains more experience and understanding of the work, and as complexities or dependencies become clearer during each sprint.

In Agile, change is considered a natural part of the process, as requirements evolve based on feedback and new insights. The Scrum Master should help the team understand that changes are an opportunity to improve the product and deliver more value to the stakeholders. While it's important to manage changes effectively, it's also crucial to communicate that continuous improvement and adaptation are integral parts of Agile practices. The Scrum Master should foster a positive environment where change is seen as a way to better meet the customer's needs rather than a hindrance to performance.

Based on the velocity chart, the team has completed 43, 42, 44, and 46 story points in previous sprints. The average number of completed story points is 43.75, and committing to 44 story points for the upcoming sprint aligns closely with this average. It offers a realistic target that takes into account the team's capacity while providing a reasonable chance of completing the planned work within the sprint.