An Introduction to the PMI-ACP® Exam

An Introduction to the PMI-ACP® ExamBy Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM

Do you use Agile practices, tools, and techniques in your projects? Do you belong to an organization that is in the process of adopting or is already implementing projects using the Agile philosophy, methodologies, principles, and practices? Do you want to demonstrate your expertise in Agile practices, tools, and techniques? Then you may be ready to take the next step and become a PMI® Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) ®. Before you begin there are a few vital things you should understand, such as the eligibility requirements to apply for the PMI-ACP® exam, the application process, and what to expect when sitting for the exam.

There are four areas of requirements that must be met in order to be eligible to take the PMI-ACP® Exam. The first is to have a secondary degree, such as a High School Diploma, Associate’s Degree or global equivalent. The second is to have and to be able to document at least 2,000 hours of general experience working on project teams. This general project experience must have taken place within the past five years and is project experience that is not necessarily Agile-related. Already having an active PMP® or PgMP® certification will satisfy this general project requirement without additional documentation. The third requirement is that you must be able to document at least 1,500 hours of experience working on Agile teams or using Agile methods in the past three years. The final requirement is that you must earn at least 21 contact hours covering Agile-related topics, which may include; Agile philosophy, methodologies, principles, or practices. These hours must be earned before you are scheduled to sit for the exam.

If you still need to earn your contact hours this can be accomplished through a variety of sources, including; a PMI Registered Education provider, a PMI Chapter, a PMI Community of Practice (CoP), individual employer/company training programs, professional training companies, and a variety of schools or universities. Visit www.pmi.org for more information to determine if a specific program qualifies to satisfy the necessary contact hours to sit for the exam. Most of them do, as long as there is an end-of-course assessment whose results can be documented. Two things to remember when it comes to contact hours are that one hour of training equals one contact hour, and that each contact hour must focus on Agile-related topics.

The application for the PMI-ACP® exam can either completed online at www.pmi.org or it can be downloaded and submitted by mail. If you select to apply online you will have 90 days to complete the application process. The process time for an online application is generally 10 days, whereas if you elect to complete a paper copy it can take up to 20 days to process, in addition to the time it takes to reach PMI®.

Before you start the application process, make sure you meet the eligibility requirements as previously described above and that can document how you meet the requirements. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when documenting both your general project experience hours and your Agile project experience hours. First of all, you cannot claim the hours from the same project for both general project experience and Agile project experience. In other words, the 2,000 hours of general project experience and the 1,500 hours of Agile project experience have to be mutually exclusive. Secondly, the experience you document cannot be overlapping. For example, if you worked on a project during the months of January, February, and March and another project during the months of March, April, and May, you can only count five months of experience (January through May) not six because the projects overlapped in March. The 21 contact hours in the area of Agile practices can be earned in a variety of ways as mentioned above and each provider should provide documentation proving you have successfully completed each hour of education. Also, as part of the application process you will be required to read and agree to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the Certification Application/Renewal Agreement.

Keep in mind as you complete the application process that there is a possibility that your application will be selected for an audit. PMI randomly audits all applications received and it is therefore very important that you keep a copy all of your experience and contact hour documentation until you have at least received notification that you are eligible to take the PMI-ACP® exam. If you are selected to be audited you will have 90 days to submit audit materials, and the audit process usually takes 5-7 days.

Once your application is reviewed and accepted, and you have paid the application fee you will have one year from the date of acceptance to take the PMI-ACP® exam and you are allowed up to three attempts to pass within that year. The PMI-ACP® exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions that need to be answered in three hours. The questions on the exam are equally divided between the topics of Agile Tools and Techniques, and Agile Knowledge and Skills. Computer-based testing is the standard method for taking the PMI-ACP® exam. However, a paper-based test can be made available for special circumstances. There is also a tutorial you can take before starting the exam to help you gain familiarity with how to take a Computer-Based Exam. One thing to remember is that there are no scheduled breaks during the exam, so if you elect to take a break the clock on the exam continues to run. Also, at this time the PMI-ACP® exam is only offered in English and language aids are not available.

Obtaining your PMI-ACP® certificate demonstrates to others your knowledge of Agile practices, tools, and techniques. Make sure you understand PMI’s most recent requirements to qualify to take the exam and go to www.pm-prepcast.com/Agile for additional information about the PMI-ACP® exam and the exam process.


Summary:

If you use Agile practices, tools, and techniques on your projects or your organization is in the process of implementing or already follows Agile philosophy, methodologies, principles, and practices, then becoming a PMI® Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) ® may be the way to go for you. Before you take the next step toward earning your PMI-ACP® certification make sure you understand the eligibility requirements to apply for the PMI-ACP® exam, the application process, and what to expect when sitting for the exam.



By Cornelius Fichtner, PMP - Making the PMBOK® Guide fun.

Thank you.

6 ways to get hired as a new Project Management Professional

6 ways to get hired as a new Project Management Professional

Becoming a Certified Project Management Professional(PMP) is not a walk in the park. Certainly you will want to use this prestigious global certificate of yours to your advantage as a professional. This certification increases your earnings the average salary for project management professionals in the USA is $101,505, according to the PMI Project Management Salary Survey-Fourth Edition. Managers who hold the PMP certification also often make more money than non-certified project managers.

Here are 6 ways to get hired as a new Project Management Professional

1. Build Professional Confidence: Don't wear your heart on your heart on your sleeves.Be confident in your ability-really nobody knows it all even your interviewers.Don’t be afraid to take on risks as that is what Project Managing is about and if you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to admit it.Never sound arrogant during interview sessions.

2.Resume Checklist:Have you done your research about the Organization you're applying to. Is your resume customized to satisfy the interviewer?Are their typos on your resume?You need to correct these before sending them out.
Basic Project Management Knowledge sought for from recruiters includes

• Understanding of project management framework such as PMBOK
• Understanding trade-offs between time, cost, quality and scope.
• Ability to produce and review business cases.
• Sound knowledge of project planning.
• Good knowledge of risk and issue management.
• Good knowledge of change management techniques.
• Ability to establish quality management systems.
• Ability to manage resources.
• Sound knowledge of budgeting and cost control.
• Proficient in documentation Skills
• Proficient in communication skills

Rework your resume with some of these core skills if you have them flaunt them.This would enable your resume cross the hurdles of selection criteria especially if they are using recruitment software.

Presentation matters,have a cover letter introducing yourself accompanying your resume.

3.Be Valuable: Getting job ready implies you must have value you are bringing to the table(Office table I mean).Are you aware of Project Management Industry trends,terminology,language?

If you don't have sufficient practical knowledge read lots from good Project Management books,Groups on Linkedin of practicing Project Management Professionals,Do Google searches for confusing stuff,Blogs such as www.ritetracpm.blogspot.com, experiment with a Project Management software such as wrike.com to see how to manage simple tasks and coordinate teams.
Volunteer on projects and use the lessons learnt as part of what you know in your resume.

4. Become a mentee: Getting needed help from a mentor and a business coach to find your path and get unstuck. Finding a mentor to guide you in your early stages at this career wll help a lot find out if online mentoring offered by Ritetrac Consulting would be a good match for your needs.Learn more here http://slidesha.re/100PpXi

4.Networking: Sell your value to your network using social media(www.Linkedin.com especially)make sure your profile is complete and represents you,attending Industry Seminars and Webinars also helps.Move around while at physical events with a business card and your basic information plus your linkedin address.

5.Visit Job Boards: In Nigeria use www.jobberman.com etc in the diaspora use Monster.com , http://www.projectmanagerjobs.co.uk etc Also sowing a seed by word of mouth to people you meet in church,saloon,barber, dry-cleaners,at Organizations where projects are handled can help with your search.
A word of caution-don't submit your resume randomly.Be sure you are a match for the job described.


To your success!

You can make your comments and add more ways if your experience was different.

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Be Project Management Savvy!

Finally… And now, to my readers – I hope you enjoyed reading our article? Thanks for reading. Before you go, I’d like you to do 3 things for us:
 1. Connect with us: Find us on Facebook (hit the 'like' button when you get there) Find us on Twitter (if you follow us, we will follow you back)
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My Top 10 Recommended Web Sites for Free PMP Exam Sample Questions

My Top 10 Recommended Web Sites for Free PMP Exam Sample Questions

By Cornelius Fichtner, PMP



After eight years as a project management trainer, I have helped more than 20,000 students prepare for their Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam. In my experience along the way, I’ve found one thing that unites them all: They all want to practice with free PMP Exam sample questions.

In an effort to help, I have identified 10 web sites that offer free PMP Exam sample questions. I recommend each of them for the quality of their questions.

1. www.oliverlehmann.com. Hands down, this web site has the toughest questions around. If you are able to answer more than 50% correctly, then hats off to you. Lehmann provides sample questions in a variety of formats. From the site, you can take a free 75-question simulated, timed (90 minute) exam. He also includes a link to over 3,000 free sample questions (4,000 for PMI members) as well as a download option (PDF) for an additional 175 sample questions, which is also available in German. What’s more, smartphone owners can access another 30 free questions for their iPhone/iPad and/or Android in the iTunes Store and Android Market, respectively.

2. http://www.preparepm.com/mock1.html This site offers two different free “mock exams”—the first has 70 questions; the second has 28 questions, and the answers to the questions are included at the end of each exam. What I like most about this site, however, is that you can filter the sample questions by the various knowledge areas covered in the exam (i.e., questions on Risk Management, or Quality Management, or Ethics, etc.), so you can focus your studies on the areas where you think you need the most help. The site also includes a link to a free, timed 200-question PMP practice exam (although you do have to register on the site).

3. http://www.examcentral.net/pmp/pmp-exam-questions. This PMP Exam study site includes a huge,sample-question test bank—over 1,000 free practice exam questions. Once you register on the site, you’ll be able to access the vast test bank, as well as an unlimited number of full-length mock exams, customizable PMP flashcards, and a PMP dictionary. Two nice features of note on this site: first, once you take a practice exam, you can re-open it for review; second, the practice exam provides you with visual, analytical progress reporting, so you know exactly where you stand during your mock exam.

4. http://certification.about.com/od/projectmanagement/a/pmp_test_whiz.htm. If you’re looking for something short and sweet, this excerpt from Whizlabs’ PMP Exam Simulator gives you 20 free PMP sample questions to test your readiness. There are five questions per page, and the answers--as well as explanations for each question--are available at the bottom of each page. In addition, the site provides suggested reading, related articles and resources for each question, giving you additional support in areas where you may need more help.

5. http://www.tutorialspoint.com/pmp-exams/pmp_mock_exams.htm. Offering 200 objective sample questions (and their answers) on each of two mock exams, this site will give you a good idea of what you’ll see on the actual exam. Unique to this site, you’ll be able to see a pattern or progression of exam questions based on the PMBOK areas of knowledge.

6. http://pmhub.net/pmsuccess/Menu.htm. Why not turn your PMP exam studying into a game? PMPHub publishes a new (free) Question of the Day every day, as well as the Answer and Explanation to yesterday’s Question of the Day. Return to the site tomorrow to see the answer to today’s question. A distinguishing feature of the site is the “Source of Answer” section after each question, which shows you exactly where to look in the PMBOK for help or more direction. Also unique, PMHub offers a bilingual (English/Chinese) test bank!

7. http://www.ajithn.com/login.php. The free, sample exam on the PMP Question World site is rather like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books; you decide how many questions you’d like to answer in your mock exam. Possible questions come from all nine PMBOK knowledge areas, and you can take the mock exam as many times as you like. The sample exam does not display correct answers; however, practice questions -- with their answers--are also available on the site. You can also “share” questions with your fellow PMP exam-takers.

8. http://www.passionatepm.com/free-pmp-exam-practice-test-questions. Hoping to provide training that will “rock your face off,” the Passionate Project Management site offers you three free, timed practice exams -- a 15-question/18-minute option, a 50-question/60-minute option, and a 100-question/120-minute option. Once you take the practice exam, you’ll see your score (%) as it relates to the passing score for that mock exam. You can then Review the Quiz, going back over both your correct and incorrect answers.

9. http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com/. How would you like to have free PMP sample questions delivered right to your Inbox? A simple registration gets you just that -- a series of free sample questions, as well as a Weekly PMP Exam Tips newsletterdelivered right to you. You’ll continue to receive fresh content, as new questions are always being created and added. Sit back and let the sample questions come to you.

10. Free PM Exam Simulator. The PM Exam Simulator gives you the opportunity to practice taking the PMP Exam in a way that mimics the actual exam. The Simulator feeds you questions of the same style and difficulty that you’ll see on the exam and proportionately as far as the correct process group (i.e., Initiation=11%, Planning =23%, etc.). You’ll experience various types of questions, from formula-based questions to interpretational questions. Another plus for this site is that you can take the practice exam in three modes: Real Exam Mode (just like the real PMP exam experience); Timed Mode (receive hints and answers, but still adhere to a limited time); or Learning Mode (receive hints and answers with no time limit). Try the Exam Simulator for three days -- free! (Disclaimer: This is my own simulator.)

Obviously, exam simulators and sample questions are often a very good indicator of your readiness to take the exam. Generally speaking, if you are able to correctly answer at least 85% or more of the sample or practice questions on your first try, you’re probably ready to take your PMP certification exam. Note that answering a question correctly on your second try doesn’t count, since you will only have one chance in the real exam. So, for example, a simulator with 1,800 questions gives you 1,800 “first tries.” This is plenty to build your confidence and gauge when you are ready to take the exam. Of course, the 85% rule is just a rule of thumb, but if you want to know how you are doing it is a useful benchmark against which to assess your abilities.
Sample questions are extremely helpful in preparing for the exam; however, remember that free questions aren't everything. I recommend you also subscribe to a commercial exam simulator so that you can practice in a "real" environment using realistic exam questions. After all...free questions are free and may only take you so far.

About the author: Cornelius Fichtner, PMP is a noted PMP expert. He has helped over 16,000 students prepare for the PMP Exam with The Project Management PrepCast and offers one of the Best PMP Exam Simulators on the market.

Over 20 Benefits of enrolling in the Professional Project Management (PMP®) Exam Preparatory Classes

Over 20 Benefits of enrolling in the Professional Project Management (PMP®) Exam Preparatory Classes

1.Understand the PMI terminology that will be used on the PMP Certification examination.

2. See how Quality Planning can be used to ensure project success.

3. Know the subject matter that will be tested, the depth to which questions will be asked,the structure of the Exam questions and the emphasis that will be placed on each topic.
4. Understand how Net Present Value,Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Benefits Cost Ration(BCR) etc are calculated and used as part of a Project Charter
5. Learn how to construct a Network Diagram using PDM(Precedence Diagramming Method).
6. Produce task time estimates that utilize best-practice and are consistently reliable.
7. Memorize and understand key terms, equations, and graphs for the PMP examination.
8. Effectively translate previous project management experience to the PMI standards which are best practice.
9. Understand how to determine and measure a project's Critical Path.
10. Develop a study plan to pass the PMP examination on the first try.

11.Understand how to use Earned Value Analysis to keep a project on-budget and on-time.

12. Clearly define the scope of a project and effectively manage it throughout the project's life.

13. Learn the elements of a clear, concise project plan.
14. Minimize the risk of a project through proper risk management and risk response planning.
15. Learn the fundamentals of stakeholder analysis and how to manage stakeholder expectation.
16. Effectively communicate with project stakeholders at all levels and create a viable communication plan.
17. Learn the five process groups that form the basis of the project management life cycle.
18. Understand the nine knowledge areas and how they apply to each of the process groups.
19. See how to properly fill out the Project Management Professional examination application.
20. Satisfy the  mandatory educational requirement to sit for the PMP examination.

What to do next? In Nigeria enroll here by downloading our Training Registration Form fill it up and submitting to info@ritetracconsult.com.ng or to our physical location in Abuja,Nigeria.