PMI-ACP Exam Questions Instant Access - No Installation Required

Question 1

Over the last two sprints, a number of potential problems have threatened the team's ability to hit the targeted release date.

What should the agile practitioner do?

ADeal with the issues in a retrospective if they ever come up again.

BCreate a task board to track issues when they appear.

CIdentify and monitor issues through a risk burndown chart.

DCreate an issue log as an information radiator and monitor.

Answer : C

The correct answer is C -- Identify and monitor issues through a risk burndown chart.

Risk burndown charts track how risk exposure is increasing or decreasing over time. This agile artifact is used to communicate risk trends and drive conversations around risk mitigation. It's especially useful when risks threaten iteration goals or release timelines.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

''Risk burndown charts are visual tools that track remaining project risk. They help identify whether risks are increasing or decreasing and enable proactive management.''

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.5 -- Risk Management in Agile)

Mike Griffiths explains:

''Tracking risks visually, such as in a risk burndown chart, helps stakeholders understand exposure levels and fosters risk-mitigation behavior across the team.''

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6 -- Risk Management)

Why the other options fall short:

A delays action and does not help real-time monitoring.

B tracks tasks, not risk.

D (issue log) may help but lacks the proactive visual trend tracking provided by a burndown chart.

Answe r: C

Question 2

A key resource is switching between projects to obtain more visibility and acclaim. However, project work has grown and become a burden.

What should the agile project leader do?

AAdd more resources to projects to ensure work sharing.

BEncourage the resource to undergo time management training.

CAsk management to ensure that the resource is available to only one project at a time.

DAllow the resource to continue switching between projects to deliver high customer value.

Answer : C

The correct answer is C --- Ask management to ensure that the resource is available to only one project at a time.

Agile promotes dedicated, stable teams over multitasking. Task-switching reduces productivity and leads to context-switching overhead. If a key resource is overburdened and switching between multiple projects, the best solution is to secure focused commitment by escalating to management for support.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

''Agile teams should be dedicated and work on one project at a time. Splitting attention across multiple efforts reduces velocity and quality due to context switching.''

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.1 -- Team Composition)

Mike Griffiths highlights:

''Effective agile teams are stable, long-lived, and dedicated. Shared resources create bottlenecks, undermine predictability, and impair team dynamics.''

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

Incorrect options:

A may solve bandwidth issues but not focus or ownership.

B addresses symptoms, not the core issue of divided focus.

D tolerates a harmful practice that contradicts agile team stability.

Answe r: C

Question 3

The systems integrator for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project has been onboarded. During an iteration planning session, the team determines that the next highest priority item will take longer than expected to complete in the current sprint.

What should the agile practitioner do next?

ASchedule a meeting with the product owner to review the sprint priorities.

BPut the high-priority item back into the product backlog.

CExtend the sprint end date to accommodate the high-priority item.

DAsk the project sponsor to add more resources to ensure timely completion.

Answer : A

When the team determines that the highest-priority item will take longer than expected in the current sprint, it is essential to engage the product owner. The product owner is responsible for maintaining the product backlog and defining the priority of work items. By scheduling a meeting with the product owner, the team can collaboratively reassess the priorities and make adjustments based on the evolving understanding of the work required.

The product owner can help determine if the current high-priority item should be moved to the next sprint or if other adjustments to the backlog are needed. This ensures that the team is always focused on delivering the most valuable work within the given sprint time frame. Engaging with the product owner fosters collaboration and ensures alignment between the team and stakeholders, maintaining flexibility and focus on delivering customer value.

Question 4

What should an agile practitioner do?

APresent opportunities in order to be supportive and grow that team member's talents.

BEncourage the team member to fit in more with the established team norms.

CBring this to management's attention so they don't disrupt the team.

DAsk the team member to respect defined roles on the project to avoid confusion with the team.

Answer : A

Agile promotes self-organizing teams, where leadership can emerge naturally. The PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.2: Team Empowerment and Leadership) and Mike Griffiths' PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance) both emphasize supporting team members who take on informal leadership roles, as this strengthens team capability and fosters growth.

Option A is correct: nurturing emerging leaders aligns with agile values of empowerment and self-organization.

Option B may suppress initiative.

Option C escalates unnecessarily.

Option D applies hierarchical control inconsistent with agile team dynamics.

Question 5

A. Coach team members to improve functional specialties and increase overall velocity.

BIdentify where team processes misalign with accepted Scrum practices.

CFacilitate the identification of problems or issues and help the team resolve them.

DReview the backlog to ensure that it is prioritized, refined, and properly tasked.

Answer : C

Upon joining a team, a Scrum Master should focus on facilitating team collaboration, removing impediments, and creating a psychologically safe space. The PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 3.3: Scrum Master Role) and Mike Griffiths (Chapter 3: Team Performance) stress that early efforts should center on servant leadership, helping the team identify and solve their own challenges.

Option C is correct: supporting the team through facilitation reflects the core role of a Scrum Master.

Option A is prescriptive and not aligned with cross-functional team philosophy.

Option B may be necessary later, but first, trust and team dynamics must be established.

Option D falls under the Product Owner's responsibility, not the Scrum Master's.

Question 6

A company has decided to combine two similar products consisting of multiple teams into one product. Engaged customers want to know how the company is looking at re-organizing its teams.

What strategy should be employed to re-organize the teams?

AAll the teams from both products should be simultaneously called together and allowed to completely self-manage

BTeams that worked on similar components in the separate products should be combined to minimize disruption and capitalize on synergies

CAfter grouping individuals by role, multi-discipline teams should be created that are comprised of one member from each role

DFeatures should be prioritized and then teams should be organized around those priorities

Answer : D

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.

Answe r: D

Question 7

A team member has made a mistake on a project.

How should the Scrum Master address the mistake?

AEncourage all team members to follow existing processes.

BRequire team members to complete a peer review of work and deliverables.

CFacilitate a retrospective to identify areas of improvement.

DReward those who have the lowest occurrences of mistakes.

Answer : C

The correct answer is C -- Facilitate a retrospective to identify areas of improvement.

In Agile, mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities. The Scrum Master should create a safe environment where the team can reflect, discuss issues openly, and identify ways to prevent similar mistakes in the future.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

''Retrospectives provide a regular forum for teams to inspect and adapt. Teams discuss what went well, what didn't, and how to improve. This supports continuous learning and performance enhancement.''

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.5 -- Iteration Retrospectives)

Mike Griffiths states:

''Mistakes are inevitable; agile teams embrace them to improve. Retrospectives are essential for structured reflection and action planning.''

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

Why other options are less appropriate:

A may reinforce outdated or flawed processes.

B may help in quality control but does not address the mistake constructively.

D promotes fear and competition, which undermines team trust and collaboration.

Answe r: C

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner PMI-ACP Exam Questions