Is PMI-ACP Certification Worth It In 2022?

Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) is a certification that focuses on agile practices offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Many organizations are turning towards incorporating agile methodologies in project management. 

Since the market conditions are volatile, there is a need for organizations to hire certified professionals with diverse knowledge of agile principles as they support observing changing market conditions, customer requirements, and any or all competitive threats. The PMI ACP certification is the best fit for those who want to deepen their skills and knowledge of agile methodologies, practices, and principles. At the same time, PMI-ACP certification can help you get the recognition you need in the agile project management domain. 

In this article, let us take a look at why PMI ACP is worth your time and budget investment. 

Benefits of Getting the PMI ACP Project Management certification

Project Management Institute (PMI) is one of the most high-reputed institutions for project management professionals. Getting a PMI ACP certification in Detroit will help you deepen your skill and knowledge to efficiently deliver and manage the projects on time. The benefits of acquiring a PMI ACP certification is as follows:

• High salary perks

A PMI ACP certification holder can enjoy high salary perks as the average salary of an ACP certification holder is Rs443,000 – Rs2,000,000 in India, while the average salary in the US is $62,000 – $162,000. Ultimately, with experience, your salary range keeps on increasing. 

• It will help you stand out among the crowd

An ACP certification is highly reputed and can help you stand out from among your peers in the domain. An organization will always prefer certified professions over non-certified candidates to lead and manage agile projects. 

• It will enhance your knowledge 

One more advantage of getting an ACP certification is your ability to understand agile concepts on a deeper level. You can learn more about several agile approaches such as Kanban, Scrum, Lean, Extreme Programming (XP) and Test-Driven Development (TDD), etc. 

• Increasing demand for agile project management professionals

There is an increasing demand for agile project management professionals as reportedly many big organizations such as IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, AT&T, and many more use agile approaches to improve their processes.  

• Global recognition and acceptance

PMI ACP certification is a highly recognized certification in agile project management as it covers all the important aspects of agile methodologies that an agillist needs to know to adopt the agile approach for project management. Moreover, the ACP certification is globally accepted, which means you can explore global job opportunities. 

• It will add value to your CV

Ultimately, an ACP certification will add value to your CV or Resume and help employers shortlist you from among pools of other candidates. 

Confused about How to Become a Project Manager In 2022? Get to know the step by step approach to become a project manager in this detailed guide.

PMI ACP exam

Here is everything you need to know about the PMI ACP exam structure, syllabus, cost, and so on. 

PMI-Agile Certification Syllabus

The PMI ACP exam syllabus revolves around 7 domains of agile project management. Here is the percentage weightage of each of the 7 domains of the ACP exam syllabus. 

ACP exam fee

The exam cost for ACP certification is as follows:

Exam Pattern

Here is what to expect from the ACP exam pattern. 

• You will have to answer 120 multiple-choice questions. 
• You will get a duration of 3 hours to complete the exam.

Eligible criteria

Like any other PMI certification, you have to meet a few certification requirements to be eligible for the ACP exam. You must pass the following eligibility criteria:

• Secondary degree
• 12 months of project management experience in the last 5 years.
• 8 months of Agile experience in the last 3 years
• 21 formal contact hours on agile practices.

Who should attend PMI-ACP certification training?

You can attend PMI-ACP certification training, if: 

• You want to get a clear understanding of agile practices, and methodologies by opting for instructor-led training sessions. 
• You need guidance for your ACP exam preparation. 
• You want access to mock exams and sample questions. 
• You don’t want to go for a self-study approach for the ACP examination. 
• You have so many doubts about agile concepts. 

Is it worth taking a PMI-ACP Certificate? 

PMI ACP is worth your time and money as the certification is valid for 3 years and you can renew the certification every 3 years. Moreover, it will open new doors to some exciting global opportunities with the chances of earning extremely high salaries. 

What is the value proposal of the PMI-ACP?

There are a lot of advantages of holding an ACP certification. Here is the value proposal of a PMI ACP certification. 

• The ACP exam is relatively difficult in comparison to other agile certificates out there. 
• The certification recognizes your knowledge and work experience as an agile practitioner. 
• The seal from the reputed PMI institution carries credibility and adds value to your career. 
• Any agile training that provides you with 21 contact hours is eligible for the PMI ACP exam requirement. For instance, you can enroll yourself for a 3 days Scrum training rather than a specific ACP exam training. 

What are the weak points of the PMI-ACP?

Some weak points of the PMI-ACP certification are as follows:

• The quality of ACP training for the ACP exam will vary from provider to provider. 
• The exam syllabus is extremely lengthy, and you cannot leave any topic out. 
• The ACP exam cost is relatively costlier compared to other alternatives such as the PSM (Professional Scrum Master) e. i $150 Vs the ACP cost is $445. 

Review of the PMI-ACP: ACP vs PMP vs others

PMI ACP certification is more focused on agile approaches and methodologies. It includes approaches such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, Extreme Programming (XP), Test-Driven Development (TDD), and more. The certification revolves around 7 domains of agile project management. 

On the other hand, a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification focuses on the traditional waterfall approach of project management. It revolves around 3 domains of project management: People, Process, and Business environment. 

We can say that the PMP exam is slightly difficult in comparison to the PMI ACP exam. 

Conclusion

Agile Project management trend continues to rise and is ranked as one of the top skills that employers are looking for in professionals. If you are someone who is ready to make your mark in the field of agile project management, then PMI ACP certification is an ideal credential for you to move forward with your career. 

About the Author:

Chetan Sharma is a professional digital marketer and blogger at heart. He owns multiple educational blogs like HSSLIVE and many others.