ACP stands for Agile Certified Practitioner, the certification from PMI, USA for project managers across all industries. Those having ~8 months experience in agile are eligible to take the exam, though the training can be taken by anyone interested in Agile. The certification is valued across the world.
Here are a few key points about PMI ACP for your initial understanding. Details can be read via additional links provided in the Useful Links tab below
About the Trainer:
Ashish Paranjpe has over 29 years experience across industries and domains. His goal is to provide you with the best PMI ACP training. Click here to view the trainer profile. Here are 6 reasons why you are in safe hands:
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GetCoached.in's program is probably the only one that simulates the entire Agile journey, to help you get a practical dimension in your understanding.
7 Key Reasons why GetCoached.in is one of the best PMI ACP training institutes:
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Fees:
INR 10,500 per participant (includes tax) or US$ 150
Option to pay in EMIs ( 5 cheques of Rs.2200/- each) over 5 months. Note: This is only for in-person physical classroom attendees
This fee is inclusive of Service Tax /GST. Fees are non refundable. However, participants can request (atleast 48 hours in advance), to make one switch to the next batch (subject to availability) at no additional cost. This switch can be done mid-course as well, though not advisable. Date changes done in less than 48 hours prior to start of the training or switching batches multiple times will incur a charge of Rs. 1000/- for each batch switch
Payment Modes: Branch/ATM Cheque drop, Cheque or cash handover, Google Pay or PAYTM to 9822603367, UPI to ashishparanjpe@kotak or Online banking fund transfer (details below).
International Participants: Pay using PayPal or Credit / Debit Card:
India Participants: Pay using Credit / Debit Card:
Cashback: 10% Cash Back for Early Enrolment!
How it works: If you make the full payment 2 weeks prior to training via NEFT/IMPS/UPI/Google Pay (or deposit the cheque in bank dropbox), you get a benefit of 10% which equals Rs. 1050 cash back on day 3 of the training, deposited into your account. Cashback option not applicable for EMI option and payments via PayTM, PayUMoney or PayPal
Contact +91-9822603367 to confirm your seat or write an email to contact@getcoached.in to send the screenshot of the payment done.
Training Package Includes:
Note: Items marked with * above will be available only for participants attending in person. For other participants, the hard copy (item #3) can be couriered on request later.
ACP Training Agenda:
Note: The Course will include learning games, hands-on activities, scenario based discussions and quizzes.
1. Introduction
2. Agile Basics
3. Agile Requirements Analysis and Design
4. Value-based prioritization of the backlog items
5. Agile Estimation
6. Iteration Planning, Monitoring and Adapting
7. Product Quality
8. Risk management
9. Agile Metrics
10. Agile Value stream analysis
11. Behavioral skills required in Agile
12. Agile Knowledge and Skills (Level-1)
13. Agile Knowledge and Skills (Level-2)
14. Agile Knowledge and Skills (Level-3)
Useful Links:
ACP Reference Books: A list of recommended books for Agile ACP Certification Study
Mode of Delivery:
in Person Face to Face (at Hotel Orchard, Deccan Pune), or Online via Zoom Link with video and audio based conversations
Dates:
13,14,20 Apr: Offline @ Pune!
Time:
9 am to 5:30 pm IST with periodic breaks
Batch size: 12-15 participants, so as to ensure maximum interaction and query resolution.
Call +91-9822603367 to know more about the specifics of how the physical classroom or online training sessions will take place
What should I go for: PMI ACP or CSM (Certified Scrum Master)?
With so many people talking about Agile and Scrum Certifications, you would be wondering which one to take. Here is a quick guide for you to decide which certification you may want to take. The choice is yours
1. PMI ACP requires 8 months experience in Agile kind of projects, whereas CSM does not require any prior background. This ensures that the ACP participants in the training know what we are talking about - whereas in a CSM Training, you will get individuals that have never done Agile before. However, If you don't have any experience and yet want to get a quick certification relating to Agile / Scrum, CSM is what you may want to go for.
2. We haven't seen anyone yet who has failed in the CSM exam. Whether you are good at Scrum or not, you are going to be a CSM if you complete the 2 day program. For this reason, anyone stating that they are certified as a CSM is not telling much - all it says that you had time and money to go to a 2 day program and get the certification. Being a CSM does not by itself make you stand apart from others except that you got familiar with the way Scrum works. It will not ensure that you have the qualities of being a Scrum Master overnight!
3. The Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) from PMI requires you to understand the concepts, study for about a month or two before you can be ready to give the exam. By passing the ACP examination, you become one of the few in your city that have this certification as an edge over the others
4. The ACP course is a superset of the other certifications. It covers all that you would cover in the CSM training, plus other methodologies like XP, Lean, Kanban and some more. So, by doing an ACP, rest assured that you will also cover the CSM topics, and much more
5. The ACP course covers it from all perspectives - the Agile Coach, Product Owner, Scrum Master and Team. CSM will be primarily aimed at the scrum master role
6. If you are focused on seeking knowledge on Agile methodologies and certification is not presently important, even in that case, PMI ACP is better, as the PMI ACP Training from GetCoached.in costs approximately 30% of the CSM course fee. For those giving the exam, they will need to spend additionally a fee of 495 USD towards the certification exam
7. While CSM is the entry level certification, you need to take the second level (CSP) to differentiate yourself from the crowd. That requires additional years of working and 70 SEUs (like PDUs) of training too. Do note that the fees for PMI ACP Training + Certification will be atleast 25% lower than the CSM + CSP fees put together.
Summing up, the PMI ACP Training gives you more knowledge, higher credibility at a lower cost.
Q. What is ACP?
A. ACP Stands for Agile Certified Practitioner. This is the agile certification issued by the Project Management Institute, USA, the same body that issues the PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification. This is not to be confused with CSM or "Scrum Master Certification" though it covers scrum and other methodologies in depth
Q. What is the eligibility criteria for ACP Certification?
A. The PMI ACP Handbook (see the Useful Links tab above) provides a detailed information on this. In brief, you need 1500 hours (~ 8 months) of Agile Projects related experience (from the past 3 years), plus 2000 hours (slightly over 1 year) of general project experience (in the past 5 years) outside of this 1500 hours. If you are already a PMP in good standing, this second criteria is not required. The 1500 hours could be in any agile methodology, as long as your application form indicates that your method was iterative and incremental. It could be a combination of methods as well (XP, Scrum, Kanban) or your own customised version. PMI does not need any official/project document from your organization to support this application.
Q. In a nutshell, what does ACP cover?
A. ACP covers all the approaches that are popularly used - Scrum, XP, Lean, Kanban, FDD, DSDM, AUP and more. It covers scaled agile concepts, as also DevOps. ACP is going deep in each of these, while covering the common aspects of all. Its helps you be in a position to select from these multiple approaches, since it is likely that one specific method (say Scrum) may not suit all project needs
Q. Do you guarantee that I will pass the ACP?
A. Actually, no one can guarantee that, but what the trainer does guarantee is that he will cover the entire scope of the ACP course, answer all your queries, ensure that you have understood all the topics. Beyond that, whether you pass or not will depend on your extent of studies, how you use your experience for the answers, your speed of reading, your level of practice, especially for numerical questions, and last but not the least, time management. So far, the track record has been that 0 participants have failed, after getting the trainer's go ahead
Q. What is the option if I do not have the hours required to be eligible?
A. You can take the training now, get opportunities to work in Agile projects based on this training, gain your experience and then apply for the exam. Alternatively, if you have done projects that are not agile but say waterfall, then you can consider Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). CLICK HERE to visit the GetCoached.in/PMP Training page for its details.
Q. What book(s) do I need to refer, for studying for the exam?
A. PMI does not provide any specific book to study for the exam. They recommend you to read various books on the subject, as indicated in the Useful links tab of this page. The first 4 in the list of PMI are useful. However, considering that you may be pressed for time, most of what is required to know for the exam, is being covered through the training material provided by GetCoached.in ACP but you can always study from a book titled PMI ACP Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths, available online for sale.
Q. What is the fee for the ACP exam?
A. For ACP, you need to pay 435$ if you are a PMI member, or $495 if you are not a member (membership costs $ 139). This is besides the training fee charged by GetCoached.in ACP
Q. How long do I need to study to pass the exam in the first attempt?
A. Generally, people take 1.5 to 2 months to be ready. It depends on the available time, reading speed, grasping power, experience and mock exam scores. If you are able to devote 1.5 hours every week day and 3 hours every weekend, then you should be able to sail through in 1.5 to 2 months.
Q. When do I know that I am ready to give the exam?
A. If you are consistently scoring around 70% in the various mock exams, you can consider yourself to be ready for the ACP exam. However, please note that this is not a guarantee, but a good indicator. You never know what questions will come your way on the exam day. PMI does not declare any passing marks for the ACP exam.
Q. What if I do not pass the ACP exam in the first attempt?
A. You can give two more attempts in the 1 year time window since your form was approved. You need to pay fees again,at $395. Fortunately, none of the participants from GetCoached.in had to reach this stage!
Q. What kind of exam is the ACP?
A. You need to answer 120 objective questions in 3 hours. There is no negative marking, and there is 1 right answer from the give 4 options. This will be an online exam from home via Any Vue, or any Pearson Vue center near you. You need to book your time slot on Pearson Vue site, and hence plan a couple of weeks in advance for the exam.
Q. What is the passing score for the exam?/p>
A. PMI does not declare any passing score for the exam. You get a proficiency level after completion of the exam, but not a score. However, it is said that generally you need to score 70% in mock exams to be reasonably confident to clear the ACP, though this is not a sure shot guarantee.
Q. What makes GetCoached.in ACP better than other institutes?
A. You need a trainer with tons of relevant experience. You expect to be trained by someone who has been there in the trenches and helped Agile teams to succeed. You need to talk with someone who has experiences across large, medium and small organizations to give you the right examples. You need a trainer that has trained some of the top organizations in the country for Agile. Along with the quality, you also need an organization who will not charge you too much, and yet get comprehensive training content that helps you get ready for the exam without the need to read 5 other books. And last but not the least, you need support from the same trainer who taught you, rather than speaking to a call center. When you get all of this from GetCoached.in ACP, you need not look any further!
Q. Is it necessary for an institute to be an R.E.P. (Registered Education Provider)?
A. No, it is not necessary that the training should be from an R.E.P. PMI (Project Management Institute) permits you to undertake the 21 contact hours (popularly called as 21 PDUs) training (and certificate) from any organization, as long as the topics covered are aligned with the ACP syllabus. Please contact us on +91-9822603367 if you need more information about this.
Q. How long is the 21 Contact Hours Certificate valid?
A. There is no expiry date for the 21 contact hours certificate. You can take the training this year, and give the exam anytime in future.
Q. How long is the ACP Certification valid?
A. The certification is valid for 3 years from the day you pass the exam. You need to renew the certification by earning 30 PDUs. Visit pmi.org for more info.
Have more questions about ACP? Just call (or skype chat with) +91-9822603367 from 8 am - 10 pm any day.
