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PMI-ACP® — PMI AGILE CERTIFIED
PRACTITIONER STUDY GUIDE | LATEST
UPDATE 2026/2027 | PRACTICE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS | EXAM REVIEW
Table of Contents
1. Agile Mindset and Principles
2. Value-Driven Delivery
3. Stakeholder Engagement
4. Team Performance
5. Adaptive Planning
6. Problem Detection and Resolution
7. Continuous Improvement
8. Agile Methodologies and Frameworks
9. Agile Practices, Tools, and Techniques
10. Professional Ethics and Exam Readiness
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Question 1: An agile team is debating whether to follow a plan-driven approach for a new
regulatory compliance project. Which principle should guide the team's decision?
A) Comprehensive documentation is more important than working software.
B) Responding to change is valued over following a plan.
C) Contract negotiation is the primary measure of project success.
D) Processes and tools should always replace individual interactions.
Correct Answer: B) Responding to change is valued over following a plan.
The Agile Manifesto values responding to change over following a plan, while still
recognizing that planning has value. In a regulatory project, the team can use adaptive
planning to accommodate evolving interpretations and feedback. This principle helps balance
compliance needs with agile flexibility.
Question 2: A product owner wants to maximize return on investment for a new product.
Which action best aligns with value-driven delivery?
A) Prioritizing features by the number of story points.
B) Prioritizing features by highest business value and risk-adjusted cost of delay.
C) Prioritizing features by the order in which they were requested.
D) Prioritizing features by the technical difficulty of implementation.
Correct Answer: B) Prioritizing features by highest business value and risk-adjusted
cost of delay.
Value-driven delivery requires prioritizing work that delivers the greatest business value and
urgency. Considering cost of delay and risk helps the product owner sequence backlog items
to maximize early and continuous value. Story points measure size, not value.
Question 3: During a sprint review, stakeholders request a significant change that could alter
the product direction. What should the agile team do first?
A) Reject the change because the sprint goal is fixed.
B) Add the change to the product backlog for the product owner to prioritize.
C) Immediately implement the change in the current sprint.
D) Escalate the request to the project sponsor for approval.
Correct Answer: B) Add the change to the product backlog for the product owner to
prioritize.
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In agile, changes are welcomed and managed through the product backlog. The product
owner is responsible for ordering backlog items based on value. The team should not disrupt
the current sprint unless the change is urgent and approved by the product owner.
Question 4: A Scrum team is struggling to complete its sprint goal because of frequent
interruptions. Which action is most appropriate for the Scrum Master?
A) Instruct the team to work overtime to catch up.
B) Shield the team from interruptions and help remove impediments.
C) Ask the product owner to cancel the sprint.
D) Reassign interrupted tasks to the product owner.
Correct Answer: B) Shield the team from interruptions and help remove impediments.
The Scrum Master serves the team by removing impediments and protecting it from outside
interruptions. This allows the team to maintain focus and self-organize. Overtime is not a
sustainable solution and can reduce quality.
Question 5: Which metric best indicates the amount of work a team can complete in a sprint
based on historical data?
A) Lead time
B) Cycle time
C) Velocity
D) Throughput
Correct Answer: C) Velocity
Velocity measures the amount of work a team completes per sprint, usually expressed in story
points. It is used for forecasting and capacity planning, not for comparing teams. Lead time
and cycle time measure flow duration, while throughput counts items completed.
Question 6: A Kanban team has a column with a work-in-progress limit of three. Four items
are currently in that column. What should the team do?
A) Start a fifth item to improve flow.
B) Stop starting new work and swarm to finish an existing item.
C) Increase the WIP limit to four immediately.
D) Move the oldest item to the next column without completing it.
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Correct Answer: B) Stop starting new work and swarm to finish an existing item.
Kanban WIP limits are meant to expose bottlenecks and encourage flow. When the limit is
exceeded, the team should stop pulling new work and collaborate to finish existing items.
Raising the limit without addressing the bottleneck hides the problem.
Question 7: Which agile artifact provides a visual representation of work flowing through a
process, including bottlenecks and WIP?
A) Burndown chart
B) Cumulative flow diagram
C) Gantt chart
D) Risk register
Correct Answer: B) Cumulative flow diagram
A cumulative flow diagram shows the amount of work in each state over time, helping teams
identify bottlenecks and WIP accumulation. It is a key Kanban and flow metric. Burndown
charts show remaining work in a sprint or release.
Question 8: In Extreme Programming (XP), what is the primary purpose of test-driven
development (TDD)?
A) To replace all manual testing.
B) To drive design and ensure code meets requirements before implementation.
C) To increase documentation for auditors.
D) To eliminate the need for refactoring.
Correct Answer: B) To drive design and ensure code meets requirements before
implementation.
TDD involves writing a failing test first, then writing code to pass the test, and finally
refactoring. This drives simple design and provides rapid feedback. It does not replace all
testing or eliminate refactoring.
Question 9: A team is using pair programming. Which benefit is most directly associated with
this practice?
A) Reduced need for code reviews.
B) Continuous peer review and knowledge sharing.
PMI-ACP® — PMI AGILE CERTIFIED
PRACTITIONER STUDY GUIDE | LATEST
UPDATE 2026/2027 | PRACTICE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS | EXAM REVIEW
Table of Contents
1. Agile Mindset and Principles
2. Value-Driven Delivery
3. Stakeholder Engagement
4. Team Performance
5. Adaptive Planning
6. Problem Detection and Resolution
7. Continuous Improvement
8. Agile Methodologies and Frameworks
9. Agile Practices, Tools, and Techniques
10. Professional Ethics and Exam Readiness
, Page |2
Question 1: An agile team is debating whether to follow a plan-driven approach for a new
regulatory compliance project. Which principle should guide the team's decision?
A) Comprehensive documentation is more important than working software.
B) Responding to change is valued over following a plan.
C) Contract negotiation is the primary measure of project success.
D) Processes and tools should always replace individual interactions.
Correct Answer: B) Responding to change is valued over following a plan.
The Agile Manifesto values responding to change over following a plan, while still
recognizing that planning has value. In a regulatory project, the team can use adaptive
planning to accommodate evolving interpretations and feedback. This principle helps balance
compliance needs with agile flexibility.
Question 2: A product owner wants to maximize return on investment for a new product.
Which action best aligns with value-driven delivery?
A) Prioritizing features by the number of story points.
B) Prioritizing features by highest business value and risk-adjusted cost of delay.
C) Prioritizing features by the order in which they were requested.
D) Prioritizing features by the technical difficulty of implementation.
Correct Answer: B) Prioritizing features by highest business value and risk-adjusted
cost of delay.
Value-driven delivery requires prioritizing work that delivers the greatest business value and
urgency. Considering cost of delay and risk helps the product owner sequence backlog items
to maximize early and continuous value. Story points measure size, not value.
Question 3: During a sprint review, stakeholders request a significant change that could alter
the product direction. What should the agile team do first?
A) Reject the change because the sprint goal is fixed.
B) Add the change to the product backlog for the product owner to prioritize.
C) Immediately implement the change in the current sprint.
D) Escalate the request to the project sponsor for approval.
Correct Answer: B) Add the change to the product backlog for the product owner to
prioritize.
, Page |3
In agile, changes are welcomed and managed through the product backlog. The product
owner is responsible for ordering backlog items based on value. The team should not disrupt
the current sprint unless the change is urgent and approved by the product owner.
Question 4: A Scrum team is struggling to complete its sprint goal because of frequent
interruptions. Which action is most appropriate for the Scrum Master?
A) Instruct the team to work overtime to catch up.
B) Shield the team from interruptions and help remove impediments.
C) Ask the product owner to cancel the sprint.
D) Reassign interrupted tasks to the product owner.
Correct Answer: B) Shield the team from interruptions and help remove impediments.
The Scrum Master serves the team by removing impediments and protecting it from outside
interruptions. This allows the team to maintain focus and self-organize. Overtime is not a
sustainable solution and can reduce quality.
Question 5: Which metric best indicates the amount of work a team can complete in a sprint
based on historical data?
A) Lead time
B) Cycle time
C) Velocity
D) Throughput
Correct Answer: C) Velocity
Velocity measures the amount of work a team completes per sprint, usually expressed in story
points. It is used for forecasting and capacity planning, not for comparing teams. Lead time
and cycle time measure flow duration, while throughput counts items completed.
Question 6: A Kanban team has a column with a work-in-progress limit of three. Four items
are currently in that column. What should the team do?
A) Start a fifth item to improve flow.
B) Stop starting new work and swarm to finish an existing item.
C) Increase the WIP limit to four immediately.
D) Move the oldest item to the next column without completing it.
, Page |4
Correct Answer: B) Stop starting new work and swarm to finish an existing item.
Kanban WIP limits are meant to expose bottlenecks and encourage flow. When the limit is
exceeded, the team should stop pulling new work and collaborate to finish existing items.
Raising the limit without addressing the bottleneck hides the problem.
Question 7: Which agile artifact provides a visual representation of work flowing through a
process, including bottlenecks and WIP?
A) Burndown chart
B) Cumulative flow diagram
C) Gantt chart
D) Risk register
Correct Answer: B) Cumulative flow diagram
A cumulative flow diagram shows the amount of work in each state over time, helping teams
identify bottlenecks and WIP accumulation. It is a key Kanban and flow metric. Burndown
charts show remaining work in a sprint or release.
Question 8: In Extreme Programming (XP), what is the primary purpose of test-driven
development (TDD)?
A) To replace all manual testing.
B) To drive design and ensure code meets requirements before implementation.
C) To increase documentation for auditors.
D) To eliminate the need for refactoring.
Correct Answer: B) To drive design and ensure code meets requirements before
implementation.
TDD involves writing a failing test first, then writing code to pass the test, and finally
refactoring. This drives simple design and provides rapid feedback. It does not replace all
testing or eliminate refactoring.
Question 9: A team is using pair programming. Which benefit is most directly associated with
this practice?
A) Reduced need for code reviews.
B) Continuous peer review and knowledge sharing.
