Best PMI-ACP Exam Prep Courses for 2024

Brief on time? In my view, the very best PMI-ACP examination prep course is the Agile PrepCast. With that and PMI membership (to get a free PMBOK® Information and Agile Observe Information), you’ll be in your solution to examination success.

Are you aiming to realize your PMI Agile Licensed Skilled (PMI-ACP)®? Then you definately’ll be on the lookout for a course that will provide you with examination confidence and suits the best way you need to examine.

I’ve rounded up the very best PMI-ACP coaching programs beneath primarily based on my data of the business and dealing with suppliers and college students as a undertaking supervisor and coach.

(Observe: I’m not an agile coach, however I’m a Fellow of the Affiliation for Undertaking Administration and I’ve received loads of expertise reviewing coaching programs – and I’ve taken loads of them myself too!)

Maintain studying for my evaluation and evaluations of the very best PMI-ACP on-line coaching that may assist you earn your agile certification and go the take a look at in your first try!

The programs

1. Agile PrepCast
2. Velociteach
3. Joseph Phillips

I’ve ready a abstract comparability desk for the examine supplies beneath, with detailed product evaluations afterwards, so learn on for all the information!

Comparability desk

What to search for in a course

If you’re contemplating this coaching, you in all probability work on agile tasks already (you’ll want to have the ability to proof your agile expertise once you apply to the Undertaking Administration Institute). That may imply among the course matters sound fairly fundamental as you’ve already received expertise in them.

If you find yourself on the lookout for PMI Agile Licensed Practitioner Examination course, you’ll need to make certain it covers:

• Agile methodologies
• Agile ideas
• Agile practices
• Agile frameworks
• Steady enchancment
• Agile groups, workforce efficiency and stakeholder engagement.

And every thing else talked about within the Examination Content material Define which yow will discover on the PMI web site.

Along with masking the syllabus, search for programs that will even assist you thru the applying course of, past offering the contact hours certification as a part of the eligibility necessities.

For instance, some suppliers embody modules on the way to apply and prep mentally for the take a look at, in addition to providing apply questions and case research that can assist you get into the agile mindset required to do effectively on the examination.

Observe that not one of the programs beneath embody your examination charge. You’ll nonetheless must pay for and guide your examination. I like to recommend that you simply become a PMI member to get a less expensive examination charge.

1. Agile PrepCast

The Agile PrepCast is a tried-and-tested on-line coaching course that I’ve used prior to now and been impressed with. It’s a sturdy, partaking on-line course, though my private opinion is that the slide codecs and colors are dated.

I preferred the real-world examples. Introduced by Cornelius Fichtner, the course is straight to the purpose with no fluff.

This course takes the highest spot for me as a result of I can personally vouch for it. It’s an excellent worth, it’s complete and you actually will go away it understanding the world of agile in addition to the way to go the examination. You’ll really feel like one of many professional agile practitioners after taking this course!

Execs

It’s actually complete with 16 modules. You don’t want an additional examine information (past the required studying of the PMBOK® Information and the Agile Observe Information) or to wade by all of the really useful agile reference books that PMI suggests.

Different benefits embody:

• There are 21 hours of video instruction (no less than) so you possibly can simply really feel assured you meet the necessities.
• You get a certificates for the 21 contact hours, so no worries in case your utility will get audited.
• There are 3 variations relying on what you want: Fundamental, Elite and Elite Plus. The Fundamental course consists of the coaching supplies. Elite comes with 6 apply exams through their take a look at simulator and Elite Plus has some examine guidebooks that actually type your examine plan.
• There’s a extremely lively scholar on-line discussion board the place you possibly can ask and reply questions in addition to be taught from different individuals’s experiences, as college students usually come again and share their examination prep journey.

Cons

Should you aren’t self-motivated, you received’t get by this coaching! You do need to make a examine schedule and dedicate the time to getting by the content material (should you improve to the Elite PLUS package, it comes with a week-by-week examine information).

The opposite factor to notice is that the coaching is longer than strictly crucial for the examination necessities. You’ll get a full understanding of the completely different agile approaches and the way to apply them, however remember different programs are shorter. You’ll need to resolve in order for you a complete overview of the fabric to spice up your confidence and offer you actual abilities, or a course that is likely to be ‘thinner’ however would nonetheless do the job.

Different disadvantages are:

• There aren’t any captions on the movies. This might be a difficulty should you routinely swap on subtitles, for instance in case you are learning in a loud space with out headphones.
• You may’t obtain the slides – I perceive the mental property implications right here and that the corporate are defending their property. Not with the ability to obtain the slides doesn’t matter to me. I take my very own notes, which is a greater studying strategy for me anyway because it helps me keep in mind.

Finest for

Undertaking managers who’re motivated and may create their very own examine plan (or who’re blissful to make use of the StudyCoach guidebooks as their plan – however you’ve gotten to have the ability to persist with the plan!). Should you don’t suppose you’ve gotten the dedication to self-study, then the following course goes to be a greater match for you.

Advisable

The Agile PrepCast

A full PMI-ACP examination prep course. Self-paced with video coaching modules, you will rapidly be in your solution to your agile certification. We love this course from revered coach Cornelius Fichtner and it is a cost-effective solution to put together in your examination. Upgrades accessible so as to add on the examination simulator and examine guidebooks.

READ ALSO

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2. Velociteach

I believe Velociteach used to supply an internet PMI-ACP examination prep course as I generally see that talked about on-line in previous articles. Nevertheless, the final time I checked as I used to be placing this evaluate article collectively, they don’t have a self-paced model of their coaching. They do, nevertheless, have an internet, live-taught class.

The Velociteach PMI-ACP reside class is comprised of 16 contact hours at school and extra homework assignments accomplished outdoors of sophistication. You make up the opposite required contact hours with their apply take a look at materials, spending about half of the particular time in taking the mock examination and the remainder in reviewing all the explanations that accompany the apply take a look at. 

The Velociteach class and apply take a look at hours have been accepted for a few years by PMI for the PMI-ACP utility, so that you will be assured your pre-requisite hours might be OK.

Execs

It is a boot camp with extra supplies, so it’s good if you wish to blitz all of your examine necessities and get by the coaching in a brief time frame.

Different benefits are:

• The reside teacher arrange means you possibly can ask questions and be taught out of your teacher in addition to friends on the course.
• The entire bundle covers the 21 contact hours you want for the PMI-ACP.
• You get a replica of The PMI-ACP® Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try by Velociteach CEO Andy Crowe, which is likely one of the greatest books on the market.
• It consists of examination simulator-style take a look at questions so that you received’t have to purchase every other sources (aside from the Agile Observe Information/PMBOK® Information in case you are not a PMI member).
• They provide a full refund in case you are unable to go the examination (there are standards to satisfy for this, together with going by their examine plan after you fail first time).

Cons

You must take time without work work (in case you are working) to do the courses. Plus they solely run throughout US workplace hours. I believe this might be a bonus should you reside outdoors the US time zone and may do some work after which be part of the net classes. You’d find yourself taking much less time away from work and I do know individuals who most well-liked to do that to maximise their private time.

Nevertheless, it’s HARD. That’s loads of studying and dealing to suit into 48 hours.

Different disadvantages embody:

• The web studying is simply a part of the bundle. You must put in the remainder of the coaching hours outdoors of the classroom ingredient.
• Because it’s a reside course, it’s solely accessible on sure days.
• It’s costly. However you get what you pay for – this course consists of reside instruction.

Finest for

In my view, this course is an efficient alternative for individuals who have some agile expertise and need to rapidly rack up their contact hours for his or her PMI-ACP utility, and be taught the idea and examination abilities required to go.

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3. Joseph Phillips on Udemy

All of Joseph Phillips’ programs on Udemy get good scholar evaluations. I confess to not having taken any myself, however I believe I’ve seen sufficient suggestions from undertaking managers I’ve spoken to and evaluations to have the ability to remark, compared to the programs above. Over 47,000 college students have taken the course on the time of writing!

Execs

Joseph Phillip’s PMI-ACP Examination Prep Success course is an on-demand course with 13 hours of video instruction cut up over 8 sections.

• It’s low cost. Udemy almost at all times has particular provides so should you time it proper, you will get this course at a low value.
• It provides the 21 contact hours required to use for the examination (however see beneath for extra ideas on that).
• It consists of assist on the way to apply for the examination.
• The movies have captions in 5 languages! Nice if English just isn’t your first language or should you choose to have subtitles on.
• It features a apply take a look at.
• You may reward the course to another person – good if you have already got an account on Udemy and are offering coaching sources in your workforce.

Cons

On condition that the course is marketed as having solely 13 hours of video instruction, I don’t see how one can declare 21 contact hours. You’ll have to evaluate for your self whether or not you’ve received sufficient contact time to make up the remainder of the 21 hours your self utilizing the apply take a look at and different supplies.

Take notes of what you be taught and be ready to proof your contact hours if crucial, for instance, in case your utility is audited.

• Should you discover the tempo too sluggish, you’ll have to hurry it up. I performed the preview supplies at 1.25x velocity to get by the fabric at a quick tempo.
• The slides don’t look vastly inspiring from the course preview supplies I reviewed. They’re text-heavy. Nevertheless, Joseph Phillips is an interesting presenter. You might simply play the movies with out watching them for essentially the most half and use them extra like an audio course, diving into the supplies when there have been ideas you wished to evaluate.

Finest for

Undertaking managers on a price range, who’re ready to self-study and put within the hours themselves. You could discover that you simply want extra supplies like an examination simulator in an effort to really feel totally assured for the examination, though many college students within the Udemy evaluations are very proud of what they’ve discovered and Joseph is understood within the business for the standard of his educating.

Last ideas

You probably have already taken the Undertaking Administration Skilled (PMP)® examination, then you definitely may discover the content material of any of those programs a bit repetitive. A few of the fundamentals overlap between the PMP and PMI-ACP content material, as you’d count on. That’s probably not a giant drawback; merely use any components that really feel overly acquainted to you as an skilled undertaking supervisor as a refresher.

You can even depend your PMI-ACP research in direction of the PDU requirements in your PMP recertification – double win!

If you’re a Scrum Grasp, then you definitely’ll in all probability discover these programs straightforward since you reside and breathe agile undertaking administration every single day. There is likely to be some PMI-specific issues to revise that can assist you get by the examination, however the agile methodology stuff and fundamental ideas is not going to be new to you.

Different important PMI-ACP examination prep supplies

When you’ve chosen a course, additionally, you will need to take a look at a couple of different sources that can assist you get examination confidence.

Profitable college students have a tendency to make use of an examination simulator for take a look at apply and examine guides (books) to assist reinforce what their course has coated.

Go right here subsequent:

Whichever supplies you select, good luck together with your research!