The PMI ACP Exam Pattern and Type of Questions

In the previous article we reviewed the contents of the PMI ACP Exam. So the next logic thing to find out is about the Examination Pattern as well as the type of questions you might encounter in the exam. 

PMI ACP Exam Pattern

• You have 3 hours (180 Mins) to finish answering all the questions 
• The Exam has 120 multiple choice questions, each having four choices 
• You can also expect True or False type of questions 
• There are no negative marks for wrong answers, so, do not leave any question unanswered.
• The test is Online (computer based) 
• You will have to answer questions one at a time and proceed to the next question once you are done answering the current Q
• If you are doubtful of the answer you have selected, you can mark the Q for later review 
• You can navigate back & forth through the Questions as many times as you want until the 180 mins time limit
• You will not be allowed to hit the “Submit” until all of the questions you had marked for review later are actually reviewed and unmarked 
• You will not be able to modify the answers once you click the Submit button

Important Points to Remember: 

• This exam not only tests the knowledge you have but also the application of knowledge in different situations. 
• Always think from PMIs point of view (which may be slightly different from what we might do in a real life situation at work) 
• You can definitely expect questions on Decision Tree Analysis, Expected Monetary Value and other calculations 
• Read the question fully before selecting the answer. Remember to check for key words like Except or Not that are often ignored when people are in a hurry to choose an answer. Noticing this word would be the difference between choosing the right or wrong option because the choice corresponding to the question where the word is excluded will also be present in the answers list. 
• Sometimes extra information is provided just to confuse you. Read the question carefully and ignore unwanted info. 
• Try to eliminate incorrect answers and narrow down on the best possible choice 

Types of Questions in the Exam

In the exam you can find 3 main types of questions: 

1. Straight Forward Questions – There would always be a few questions in this pattern where the Question & Answer choices will be straight from the latest exam content outline. These are questions you can crack if you remember all the agile concepts and topics that you will learn over the course of this series of articles. 
2. Situational Questions – This category would probably have the most number of questions in the exam where a situation will be described and you will be expected to answer based on how you would handle the situation. These are tricky because, PMI Expects you to handle the situation according to the recommended way which may or may not be practically feasible in real life scenarios. So, when in doubt, choose the answer that goes the PMI Way. 
3. Questions with Too Much Info – You can always expect a few questions that just have too much information. The extra info is just to confuse you. Focus on the key sentence that contains the relevant info about the actual question and ignore the extraneous details. 

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