PMI-ACP Practice Test 18 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A stakeholder demands that a feature be completed by next week. The team identifies this as a high-risk task. What should the Product Owner do?

Accepted Answer

Discuss the risks with the stakeholder and negotiate the timeline or scope.. When a stakeholder demands a high-risk feature on a tight timeline, the Product Owner should discuss the risks with the stakeholder and negotiate timeline or scope, because the PO is accountable for maximizing value while protecting the team's sustainable pace. This preserves transparency and allows informed trade-offs rather than committing to an unrealistic date. It also respects the team's self-management and the empirical nature of agile planning.

Answer

Force the team to work overtime to ensure completion.

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Delegate the task to a junior developer to save costs.

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Agree to the request to satisfy the stakeholder.

Question 2

You are coaching a team that is moving from a traditional command-and-control environment to agile. A stakeholder keeps bypassing the Product Owner to assign tasks directly to developers. What is your best course of action?

Accepted Answer

Discuss with the stakeholder how the Product Owner manages the backlog and why direct assignments disrupt flow.. The best agile-coaching response is to address the root cause through direct, respectful communication with the stakeholder, explaining how the Product Owner owns backlog prioritization and how bypassing that role disrupts team flow, WIP limits, and sprint commitments. This preserves the stakeholder relationship while reinforcing the agile operating model. It is a coaching and influencing action, not a punitive or avoidance one.

Answer

Update the Scrum Guide to include strict penalties for stakeholders.

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Instruct the developers to ignore the stakeholder's requests.

Answer

Have the developers log the work as 'technical debt' to keep track of it.

Question 3

Which THREE activities are part of product backlog refinement?

Accepted Answer

Re-ordering items based on current priorities.. Backlog refinement is the ongoing activity of reviewing and improving the product backlog, and re-ordering items based on current priorities (B) is a core part of it because the Product Owner continuously reprioritizes items so the most valuable work sits at the top for upcoming sprints. Estimating the size of backlog items (D) is also part of refinement, since the team assigns relative estimates (e.g., story points) to items so they can be planned and forecast effectively. Adding detail to user stories (E) is likewise correct, as refinement involves clarifying, splitting, and elaborating items with acceptance criteria so they are ready for a future sprint. The daily stand-up (A) is a separate Scrum event for inspecting progress toward the sprint goal, not a refinement activity, and defining the product's annual budget (C) is a financial/portfolio activity outside the scope of backlog refinement.

Answer

Conducting the daily stand-up meeting.

Answer

Defining the product's annual budget.

Question 4

A team is struggling to keep their backlog refined. What is a sign of poor backlog refinement?

Accepted Answer

The team frequently asks for clarification during the sprint.. Frequent mid-sprint clarification requests signal that stories were not sufficiently refined—lacking clear acceptance criteria, dependencies, or shared understanding—before entering the sprint. Effective backlog refinement (grooming) ensures the team understands the 'what' and 'why' of upcoming stories, typically through the Definition of Ready. When the team constantly interrupts the PO during the sprint, it indicates refinement was superficial or skipped.

Answer

The team finishes all stories in the sprint.

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The backlog is sorted by priority.

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The product owner is involved in refinement.

Question 5

Which THREE of the following are key to the Agile mindset?

Accepted Answer

Commitment to empirical process control (inspect and adapt). Option B is correct because the Agile mindset rests on empirical process control: work proceeds in short iterations where transparency, inspection, and adaptation let teams adjust plans based on real results rather than rigid upfront predictions. Option C is correct because Agile favors self-organizing, cross-functional teams that decide how to accomplish their work, rather than managers directing each individual's tasks. Option D is correct because Agile's core purpose is to deliver value to the customer continuously and early, prioritizing working outcomes that satisfy customer needs over internal process ceremony. Option A is not part of the Agile mindset, since command-and-control management contradicts self-organization and empirical adaptation. Option E is also wrong because Agile values documentation that adds real value; it does not demand strict avoidance of all documentation, only a preference for working software over comprehensive documentation.

Answer

Preference for command-and-control management

Answer

Strict avoidance of any project documentation

Question 6

Which TWO techniques help a leader address 'groupthink' in a team? (Choose TWO)

Accepted Answer

Use anonymous polling to gather honest input before group discussion.. Option A is correct because anonymous polling collects each member's independent judgment before the group can converge on a dominant view, removing social pressure and status effects that suppress dissent and thereby preventing premature consensus. Option E is correct because assigning a devil's advocate role institutionalizes constructive dissent, forcing the team to test assumptions and surface counterarguments rather than self-censoring to preserve harmony. The remaining options do not belong: B worsens groupthink by letting the most senior person anchor the discussion and discourage challenge, C isolates the team from external perspectives that break insular thinking, and D pressures the team toward immediate unanimity, which is precisely the symptom groupthink produces.

Answer

Require the most senior person to speak first.

Answer

Ask the team to ignore outside opinions.

Answer

Tell the team they must reach a consensus immediately.

Question 7

A team member is consistently late to the daily stand-up, disrupting the meeting. How do you handle this?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to discuss the impact of lateness on their collaboration during a retrospective.. Agile favors team-level, self-correcting conversations over managerial discipline. Raising the issue in a retrospective lets the team discuss how lateness affects collaboration, stand-up effectiveness, and mutual respect, and lets them own the solution. This aligns with the principle of self-organizing teams and continuous improvement.

Answer

Issue a formal warning to the team member.

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Change the stand-up time to suit that member's schedule.

Answer

Stop the stand-up whenever they are late.

Question 8

Which persona is primarily responsible for ensuring the product backlog reflects the needs of the stakeholders and customers?

Accepted Answer

The Product Owner.. The Product Owner is the single persona accountable for maximizing product value and ensuring the product backlog reflects stakeholder and customer needs. In Scrum and agile practice, the PO owns backlog content, ordering, and refinement. This role is explicitly defined in the Scrum Guide and PMI-ACP materials as the voice of the customer.

Answer

The Project Sponsor.

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The Scrum Master.

Answer

The Lead Developer.

Question 9

An organization is transitioning to Agile and has asked you to coach a product team. You notice that the team's manager assigns tasks, reviews all code before it is merged, and approves every user story before development begins. Which action best aligns with an Agile mindset?

Accepted Answer

Work with the manager to shift from directing tasks to enabling the team to self-organize and make technical decisions collectively.. The correct action focuses on coaching the manager to transition from a directive role to a supportive one, enabling the team to self-organize. Agile mindset values individuals and interactions, self-organizing teams, and servant leadership. By shifting task assignment and decision-making to the team, the manager fosters ownership, collaboration, and adaptability, which are essential for Agile success.

Answer

Suggest the manager attend Agile training while the team continues with the current process until the manager is ready to change.

Answer

Recommend that the team adopt a strict approval workflow for user stories to ensure quality before development starts.

Answer

Ask the manager to continue assigning tasks but delegate code reviews to a senior developer to speed up merges.

Question 10

A Scrum team has been delivering increments every two weeks, but stakeholders report that the features released do not solve their actual business problems. The team consistently meets its sprint commitments and passes all acceptance tests. As the agile practitioner, what should you do FIRST to address this gap?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a session with stakeholders to clarify and validate the desired business outcomes, then adjust the product backlog accordingly.. The team is delivering output efficiently but not achieving meaningful outcomes. The first step is to engage stakeholders to define and validate the business outcomes they seek, then realign the backlog to deliver those outcomes. This addresses the root cause before changing quality gates, review cadence, or acceptance criteria, which would not resolve the underlying misalignment.

Answer

Review and refine the Definition of Done to include business outcome criteria.

Answer

Increase the frequency of sprint reviews so stakeholders can provide more feedback on each increment.

Answer

Ask the team to add more detailed acceptance criteria to each user story.

Question 11

You are the agile leader of a distributed team. During Sprint Review, a key stakeholder loudly challenges the team's estimates, causing a junior developer to stop contributing for the rest of the meeting. What is your best action?

Accepted Answer

Pause the review, acknowledge the concern, and invite the stakeholder to discuss estimates in a separate session so the team can finish presenting.. The correct action balances respect for the stakeholder with protection of the team's psychological safety. By pausing to acknowledge the concern and moving the estimate debate to a separate session, the leader keeps the Sprint Review focused on product inspection and adaptation, while ensuring the junior developer is not marginalized. This models servant leadership and maintains a safe, collaborative environment.

Answer

Tell the stakeholder that estimates are not up for discussion and continue the review without addressing the challenge.

Answer

Ask the junior developer to explain the estimates in detail to the stakeholder immediately, so the team can defend its position.

Answer

End the Sprint Review early and reschedule it for a later date when the stakeholder is calmer.

Question 12

An agile team is struggling with unpredictable delivery because work items vary greatly in size and complexity. The practitioner wants to improve flow and predictability. Which TWO actions should the practitioner recommend? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to break down large work items into smaller, similarly sized pieces before starting them.. To improve flow and predictability, the team should reduce variability by breaking down large items into smaller, similarly sized pieces, and use a cumulative flow diagram to visualize bottlenecks and adjust WIP limits. These actions address the root cause of unpredictable delivery by smoothing the flow of work and enabling data-driven adjustments, rather than imposing rigid rules, extending sprints, or creating specialist silos.

Answer

Assign each large work item to a single specialist to ensure accountability.

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Increase the sprint length to give the team more time to complete large items.

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Implement a strict rule that no work item can exceed a predetermined maximum size.

Question 13

An agile team you lead has consistently met its sprint commitments but has stopped challenging itself and avoids stretch goals. Which TWO actions best demonstrate servant leadership to foster a growth mindset? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Share examples of how other teams have benefited from pursuing challenging work and offer to fund relevant training.. The two actions that best demonstrate servant leadership are those that empower the team to self-identify growth opportunities and provide support through resources and inspiration. Asking the team to reflect on desired skills aligns development with product goals, while offering training and sharing examples removes barriers and encourages exploration. Both actions foster intrinsic motivation and a sustainable growth mindset.

Answer

Set a mandatory stretch goal for the next sprint and track it as a key performance indicator.

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Publicly compare the team's velocity to that of a higher-performing team to motivate them.

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Assign each team member a specific stretch task based on your assessment of their weaknesses.

Question 14

A Scrum team is building a mobile banking app. The Product Owner has a product backlog with 120 items, but the team often complains that the highest-priority items are too vague to estimate. Which action best applies the principle of progressive elaboration to improve the backlog?

Accepted Answer

Break down the top 10-15 backlog items into smaller, detailed stories with acceptance criteria, while leaving lower-priority items coarse.. Progressive elaboration means elaborating backlog items at the last responsible moment, focusing detail on what is near-term. Refining the top items into smaller stories with acceptance criteria gives the team enough information to estimate and plan upcoming sprints. Leaving lower-priority items coarse avoids wasted analysis. This approach directly resolves the team's complaint while preserving agility.

Answer

Ask the team to estimate all 120 items in a single two-day estimation workshop to create a complete baseline.

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Delegate all backlog refinement to a business analyst and have the team only review finalized stories at sprint planning.

Answer

Create a detailed Gantt chart mapping all 120 backlog items to specific sprints over the next 18 months.

Question 15

A Scrum team is struggling with a recurring issue: during sprint reviews, stakeholders often point out that the increment does not meet their expectations, even though the team followed the acceptance criteria. The team wants to improve alignment with stakeholders. What is the most Agile-aligned action?

Accepted Answer

Invite stakeholders to participate in refinement sessions to clarify and evolve acceptance criteria collaboratively.. The most Agile-aligned action is to involve stakeholders directly in refinement sessions to collaboratively define and evolve acceptance criteria. This fosters shared understanding, transparency, and continuous feedback, which are essential to delivering value that meets stakeholder expectations. It embodies the Agile principle of customer collaboration and responding to change.

Answer

Have the team strictly adhere to the acceptance criteria and explain to stakeholders that the criteria were met, so expectations should align.

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Schedule a separate meeting after each sprint review to gather feedback and update the backlog accordingly.

Answer

Ask the product owner to create more detailed acceptance criteria and distribute them to stakeholders for sign-off before each sprint.