PMI-ACP Mindset Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A team is working on a project with a very strict, non-negotiable deadline. How do you handle this?

Accepted Answer

Negotiate the scope to deliver the most valuable features by the date.. When faced with a strict, non-negotiable deadline, the Agile approach is to negotiate scope to deliver the most valuable features by the date. This respects the fixed constraint (time) while maximizing business value through prioritization and iterative delivery.

Answer

Cancel the project.

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Work overtime.

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Change the definition of 'Done'.

Question 2

A team leader is doing all the task assignments. How do you transition them to a servant leader?

Accepted Answer

Coach them on the benefits of team self-organization and pulling work.. Transitioning from a directive task-assigner to a servant leader requires a mindset shift, not a sudden removal of authority. Coaching the leader on the benefits of self-organization and pull-based work helps them understand why empowering the team leads to higher engagement, better decisions, and faster delivery. This aligns with PMI-ACP's emphasis on servant leadership, where the leader supports the team's growth rather than controlling assignments. Simply telling them to stop or removing them would create a vacuum and likely harm the team's performance.

Answer

Let the team continue to be dependent.

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Tell them to stop doing it.

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Remove the leader from the team.

Question 3

What is the purpose of a retrospective?

Accepted Answer

To inspect and adapt the team's process.. The purpose of a retrospective is to inspect and adapt the team's process, as defined in the Scrum Guide. It is a recurring event where the team reflects on how they worked together, identifies improvements, and creates an action plan for the next sprint. This continuous improvement loop is a core agile practice that distinguishes retrospectives from status meetings or code reviews.

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To complain about management.

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To review the code.

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To assign tasks.

Question 4

A team has a very low 'say/do' ratio. What does this suggest?

Accepted Answer

The team needs to look at their commitment and estimation practices.. A low say/do ratio means the team is committing to more work than they actually complete, indicating a gap between promises and delivery. The correct response is to examine commitment and estimation practices, because the ratio is a reflection of how well the team forecasts and commits, not of their competence or effort. Improving estimation accuracy and realistic commitment will raise the ratio.

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The team needs to work longer hours.

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The team is incompetent.

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The team is under-performing.

Question 5

A team member is constantly 'gold-plating' (adding features not asked for). How do you address this?

Accepted Answer

Explain the value of meeting the current goals and the 'Definition of Done'.. Gold-plating adds features not requested, which can increase complexity, risk, and cost without delivering value. The best approach is to explain the value of meeting current goals and adhering to the Definition of Done, which defines the scope of work for a user story. This aligns the team member with Agile's focus on delivering only what is needed.

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Encourage them to do more gold-plating.

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Fire them.

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Ignore it.

Question 6

Two developers are arguing about a design choice. How do you intervene?

Accepted Answer

Ask them to prototype both options to see which works best.. In Agile, empirical decision-making is preferred over opinion-based conflict resolution. Prototyping both options lets the team gather real data on feasibility, performance, and maintainability before committing, which aligns with the Agile principle of 'working software over comprehensive documentation' and short feedback loops. This converts a subjective argument into an evidence-based decision the whole team can support.

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Force them to compromise on a sub-optimal design.

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Choose the design you prefer.

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Tell them to flip a coin.

Question 7

Why do we value 'individuals and interactions over processes and tools'?

Accepted Answer

People are more important than the tools they use.. The Agile Manifesto values individuals and interactions over processes and tools because working software and customer collaboration depend on people communicating effectively, and no process or tool can substitute for that. It does not mean processes and tools are worthless; it means when there is a conflict, prioritize people and direct communication. This principle underpins self-organizing teams and face-to-face conversation as the most efficient way to convey information.

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Processes are useless.

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Individuals should ignore processes.

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We don't need tools.

Question 8

A team is feeling 'sprint fatigue'. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Discuss how to maintain a more sustainable pace in the next retrospective.. Sprint fatigue signals an unsustainable pace, and the Agile response is to address it through the team's own inspect-and-adapt mechanism. Discussing a more sustainable pace in the next retrospective (C) lets the team identify the causes — overcommitment, technical debt, lack of slack — and adjust. This aligns with the Agile principle that teams should work at a sustainable pace indefinitely.

Answer

Push them to work harder.

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Suggest they all take a vacation at once.

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Cancel the next sprint.

Question 9

A team is failing to 'self-organize'. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The leadership is still command-and-control.. Self-organization requires an environment of trust and autonomy where the team owns its process and decisions. When leadership still operates in a command-and-control style — assigning tasks, dictating how work is done, and requiring approvals — the team has no room to self-organize. The most likely cause is therefore the leadership style, not the team's intelligence, motivation, or tooling.

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They are too smart.

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They are lazy.

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They have the wrong tools.

Question 10

Which TWO of the following are core Agile values?

Accepted Answer

Working software over comprehensive documentation. Option B is correct because the Agile Manifesto explicitly states 'Working software over comprehensive documentation,' meaning functioning deliverables are valued more highly than exhaustive documentation. Option E is correct because the first value in the Agile Manifesto is 'Individuals and interactions over processes and tools,' emphasizing people and communication over rigid methodologies. Option A is incorrect because the Agile Manifesto values 'Responding to change over following a plan,' which is the reverse of what is stated. Option C is incorrect because Agile values 'Customer collaboration over contract negotiation,' again the opposite of the option. Option D is incorrect because Agile favors team flexibility and adaptability, not rigid processes.

Answer

Following a plan over responding to change

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Contract negotiation over customer collaboration

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Rigid processes over team flexibility

Question 11

Which THREE of the following foster psychological safety?

Accepted Answer

Encouraging members to challenge ideas. Option A is correct because encouraging members to challenge ideas signals that dissent and constructive debate are welcome, which is a core behavioral driver of psychological safety in teams. Option B is correct because supporting experimentation and learning reframes failure as a source of information rather than punishment, which reduces interpersonal risk and promotes speaking up. Option C is correct because a leader who openly admits mistakes models vulnerability and fallibility, giving team members permission to do the same without fear of retribution. Option D is not correct because a strict hierarchy of authority suppresses open communication and increases fear of speaking up, which erodes psychological safety. Option E is not correct because publicly blaming those who make errors punishes candor and risk-taking, directly undermining the trust and safety needed for teams to learn and innovate.

Answer

Creating a strict hierarchy of authority

Answer

Publicly blaming those who make errors

Question 12

Which TWO actions demonstrate servant leadership?

Accepted Answer

Protecting the team from external interruptions. Servant leadership in agile/Scrum contexts means the leader's primary role is to serve the team by clearing obstacles and shielding it from distractions so members can self-organize and deliver value. Option A (Protecting the team from external interruptions) is correct because a servant leader acts as a buffer, absorbing outside demands and noise so the team can maintain focus and flow. Option B (Removing impediments for the team) is correct because eliminating blockers is the canonical servant-leader behavior, enabling continuous progress rather than directing the work. Option C (Assigning tasks to team members) is not servant leadership because self-organizing teams pull work themselves; assignment is a command-and-control practice. Option D (Requiring status reports every hour) is not servant leadership because it imposes controlling, trust-eroding oversight rather than supporting the team. Option E (Dictating exactly how tasks should be done) is not servant leadership because it removes autonomy and micromanages instead of empowering the team.

Answer

Assigning tasks to team members

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Requiring status reports every hour

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Dictating exactly how tasks should be done

Question 13

Which TWO of the following are benefits of an Agile mindset?

Accepted Answer

Improved team collaboration and satisfaction. Option A is correct because an Agile mindset emphasizes self-organizing, cross-functional teams that collaborate closely through practices like daily standups and retrospectives, which measurably improves team morale and satisfaction. Option E is correct because Agile prioritizes delivering working, valuable increments to the customer in short iterations, enabling faster realization of business value compared with sequential waterfall delivery. The unmarked options do not belong: B is wrong because Agile increases, not reduces, communication through frequent ceremonies and feedback loops; C is wrong because Agile embraces emergent, evolving scope rather than fixed-scope predictability; and D is wrong because Agile values working software over comprehensive documentation but still requires sufficient documentation, not its elimination.

Answer

Less need for communication

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More predictable, fixed-scope projects

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Elimination of all documentation

Question 14

Which THREE of the following reflect 'embracing change'?

Accepted Answer

Pivoting the strategy after a failed experiment. Option C is correct because pivoting the strategy after a failed experiment demonstrates a willingness to learn from outcomes and adapt direction rather than clinging to a failing approach, which is central to embracing change. Option D is correct because refining requirements iteratively throughout the project accepts that needs will evolve and incorporates feedback continuously instead of freezing scope upfront. Option E is correct because prioritizing the product backlog based on new market trends shows responsiveness to external shifts, allowing value delivery to stay aligned with current conditions. Options A and B are incorrect because ignoring customer feedback and rigidly sticking to the original plan both resist change and reject the adaptive, feedback-driven mindset that embracing change requires.

Answer

Ignoring customer feedback to stay on track

Answer

Sticking to the original project plan at all costs

Question 15

Which TWO factors make a team 'self-organizing'?

Accepted Answer

The team takes collective responsibility for outcomes. Option A is correct because a self-organizing team owns its results collectively, meaning the whole team—not a single lead or manager—is accountable for delivering the outcome, which is a defining characteristic of self-organization. Option B is correct because self-organization requires genuine autonomy: the team itself decides how to approach, sequence, and execute the work rather than being told the method by an external authority. Together, collective ownership (A) plus autonomy over the 'how' (B) are the two factors that make a team self-organizing. Option C is wrong because isolation is the opposite of a team; self-organizing teams collaborate and coordinate internally. Option D is wrong because a manager making all decisions describes a command-and-control structure, which removes the team's autonomy. Option E is wrong because rigid adherence to an original plan prevents the team from adapting its own approach, which self-organizing teams are expected to do.

Answer

Each team member works in complete isolation

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The manager makes all the decisions

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Strict adherence to the original plan