The following diagram illustrates which of the main exam topics are covered in each book and then what subsections of that coverage are tested on the exam:

In the diagram, the different colored vertical columns represent the Agile Manifesto, the 11 books listed above, and other sources used to create the exam content outline. The general exam topics (for example, “Teams,” “Methodologies,” “Planning,” etc.) are represented in the horizontal bands across the image. Within the diagram, the light gray boxes represent what general exam topics are covered by each book, and the darker gray boxes represent the portions of each book that are required knowledge for the exam.

This depiction is for discussion purposes only; I had to simplify the topics to make the diagram legible, so the resulting image is not a complete picture of the exam content outline. The purpose of the diagram, however, is to show that the books cover a lot of content that is not actually tested on the exam. The resources were chosen in the first place because they best reflected the content in the exam, and reading all of the books would certainly help you expand your knowledge. However, the exam will test you on just a small subset of the information contained in these books.

The approach I took to creating my RMC PMI-ACP^SM Exam Prep book was to collect all the dark grey “Required by the Exam” topics and explain them with a common voice. In addition, I have included supporting material, some of which is also discussed in the 11 books and some which is discussed in other sources, along with my own insights to create the appropriate context for the topics and explain how the tools and techniques would be used in practice.

So my guide covers all the required content plus some extra information that helps make the exam content relevant and useful. At around 300 pages, the book isn’t small, but it is considerably less than the 4,000+ pages contained within the source books.

When creating the guide I had to balance just covering the topics in the exam in a bare-bones format, or writing a primer to agile and everything in the exam. In the end, after asking myself what kind of a guide I would like to read and talking to several candidates taking the pilot PMI-ACP exam, I ended up taking the approach of covering all the topics and writing a fair amount of “glue” and “how-you-would-use-this” material, which together will best prepare readers for the exam.

The book is available for discounted pre-orders from RMC and also from Amazon. If you are studying for your ACP Exam I hope you will consider it.