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26 different·5 in common
🧭 Overview
Certifying body= same
PMI
PMI
Focus≠ differs
PMI's certification for agile practitioners across frameworks.
PMI's specialist certification for project risk management.
Best suited for≠ differs
Practitioners with agile team experience (1–2 yrs)
Experienced PMs specialising in risk
Pass mark= same
Proficiency bands (no fixed %)
Proficiency bands (no fixed %)
Difficulty= same
3 / 5
3 / 5
Open book= same
No
No
🚀 Career & roles
Career prospects≠ differs
PMI's agile credential spanning Scrum, Kanban, Lean and XP — suits practitioners in agile delivery who want a broad, framework-agnostic agile cert.
PMI's risk-management specialty for PMs who own project risk — niche but valuable in large, complex or regulated programs.
Post-certification roles≠ differs
Agile PM · Scrum Master · Agile Coach · Delivery Lead · Product Owner
Risk Manager · Senior PM · Program Risk Lead · PMO Risk Analyst
Demand trend≠ differs
Growing — agile delivery roles in demand
Niche — steady in large/regulated orgs
Typical salary≠ differs
Comparable to other agile certs; strongest when paired with PMP
Premium in risk-heavy sectors
🌍 Recognition & market
Recognition≠ differs
PMI (USA) · recognised worldwide · broader than single-framework certs
PMI (USA) · global
Popular in≠ differs
USA, Europe, India, ANZ
USA, Middle East, India, Europe
Companies hiring≠ differs
Product companies, IT services, digital & consulting
Construction, energy, BFSI, government, EPC
Industry verticals≠ differs
IT/software, fintech, telecom, digital
Construction, oil & gas, finance, infrastructure
Tech horizontals≠ differs
Software delivery, product, cloud/DevOps teams
Enterprise & capital programs
📝 Exam format
Questions≠ differs
120 questions
115 questions
Duration≠ differs
180 min · 3h
150 min · 2h 30m
Question types≠ differs
Multiple choice
Not published
Delivery≠ differs
Test centre · Online proctored
Not published
Languages≠ differs
English
Not published
🎓 Eligibility & process
Eligibility / prerequisites≠ differs
12 months general project experience + 8 months agile + 21 contact hours
Degree + ~24–30 months project risk experience + 30 contact hours
Application process≠ differs
Online application (audit possible) → pay fee → schedule within 1 year
Online application (audit possible) → pay → schedule within 1 year
💸 Cost & effort
Training cost (approx)≠ differs
USD 300–1,000
USD 300–900
Exam / application fee≠ differs
USD 495
USD 520
Prep time= same
~8 weeks
~8 weeks
Study hours≠ differs
~90 hours
~80 hours
🔄 Validity & renewal
Validity≠ differs
3 years
Not published
Renewal≠ differs
30 PDUs every 3 years
Not published
Retake policy≠ differs
Up to 3 attempts within a one-year eligibility period.
Not published
📈 ROI
ROI score≠ differs
4 / 5
3 / 5
Worth it?≠ differs
Solid for agile career paths; the broad coverage differentiates it from Scrum-only certs.
Worthwhile specialisation for risk-focused PMs; demand is niche.
📊 Syllabus — domain weighting
🌀PMI-ACP
- Agile Principles & Mindset16%
- Value-Driven Delivery20%
- Stakeholder Engagement17%
- Team Performance16%
- Adaptive Planning12%
- Problem Detection & Resolution10%
- Continuous Improvement9%
⚠️PMI-RMP
- Risk Strategy & Planning22%
- Risk Identification23%
- Risk Analysis23%
- Risk Response13%
- Monitor & Close Risks19%
Career, cost, effort and ROI figures are indicative — they vary by region, employer and experience.