PMI-ACP® Study Plan (30 / 60 / 90 Days)

A practical PMI-ACP® study plan: 30-day intensive, 60-day balanced, and 90-day part-time schedules with weekly focus by domain and tips for using the Mastery Cloud app.

This page answers the question most candidates actually have: “How do I structure my PMI-ACP® prep?”
Pick a timeline, then follow the loop: Syllabus → drills → review misses → mixed sets.


How long should you study?

Choose a plan based on hours per week:

Time you can commit Recommended plan What it feels like
10–14 hrs/week 30‑day intensive fast coverage + heavy practice
6–9 hrs/week 60‑day balanced steady progress + room for review
3–5 hrs/week 90‑day part‑time slower pace + repetition

If you want one rule: start with ~55% learning + 45% practice, then flip to ~30% learning + 70% practice in the final 2 weeks.

Use the official domain weights to allocate time

PMI-ACP domain weights (ECO, Oct 2024):

Domain Weight What to be good at
Mindset 28% complexity thinking, transparency, psychological safety, feedback loops, embracing change
Leadership 25% coaching/mentoring, problem resolution, knowledge sharing, shared vision, conflict management
Product 19% backlog refinement, increments, work visualization, value definition and validation
Delivery 28% early feedback, metrics, impediments/risk, waste reduction, continuous improvement, flow

Use the weights as your default time split, then adjust based on weak areas discovered in practice sets.


30-Day Intensive Plan

Target pace: ~10–14 hours/week.
Goal: cover the syllabus quickly, then harden decision instincts through drills and mixed sets.

Week Focus What to do Links
1 Mindset Principles, transparency, psychological safety, feedback loops, change. Drill daily; keep a miss log. SyllabusCheatsheetPractice
2 Leadership Coaching/mentoring, facilitation, conflict, knowledge sharing, shared vision. Drill after each task set. SyllabusCheatsheet
3 Product Backlog refinement, slicing, increments, value, visualization. Add mixed sets every other day. PracticeCheatsheet
4 Delivery + final review Metrics, WIP/flow, risk/impediments, waste, continuous improvement; mixed sets + miss-log cleanup. PracticeFAQ

60-Day Balanced Plan

Target pace: ~6–9 hours/week.
Goal: cover each domain with reinforcement and spaced repetition.

Weeks Focus What to do
1–2 Mindset Principles + complexity + feedback loops; short drills after each task.
3–4 Leadership Coaching, problem resolution, knowledge sharing, conflict, vision alignment.
5–6 Product Refinement, slicing, increments, value definition/validation, visualization.
7 Delivery Metrics, impediments/risk, waste, continuous improvement, flow.
8 Mixed review Mixed sets + revisit weak objectives; tighten “best answer” patterns.

90-Day Part-Time Plan

Target pace: ~3–5 hours/week.
Goal: slow-and-solid coverage with repetition and steady practice.

Month Focus What to do
1 Mindset Build principles + transparency + feedback habits; light drills 3×/week.
2 Leadership + Product Coaching/facilitation + backlog/value fundamentals; drill after each task set.
3 Delivery + consolidation Metrics/flow/waste/CI, then mixed sets and miss-log cleanup.

How to integrate the Mastery Cloud app

  • Use Practice to drill by topic right after studying a syllabus task.
  • Keep a miss log: each miss becomes one decision rule you didn’t truly own.
  • Do mixed sets in the final 2–3 weeks to force transfer across mindset/leadership/product/delivery scenarios.