Cleared ACP-120 in 3 Weeks: What Actually Helped

[#1]

I recently cleared ACP-120 (Jira Administration for Cloud) with 3 weeks of preparation.
This post isn’t a brag or a study dump - it’s meant to share how I aligned my thinking with how Atlassian frames Jira Cloud administration, because that’s what the exam really tests.

I already had hands-on Jira admin experience. The challenge was unlearning a few Server/DC habits and fully embracing Cloud-first decision making.

Think in Terms of Least Privilege (Very Important)

One of the biggest patterns in ACP-120 is avoiding over-permission.

Typical scenario:
Project Leads need to manage components but must not touch workflows or permission schemes.

Correct Cloud approach:
✔ Create a custom project role
✔ Map it in the permission scheme

Why this matters:

• Giving Jira Admin or Org Admin access is almost never correct
• ACP-120 consistently favors project roles + schemes
• This applies to many permission-related questions

Once I started thinking this way, a lot of “confusing” questions became straightforward.

Automation Is Powerful - but Scope Matters

Automation is frequently tested in ACP-120, but the focus is scope control, not just where rules are created.

What actually matters is:

• How the rule scope is defined
• Whether projects are explicitly excluded
• Whether conditions limit execution

This reinforces a key ACP-120 principle:

Jira Cloud prefers centralized capability with controlled execution, not hard restrictions.

Project Types Are About Governance, Not Features

ACP-120 doesn’t ask “what can this project do?”
It asks why you’d choose one over another.

Scenario:
A team wants:

• Full control over workflows and issue types
• No dependency on Jira admins
• Fast iteration

✔ Team-managed project is the correct answer.

Reason:

• No shared schemes
• Independent configuration
• Designed for autonomy

This pattern shows up repeatedly in different forms.

Permission Troubleshooting: Start Simple

Another common trap is overthinking troubleshooting questions.

Scenario:
A user can see an issue but cannot edit it.

First thing to check:
✔ Edit Issue permission

Not:

• Workflow conditions
• Field configurations
• Issue security

ACP-120 expects a logical troubleshooting order, not deep dives right away.

Issue Security ≠ Permissions

This distinction is tested more often than people expect.

Scenario:
Certain issues should only be visible to a subset of users.

Configure an Issue Security Scheme

Key takeaway:

• Permission schemes = what actions users can perform
• Issue security = who can see specific issues

Mixing these up can cost easy marks.

OTHER IMPORTANT TOPICS

• Workflow Conditions/Validators
• Status Properties
• Component Assignee
• Global Permissions

How I Structured My 3 Weeks

Week 1

• Jira Cloud fundamentals
• Admin vs Project Admin responsibilities
• Company-managed vs Team-managed projects
• Automation for Jira

Week 2

• Permission schemes & project roles
• Automation rules and rule actors
• Issue security concepts
• Global Permissions

Week 3

• Mock tests
• Reviewing why answers were wrong
• Reinforcing Cloud limitations and best practices

I focused more on clarity and consistency than long study hours.

Final Thoughts

ACP-120 doesn’t test UI navigation

It tests whether you can:

• Make good Cloud admin decisions
• Apply least privilege
• Respect Cloud limitations
• Think the way Atlassian expects admins to think
• Follow the exam syllabus ( university.atlassian.com/student/page/832603-acp-120-jira-administration-for-cloud-exam )

If you work hands-on with Jira Cloud, 3 focused weeks are enough.

Hope this helps anyone planning their ACP-120 attempt.
Happy to answer questions or discuss preparation strategies in the comments.

[Yatish Madhav]

Thanks @Akhand Pratap Singh 

I have not done any Atlassian courses/certifications ... This helps.

Any tips/advise on how best to take the courses, how much I should be prepared to pay, and which to start with? I would assume the "How I Structured My 3 Weeks" section?

My aim is to try certify myself quite aggresively, if I can put it that way :) , in 2026.

Thanks, Yatish

[Anahit Sukiasyan]

@Akhand Pratap Singh This totally gets my kudos! 🙌
As someone planning to take ACP-120, this was super helpful. Really appreciate how clearly you broke things down without overcomplicating it.

I have a quick question if you don’t mind. 😊 Did you take any other Atlassian certifications before this one that helped prepare you for ACP-120, or was this your first cert?

Thanks for sharing this, definitely bookmarking it!

[Staffan Redelius]

Hi @Akhand Pratap Singh 

First of all congratulations on your certification! 🥳

Nice summary! I did the ACP-120 at Team25 in Anaheim. Since it was my first certification i did a prep-course from Atlassian the day before to get a better understanding of what was expected. I think it was money well spent in my case but maybe not totally necessary.  There are a lot of free resources on the internet to help you cover what you need to know.

I would say that you have plenty of time doing the exam so don't stress out and take your time to really understand the questions. Sometimes several answers seems to be right but only one answer is right for a reason and others are wrong for a reason. I.e. you could give a user Org-admin rights to solve their permission problems but it is not the right answer (for a reason).

If you want to know what is covered in the exam, this page covers it very well. If you want to be bit tactic you can check the precentage of each area in the exam in the pdf on the page and focus on the areas that are most significant (security for ACP-120). Certification Detail | Learning - Atlassian Community

You might also want to touch up on your skills when it comes to Team managed projects (since this is something most Jira admins won't touch with a 10-foot pole and maybe it's something you haven't used in a while. It is a small part of the exam but they are easy points that might push you over the line.

Best of luck to all of you!
/Staffan

[sekhar reddy]

Hi @Akhand Pratap Singh ,

Congratulations on achieving the certification.

Could you please guide me on where can I find the mock tests ?

[Akhand Pratap Singh]

Hello Everyone, 

Thanks for your comments. 

---

@Yatish Madhav - Major role that played for me was this 7 years of experience, but I would say go through Atlassian Syllabus and their course.

If you are planning to get your first certification, I will suggest start with ACP-620

If you need anyhelp on any topic, want anyhelp in your preperation, you can always reach out to me on my linkedin, more than happy to help. 

@Anahit Sukiasyan  - I gave ACP 620 before this it helped little bit for sure specially with Permission, component assignments and all. 

@Staffan Redelius - Thanks a lot for your insight, definetly it will help others as well. @Yatish Madhav something to check.

@sekhar reddy  - I went through Udemy courses.

[Jeramy]

Nice article.

I guess all of us Jira DC admins need to change our thinking or we'll be jobless in three years or less...

Thanks Atlassian....

[Yatish Madhav]

Great! Thanks @Akhand Pratap Singh  and to all the comments ... I am certain this will help me! Much appreciated!