How to Pass the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) Assessment

PSM, an acronym for Professional Scrum Master, is a certification for those professionals intending to work in the Agile Scrum environment. Being a Professional Scrum Master is worthwhile for smaller and large scale companies to adopt Agile quickly.

Professional Scrum Master PSM-I is a 60 minutes timeboxed assessment, where the candidate would have to answer 80 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)s, Multiple Answers, and True/False questions altogether. Scrum.org organizes this exam. Ken Schwaber, who is the co-founder of Scrum, guides this organization. Though there is no official training required as such for the certification, you need to score a minimum of 85% to pass this exam.

In this article, let us take a brief look at how to pass PSM I at the first attempt, the preparation, and tips needed for the same.

• For beginners, try and study various Agile books, attend online courses that cover several Agile methodologies.
• Make sure to read the Scrum guide and always keep it handy for your reference.
  Scrum.org offers an open assessment, take it up and keep practising until you get it all right.
• Join quality Scrum and Agile discussions at Scrum.org
• Always have a better focus on Scrum values viz- Courage, Focus, Commitment, Respect, and Openness.

You can take up the PSM I test at the comfort of your home, with a stable internet connection, since this is an online examination. To score a minimum of 85%, you have to get at least 68 right answers of the 80 questions.

Quick Tips

• Have a Stable Internet Connection- It is quintessential to have a stable internet connection since this is an online exam.
• Carefully read all the Questions- There are multiple-choice questions, multiple answer questions, and true/false questions. Make sure to read and understand everything carefully and clearly.
• Choose a Feasible Time Slot- A preferred and well prepared time slot mentally helps you to score higher in the exam.
• Answer the Confusing Questions at the End- If a question is confusing, do not waste time on it, instead mark it to answer at the end.
• Always Use a Timer- Time is one of the most crucial aspects of this assessment. Ensure you answer all the questions within the given time. Using a timer during practice helps a lot during the exam.
• Get Thorough With the Scrum Guide Well in Advance- Scrum Guide and Scrum Glossary are the most significant resources you have to get through with to pass this exam.
• Come Back to Tougher Questions in the End- Make sure to attempt and answer all the confusing and hard questions at the end.
• Do not Spend too Much Time on a Single Question- Never invest too much time in a single question.
• Look Out for Word Tricks- Sometimes, questions can get tricky based on the usage of words. For example, look out for differences between attend vs participate, could vs should, etc.
• Do Not Rely on all the Available Online Sources- The internet has humongous data and you have to be well aware of the reliable sources.
• All the said and done, it is a better idea to take up PSM-I Training to pass this exam with ease. We at Agilemania have expert coaches who distil their decades of experience implementing Agile and Scrum in organizations varying across various geographies into our PSM training. This can definitely help in making it a lot easier for you to pass PSM I at the very first attempt.
• We are a team of Professional Scrum Trainers (PST) and Enterprise Agile coaches actively working as Scrum Trainers, Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters/Product Owners aimed at delivering quality and consistency for our students across the globe.

Originally published at https://www.agilemania.com on April 7, 2020.