I just passed the PSM1 for my selft... How to prepare

Hi Pablo!

Congratulations!
I followed your notes and I passed certification on the first try!

Thanks a lot for this information
Diego

Pretty much what I did as well and passed PSM1, PSPO1, and PSD1. Any thoughts on how to prepare for the level 2 assessments?

I would definitely suggest going for the PSD1, many of the questions are similar to the scrum master certification.

jeff

Thanks Pablo Inchausti I passed  passed PSM1 with one score of 91.3% on the first try, studying for my self with your recommandations.

Where's the The Scrum Master Training Manual? It links to an Exam simulator that cost 27$ and no manual available. It's against the recomendation of scrumcrazy number 7 (third party companies). Do you think it's worth the price? Thanks.

Hi, 

first of all congratulations with your achievement. I would like to ask a question. I have studied Scrum Guide several times and I made my own notes from it. I watched several videos and making tests my results are really good like %93-%95 but I am so scared to take exam. Many people made me scared that real exam questions are not even similar to those practice tests and they are much harder. Do you think so or they are almost in the same level?

thank you.

Hi Beyza, 

I was in the same boat till yesterday and then finally i decided to take the exam. I was able to pass the PSM1 exam with 100% marks. Few of the things i did to prepare,

1.  Read the Scrum Guide whenever you get time. Its very easy and you can read the entire guide in 30 min, once you know what they are talking about. I read it like 4-5 times. Try to write key points in a notepad and then you can just go through it in like 5-10 min. 
2.  Did all the available mock exams both free and paid. One thing, you need to make sure, dont focus on score 100% instead focus on what you did wrong and why. Add those to you notes which you can refer later when you do your 5-10 min read.
3. Some mock exams i took, 
   • https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/sm-real-mode/
   • https://www.volkerdon.com/ (Paid $15 for this)
   • PSM1/Product Owner Open Assessment.

Before the exam, i just took 2 full mock test to see if i remember the concepts and then i went for it and i scored 100%. 

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

Prankul

Hi All,

I hope everyone is "Healthy & Safe" at your places. I also have fear of going to the exam like bayeza. Let me explain.

My Name is Siva Ram, i am preparing for my PSM1 Certification from past 2 weeks and i am consistently able to get 98 to 100% in Opem Scrum Assessments in 15 to 20 times when i attempted. Also, I am able to get the same percentage in "Mikhail Lapsin" sample test in 10 to 15 times i attempted them in Real time mode. Also, i spent some money to buy 6 practice tests (80 Questions each) in which 2 practice tests blowed away all my confidence ( Ended up with 72% & 78% respectively) , so ultimately i need to hold the actual test which i planned take on this Sunday. 

So, based on that Note, let ask you all some queries based on my experience from the Practice tests.

   1. The practice test have some questions, so long which took around a minute and half to read and all the four options are also so long to read and understand. Is this the same case with the real time exam also ? Please provide me some inputs who already attempted and passed as well ?

   2. How many questions can we expect on scenario based kind and is it coming from Agile and Nexus Scrum Frame work ?

   3. Most of the big questions in Practice tests are based on Scrum Transperancy, Scrum Integration, these are scenario based, these are big questions and big answers, my %'s on these topics are 70% and 68% and varied in the 2 practice tests which i have taken. But, i had read the scrum guide 5 to 6 times till date and understood it and its implementations in different scenarios. Basically my point is to know how big is the questions and answers in actual exam ?

   4. I am actually dedicated myself to pass in first attempt. I read nexus scrum guide, Agile Manifesto, Agile Iterative approaches and Scrum Guide mainly.

Can Someone provide your insights on my queries, meanwhile i will continue to prepare for the certification by the time u all give me your advises as many as possible which can help me finding way to pass.

Thanks to one all and eagerly waiting for all your responses...

Regards,

Siva Ram.

Hi All,

FI just passed my PSM I exam yesterday. I scored 98.8%. It was complete self study.

Here is how I prepared:

1. Attempted the PSM Open Assessments and scored around 75% the first time.Following that I read the Scrum Guide atleast 4 to 5 times(including noting down important points for later revision).

2. Having read the Scrum Guide multiple times, I started attempting the PSM Open Assessments as well as the PO Open Assessments and consistently scored 100%.

3. Also attempted https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/ LM and RM quizzes for Scrum Master and PO and consistently scored between 95 to 100%.

4. For topics like Burn-Down and Burn-Up charts and Cone of Uncertainty, I googled them and made quick notes for myself.

5. For relationship between scrum teams I read the Nexus Guide which really helped understand how multiple scrum teams work on a single product.

6. Last but not the least I attempted the free questions on https://www.volkerdon.com/ which helped me understand how to answer certain questions that were not really direct from the Scrum guide.

I had in total put around 2 weeks of study (2 full days of attempting questions and going through the scrum guide etc.) before giving the exam.

Last but not the least a big thank you to this awesome forum for sharing their experiences and tips for self-study.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Sutapa

I’m happy to have passed the PSM I with only two wrong questions on April 17, 2020.

How I got this high mark with only 3 weeks preparations, without prior experience with scrum and without attending a class:

1. Using digital flashcards to learn the Scrum and Nexus Guide by heart, https://apps.ankiweb.net/
2. Taking Mikhail Lapshin’s quiz and VolkerDon’s exam simulator; https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/ and https://www.volkerdon.com/bundles/scrum-certifications
3. Participating on meetup.com with Agile Co:Learning MeetUp, Agile Support Circle, Liberating Structures Lab Berlin and Mayflower Meetup Berlin

Specific practical tools and expressions, like burn-up and burn-down charts as well as the cone of uncertainty, I also learned by looking up their meaning on scrum sites and then turning them into digital flashcards.

Wishing you all well on your scrum and further agile journey!

Theresa

Hello Everyone,

I passed my PSM1 in my first try with 91.3% with my self study and as mentioned above , mainly reading the scrum guide multiple times like reading a book that you love and taking the open assessments on PSM,PSPO and PSD. Also invested some money to buy some practices tests from udemy which helped me a lot as well. Thanks a lot to all those helped providing your inputs and sharing your experiences. ALL THE BEST , who are going take the certification. I wish all to be healthy,Safe and Successful.

I passed the exam today with 96.3% score in first attempt.

I am not sure it is the best idea to recommend here the site of scrum alliance, but they have a relatively good free online scrum training (based on the Scrum Guide) which includes lots of test questions. Some of them are relatively advanced. So, the point is not the training (anyone who can read should prefer doing so) but the tests included.

Hola Pablo, felicidades, es bueno saber que el auto aprendizaje es la clave, esa semana que dedicaste a estudiar cuántas horas de estudio implicó que le dediques diariamente?

Quiero empezar desde hoy y me estoy organizando

Saludos

Hi, I am preparing for taking the PSMI exam soon but i am a bit afraid that i didn't do all the study i should do. I am doing a self-study. So far:

1) I take open assessments for (Scrum Open) and scoring 90-100% 

2) Read Scrum.org guide several times and took my own notes

3) Read Mikhail Lapshin’s quizguide and took his free assessment online as well

Shall i be confident enough to take the exam now?

Also, do i need to take all the open assessments (Like developer, Agile, Nexus) before entering PSMI or the (Scrum Open) is enough?

Thank you

Hello, I am preparing for the PSM1 exam does anyone know where to find free tests online apart from these I found online.

1) https://www.thescrumexperts.com/

2) Free assessment test by Scrum

Thank You.

RB

Hello, I passed the PSM 1 assessment with a 96.3% score on the first try a few days back and I can confirm that it really demands a thorough understanding of the Scrum framework.

What I did was:

1. Read the Scrum Guide
2. Listened to the Scrum Guide Audio
3. Made notes on the key parts of the Scrum Guide for review
4. Tested my knowledge using Scrum.org's Scrum Open Assessment
5. Tested my knowledge using my own PSM I Review Test

You may want to read my blog to understand my methods in complete detail.
 

Thank you and I sincerely hope it can help those who are planning to take the assessment!

Hello All, 

I finally cleared the PSM1 Certification Exam yesterday with 95% (It was my 2nd attempt )

First of All , it is not only the free assessments that you do to pass this exam. The assessments listed on scrum.org is just 10-15% what is on the real Exam . I did only that and I failed the exam. 

Tips on how to pass the Exam:

- I read the scrum guide as many times as possible and read each and every word clearly because each and every word in this book is so much important and it's only 19 pages and I listed out all the important things. 

- I did all the assessments many times it was possible including PSM1 , PSPO. Try to do it quicker before the time expires. Try to get 100% in both of the assessments. 

- I also did Mikhail Lapshin quizzes for both Scrum master and product owner many times possible until i did it in 20 mins because the exam is 1 hour long and it has 80 questions. Try to get 95- 100 % on both of the quizzes. They are very helpful. 

-  I also did  free mock tests on https://www.volkerdon.com/ and it's very helpful to get some ideas on how tricky the questions can get and it's also gives you explanations on how this answer makes sense. 

- Most important, in the practice exams try to look at which answers are not making sense to the particular question , that is the only way to figure out which are the correct answers. 

Please don't be too confident with yourself, the real exam is much trickier and you need to have enough focus because there are 80 questions and you get only an hour. If possible try to sit with someone , who can help you to find the answers because you won't be able to search because it needs more time. 

Good Luck!!!!

Your post and responses were very helpful !!

I religiously followed your experience and successfully completed PSM1 yesterday, that is 03/17/2021.

Thank you so much for sharing Pablo Inchausti , Theresa Lankes ,  Francis Job Barcelo , Sutapa Sarkar , Prankul Agarwal .

Hello everybody.

I managed to pass the PSM-I certification exam this week! It was my first attempt and I achieved a score of 96.3%.

My strategy:

1. I read the "Scrum Guide (2020)" 3 times.
    - Just reading, then making appointments and finally revising.
2. I read the "Agile Manifesto" and "Scrum Glossary".
3. I read the text "Professional Scrum Competences".
4. I did the open assessments until I got between 100% in each one repeatedly.
    - Scrum Open, Producto Owner Open and Nexus Open.
    - It helped a lot to get used to the layout of the race (yes, it helps).
5. I bought the Volkerdon simulations.
    - Helped to reflect on the knowledge of Scrum.
    - Mock tests have questions that require a level of interpretation (no big deal, but different).
6. I looked for preparation tips and guidance on this forum and on YouTube channels.

I studied in a 40-minute time-box (2 time-boxes on weekends) for 4 weeks. 

The test is not simple, but it is not difficult. Some questions from open assessments may be present.

I hope this post helps those who are preparing, in the same way that other posts in this community helped me.

Thank you and good performance to all!

Pablo, from the bottom of my heart: "Thank you!"

It was a huuuge difference when reading the Scrum guide from a physical source (paper), instead of reading it from a screen.

That was key #1, and key #2 for passing the exam studying by yourself, it's to have a 15 to 20min spare time for reviewing some answers after finish; that time can be achieved by practicing and completing the mock assesment from Scrum.org once and again with 100% everytime.

que Dios te bendiga Pablo, bendiciones

luis
 

Just passed with 97.5% at first attempt, thanks for the tips from all the above posters. 

I spent around 8 hours preparing over 3 days, but I do have experience as a developer on scrum teams.

Key for me was printing, reading and making notes on the Scrum Guide, and doing the Scrum Open, Product Owner Open and Developer Open tests here https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments to raise my initial 80% score up to 100%.

Marking which questions you are not quite sure of so you don't waste getting stuck on one question is important. You can then review the tricky ones at the end, I had over 15 minutes spare to review the ones I had marked.

Hi All,

Thanks everyone for sharing you experience with PSM 1 assessment.

I have passed PSM1 with 90% in first attempt.

My Prep:

Took 3 weeks for preparing.

1. Read Scrum Guide daily till you get belief understanding on the terminology, flow and concepts.

2. Go through https://www.scrum.org/pathway/scrum-master 

2. Take course(I took Udemy - Agile Scrum Master)

3. Take all Open assessments(PSM,PO,Nexus) to understand the interlink between the roles and for better understanding.

4. Take notes and create flowchart/smart chart based on your learning. It will help to grasp the concepts easily.

5. Exam Day - Be Calm and Relax.

•    Read Question thoroughly. Mainly on Keyword No, Not, Should, Must, Select two, three......
•    Review the Answers and exclude the option which is not related to Scrum(ex: Project Manager, HR, COE)
•    Don't give much time for direct questions.
•    Keep Eye on Clock. Try to complete the exam in 30-45 min and give time to review the flagged questions.

Exam is not that difficult. If you are clear with concepts you will crack it!!!!!

Cheers!!!!!

Hello all,

Just passed PSM1 with 100% at first attempt. Thanks for all the tips up there, they are all super helpful. I am basically doing the same ;)

1. Read the Scrum guide 2020 thoroughly for multiple times. My native language is not English, so I did try to read in my mother tongue before, but I honestly don't recommend it since it could confuse you with the translation. (Or maybe just me) I find the audio version very helpful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8jE3pGfGZE as it helps you to read and absorb at the same time. 

2. Do the open assessment https://www.classmarker.com/online-test/start/?quiz=3qg5fac7589c0416 once you feel confident about the content from the guide. Do it multiple times until you could get 100% in a row for 5 times at least within the timebox of 10 minutes. It could be almost an instant reaction since they are from a 40-question pool for 30 questions presented (I read it from somewhere, don't quote me on this). If you tried it more enough, the questions could be repeated, but don't get too confident that you are 100% ready. Go back to the guide and check all the terms and concepts that aren't clear or you don't fully understand.

I also did these free open exams as above mentioned: Mikhail Lapshin, scrum quiz org, mplaza... 

Mikhail Lapshin is free with the 80 questions exam mode, it's amazing. But at the same time it's not updated to 2020 version yet so it could get confusing sometimes.

3. I paid for the Volkerdon mock exams as I wanted to prepare myself for the real exam situation for full 80 questions in 60 minutes and prefer to pay a little than 2+time for the attempts :P There are many of them and it just happened I chose this one. I actually failed 3/4 for the mock test as it really pushes your knowledge and understanding. You can't get by just by "I think I kind of know/understand this concept..." So I could go back and study harder ;)

4. During the exam, just be calm and read everything thoroughly. Be sure nothing will interrupt you for the next hour. You could flag the questions in between to come back and check again before the time expired, so finish all the questions first and not spend too much time on one. You can definitely do it!

Thanks again and good luck to all!! 

Just passed PSM 1 with 92%.

Thanks to @Sanjeev Ramani for your tips especially taking notes in a question-answer format. It helped me a lot to notice small word differences such as may/should/must and so on. 

Thanks to https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/. I paid $19 to build my confidence. The explanation was amazing and tremendously helped me to save time and find answers in the real exams. 

In my case, I passed PSM 1 with 98.8% after taking the past last week.

What I did was:

- Taking the Udemy course: https://www.udemy.com/course-dashboard-redirect/?course_id=3270848

- Practing with MPlaza simulator and Scrum Open Assessment alternatively.

One week practicing with the simulators after finishing the course was enough for me.

I wrote the exam in 40 minutes and passed with 93.8% score today. If you study the scrum guide, Nexus Guide, practice with the accessment test SCRUM OPEN, PRODUCE OWNER, and NEXUS OPEN. Just add some practice test from udemy. You will pass and if you study well, understand, memorize questions amd answers where necessary to save time, you might pass with 100%. Good luck in your exam. 

Hello,

I  just passed the PSM 1 at my first attempt. Thank you all for you valuable suggestions.

• Read the scrum guide once, followed with open assessments from scrum.org 
• Read the wrong answers, validated the explanations from the scrum guide.
• Read the scrum guide a second time, (though I was losing patience), followed by practice assessments from Udemy.
• Read the wrong answers carefully, and validated/understood the explanation from scrum guide.
• Didn't have further patience to read the scrum guide, however continually took the open assessments, udemy practice assessments and finally the practice assessment Mikhail Lapshin (both in learning and real mode).  https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/sm-real-mode/ 
• Took 2 days  break.
• The day before the assessment, took the Mlapshin assessment once, a couple of open assessments and also the Udemy practice assessments.
• The following day directly appeared for the assessment  in the evening after a busy day
• Cleared the assessment with 86.3% .

Total time invested from zero to passing the assessment = 7 days (whatever remaining after doing regular office work and household chores, including 2 days break in between.)

Hi, everyone

I passed the PSM 1 exam today with 98.8%, and I want to thank everyone because I took all your advice/ experience and made my own version for preparation, and I would like to share my experience and help other people.

Reading:

• Scrum Guide 2020 version: of course this is a must, and I read it 3 times (practice mock exam in between reading)
• Agile Manifesto: 3 times
• Nexus Guide: 2 times
• Scrum Glossary(https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary) : 2 times 
• The Scrum Master Training Manual v.1.6 By Nader K. Rad, Frank Turley: 3 time

Free Practice Exam:

• Scrum.org open assessment: Scrum Open (30 questions): 4 times
• Scrum.org open assessment: Product Owner Open (15 questions): 4 times
• Scrum.org open assessment: Developer Open (30 questions): 4 times
• Scrum.org open assessment: Nexus Open (10 questions): 4 times
• Mikhail Lapshin - SM/ learning mode (87 questions)
• Mikhail Lapshin - SM/ real mode (80 questions)
• Mikhail Lapshin - PO/ learning mode (80 questions)
• Mikhail Lapshin - PO/ learning mode (80 questions)
• Mikhail Lapshin - Scaled/ learning mode (30 questions)
• The Scrum Master Training Manual v.1.0 practice exam (30+20+20=70 questions)
• ScrumQuiz.org - SM (40 questions)
• ScrumQuiz.org - PO (40 questions)

Paid Mock Exam:

• Volkerdon Scrum Master exam simulator (mock test) - 320 questions: $14.99

Note: 

• Mikhail Lapshin exam is based on the previous version of Scrum Guide
• The Scrum Master Training Manual v.1.0 and v1.6 is based on the previous version of Scrum Guide

It took me 2 weeks to prepare, and after all these reading and mock exams, I feel the real exam is not difficult.

Thank you, everyone, and I hope this post helps

Many Thanks  to Pablo Inchausti, Liang Yang Lin, Miguel Valles Lopez!

I have successfully completed PSM1 in first attempt with 96.3% within a week of taking the Udemy course:

https://www.udemy.com/course-dashboard-redirect/?course_id=3270848

Top 4 things I emphasize to the guidance given above:

1. Read Scrum guide min of 3 times.

2. Practice Open Assessments of Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developer, Nexus guide until you consistently get 100% in less than 5mins.

3. Work on Simulations from Udemy course & other available free Mock tests.

4.Just before the Certification exam, practice 3 open assessments to set the approach & pace in place. This really helped me.

Thanks again to this forum.

Good Luck :)