Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
The Professional Scrum MasterTM (PSM) evaluations allow candidates to confirm and certify their knowledge of those practices and values, and how they would react to circumstances that challenge them.
Professional Scrum Masters show knowledge and understanding of Scrum and their capacity to apply it in real-world situations. The importance of certification is closely tied to the presentation of knowledge needed to achieve it. By that measure, the PSM estimations are significantly more worthwhile than available options for Scrum.
Learning Path
The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) has three levels:
- People who have passed PSM I, achieving certification, demonstrate a fundamental level of Scrum mastery. PSM I certificate holders prove that they understand Scrum as described in the Scrum Guide and how to apply Scrum in Scrum Teams. PSM I holders have a consistent terminology and approach to Scrum.
- People who have passed PSM II, achieving certification, demonstrate an advanced level of Scrum mastery. PSM II certificate holders prove that they have an understanding of the underlying principles of Scrum and can effectively apply Scrum in complex, real-world situations.
- People who have passed PSM III, achieving certification, demonstrate a distinguished level of Scrum mastery. PSM III certificate holders have a deep understanding of the application and practices of Scrum and the Scrum Values in a variety of complex team and organizational situations.
Learning Objectives
Below are the objectives for all the three levels of the Professional Scrum Master (PSM).
- Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework
- Developing People and Teams
- Managing Products with Agility
- Developing and Delivering Products Professionally
- Evolving the Agile Organization
Exam Details
The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) exam is present in English language only. The exam has a total of 80 questions. Also, the candidate will be given 60 minutes to complete the exam. The questions are available in the format of multiple-choice and true-false. Further, the examination fee is $150 USD per attempt.
Professional Scrum Master (PSM) Course Outline
Scrum.org has divided the syllabus into various sections. The Professional Scrum Master (PSM) exam includes its objectives and sub-topics in it. The detailed course outline is mentioned below:
Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework:
- Empiricism, Scrum Values, Roles, Events, Artifacts, Done.
PSM Documentation: Professional Scrum Competency: Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework
Developing People and Teams:
- Self-Organizing Teams, Facilitation, Leadership Styles, Coaching and Mentoring.
PSM Documentation: Professional Scrum Competency: Developing People and Teams
Managing Products with Agility:
- Forecasting & Release Planning, Product Value, Product Backlog Management, Stakeholders & Customers.
PSM Documentation: Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility
Developing and Delivering Products Professionally:
- Managing Technical Risk.
PSM Documentation: Professional Scrum Competency: Developing and Delivering Products Professionally
Evolving the Agile Organization:
- Organizational Design & Culture.
PSM Documentation: Professional Scrum Competency: Evolving the Agile Organization
Scrum.Org Policies
The candidate should visit the Scrum official website for understanding the terms and policies of the Scrum. The exam terms and policies include various important information such as age requirements and policies concerning minors, trademarks and copyrights, candidate identification and authentication, security, rights and responsibilities, Confidentiality and agreements, etc.
Professional Scrum Master (PSM) FAQ
Professional Scrum Master (PSM) Preparation Steps
The preparation steps which are essential in order to successfully pass the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) exam are:
Scrum Official Website
Visiting the Scrum official website is an important step while preparing for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) exam. The official site offers a lot of reliable information and sources which are very helpful in preparing for the exam. The resources such as study guide, sample papers, whitepapers, documentation, faqs, etc. The candidate can find all such important things on the official page. The candidate will find following assessment at the official page.
Scrum Training Program
Training programs are a very necessary step in the preparation of such exams like Professional Scrum Master (PSM). Scrum offers its own training programs on their various examinations and certifications. Professional Scrum MasterTM (PSM) is a 2-day course that covers the principles and process theory underpinning the Scrum framework, and the purpose of the Scrum Master in it. This course is a combination of instruction and team-based exercises and teaches what is at the heart of the Scrum and Agile movement.
Books and Guides
The next step in the preparatory guide should be books and study guides. The candidate requires to find those books which are adorned with information. Finding a good book may be a difficult task, but in order to gather the knowledge and skills, the candidate has to find, read and understand. The candidate can refer the followings:
- Scrum Narrative and PSM Exam Guide: All-in-one Guide for Professional Scrum Master (PSM 1) Certificate Assessment Preparation Kindle Edition by Mohammed Musthafa Soukath Ali.
- The Scrum Master Training Manual: The Definitive Guide for Professional Scrum Master – PSM Certification by iCertify Training.
- Mastering Professional Scrum: A Practitioners Guide to Overcoming Challenges and Maximizing the Benefits of Agility (The Professional Scrum Series) 1st Edition by Stephanie Ockerman.
Practice Test
Most importantly, candidates have to try their hands-on practice tests. Practice tests are the one which ensures the candidate regarding their preparation. The practice test will help the candidates to acknowledge their vulnerable areas so that they can work on them. There are many practice tests available on the internet nowadays, so the candidate can choose which they want.
Join a Study Group
Joining a group study will also be beneficial for the candidate. It will encourage them to do more hard work. Also, studying in the group will help them to stay connected with the other people who are on the same pathway as them. Also, the discussion of such study groups will benefit the students in their exam.
