Preparing for PSM I and PSPO I
How the Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master and Product Owner assessments work, how to prepare, the wording traps in their questions, and how they compare with other agile certifications.
Scrum.org and its assessments
Scrum.org was founded in 2009 by Ken Schwaber, one of the two creators of Scrum, to offer training, assessments and certification based on the Scrum Guide. Its certifications are called Professional Scrum and come in levels: I (fundamental), II (advanced) and III (distinguished) for the Scrum Master and Product Owner tracks, plus assessments for Developers, agile leadership, Kanban, scaling and other subjects.
Two features make Scrum.org's assessments different from many others. You do not need to attend a course to take them — although a Scrum.org course is recommended and includes a free attempt — and a pass at level I is a lifetime certification with no renewal fee.
PSM I
PSM I (Professional Scrum Master I) shows that you understand Scrum as described in the Scrum Guide and can apply its concepts. Despite the name, it is not only for Scrum Masters: it tests the whole framework, and many Developers, Product Owners and managers take it as a first certification.
PSPO I
PSPO I (Professional Scrum Product Owner I) tests the same framework from the product side. In Scrum.org's words, many of its questions "focus on the Product Owner accountabilities based on the Scrum Guide": maximizing value, managing the Product Backlog, working with stakeholders, and product vision and strategy.
The facts side by side
As stated on Scrum.org's certification pages in 2026:
| PSM I | PSPO I | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 80 | 80 |
| Time limit | 60 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Passing score | 85% | 85% |
| Question types | Multiple choice, multiple answer, true/false | Multiple choice, multiple answer, true/false |
| Price | USD 200 per attempt | USD 200 per attempt |
| Password | No expiry date, valid for one attempt | No expiry date, valid for one attempt |
| Validity | Lifetime, no annual renewal fee | Lifetime, no annual renewal fee |
| Languages | English, Japanese; Simplified Chinese through scrum.org.cn | English; Simplified Chinese through scrum.org.cn |
| Course required | No (recommended) | No (recommended) |
| Free practice | Scrum Open | Scrum Open, Product Owner Open |
You buy a password, take the assessment online whenever you are ready. Scrum.org allows the Google Translate browser plugin under its own instructions, which helps candidates whose first language is not English.
What the assessments cover
Scrum.org builds its assessments on a set of Professional Scrum Competencies, grouped into focus areas. Both assessments cover the same three groups, with a different emphasis.
| Competency | PSM I focus areas | PSPO I focus areas |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework | Empiricism, Scrum Values, Scrum Team, Events, Artifacts, Done | Empiricism, Scrum Team, Events, Artifacts, Done |
| Developing People and Teams | Self-Managing Teams, Facilitation, Coaching | Self-Managing Teams |
| Managing Products with Agility | Forecasting & Release Planning, Product Value, Product Backlog Management, Stakeholders & Customers | Forecasting & Release Planning, Product Vision, Product Value, Product Backlog Management, Business Strategy, Stakeholders & Customers |
On this site, the core material is in Scrum at a Glance, The Scrum Team, Scrum Events and Artifacts and Commitments; for PSPO I add Product Backlog Management and The Product Owner in Practice, and for PSM I The Scrum Master in Practice.
What is not in them
Scrum.org has separate guides and separate assessments for several related subjects. They are not among the PSM I and PSPO I focus areas:
- Kanban (the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams) — assessed in PSK (Professional Scrum with Kanban). See Kanban.
- Nexus, Scrum.org's scaling framework — assessed in SPS (Scaled Professional Scrum). See Scaling Agile.
- Evidence-Based Management (EBM) — assessed in PAL-EBM (Professional Agile Leadership – Evidence-Based Management).
The same goes for the many practices teams add to Scrum — user stories, story points, velocity, Definition of Ready, planning poker. The assessments do not test them as part of Scrum; a question that assumes one of them is mandatory is usually a trap. Note also that the Scrum Guide Expansion Pack (2025) is an optional companion text, not a new Scrum Guide, and Scrum.org's assessments do not refer to it.
How to prepare
- Read the Scrum Guide several times. It is short — under 15 pages. Read it once for the overview, then slowly, noting who is accountable for what, what each event is for and what each commitment belongs to. Read it again a few days before the assessment. Experienced trainers and test takers warn that reading the guide alone is often not enough, because questions ask you to apply it to situations — but everything starts there.
- Use the Open Assessments. An Open Assessment is one of Scrum.org's free online practice tests, such as Scrum Open (for all certifications) and Product Owner Open (for PSPO). They draw from a question pool, show the correct answers afterward, and can be taken as often as you like. Scrum.org warns that they are easier than the real assessment. Read every explanation, also for questions you answered correctly by luck.
- Practice explaining. Explain the framework out loud to a colleague, or write one paragraph per accountability, event and artifact without looking. If you cannot explain why something is the way it is, you will be vulnerable to a cleverly worded wrong answer.
- Compare with your own team. Write down which of your team's habits are Scrum and which are additions. The assessment tests the framework, not your company's version of it.
- Take it when you are consistently ready. A common piece of advice is to wait until you score close to 100% on the Open Assessments several times in a row, with time to spare. A password is valid for one attempt only, so a failed attempt costs another USD 200.
Wording traps
Most wrong answers are not about obscure facts but about reading a question too quickly. The usual traps:
- Must, should, may. The Scrum Guide distinguishes between what is required and what is optional. "Each Sprint has one Sprint Goal" is a rule; "teams may use burn-down charts" is an option. Check whether an answer describes what Scrum requires or something a team may choose — and whether the question asks for one or the other.
- Always, never, only. Absolute words make a statement false unless the guide is absolute too. "Only the Product Owner can cancel a Sprint" is true; "the Sprint Review is always four hours" is false (four hours is the maximum for a one-month Sprint).
- Accountable versus attends. Who owns an outcome is a different question from who is in the room. The Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers; the Scrum Master makes sure it takes place but does not have to attend. The Product Owner is accountable for the Product Backlog even if Developers write many of its items.
- Command-and-control distractors. Answers like "the Scrum Master assigns the tasks", "the Product Owner decides how much work the Developers take into the Sprint" or "the manager approves the Sprint Backlog" are almost always wrong: the Developers are self-managing and decide how to do their work and how much they can take on.
- Practices not in the guide. If an answer requires story points, velocity, a Definition of Ready, a hardening Sprint or a burn-down chart, it describes something a team may add, not something Scrum requires.
- Timeboxes as maxima. The guide gives maximum durations for a one-month Sprint and says they are usually shorter for shorter Sprints. It does not give fixed numbers for a two-week Sprint.
Ten practice questions
These questions are written for this page in the style of the assessments; they are not real assessment questions. Answer each before opening it.
1. The Product Owner asks a Developer to write most of the Product Backlog items. Who is accountable for the Product Backlog?
The Product Owner. The Scrum Guide allows the Product Owner to delegate Product Backlog work to others, but the Product Owner remains accountable.
2. What is the timebox for Sprint Planning in a two-week Sprint? (a) 4 hours (b) 8 hours (c) at most 8 hours, usually shorter (d) 2 hours
(c). The Scrum Guide gives a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint and says the event is usually shorter for shorter Sprints. "4 hours" is a common rule of thumb, not a rule in the guide.
3. True or false: the Scrum Master must attend the Daily Scrum.
False. The Daily Scrum is for the Developers. The Scrum Master makes sure it takes place; if the Scrum Master or Product Owner are actively working on Sprint Backlog items, they take part as Developers.
4. Halfway through a Sprint, a key stakeholder asks Sofia, a Developer, to add a new report. What should happen?
Sofia refers the stakeholder to the Product Owner, Isabel. Isabel decides whether and where the request goes in the Product Backlog. During the Sprint, scope can be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned, but no changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal.
5. Which are the commitments in Scrum? (choose three) (a) Product Goal (b) velocity (c) Sprint Goal (d) Definition of Done (e) Definition of Ready
(a), (c) and (d): the Product Goal for the Product Backlog, the Sprint Goal for the Sprint Backlog and the Definition of Done for the Increment. Velocity and Definition of Ready are not in the Scrum Guide.
6. The Sprint Goal has become obsolete because the company dropped the product line. Who can cancel the Sprint?
Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint. Others can raise the concern, but the decision is hers.
7. True or false: an Increment may only be released to users after the Sprint Review.
False. An Increment can be delivered to stakeholders before the end of the Sprint; the Sprint Review should never be seen as a gate to releasing value.
8. Kestrel's IT department has an organization-wide Definition of Done. The Portal team thinks it is too weak. What can they do?
They must follow the organizational Definition of Done as a minimum, and may create a stricter one for their own product. They cannot use a weaker one.
9. Three Scrum Teams work on the same product. How many Product Backlogs and Product Owners should there be?
One Product Backlog and one Product Owner, because they work on one product. The teams also share the same Product Goal, and must mutually define and comply with the same Definition of Done.
10. During Sprint Planning, the Developers say they can take on less work than the Product Owner hoped. Who decides how much is selected?
The Developers select how many items they can complete, working with the Product Owner, who explains the objectives and the most valuable items. Neither the Product Owner nor the Scrum Master assigns the amount of work.
Other agile certifications compared
Scrum.org is one of several certification bodies. The main differences are whether a course is required, what is assessed and whether you pay to keep the certificate.
Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Product Owner
The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) is Scrum Alliance's entry-level Scrum Master certification. It requires a 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer, usually over two or three days, followed by an online test of 50 multiple-choice questions in one hour, passed with 37 correct answers (74%). The course price includes two attempts within 90 days. The Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) also requires a course with a Scrum Alliance trainer. Both must be renewed every two years with a fee and Scrum Education Units (SEUs).
PMI-ACP
The PMI-ACP (PMI Agile Certified Practitioner) from the Project Management Institute is broader than Scrum: it covers agile mindset and methods in general. The current exam (live since November 2024; content outline updated in March 2026) has 120 questions, 100 of which count, in four domains: Mindset (28%), Leadership (25%), Product (19%) and Delivery (28%). To be eligible you need 21 hours of agile training and agile experience — two years within the last five, or one year combined with a qualifying degree, another active agile certification or an active PMP.
Side by side
| Certification | From | Course required | Renewal | Good fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSM I, PSPO I | Scrum.org | No | None (lifetime) | Proving solid knowledge of the Scrum Guide |
| CSM, CSPO | Scrum Alliance | Yes (CSM: 16 hours) | Every 2 years, fee and SEUs | Those who want a guided, interactive course |
| PMI-ACP | Project Management Institute | 21 hours of agile training | Yes, PMI renewal cycle | Experienced practitioners, PMI-oriented organizations |
| PRINCE2 Agile Foundation / Practitioner | PeopleCert | Training common; check PeopleCert | Check PeopleCert | Organizations that use PRINCE2 and want agile delivery within it |
| SAFe certifications (for example SAFe Scrum Master) | Scaled Agile | Yes | Yearly, with a fee | Organizations that run SAFe |
| ICAgile Certified Professional (ICP) | ICAgile | Yes, an accredited class | Check ICAgile | Learning-focused paths in coaching, product ownership and more |
- PRINCE2 Agile combines the PRINCE2 project method with agile delivery. Its current edition is Version 2; the Foundation exam has 40 questions in 60 minutes (closed book, 60% to pass) and the Practitioner exam 50 questions in 150 minutes (open book, 60%). See also Choosing an Approach.
- SAFe certifications follow a Scaled Agile course. The best-known are SAFe Agilist (from the Leading SAFe course) and SAFe Scrum Master; as of 2026 Scaled Agile markets them as "AI-Empowered" versions. According to Scaled Agile's site, the SAFe Scrum Master exam has 45 questions in 90 minutes with 80% to pass, and SAFe certifications are renewed yearly. See Scaling Agile.
- ICAgile certifications are earned by completing an accredited class rather than a proctored exam; the entry point is ICP Agile Fundamentals.
Which to choose
- Starting in a Scrum team and wanting to prove you know the framework: PSM I is the most common choice — no course required, relatively cheap, no renewal. Take PSPO I if your work is close to the product: Product Owner, business analyst, product manager.
- Learning better in a group or with an employer paying for training: a course — Scrum.org's own (which includes an assessment attempt) or Scrum Alliance's CSM — gives interaction and room for questions.
- A project-management career or a PMI-oriented employer: PMI-ACP, once you have the experience; PRINCE2 Agile where PRINCE2 is the standard.
- Your organization runs SAFe: the SAFe certification for your role helps you speak its language.
Whichever you choose, the certificate is the smaller part of the value. Hiring managers in agile teams tend to ask how you have applied the framework, what went wrong and what you changed — preparing for an assessment by actually understanding the reasons behind the rules is the best preparation for that conversation too.