Passed PSM I - 97.5%

I had this on my list of certs to get, but it remained on my list - in a backlog :) - until my job opened up an internal Scum Master test. I took the test and passed. I had some prior knowledge of Scrum which helped. (My job's test is easier than this test.) This was on Thursday.

I decided to revisit this certification and took the open assessments, scoring about 80% my first try. I thought this just might be possible with a bit of work. So I crammed. I bought a Udemy course available at https://www.udemy.com/scrum-certification/. It is about 3 hours long and contains a lot of valuable information and insight. It also has a lot of practice questions. Costs change for Udemy courses, this one was $19.99 when I bought it on Saturday morning (today is Sunday and it is now $14.99).

I took the open assessments again, and again, and again. I took them until I could pass 100% over and over again. The open assessments are easier than this test although I did notice a couple of questions come through that were almost identical to the open assessment questions.

I read and re-read the Scrum Guide (https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-guide).

I read some information about the exam that indicated it was harder than the open assessment (it is). So I searched for more sample questions and found http://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/psm-learning-mode/. I took that test several times until I could pass with 100%. This test I think helped more with how the test worded and phrased some things, not with actually gaining answers to the questions. I don't think I got any questions on my exam that was present here. (My first score on this test was about 70%, I got tripped up by the wording). The difficulty level is pretty close I think to the actual test.

Some tips - pay attention to the wording. Accountable and Responsible mean two different things. DONE and Ready are not the same things. Read each word and understand what it is asking for. 

Keep things straight and simple in your head. If I say "8,15, 4, 3" and you don't know what that means, keep practicing. 

Sometimes what actually happens in the real world with Scrum and what Scrum suggests are not the same. We all know the CEO can overrule the product owner in real life; ideally, in Scrum, that wouldn't happen. Answer from the Ideal Scrum perspective. 

Do more than just read the Scrum guide, understand it. Understand what the words mean and understand how to rephrase it. Relate it back to your own experience with Scrum.

Some experience is beneficial to understanding. I am not saying you cannot pass with no experience, I am saying it is just more likely.

I took my test Saturday, two days after I decided to cram for it. I wouldn't recommend this if you have no experience with Agile or Scrum. Take a little more time to understand the material. You don't really have time to google the answers or dig through the Scrum guide to find the answers (unless you can answer most of the questions really fast), so if that is your plan, forget it. You have to know the stuff and have at least a basic understanding of how to apply it.

I missed two questions and my final score was 97.5%.