My road to PSM III

I've read a couple of posts here on the journey to obtain the PSM III certification. I'd like to expand that with my own path to the highest level of Scrum Master certification.

First of all, I'd like to underline, like the other posts, it is seriously difficult. Although I passed on the first try, it's relentless, it's rigorous. Because there around 35(ish) open question with a 2 hour time limit and 85% pass level, danger lies in answering the questions too elaborate. I noticed myself still having 10 questions unanswered with half an hour left. Although I would recommend not to watch the time progress too much, I do recommend practicing answering questions to the point as quickly as possible on forehand. This requires you to be very sure about your theoretical Scrum knowledge. And with the theoretical I mean Scrum according to the Scrum guide. 

That's where a different challenge lies; it's easy to answer questions from experience. Not that this is a bad thing; on the contrary. It helps clarify and visualize your answer. However, if the situation your describing is not handled according to the Scrum guide, the answer will probably be rated with an X. Therefore I can recommend to analyze your current work situation with the Scrum guide. Am I handling the challenges as the Scrum guide advizes (the guide only advizes, it does not dictate. Very important). I personaly learned a lot by doing so. Reading and remember (really mentally own this) the book Scrum - a Pocket Guide by Gunther Verheijen helped me a lot with this. This goes a little into the Scrum values, which clarified a lot for me. I could instanly adapt my, at that time, current assignment for the better with my new knowledge. 

Of course read. A lot. I read the blogs by Barry Overeem and Chris Verwijs a lot. Furthermore I read the following at least twice:

The Scrum Guide. To help me remember I've written it on paper three times.

Scrum - a Pocket Guide - Gunther Verheijen

Our iceberg is melting - John Kotter

Coaching Agile Teams - Lyssa Adkins

Software in 30 days - Ken Schwaber/Jeff Sutherland

Scrum Mastery - Geoff Watts

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni

The Leaders Guide to Radical Management - Stephen Denning



So yeah, it takes time to prepare. And that's not to be taken lightly. I firstly underestimated it a lot. Only after speaking to Barry Overeem and Laurens Bonnema I went the extra mile to prepare. So, if you guys are reading this, major thanks for the advice!



I hope my own short story helps you a bit. If you have any questions or I can help you prepare with my experience, feel free to contact me any time!