Can I take PSMII exam directly without writing PSMI exam.

Thank you for your inquiry. While passing the PSM I first is not required before attempting the PSM II, it is strongly recommended. We feel it is important to first pass the PSM I to get a good baseline of your level of knowledge before continuing to the PSM II. Those who achieve a score under 90% on the PSM I will find it very difficult to pass the PSM II.

The PSM II is at a higher level of difficulty and based more on interpretation and experience as opposed to understanding the concepts in the Scrum Guide alone. Therefore, there are no free Open Assessments for the PSM II. The Scrum Open, Nexus Open, and Product Owner Open assessments will help you prepare for the PSM II assessment, but the questions in the Open Assessments do not have the same level of difficulty as the questions in the PSM II. Passing this assessment demonstrates that not only do you know Scrum but also that you can apply your knowledge and experience in complex real-world situations.

If you would like to gauge your baseline knowledge first, you are able to purchase a password to attempt the PSM I assessment.

For preparation we would recommend that you first follow as many steps as you can on our Ways to Prepare Section.

Many questions will ask you to interpret concepts from the Scrum Guide and apply them to a scenario presented in the question, and the correct answers can be arrived at through extrapolation from the Scrum Guide in tandem with experience practicing true Scrum. While we do encourage people to use "Scrum, and..." in practice, we can only assess on the core concepts as outlined in the Scrum Guide, the industry-recognized source of Scrum. As such, while you may have been using Scrum in your organization, what you practice may not be in line with Scrum by the book.

To maximize your understanding of the concepts that will appear on the PSM II, we suggest that you once again go through the Scrum Guide in your native language as a refresher. Once you feel confident in your knowledge, please then review the English version of the guide, so you can become more familiar with the vocabulary and other terms which may be seen on the assessment. 

When you are ready, you may purchase a password to attempt the PSM II.

Thank you very much for the clarification. I already bought the PSMI password, will take the test ASAP, then I will go to PSMII.

Hello Haghuma. I agree with Eric.



Think about the assessments created by Scrum.org as a staircase (for each trail), every stair step is an important challenge to go further. 



PSM-I focuses on the Scrum guide concepts (Scrum teams and their associated roles, Scrum events, artifacts, and rules). 

PSM-II brings some situational questions to all the Scrum theory and Scrum guide. 

PSM-III goes further with even more challenging questions. 

I was able to complete the assessments (my first PSM-I was taken in 2013, and PSM-III this year). What I may say is that following this staircase is a fulfilling journey and you will learn more and more by practicing what you learn and with real experience. I don't regret following the staircase. 

In summary, you may take PSM-II without taking PSM-I, but it doesn't mean you should. 

Hope this helps you!

Thank you very much for the clarification, I am preparing for PSMI and will take that exam once I am ready.

Thank you for your response guys, I am happy to announce that I have passed PSMI with 90%.

Good to hear, congrats! I’m interested in how you will experience the PSM II exam when you’ll take it. I’m also somethings doubting if I just try to get it or not.

i’m also interested in why you want to have the PSM II certificate and skip the first?

Hi there,

This thread is 3 years older but I have the same query as mentioned in the Subject of this thread.

And to answer to Kevin's last question that "why you want to have the PSM II certificate and skip the first?", is simple - If I believe that my knowledge and understanding of Scrum concepts is up to the level of PSM II and it will strengthen more by taking a PSM II course, then I would like to save $150 by skipping the PSM I certification. After all, we have to do some Benefit-Cost Ratio Assessments.



What's your opinion?

Hello Himanshu,

I’m currently in the same position as you.

I have three years of experience with Scrum, including one year as a Scrum Master and two years as a Product Owner. While my practice hasn’t fully aligned with the Scrum Guide, I now understand how it should be applied.

I’ve been unemployed for over a year and, frankly, I don’t have the budget for any certifications. However, I believe that obtaining one could aid my job search since I possess knowledge and hands-on experience that I can't effectively demonstrate in interviews. Living in Türkiye, the high foreign exchange rates make certification fees quite expensive. I’ve looked for organizations that provide "small amounts" of funding for professional needs but haven’t found any.

As a result, I’m uncertain about whether to pursue PSM-I, PSM-II, PSPO-I, or PSPO-II due to budget constraints. Which would you recommend in my situation?