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Passed the PSM-I exam first time (96.3) using only freely available resources

Last post 02:22 pm May 10, 2019 by Hiren Parmar
20 replies
04:20 pm January 25, 2018

Passed the PSM-I exam today first time with 96.3% using only freely available resources. This forum was incredibly helpful so I'll share what I learned over the last two weeks since electing to pursue certification.

By way of background, I have extensive experience in software and product development and have worked in organizations with an Agile practice, but aside from attending Sprint Reviews I have not yet participated on a Scrum Team. That said, I did instinctively gravitate towards the Scrum pillars and values. If you don't know these, don't take the test yet :)

I read the Scrum Guide at a deliberate pace every day (4-5 times) until I digested it. Eventually the answers became less "I remember" and more "I understand". Not only will you not likely find success without doing the reading this way, you will likely miss the value.

The open assessments here are a good start, I would take both Scrum Open and Product Owner every day until you blow through them with 100%, but they are by no means sufficient. If you get any of these wrong you must reread until you know why, as they are a minimum qualifier.

For me, the critical link was http://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/. This is free but I'll be making a donation, thank you Mikhail Lapshin!!! I scored over 95% on his exams three times before taking and passing the actual with around the same score. I can't speak to the pay programs, this forum recommends a couple which I have no reason to doubt, but I would be wary of just reading/watching everything available as the messages get muddled.

Last tip - Time Management is important ! Answer what you can, put something down and bookmark if not sure. I eventually ran out of time while reviewing my bookmarked questions (at first had 19 of 80!) and I'm typically a very fast test taker. Please understand this is not to brag, but time is rarely a problem for me and I want you to be aware that it was here.

Best Regards,

Chris


12:13 pm January 29, 2018

Congrats Chris... I am also preparing for the exam on the same way you prepared, and planning to take up the exam on 31st Jan...


03:21 pm January 30, 2018

I wish you the best of luck Asaithambi, and feel free to share your experiences to help the next ones too!


03:26 pm January 30, 2018

Congrats chris


06:17 pm January 30, 2018

First, Congrats Chris... Thanks for the tips, I will try the PSM-I in two or three weeks and your tips help me a lot.


10:50 pm February 3, 2018

Congrats, Chris! I passed the PSM I today as well (95%) using a very similar approach as yours. Internalizing the answers from the practice assessments was key (I'd take a practice quiz, review any incorrect answers, and read the Scrum Guide again).


08:09 pm February 5, 2018

That's excellent Benjamin, congratulations to you! I feel like a test that rewards folk who internalize the material is also a pretty good test.


12:02 pm February 6, 2018

Dear all hi from Greece!!!! 

im in the same way as you guys and im preparing my self for PSMI, by my self. I have a question, after reading the Scrum Guide, i took many assessments with 100%, but i have feeling that those questions are more easier than in the test. Am i right? Now Im also reading the Scrum Narrative and PSM Exam Guide to ensure my knowledge.

Congrats to all of you I hope to take mine as well soon.... 

and thank you for your time!!! 


12:33 am February 7, 2018

I did not pass first time, albeit I wasn't too far off but I did find it difficult. Time went past so quickly and I also had 16 book marks to revisit. The Open Assessments I don't feel are much good as I have been consistently getting 100% from day one of trying them. Many of the questions in the actual exam require 2 or 3 answers and I think this is where the time factor comes into it, I may have rushed to get that 3rd tick in the box and possibly cost myself a correct mark. I could not answer everything just from the reading material I have and the scrum guide so not too sure where else I can go for more information. Any advice please? Thanks 


02:43 pm February 7, 2018

Yes, those assessments are a good start but would not have been sufficient - at least for me.  I recommended the Lapshin mock exams above, which are free (donation optional), but others in the Forum have recommended pay services and classes. I have no first hand experience so can't make a referral there...Best of luck!

 


04:54 am February 8, 2018

Just took mine and passed with 86.3%.  Yea I know that just qualifies as passing, but I did just read the Scrum Guide today for the first time and figured I'd give it a shot.  I hate test.  :)

 


08:00 pm February 12, 2018

Chris, thanks for providing us valuable information.  I did not know about this forum when I got into Scrum.org, so I read the scrum guide and took open assessment many times.  When I took the PSM 1 exam I realized it was not enough because I failed the first time.  After seeing you comments and taking the practice test at Lapshin many time I felt comfortable to take the real test again.  It was a hard test but this time I passed with 86%.  My only mistake was not reading the scrum guide many times and was rushing. Thanks again.  


06:52 pm February 13, 2018

Hi all, Just passed the PSM-I with 92.5%.  I read Scrum guide multiple times. Took all free assessments listed on the forum as well as bought mplaza Tests. I think 3 mplaza tests, quizlet.com, mlapshin.com tests and scrum guide helped me a lot throughout the exam.  


01:39 am February 14, 2018

Congratulations to those who passed! I know this forum was invaluable to my preparation so really pleased to share.

Incidentally, I’ve also found myself returning here as part of my continuous learning. Those  who post on this board often have such a wealth of experience around practicing Scrum that I find myself reading answers to questions I didn’t know I had!


07:11 pm February 17, 2018

Thanks Chris for your help! I've gone trough learning approach you shared and I passed PSM I! 


07:21 pm February 17, 2018

Hi Chris, thank you for sharing this! I've followed your approach and I passed my PSM exam today with 97%

The learning path you shared is really effective. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to pass PSM I.

 


10:38 am March 7, 2018

I managed to pass second time around with 92%, found the questions much easier that what was in the first test. Some question still in there that I didn't know from any of the reading or mock exams/quizzes etc...bit unfair but just glad to have passed.


12:49 am January 24, 2019

Congrats on passing Chris.  I know this is a bit outdated but I stumbled upon your post and am in the process of studying for my PSM I so your post stood out to me.  With that being said, I have been taking and passing  mlapshin.com open tests.  After close examination recently, I noticed I got two questions wrong that I know were right.  Did you experience that at all?  I do not mean to call anyone out but it took a shot at my confidence.  Any advice is appreciated.  

Thanks, 

Alex 


01:50 pm February 26, 2019

Passed the PSM-I exam first time (96.3).Yupe that was not that difficult.

Jotting down the plan to nail it.

1) Read Scrum Guide once a day (16 pages) for 1 week.

2) Read Scrum Glossary when you commute to and from office

3) Take Open Assessments (PSM & PSPO) till the time you get 100% consistently 3-4 times

4) Take sample test for PSM and PSPO in learning mode using below links

https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/sm-learning-mode/

https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/po-learning-mode/

5) Take same sample test for PSM and PSPO in real mode using below links till the time you 100%

https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/sm-real-mode/

https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/po-real-mode/

 

Important Tip

1) Read Scrum Guide on the day you plan to give the test.

2) For multiple choice questions, if you are confused, try the elimination practice I am sure you will end up picking the correct choices


03:12 pm April 11, 2019

Hi all,

I've just passed the PSM-I exam first time (96.3) using only freely available resources and the quizzes, FAQs and comments from here (scrum.org) and also from mlapshin.com. Both sources played a decisive role in clarifying some Scrum topics to me and, thus, achieving the certification.

As I'm not a native english speaker, it was important for me to pratice and take a complete assessment test in english, which I got for free at mlapshin.com. Some questions were just identical to those I've came across here and there. 

One advice for those who haven't taken the exam yet: after answering all the questions, review all of them carefully 

(time is enough for that!): I did that and found 3 simple questions that I answered incorrect for the 1st time, as I was a little bit nervous..


01:31 am May 10, 2019

Thanks to you all, I have just passed the exam with the instructions, guidance and experience provided. 

 


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