Tips to prepare for the PSPO I certification 🇩🇪

Great, the PSPO I certification is valid for life, which means you don't have to renew it.

And how do you do that? 

Not that easy, because you have to 

• be pretty quick by answering 80 questions in 60 minutes (Ø 45 seconds per question) 
• know quite a lot - refer to PSPO I reading recommendations

Now, that sounds daunting. No, please don't get discouraged. When I did the certification, I already had several years of experience as a Product Owner. Nevertheless, the PSPO I certification is primarily a validation of knowledge. The higher certifications such as PSPO II & PSPO III then focus on difficult practical questions.  

Here are a few tips to get the knowledge you need: 

1. Read the English version of the  2020 Scrum Guide  and EBM Guide carefully several times. 
2. Read the Scrum Glossary carefully 
3. Go through the following open assessments several times until you pass them with 100% in less than 10 minutes. The texts in the feedback (after submitting the open assessment) contain a lot of helpful information. 
   Scrum Open  /  Product Owner Open  /  Agile Leadership Open  /  Evidence-Based Management Open
4. If you have attended the PSPO training, go through the Reference Guide again.
   If you haven't attended the training, then go through the  Product Owner learning path  (~80 learning objects).
5. The book The Professional Product Owner  by Don McGreal and Ralph Jocham is also helpful, especially as a reference to deepen some details. Please note that the book is based on the Scrum Guide 2017. Therefore replace “Development Team” with Developers and role with accountability, and the product goal is missing.

Here are a few tips for completing the certification: 

1. Read each question carefully, paying particular attention to negatives (NOT). 
2. Checks whether you marked exactly as many options as requested. If it says "Select the best 3 answers" then make sure you marked 3 options. Otherwise you will lose points unnecessarily. 
3. You can mark questions and go back to them later (if you still have time). 
4. The exam is difficult and you don't have much time. Therefore, I recommend approaching the exam in a rested state. 

Good luck and success!