APS Assessment Hints and Tips

Follow the guidance on this page for the Professional Scrum Master Assessment. All the hints and tips you need to pass the examination first time.

Preparation

Attending the APS and PSM training courses is great preparation for PSM I assessment, but to maximise your chances of passing, the following self-study is recommended as a minimum:

Study the scrum guide and make specific notes in answer to the following questions:

• How would you define Scrum and what problem is it designed to solve?

• What is each role accountable for?

• What constraints and recommendations apply to each role?

• What is inspected and adapted during each event?

• What does each artefact make transparent?

• How does the definition of done increase transparency?

Read the following blogs that are closely aligned to the PSM I topic areas:

1. “Scrum And”

2. “Scrum Master – A Manager”

3. “Self Organisation”

4. Team size in Scrum

Re-read the PDF of the course slides that have been sent to you.

Use Scrum.org’s Scrum Master Learning Path to focus your reading the areas you need to study

Use the Open Assessments for practice.  Take the Scrum Open until you achieve 100% repeatedly (5 times in a row).  Take the Product Owner Open and Developer Open assessments to increase your knowledge and familiarity with the Scrum.org assessment style.

Topic Areas

The PSM I assessment is broken down into the topic areas below. Use all of the resources above to ensure that you have a good understanding in each area.

1. Facilitation

2. Self-Organizing Teams

3. Done

4. Coaching and Mentoring

5. Leadership Styles

6. Scrum Values

7. Artefacts

8. Roles

9. Events

10. Empiricism

11. Product Value

12. Forecasting and Release Planning

13. Product Backlog Management

14. Managing Technical Risk

15. Stakeholders & Customers

Administration

Your passwords should be with you shortly for your ONE free attempt at the exam (80 multiple choice questions in 1 hour) with an 85% pass rate. However, If you attempt the APS assessment within 14 days and do not score at least 85%, you will be granted a 2nd attempt at no additional cost.

Please add support@scrum.org to the safe senders list to make certain the email does not end up in your Junk mail folder and you receive your password.

There is no time limit to complete the assessment, however we have found that completing the assessment within 2 weeks of the course improves the chance of success.

If you have any problems, please contact academy@agility.ac and support@scrum.org.

Taking the Assessment

Once you have received your code and feel ready, schedule 60 minutes when you will not be interrupted then complete the following:

• Login to your Scrum.org account.

• Navigate to the PSM I Assessment page.Important details about the assessment are listed on this page.

• Click the Start Assessment button in the middle of the page.

• Enter your provided password.

PSM I Certificate

When you have passed a Professional level assessment (PSM I) with a score of 85% or higher, a downloadable, printable certificate and badge will be added directly into your Scrum.org member account profile.

Please check your member profile to download and print your certificate. To access your profile, click on your name, which will appear at the top of any Scrum.org page whenever you are logged into your account. Please feel free to use your Scrum.org certificate and badge to represent your status and understanding of Scrum.