Why
I recently had a job interview for a Digital Project Manager position, everything went well for around 20 minutes but then the recruiter asked me: “What do you know about Scrum?” I replied with some buzz words such as Sprint, Daily Scrum, Transparency, User Stories, … the recruiter said “well and what about your certifications ?” I replied with an awkward moment of silence as I have never needed any formal qualifications in my previous positions…
Back home, I searched Agile jobs and discovered that most vacancies as Digital Project Managers / Product Owners required Scrum certifications / knowledge.
So, the message is clear, to give myself a better chance to land a new dream job I have to get Scrum Certified (dear team at Liip, Antistatique, Apptitude, :ratio, 8bitstudio, Superhuit, WNG, … there’s an hidden message for you here 😉 )
After browsing the web for Scrum certifications, I choose ones from Scrum.org because it’s affordable, there are no renewal costs and can be passed it really fast.
Hope that the following steps I did to pass on my first try Professional Scrum Master (PSM I), Professional Product Owner (PSPO I) and Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS) can help. I didn’t take any training courses to pass Scrum Certifications in 3 weeks but I highly recommend to take some.
What
PSM I Certification:
- Fee: $150 per attempt
- Passing score: 85%
- Time limit: 60 minutes
- Number of Questions: 80
- PSM practice exam:
- Scrum Open: https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/scrum-open
- Mikhail Lapshin PSM quiz : https://mlapshin.com/index.php/psm-quiz/
- Simon Kneafsey PSM quiz: http://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/professional-scrum-master-i-psm-i-practice-assessment/
PSPO I Certification:
- Fee: $200 per attempt
- Passing score: 85%
- Time limit: 60 minutes
- Number of Questions: 80
- PSPO practice exam:
SPS Certification:
- Fee: $250
- Passing score: 85%
- Time limit: 60 minutes
- Number of Questions: 40
- SPS practice exam:
- Scrum Open: https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/nexus-open
- Mikhail Lapshin PSM quiz : https://mlapshin.com/index.php/psm-quiz/nexus-quiz/
- Simon Kneafsey PSM quiz: http://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/sps-practice-assessment/
How
1st step: Succeeding PSM I Certification:
A.K.A Mastering Scrum’s roles, events, artifacts and rules
1- Browse ressources on what is scrum ? => https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-scrum
2- Print & Read the Scrum guide => http://www.scrumguides.org/
3- Practice Open Assessments until you get 100% correct answers under 5 minutes => https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/scrum-open
4- Read the Scrum guide and the Scrum glossary => https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-glossary
5- Practice Mikhail Lapshin PSM quiz in learning mode => https://mlapshin.com/index.php/psm-quiz/learning-mode/
6- Practice Open Assessments until you get 100% correct answers under 5 minutes 5 times in a row=> https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/scrum-open
7- Practice Simon Kneafsey excellent Free Assessment until you get 100% correct answers => http://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/professional-scrum-master-i-psm-i-practice-assessment/
8- Refresh your memory and read the Scrum guide
9- Practice some Open Assessments from scrum.org, thescrummaster.co.uk and Miskhail PSM quiz in real mode => https://mlapshin.com/index.php/psm-quiz/real-mode/
10- Have fun, browse some cats videos on youtube and then pass your PSM assessment => https://www.scrum.org/professional-scrum-certifications/professional-scrum-master-i-assessment
2nd Step: Succeeding PSPO I Certification
A.K.A Mastering Product Value Optimization
1- Read the New New Product Owner post from Scrum Crazy => http://www.scrumcrazy.com/The+New+New+Product+Owner
2- Practice Product Owner Open until you get 100% correct answers under 3 minutes => https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/product-owner-open
3- Print and Read Evidence-Base Management guide => https://www.scrum.org/resources/evidence-based-management-guide
4- It’s been a while, read the Scrum guide! and practice a Scrum Open Assessment => https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/scrum-open
5- Browse FoldingBurritos.com brilliant’s articles and particularly this one => https://foldingburritos.com/articles/2015/04/08/customer-value-in-a-software-product/
6- Get familiar with Burndown charts => http://www.agilenutshell.com/burndown
7- Get familiar with Cone of uncertainity => http://www.agilenutshell.com/cone_of_uncertainty
8- Practice Product Owner Open until you get 100% correct answers under 3 minutes 5 times in a row => https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/product-owner-open
9-Review some relevant posts on the Scrum.org forums and read the New New Product Owner post from Scrum Crazy
10-Enjoy a 2h walk, browse some #peopleareawesome videos and then pass your PSPO assessment => https://www.scrum.org/professional-scrum-certifications/professional-scrum-product-owner-i-assessment
3rd Step: Succeeding SPS Certification
A.K.A Mastering Organization and Management of several Scrum teams
1- Print and read the Nexus Framework Guide: https://www.scrum.org/resources/nexus-guide
2- Practice Nexus Open Assessments until you get 100% correct answers under 5 minutes =>https://www.scrum.org/open-assessments/nexus-open
3- Stop watching cats fails on youtube and watch Ken Schwaber’s introduction of Scaling Scrum => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm4X7Hv_GOs
4- You think you got it ? Practice this free assessment from Simon Kneafsey: http://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/sps-practice-assessment/
5- Videos are cool right ? Watch Nexus: Scaled Scrum is still Scrum by Jeronimo Palacios => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fQ_DPN-Mss
6- Feeling ready ? Practice free Mikhail Lapshin’s Nexus quiz => https://mlapshin.com/index.php/psm-quiz/nexus-quiz/
7- Now you may feeling lost with Nexus theory, you must have a look on Nexus’ Case Studies => https://www.scrum.org/resources?type=69 (Read it carefully as there is some study case in the exam)
8- Print and read these white papers => https://www.scrum.org/resources/visualizing-next-sprint-backlog and https://www.scrum.org/resources/cross-team-refinement-nexus
9- Practice one more time Nexus Open Assessments on scrum.org, thescrummaster.co.uk and mlapshin.com
10- Give yourself a favor: have a running for 30 minutes then take a cold shower. Pass your SPS certification => https://www.scrum.org/professional-scrum-certifications/scaled-professional-scrum-assessment
4th Step: Sharing your achievements
Once you passed a certification, you have of an official Scrum.org profil with your earned certifications’ badges.
You also have the opportunity to share your achievement when receiving your results by mail.
Adding your achievement to LinkedIn Certifications section is a nice move to inform your professional network.
Inform recruiters that you have Certifications may increase your chances to get an interview with potential employers.
