As many of you may know, I’ve been on a certification binge lately, and the next one I’m going to cover is the Professional Scrum Product Owner™ (PSPO) from Scrum.org. Honestly, I should have gone for this credential right after earning the Professional Scrum Master™ (PSM), as they share much of the same content. Oh, well! Better late than never! Read on to learn more about how to pass the exam to become certified.
Why get the PSPO?
First off, why might you want to earn the PSPO? Well, if you have been using the Scrum agile framework to deliver products, then this is certification may be for you. I am a consultant, so I often act in a PO proxy or support role to a Product Owner, doing research, helping manage the backlog, etc. For me, this certification shows that I can perform the Product Owner role, have a deep understanding of how a PO thinks, and what they do.
Where to Start
The best place to start is the Scrum.org website. Their site contains a plethora of references for learning all about Product Ownership. They also have a blog, videos, and other relevant information.
In addition, the site has an open assessment that you can take to help prepare you for the style of the exam and types of questions on the test (as I recall, some of the actual test questions very closely resemble or are the same as on the open assessment). The assessment questions pull randomly from a pool of questions, so take the assessment multiple times until you consistently score 100%. I would also advise you to take the Scrum open assessment, as many of the questions are similar, and there are more questions in that pool.
The Scrum Guide 2020
The basis for exams from Scrum.org typically cites The Scrum Guide as one of the main sources for questions. The guide was updated in 2020 to take a less prescriptive and less software-focused approach, along with changes to team structure and the introduction of the Product Goal. So, if you think you know Scrum, but haven’t become familiar with the recent changes, you should get a copy of The Scrum Guide and read it again – multiple times. It’s shorter than the previous version (down to 13 pages). You will need to know the contents of this guide inside and out.
Professional Product Owner Book
The Professional Product Owner: Leveraging Scrum as a Competitive Advantage is referenced by Scrum.org as one of the sources of material for PSPO test questions. I read it cover to cover, and it was a very good read. Even if you’re not going to go for this certification, I would highly recommend this book for anyone who acts in a Product Owner or supporting role on a Scrum Team. You can buy this book online at Amazon. Normally, I like to have a physical copy of books, but I didn’t want to wait for it, so I bought it for my Kindle, too. The Kindle version is significantly less expensive.
Practice Exams and Test Simulators
I have a subscription to Kindle on Amazon, and I was able to find several free or very low-cost practice exams. Some were of good quality, while others were questionable. I also noticed that some resources had the exact same questions as in other places (bad grammar and all), so be careful about which sources you choose to use.
One of the best online exam simulators for the PSPO was built by Mikhail Lapshin. It has two modes: 1) learning, and 2) a practice exam. However, he has not yet updated it with the changes from the 2020 updates to The Scrum Guide (his website said that an update is in progress). So, you can use it, but with the caveat that some things on the test are now wrong.
Professional Scrum Product Owner Training
If your organization has a training budget, I also highly recommend taking a course from one of Scrum.org’s certified Scrum Trainers. I had the good fortune of taking a Professional Scrum Master™ class with trainer Lucas Smith (a former colleague of mine), and it was excellent. The process to become a trainer with Scrum.org is extremely rigorous, so rest assured that it’s worth the money. The class prepared me well for the Professional Scrum Master™ certification, and it provides a solid foundation on which to build your Product Ownership skills. The drawback with this is that training can be very costly.
The Exam
Unlike my other recent certifications, the PSPO is not a proctored exam – which is great. No one will ask you for your ID or watch you while you are taking the test; it’s much less nerve-racking.
However, the test expects that you really know your stuff, so you have very little time to answer all the questions. There are 80 multiple-choice questions that must be answered within 60 minutes – yes, you read that correctly – you have just one hour to answer all the questions.
If you don’t know your stuff and think you can just reference The Scrum Guide during your exam, well, technically I suppose you can, but you really won’t have time to go searching for answers.
Now, the cost. This exam is inexpensive, as far as certifications go, at only $200. You can pay for the exam at any time, and you’ll be sent a code to take the test. The code is valid until you use it, and it doesn’t expire. But don’t let that be an excuse to not take the test. Pick a date and plan your studying around it.
And lastly, unlike the CSPO from the Scrum Alliance, you don’t have to pay a fee and to recertify – your certification is valid forever – one and done!
Final Tips
It probably goes without saying, but don’t try to cram. Study a bit every day. Read The Scrum Guide until you can practically recite it and take a ton of practice tests. Also, be sure to get some good rest before you take the test. And of course, make sure you have a stable internet connection. Good luck with the exam!
If you take the test and pass, please let me know! I would love to hear your story and about what worked for you! If you have already taken the exam and have any more hints or tricks for others who are preparing, drop your thoughts in the comments box below!