Why and how to pass the PSPO I certification — Scrum Master’s perspective

Being a Scrum Master on a regular basis shows me every day the need to understand the responsibilities of the Development Team and Product Owner on the same level as my own.

Since in my organisation, Product Owners belongs to other companies, learning from them and supporting them is more difficult than cooperation with developers. I was wondering how to gather the knowledge in that particular situation, and then I realised that one of the ways is trying to pass PSPO I exam.

Why do I think that the PSPO I certification is worth investing?

„The Product Owner is responsible for maximising the value of the product resulting from work of the Development Team. How this is done may vary widely across organisations, Scrum Teams, and individuals.” Scrum Guide

In my opinion, Product Owner is the most important person in the Scrum Team. And there is a simple explanation. All is about a product and the PO is responsible for its success. We know that success can be defined in numerous ways, but the PO is a guard who stands for all the areas connected to those definitions (for example Product Backlog maintenance, working with stakeholders, maximising the value of the Development Team work).

As the Scrum Master, I have been working with Product Owners from diverse organisations, and it is true that there is no the best set of tools, ways or solutions how to maintain product and Development Team’s work to maximise its value. Beside that, one is still the same — the Scrum Master helps the Product Owner, and he needs to understand the PO’s role. To maximize the value of his work, the SM should know what kind of duties should be supported by his work and in which domains the PO may need some supervision.

Preparation to the PSM I gave me guidance how to understand Scrum, and I believe that during studying for the certification I’ve learned more than whenever before. That time, I quickly understood that I need to pass PSPO I — there is nothing that motivates me more to go deeper and be familiar with the PO responsibilities, especially those beyond the Scrum Team.

So, why the PSPO certification is worth investing? I have a simple answer for that question. You can make the PSPO I your goal and motivator to gather new knowledge or it can be some kind of summary of what you currently know. A learning process can give you direction and show you a new areas, and the exam will test if you have a good understanding of the PO role in practical (and unexpected) situations.

How to prepare to PSPO I certification?

The PSPO I badge

First of all, motivation is very important here! Certification is not an easy one, you have to get 85% to pass the exam. Below you can find my tips how to pass the PSPO I exam and what kind of books or blogs are useful at the beginning of your journey with Scrum.

Things you can do:

1. Understand The Scrum Guide — identify the most important things or those which you don’t remember. If you are not the native English speaker, read the Scrum Guide in your own language three times too. That path will help you learn the key things about working with Scrum. The PSPO I exam includes a bunch of questions about the Scrum framework which also are in the PSM I test.
2. Read the Scrum Glossary — it is the brief list of the most important words, it helps to understand questions in the test.
3. Read the The New New Product Owner — it is a fascinating article, showing overall Product Owner’s work purpose, read it twice and make some notes or highlights.
4. Read the Evidence-Based Management Guide — really helpful and valuable for PO’s, read it twice and make some notes or highlights.
5. Do Product Owner Learning Path from Scrum.org site—it is the extensive list of areas which are essential to the good and deep understanding of the PO role.
6. Do all Open Assessments from Scrum.org site — you will see what type of questions will occur on the exam, you should be completely sure that they are clear for you — 100% scored a few times in a row is a must.
7. Do quizzes from the blog of Mikhail Lapshin — it is the best way to learn and understand the key aspects of the Product Owner’s role (all questions are based on the Scrum Guide and sources promoted by the Scrum.org organization).

Tips & Tricks for those who are at the beginning of their journey with Scrum:

1. Try to visualize (mind maps, sketchnoting) new information you’ve learned from reading any sources.
2. Read two highly important books in a way for better understanding of the Scrum: The Art Of Doing Twice The Work In Half The Time by Jeff Sutherland and Software in 30 Days by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber.
3. Participate in the PSPO training course — it is a good way to get familiar with PO’s role while you are at the beginning of your experience with the Scrum. There is vastness of books which you can read, but meeting with people who can explain you the framework and roles in practice is more worthy.
4. If you have time, read some books recommended by Scrum.org as a preparation for the PSPO and the PSM certification —, they will widen your horizons.
5. Review Scrum.org blog — there are various articles related to the PO work areas which can help you understand better the real meaning of this role.

If you believe that you have done everything to learn how to be the great Product Owner, and you have all test listed above at one’s fingertips… you are ready to get the exam!

Summary

I think that preparation for any exams needs time and strong motivation, it also gives us the goal which we want to accomplish. The way I went to get the PSM I and the PSPO I certification shows me that the goal is the key, and in that case, it is the best motivator to learn new things or widen horizons.