How to Pass the PSPO Exam?

Scrum is a quality-driven process that is focused on producing excellent business outcomes. Companies are always looking for professional product owners with in-depth knowledge and can easily use it in the real world. Employers tend to use many credentialing services focused on certifying many levels of comprehension and application by levels, known as belts. 

The scrum training sessions help you understand PSPO I Principles, which involves studying them efficiently to pass the PSPO exam and advance your professional career.

Overview of Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) certification

PSPO stands for Professional Scrum Product Owners, a certification perfect for individuals looking to grow their careers in the scrum product ownership domain. The PSPO exam is considered difficult to clear, but it is also the best in the industry when it comes to excelling in your career in the product ownership domain.

The professional scrum product owner certification is focused on showcasing the product owner's knowledge of scrum and the product owner's ability to use the knowledge in real-world scenarios. The value of the PSPO certification is linked with demonstrating the knowledge required to obtain it. These techniques are part of the PSPO certification, which will require passing the PSPO exam. PSPO assessments are more valuable than the other scrum product ownership options as they help you develop an in-depth understanding of the exam and certification.

Also, check:Role and Responsibilities of PSPO

Strategies for Preparing for the PSPO Exam 

Preparing for the PSPO exam requires proper planning and instruction. The professional scrum product owner certification requires focusing on everything that is required to pass the PSPO exam. 

1. Understand the Scrum Objectives

It is required to have the basic foundations while studying for the Scrum certification and understanding the principles of the important areas. On the official Scrum website, all the information is laid down clearly along with the study material required to pass the PSPO certification. 

There is also a PSPO study guide for the professional scrum product owner exam, which contains 

• In-depth understanding and use of the scrum framework.
• Evolving with the agile organizations.
• Managing products with proper agility.

2. Study the Scrum Guide

The scrum guide is the foundation of the scrum knowledge, which forms the basis of the PSPO exam and also ensures you have an in-depth understanding of the roles, events, artifacts, and rules that are described in the scrum guide. The professional must pay attention to the responsibilities and activities of the product owner.

3. Prepare for the assessment.

To pass the certification assessment, the professional should focus on many areas according to the professional scrum competencies. These scrum competencies and key terms every professional should learn, such as 

1. Developing an understanding and application of the scrum framework includes empiricism, scrum values, scrum team, scrum events, scrum artifacts,  scrum scaling, and much more.
2. Developing people and teams by using different leadership styles, coaching and mentoring them, teaching, and facilitation.
3. Managing the products with agility such as forecasting and releasing planning, product vision, value, managing the product backlog, preparing the business strategy, and gaining insights from stakeholders and customers.
4. Developing and delivering the products, managing the technical risk, focusing on continuous quality and integration and on delivery flow.
5. Evolving the agile organization through design and culture, portfolio planning, and introducing evidence-based management.

Individuals should also take open assessments to help them prepare for the PSPO exam. These assessment tests help you identify the areas that require major improvement and understand what kind of questions you might see in the actual exam.

4. Focus on Learning Resources 

The individual should be well-prepared and fully equipped with the necessary resources to pass the PSPO exam. They can use study guides, books, online courses, and video tutorials specifically curated to help them pass the PSPO exam. These resources include practice questions and tips for exam success.

5. Join Study Groups or Workshops

Start by engaging in study groups, workshops, or training sessions led by experienced scrum trainers or product owners. Collaboration with others can provide valuable insights, clarify doubts, and deepen one's understanding of scrum concepts. 

6. Practice Time Management

The PSPO exam has time restrictions, which means the professional has to manage the time effectively during the practice exams. Properly allocating time to each question based on its complexity allows you to maintain time when attempting the exam and score the highest marks rather than getting stuck in the middle of it.

7. Measure Progress & Take Feedback

It is advisable for professionals to track their progress continuously and stay updated with the latest trends and practices in the product ownership domain and agile methodologies. Start by seeking feedback from mentors, trainers, peers, and others who can help you identify areas for improvement.

Recommend Study Resources and Practice Materials

To pass the PSPO exam certification, the professional should study from various resources available online and offline. These resources lay out a proper plan and help you ace the exam.

Self-Study

The candidates can easily opt for the study guide of professional scrum product owners at Scrum.org. These study guides have comprehensive sample questions and online practice exams that are easily available on the website. These practice tests are simulated, and by giving them, the candidate can easily anticipate the exam level and how much time is required to attempt them. The sample questions and online practice exams are easily available, similar to the actual test and perfectly designed for practice.

Top PSPO Books to Study 

1. Don McGreal's Professional Product Owner- Using Scrum to Gain Competitive Edge.
2. Mohammed Musthafa Soukath Ali's The Professional Scrum Product Owner- A Guide to Passing the PSPO 1 Exam.
3. Pass the Professional Scrum Master and Product Owner Exam on your First Try with the Definitive Guide to PSM I and PSPO I by Moritz Knueppel (The Definitive Guides to Scrum Exams)
4. Daniel H. Pink's Book "Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.
5. Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister co-wrote Peopleware- Productive Projects and Teams.

 Tips to Passing the PSPO Exam 

1. Learn the Basics & Fundamentals of PSPO Certification & Exam

If you aim to take the PSPO II certification test, you should pass the PSPO Exam I and should be familiar with scrum.org's exam criteria in detail. Begin by learning the exam structure, duration, format, passing score, and topics covered. The scrum.org official website contains proper information, and one can easily gain insights into the exam's specifics. 

A minimum score of 85 percent is required to pass the examination, and the only difference between these two certifications is the number of questions you can answer in just one hour. The questions are quite complex and challenging, which means the professional should be smart enough to segregate them and attempt the one that holds the most priority to pass the PSP exam with flying colours.

2. Don't just rely on the Scrum Guide.

The scrum guide is the foundation of scrum knowledge. It requires reading it thoroughly to get in-depth knowledge and develop an understanding of the roles, events, artifacts, and rules within the scrum framework. The scrum guide is perfect for the PSPO I exam test preparation.

The candidates can also learn from the evidence-based management guide as it is one of the excellent resources for learning about how product owners assess the company value and make choices based on the evidence.

3. Learn from Scrum.org Product Owner Learning Path

The scrum.org product owner learning path is the best resource for starting to prepare for the PSPO I Exam; at this time, you should concentrate on learning about the PSPO II competencies, such as managing products with agility and evolving an agile organization.

4. Focus on Learning Key Concepts and Principles

Understanding key concepts and principles is required to ace the exam as questions tend to arise from these concepts, such as product backlog management, value-driven development, stakeholder collaboration, empirical process control, and the importance of delivering value to the stakeholders. 

5. Understand the Product Owner's Viewpoints

According to scrum.org, product owners face many situations that require them to emphasize the favoured and misunderstood. The exam assesses the professional's knowledge of how a product owner should think and make choices. The questions are framed to help the professional understand the particular behavior and possible responses in certain situations.

Here is a brief comparison of how product owners should be, not what they are expected to be.

Develop a positive mindset.

Attempt the PSPO examination with a positive mindset and confidence. With clarity, it becomes easier to understand the questions and answer them accordingly. Build trust in your preparation efforts, try to stay calm during the exam, and focus on passing the PSPO exam.

Review & Iterate

After taking the examination:

• Start by reflecting on your performance.
• Identify the areas that require improvement.
• Learn from the mistakes you have made.

When you see there's a scope for iterations, then make them accordingly and continuously refine your knowledge and skills as a professional scrum product owner. 

Conclusion

Professional Scrum product owner (PSPO) is one of the most demanded product owner certification tests, which requires the professional to devote enough time for preparation, i.e., 4-6 weeks. The PSPO certification is one of the crucial certificates in the product owner's career, which requires the best resources to begin the start prepping. 

Simpliaxis certification courses are designed by top industry experts. They help you understand everything and also focus on validating the abilities required as a product owner. So why wait? Get the best knowledge by enrolling in the simpliaxis professional scrum product owner course and becoming a certified product owner.