PSM 1 Study Plan: A 4-Week Roadmap From Scrum Guide to Exam Day
8 min read ยท 2026-10-14
A good psm 1 study plan fits into about 4 weeks at 30 to 60 minutes a day. In week 1 you read the Scrum Guide closely. In week 2 you practice on the free Scrum Open assessment. In week 3 you fix the topics you keep missing. In week 4 you do timed practice and book the exam once your practice scores stay high. Scrum.org's official PSM I page lists 80 questions, a 60-minute time limit and a passing score of 85%. That means you need 68 correct answers.
The exam tests Scrum as the Scrum Guide describes it. It does not test how your company runs Scrum. That is good news, because the guide is short and free. The hard part is speed and precision. You get about 45 seconds per question, and many wrong answers look right if you have only skimmed the guide. The roadmap below deals with both problems, one after the other.
The roadmap at a glance
Goal: Pass the PSM I assessment on the first attempt with a clear understanding of the Scrum Guide. Duration: 4 weeks, about 30 to 60 minutes a day, 5 days a week
Learn the Scrum Guide (Week 1)
Know every accountability, event, artifact and rule in the guide, not just recognize them.
- Read the full 2020 Scrum Guide once in one sitting, without notes, to get the big picture.
- Read it a second time slowly and write one line per section in your own words.
- Build a one-page cheat sheet: 3 accountabilities, 5 events, 3 artifacts and their commitments, 5 values, 3 pillars.
- Write down every timebox (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective).
Milestone: You can rewrite your cheat sheet from memory with no gaps.
First Practice Rounds (Week 2)
See how questions are worded and where you read too fast.
- Take the free Scrum Open assessment on Scrum.org. Each attempt gives you 30 questions picked at random from a larger pool.
- After each attempt, look up every wrong answer in the Scrum Guide and find the exact sentence.
- Keep a mistakes log with the question topic, your answer and the rule you missed.
- Read the Scrum Guide a third time, focusing only on the sections in your log.
Milestone: You score above 85% on Scrum Open twice in a row.
Fix Weak Spots (Week 3)
Turn your most common mistakes into topics you know cold.
- Group your mistakes log into themes, for example who owns the Sprint Backlog or what happens when a Sprint is cancelled.
- For each theme, write a short rule and one example from a real team situation.
- Read the Scrum Glossary on Scrum.org for terms the guide uses but does not explain at length.
- Take Scrum Open again, plus the free Product Owner Open, to see the same rules from the Product Owner's side.
Milestone: No theme in your log shows up in more than one wrong answer.
Exam Readiness and Test Day (Week 4)
Be fast, calm and consistent under real conditions.
- Do timed practice sets of 30 questions in 20 minutes. That is about 40 seconds per question, a little faster than the real exam pace.
- Reread the full Scrum Guide one last time, two days before the exam.
- Buy your assessment password and plan a quiet 60-minute slot with a stable internet connection. A password is valid for one attempt only.
- On exam day, answer fast, bookmark doubtful questions and come back to them at the end.
Milestone: You hit your target score on Scrum Open on several separate days, then sit the exam.
What the PSM I Exam Actually Tests
According to Scrum.org's PSM I page, questions come in three formats: multiple choice, multiple answer and true or false. A course is not a prerequisite, though Scrum.org strongly recommends one. Anyone can buy a password and take the test online. Scrum.org describes PSM I as a lifetime certification with no annual renewal fee.
The same page groups questions into three focus areas. Studying by focus area works better than rereading at random. Inside the first area, a few details must be known by heart: accountabilities, events, and artifacts with their commitments.
- Understanding and applying the Scrum framework: empiricism, Scrum values, the Scrum Team, events, artifacts and Done.
- Developing people and teams: self-managing teams, facilitation and coaching.
- Managing products with agility: forecasting and release planning, product value, Product Backlog management, stakeholders and customers.
- Accountabilities: what the Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers each own, and what they do not own.
- Events: purpose, timebox, who takes part and what comes out of each of the five events.
- Artifacts and commitments: Product Backlog with the Product Goal, Sprint Backlog with the Sprint Goal, Increment with the Definition of Done.
Situational Questions and Your Results
Situational questions cause the most mistakes. They describe a messy workplace scene and ask what should happen. The right answer is the one the Scrum Guide supports, even if your own team does it differently. When in doubt, choose the answer that keeps the team self-managing and protects the Sprint Goal.
After the exam, you will not see which questions you got right or wrong. Scrum.org gives you a breakdown of your results by competency instead. So your practice log is your only detailed feedback. Keep it well.
How to Read the Scrum Guide So It Sticks
Reading the guide many times only helps if each pass has a purpose. Your first pass is for the big picture. Your second pass is for structure. Every pass after that should target a gap from your mistakes log.
Pay attention to small words. "Must", "should" and "may" change the answer in many questions. For example, the Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers. The Scrum Master makes sure it takes place but does not have to attend it. Questions often test exactly this kind of detail.
Try these techniques during weeks 1 and 3.
- Explain each event out loud in under one minute, as if to a new teammate.
- For every accountability, list two things it owns and two things people often wrongly think it owns.
- Turn each timebox into a flashcard: "Sprint Retrospective for a one-month Sprint" on the front, "3 hours maximum" on the back.
- Draw one Sprint on a single page, from Sprint Planning to Retrospective, with the artifacts and commitments placed where they belong.
Using Practice Assessments the Right Way
Scrum Open is the free practice tool Scrum.org recommends on its PSM I page. Scrum.org also states that its open assessments do not have the same level of difficulty as the certification tests. That is why many candidates aim well above 85% in practice. A common target is 95% or more. Treat it as a safety margin, not an official rule. One high score on a lucky day means little. The same high score on several different days is a much better sign.
The trap is memorizing answers. After a few attempts, you start to see the same questions again. Your score rises because you remember them, not because you understand them. To avoid this, explain why each correct answer is right before you click it. If you cannot point to the sentence in the Scrum Guide, count it as a miss in your log, even if you got it right.
A simple routine for each practice session, in this order.
- Take one timed attempt.
- Review every question, including the correct ones.
- Add new mistakes to your log with the matching Scrum Guide rule.
- Reread only the sections tied to those mistakes.
Fitting the Plan Around a Full-Time Job
Four weeks is a workable pace with a full-time job because each session is short. You can read the whole Scrum Guide in one evening, and a Scrum Open attempt is only 30 questions. Most of your time goes into review, not volume.
If you already work as a Scrum Master or in a Scrum team, you may move faster through phase 1. Be careful, though. Hands-on experience can work against you when your team's habits differ from the guide. If you are new to Scrum, add a fifth week and repeat phase 3. Either way, let your practice scores set your exam date, not the calendar.
A sample weekday split.
- 10 minutes: review your cheat sheet or flashcards.
- 20 minutes: one practice attempt or one focused reading section.
- 10 to 30 minutes: update your mistakes log and reread the matching rules.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Studying from blogs and videos instead of the Scrum Guide. Make the guide your main source and check every outside claim against it.
- Answering based on how your company does Scrum. Always pick the answer the guide supports, even if it feels less realistic.
- Booking the exam after one good practice score. Wait until your scores stay high on several separate days.
- Memorizing Scrum Open answers. Explain each correct answer with a sentence from the guide before you move on.
- Using old terms like "Development Team" or "roles". Learn the 2020 wording: Developers and accountabilities.
- Skipping the people and product topics. Facilitation, coaching and Product Backlog management are part of the official focus areas too.
- Spending too long on hard questions during the exam. Bookmark them and come back once you reach the end.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to prepare for PSM 1?
There is no official answer. A common piece of advice is 2 to 4 weeks of short daily sessions. If you already work in a Scrum team, the shorter end may be enough. If Scrum is new to you, plan for 4 to 5 weeks. Your Scrum Open scores over several days are the best guide.
Is the PSM 1 exam hard?
The content is short, but the exam is strict. You need 68 correct answers out of 80 in 60 minutes, and many options are worded to catch people who skimmed the guide. Careful reading and timed practice make a big difference.
Do I need a course to take PSM 1?
No. Scrum.org says attending a course is not a prerequisite for PSM I, although it strongly recommends one. Anyone can buy a password and take the test online. Many candidates prepare with the Scrum Guide and the free open assessments.
What score on Scrum Open means I am ready for PSM 1?
Scrum.org does not set a readiness score. Many candidates aim for 95% or more on several attempts taken on different days. Scrum.org says the open assessments are not as difficult as the certification tests, so a margin above 85% helps. Make sure you understand the answers rather than remember them.
Does the PSM 1 certification expire?
No. Scrum.org lists PSM I as a lifetime certification with no annual renewal fee. Once you pass, you keep it.