PSM I preparation: mock exams under real conditions
Professional Scrum Master IFoundation
Scrum.org's PSM I (Professional Scrum Master™ I) certification validates your knowledge of the Scrum framework. It also covers the Scrum Master accountabilities, as the Scrum Guide describes them. It is the most widely recognised Scrum Master certification, and the natural entry point for proving a rigorous command of Scrum.
The exam covers the whole framework: empiricism, the Scrum values, the Scrum Team, the events, the artifacts, the notion of Done. It adds self-managing teams, facilitation, coaching, Product Backlog management and the relationship with stakeholders.
The official exam has 80 multiple-choice questions, to answer in 60 minutes. The minimum score is 85 %.
On ScrumKata, preparing for the PSM I rests on five things.
- Questions matched to the difficulty of the exam.
- Original mock exams and revision questions.
- Timed tests, in the official format.
- Detailed tracking of your progress.
- An explanation for every answer, with the section it draws on.
The format of the PSM I exam
80
questions
60 min
long
85%
to pass
300
practice questions
What the certification covers
- The Scrum framework: empiricism, values, team, events, artifacts
- Teams and people: self-management, facilitation, coaching
- Product and value: backlog, stakeholders, forecasting
Sample PSM I questions
Here are 3 free questions with their full explanation, exactly what you will find in the practice modes.
Which three empirical pillars uphold Scrum?
- Transparency, inspection, adaptation
- Planning, execution, control
- Estimation, velocity, planning
- Communication, collaboration, trust
Scrum is founded on empiricism: transparency makes work visible, inspection detects variances, and adaptation triggers the required adjustments. Velocity or planning are not pillars.
Scrum Guide 2020 — Scrum Theory
Which of the following are the five Scrum values? (choose all that apply)
- Openness and respect
- Courage
- Commitment and focus
- Transparency and efficiency
The five Scrum values are commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage. Transparency is an empirical pillar, not a value.
Scrum Guide 2020 — Scrum Values
According to the Scrum Guide, what is the effect of inspecting misleading or incomplete information?
- It is misleading and leads to decisions that increase risk
- It remains useful because any inspection provides information
- It is compensated by the frequency of Scrum events
- It has no effect as long as the Sprint Goal is met
Without transparency, inspection is misleading: it leads to decisions that diminish value and increase risk. Transparency enables inspection.
Scrum Guide 2020 — Transparency
Where these questions come from
Every question is written from the official guides, and carries the section it draws on. We publish no dumps: practising on leaked questions teaches you to recognise a wording, not to reason, and on exam day the slightest rephrasing leaves you stuck. The explanation says why the right answer is right, and why the others are not.
Frequently asked questions about the PSM I
How do you prepare for the PSM I?
The PSM I assesses command of the 2020 Scrum Guide itself: accountabilities, events, artifacts, commitments and values. The questions stay close to the text, but they ask you to apply a rule to a situation rather than recite it. The method that works has four steps: read the official guide from end to end, sit one mock exam to find out where you actually stand, work first on the topics sitting below the 85% threshold, then sit timed mock exams until you clear that threshold consistently. Revising without measuring is working blind.
How do I know I am ready for the PSM I?
By your readiness score: the average of your last five PSM I mock exams, set against the official 85% threshold. Only mock exams count, never Practice mode, since it shows the answer as you go. ScrumKata also breaks the gap down topic by topic, ranked by its effect on the final score, so you know what to work on and not only where you stand.
What is the format of the PSM I exam?
80 questions in 60 minutes, and 85% correct answers to pass. The Mock exam mode on ScrumKata reproduces that format exactly: the same number of questions, the same timer, and no feedback before the end.
Where can I find PSM I questions to practise on?
ScrumKata has 300 original PSM I questions, spread across topics according to each topic's official weight in the exam, and across difficulty levels. Every question comes with a detailed explanation and a reference to the guide it draws on. Some are free, with no card required.
Is one PSM I mock exam enough to prepare?
A mock exam measures, it does not teach. It gives you a score and, if it is well built, the list of your weak topics. What changes the outcome is what you do next: revisit the questions you missed, understand why the right answer is right, and check on the next pass that the idea has stuck. A practice test on its own tells you where you stand, not how to improve.
Are the PSM I questions on ScrumKata the real exam questions?
No, and that is deliberate. We publish no dumps. Every question is written from the official guides, with a reference to the section it draws on. Practising on leaked questions teaches you to recognise a wording, not to reason, and on exam day the slightest rephrasing leaves you stuck.
How much does the PSM I exam cost?
At the time of writing, Scrum.org charges around $200 per PSM I attempt, with no free retake if you fail. Check the current figure on scrum.org, as these prices change. ScrumKata does not sell the certification: you pay Scrum.org directly to sit the exam.
How long does it take to prepare for the PSM I?
That depends on where you start far more than on a number of hours. With daily Scrum practice, a few weeks of focused revision is often enough. Without field experience, expect longer. The right marker is not elapsed time but the point where your mock exams clear 85% consistently.
Ready to measure your PSM I level?
No account, no card. Twenty questions are enough to know where you stand.
Take the 20 free questions