Professional Scrum Master I: free 14-day study plan
Your 2-week PSM I study plan
Fourteen days, 45-60 minutes each: read the Scrum Guide 2020, practice every focus area in proportion to its share in our exam-derived distribution, then simulate the real 80-question exam until 90%+ feels normal.
- 14 days · 45-60 min each
- Weighted by our exam-derived distribution
- Ends with full exam simulations
How this plan works
Three phases, sized by our derived PSM I focus-area distribution:
- Scrum Framework · 30%
- Scrum Theory and Principles · 20%
- Scrum Team and Accountabilities · 20%
- Self-Managing Teams · 15%
- Done and Undone · 10%
- Product Backlog Management · 5%
Learn the material
Days 1-8
Read the Scrum Guide 2020, then work through every focus area in proportion to its share in our exam-derived distribution: big areas get two days, the smallest share one. Topic practice is untimed: read every explanation as you go.
Close your gaps
Days 9-11
Stop reading, start measuring. Your per-focus-area breakdown tells you exactly what to repeat, and the mini exam adds real time pressure for the first time.
Simulate exam day
Days 12-14
Full 80-question simulations under real exam conditions, with same-day review of every wrong answer. Book the real exam once you consistently score 90%+.
What you need
The Scrum Guide 2020
Free at scrumguides.org, 13 pages. Day 1 of this plan is reading it cover to cover.
Our free 20-question exam
Your day-1 baseline: instant results with a per-focus-area breakdown, no account needed.
The PSM I practice modes
Topic practice, mini exams and full simulations (days 2-14) are part of the PSM I package, one-time $49, lifetime access.
The plan, day by day
One clear focus per day, no guesswork about what to do next.
Phase 1: Learn the material
Days 1-8
Read the Scrum Guide, set your baseline
Read the Scrum Guide 2020 cover to cover, all 13 pages, slowly. Every PSM I question traces back to it. Then take the free 20-question exam: your per-focus-area breakdown is the baseline this plan builds on.
Know this today:
- Scrum is a lightweight framework for generating value through adaptive solutions to complex problems.
- Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking: knowledge comes from experience and what is observed.
- A Scrum Team is one Scrum Master, one Product Owner and Developers, typically 10 or fewer people.
Scrum Guide 2020 + free exam: 20-question baseline
- Scrum Framework
The Scrum events
Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective: the purpose of each event, its maximum timebox, who must attend, and what comes out of it. Scrum Framework is 30% of the exam, the largest area, so it gets two days.
Know this today:
- Sprints are fixed-length events of one month or less; a new Sprint starts immediately after the previous one.
- Timeboxes for a one-month Sprint: Sprint Planning 8h, Daily Scrum 15 min, Sprint Review 4h, Retrospective 3h.
- The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal.
Topic practice: Scrum Framework (first half)
- Scrum Framework
Artifacts and their commitments
Product Backlog with the Product Goal, Sprint Backlog with the Sprint Goal, Increment with the Definition of Done. Know which commitment belongs to which artifact and why it exists, a classic exam angle.
Know this today:
- Product Backlog → Product Goal, Sprint Backlog → Sprint Goal, Increment → Definition of Done.
- Each artifact's commitment enhances transparency and provides focus against which progress can be measured.
- The Sprint Goal is created during Sprint Planning; the Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers.
Topic practice: Scrum Framework (finish the rest)
- Scrum Theory and Principles
Empiricism and the Scrum values
Empiricism and lean thinking, the three pillars (transparency, inspection, adaptation), and the five Scrum values. Exam questions wrap these in scenarios, so learn to spot which pillar or value is at stake.
Know this today:
- The three pillars of empiricism in Scrum: transparency, inspection and adaptation.
- The five Scrum values: commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage.
- Inspection without adaptation is considered pointless: adjust as soon as possible to minimize deviation.
Topic practice: Scrum Theory and Principles
- Scrum Team and Accountabilities
Who is accountable for what
Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers: who orders the Product Backlog, who plans the Sprint, who causes the removal of impediments. Most wrong answers here come from quietly assigning management duties to the Scrum Master.
Know this today:
- The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing product value and for effective Product Backlog management.
- The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum and for the Scrum Team's effectiveness.
- Developers are accountable for the Sprint Backlog plan, quality via the Definition of Done, and daily adaptation.
Topic practice: Scrum Team and Accountabilities
- Self-Managing Teams
Self-managing teams
What self-management means in the Scrum Guide 2020: the team decides who does what, when, and how. Coaching vs. teaching vs. facilitating, and what a Scrum Master does when a team is in conflict.
Know this today:
- Self-managing means the Scrum Team internally decides who does what, when and how.
- Scrum Teams are cross-functional: the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint.
- Within a Scrum Team there are no sub-teams or hierarchies.
Topic practice: Self-Managing Teams
- Done and Undone
Done and undone
The Definition of Done as a quality commitment: what happens to unfinished work at the end of a Sprint (it never rolls over half-done), technical debt, and why a 'Definition of Ready' is not part of Scrum.
Know this today:
- The Definition of Done is the formal description of the Increment's state when it meets the product's quality measures.
- Work cannot be considered part of an Increment unless it meets the Definition of Done.
- The moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born.
Topic practice: Done and Undone
- Product Backlog Management
Product Backlog: the Scrum Master view
The smallest PSM I area (5%): ordering and refinement from the Scrum Master's perspective. You help the Product Owner find effective techniques, you never manage the backlog yourself. Then skim the Scrum Guide sections you marked on day 1.
Know this today:
- The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product.
- The Product Owner may delegate Product Backlog management work, but always remains accountable for it.
- The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by helping find techniques for effective Product Backlog management.
Topic practice: Product Backlog Management
Phase 2: Close your gaps
Days 9-11
Weakness day 1
Take 20 mixed questions and study your results breakdown. Your weakest focus area gets a second full pass today: re-read the explanation of every question you miss, not just the topic summary.
Know this today:
- Distractors often make the Scrum Master manage the team; the Guide's Scrum Master serves, coaches, facilitates.
- Options describing everyday workplace habits that are not in the Scrum Guide are traps, not answers.
- For every miss, find the exact Scrum Guide sentence that settles it; the exam quotes the Guide heavily.
Random practice (20 questions) → topic practice on your weakest area
Weakness day 2
Same drill for your second-weakest area. For every missed question, find the passage in the Scrum Guide 2020 that answers it; the real exam quotes and paraphrases the Guide heavily.
Know this today:
- 'Who does what' questions: answer with the Guide's accountability (Product Owner, Scrum Master or Developers).
- True/False traps hide in absolutes like 'must', 'always' or 'never' that the Scrum Guide does not state.
- In scenarios, first spot which pillar (transparency, inspection, adaptation) or value is being violated.
Topic practice on your second-weakest area + Scrum Guide re-read
Mini exam under time pressure
Your first timed run: 20 questions in 15 minutes, one sitting, no pausing. Aim for 90%+. Afterwards, read the explanation of every question you were unsure about, even the ones you answered correctly.
Know this today:
- 20 questions in 15 minutes is real-exam pace: roughly 45 seconds per question.
- Flag the questions you guess on: reviewing those explanations afterwards is where the learning happens.
- There is no penalty for a wrong answer in the real exam, so never leave a question blank.
Mini exam: 20 questions, 15 minutes
Phase 3: Simulate exam day
Days 12-14
Full simulation 1
The real thing: 80 questions in 60 minutes, no phone, no pausing. Get a feel for what ~45 seconds per question means. Review every wrong answer the same day, while the questions are still fresh.
Know this today:
- Keep a ~45-second rhythm: answer, flag the doubtful ones, move on; stalling costs more than one guess.
- Multiple-answer questions state exactly how many options to pick: select precisely that many.
- The pass mark is 85% (68 of 80); your simulation target stays 90%+ to buffer exam-day nerves.
Full simulation: 80 questions, 60 minutes + same-day review
Full simulation 2
Repeat under the same conditions, this time with attention to pace and to multiple-answer questions (when the exam says 'choose the best two answers', it means exactly two: read every option before deciding). Same-day review again.
Know this today:
- 'Choose the best two answers' means exactly two: read every option before selecting any.
- If two options both look right, prefer the one closest to empiricism, the values and the Guide's wording.
- Review every wrong answer the same day, while you still remember your reasoning.
Full simulation: 80 questions, 60 minutes + same-day review
Final check, then book it
One last simulation or a targeted review of your remaining weak area. If your last two simulations land at 90%+, you hold a solid buffer over the 85% pass mark, so book the Scrum.org exam while the material is fresh.
Know this today:
- Book the exam once your last two full simulations are consistently 90%+; the buffer absorbs exam-day nerves.
- The real exam: 80 questions, 60 minutes, 85% to pass, taken in the browser.
- In the morning, skim the Scrum Guide one last time: 13 pages, about 30 minutes.
Full simulation or targeted topic practice → book your exam
How to know you are ready
No study plan can guarantee a pass, and neither do we. What the numbers say: the pass mark is 85%, and exam-day nerves cost points. Aim for consistently 90%+ in our full simulations before you book the $200 attempt.
Exam-day checklist
- Book only when your last two full simulations are consistently 90%+: the real pass mark is 85%, and the buffer absorbs exam-day nerves.
- Schedule the exam for your peak-focus hours and block 60 uninterrupted minutes.
- Stable internet, charged device, quiet room, every other tab closed; the Scrum.org exam runs in the browser.
- In the morning, skim the Scrum Guide 2020 one last time: 13 pages, about 30 minutes.
- Answer every question: there is no penalty for a wrong answer, and you can flag hard ones to revisit at the end.
- Keep a pace of roughly 45 seconds per question. If you are stuck, pick the answer closest to empiricism and the Scrum values.
Day 1 starts now
Read the Scrum Guide 2020, then take the free 20-question exam: your breakdown shows exactly where your two weeks will go.
Preparing for PSPO I instead? Open the PSPO I study plan