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Product Backlog Management Skills Assessment

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Our Product Backlog Management Skills Assessments

How to pass the Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills Assessment

Please note that any practice assessments offered on this site are neither created nor endorsed by Scrum.org.

The Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills (PSPBMS) assessment is the industry-standard qualification to validate your ability to manage all aspects of the Product Backlog and stakeholder communication. It contains 20 questions in 30 minutes and takes the form of a multiple-choice examination which you can access online in your browser. All of the questions are presented in English however you are able to use an external plugin to translate to a language of your choice (these are not officially offered by Scrum.org, but anecdotally Google Translate is very accurate for translating the assessment questions).

If you have attended an accredited Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills class with Optilearn or another provider, you will have been provided with a free code to take the assessment. We recommend you use this code within the first 14-days as should you fail, you will automatically be issued with a second attempt, free of charge. If you purchase an assessment code directly from Scrum.org, it does not expire and you can take it whenever you choose. There is no requirement for this examination to be proctored, nor no requirement for a webcam to record you whilst taking it.

The focus areas covered in the assessment are:

  • Apply practical techniques to create, refine, and order your Product Backlog
  • Identify and effectively communicate with stakeholders
  • Capture your stakeholder’s needs on a Product Backlog
  • Find better ways to make your Product Backlog more transparent
  • Use empiricism as a competitive advantage

Now, you’re obviously here because you are trying (or considering) to pass the Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills and we want to provide you with our top tips to improve your chance of success:

  1. Attend an accredited Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Backlog Management Skills class. It will cover all of the content you will need to apply in the exam.
  2. Complete the learning path offered for free by Scrum.org here that is targeted for Product Owners, but we’d recommend focusing on the sections about the Product Backlog and Product Goal.
  3. Take our free PBMS assessment with practice questions which we’ve made. These questions are designed to support PSPBMS study.
  4. Read and annotate the Scrum Guide and Evidence Based Management Guide. Pay close attention to the terminology used and the underlying reasoning behind it. Consider creating a study group to quiz each other on the framework.
  5. Read The Professional Product Owner by Ralph Jocham and Don McGreal. It is concise and clear and will even prepare you well for the two advanced Product Owner certifications (PSPO II and PSPO III).
  6. Reach out to Product Owners in your professional network for a conversation about Scrum. Practice talking about the Scrum Guide with them and deepen your understanding.
  7. Create short videos on Product Ownership and Product Management. Practicing concise explanations and sharing information will help you to embed your learning. You don’t even need to share the videos! The process will still help you.
  8. Try it. Scrum is an empirical framework meaning we gather evidence and adapt. Don’t feel like you need to over-study. If you think you’re ready, give the assessment a go; you might surprise yourself

Some of these tips above might resonate with you, and some might not – that’s okay. Everyone learns in different ways. Whenever you feel ready to attempt the assessment, we recommend you follow the link provided in the Scrum.org email that contains the code (there will be a link straight to the assessment). Ensure you have a quiet space, a stable internet connection, a drink and a pen and paper ready. On average, you will have 1.5 minutes per question which may sound a lot, but you will likely find that some questions will really make you think. Utilise the ‘flag’ tool in the top right to highlight any questions you aren’t sure about because at the end, you can view any questions flagged to return to them quickly.

Our final piece of advice is to remember that this examination can only assess Professional Scrum as written in the Scrum Guide. The context at your organisation and any ‘realities’ you think might impact your answer should be put to one side, allowing you to provide an answer that is in-keeping with Scrum theory.

We wish you the best of luck with this assessment, and look forward to supporting your journey towards becoming PSPBMS accredited however we can. If you have any additional needs with respect to taking online assessments, we recommend you contact support@scrum.org regarding your circumstances so that they can examine your individual case and make adjustments accordingly.

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