Tips for Passing the Professional Scrum Master PSM 1 Exam

 Here are some tips I can share about taking and passing the exam:

1. Review the Scrum Guide thoroughly.  Read it at least 6 times. Perhaps 10 times is better.  Take one day or more between each reading, to give your brain time to digest what you read. During each reading, highlight points that you did not notice in prior readings. 
2. Take sample exams between each reading. Doing this helps you notice gaps in your knowledge of the Scrum Guide.
3. Do the Scrum Open Assessments.  Keep doing them until you always get 100%.  A few of the actual exam question are very similar, so being familiar with the Open Assessment questions could be the key to your passing if you make too many mistakes.
4. Do Mikhail Laphsin's free quizzes. His real mode exam is particularly useful for determining how fast you can read and answer questions.
5. Review how Scrum Teams can work with other Scrum Teams working on the same product.
6. It's best to memorise some things. Alternatively, you can have them printed and ready for reference during the exam. For example, know by heart the core concepts, such as the values of Scrum, the pillars of empiricism.
7. Make your own sample set of questions, based on the Scrum Guide.
8. Do all the recommended reading 

What to expect during the exam:

1. You will want to go back to review some questions. Have a pen and paper ready to note down the question numbers.
2. If read fast enough, you will have enough time to review those questions and still have enough time to finish early.  I had 10 questions I absolutely wanted to review, and 5 questions I was sure I got right but would like to re-check if I still had time.  It turns out I had enough time to check all 15 and still have 13 minutes left.
3. Some people have said the loading of each question was slow, taking up to 5 seconds.  I did not have such issues.  However, just to be safe and ensure my Wifi bandwidth was not going to cause problems, I asked everyone in the house to stop viewing YouTube videos while I was taking the exam.
4. Some of the questions will be about applications of Scrum ideas: Given <a situation> what is the best response? 
5. Some questions will ask you to choose the best answer. Usually some of the options will go against Scrum principles and values.  Often, there will be two questions that seem correct. You will need to use your judgment as to which of those two best fits with Scrum principles and values.
6. You will be anxious.  After all, $150 is a significant investment, gone with the wind if you fail. The pass cutoff rate is pretty high. And 80 questions in 60 minutes can be daunting.  There's no point saying "Don't be anxious." Maybe anxiety will help you.  One way to practice taking exams under anxiety is this: During practice tests, challenge yourself to get 100% each time, allowing only 30 seconds per question.  For example, do Mikhail Lapshin's real mode exam, striving to finish it in 24 minutes only.