It’s been a year and a half since I wrote my most successful blog article Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) Exam Preparation. Since then, hundreds of people have subscribed to the site, many of whom have gone on to earn their PSM I certificate. The most frequent question I get asked now is “When will you write an article on passing the PSM III”? Well, here it is.

About the PSM III Assessment

The PSM III assessment is the follow-on assessment from the PSM II from Scrum.org. According to Scrum.org, the PSM III demonstrates an intermediate knowledge of Scrum roles, events, artefacts and the rules that bind them together into Scrum. Cost for the PSM III assessment is $500.

(nb: The cost of the PSM III is reduced by $200 if you take a Scrum.org PSM course first)

Format of the PSM III Assessment

The PSM III assessment is two hours long and is part multiple-choice and part essay-style questions. The number of multiple-choice questions varies. The assessment is not proctored. You can take it from anywhere where you have access to the Internet.

The result of the multiple-choice section of the assessment is given immediately at the end. The remainder of the questions are assessed by hand and the final result can take up to two weeks to arrive.

All of the questions are in English and, bizarrely, it seems that native English speakers have the greatest difficulty in understanding some of them. They see nuance in the phrasing of some of the questions that non-native English speakers do not. The absolute best advice I can give to native English speakers is this: None of the questions are trick questions. There is no nuance. There is no finesse. As a friend put it: “Don’t over-think it”.

How Hard is the PSM III?

Very. The PSM III assessment from Scrum.org has a fierce, and well deserved, reputation for being the toughest Scrum assessment available anywhere. Here is an interesting stat:

PSM I Certificates Issued : 14,564
PSM III Certificates Issued : 146*

Only 1% of PSM I certificate holders go on to earn a PSM III certificate. I cannot be sure why this is but I do know that the $500 fee is a bar to some. There are those that see it as a gamble because the format of the assessment is not well-known or understood.

*Accurate at time of writing. PSM III certificates include reduction for duplicate certificates

From personal experience, I can tell you that I found the assessment hard for a number of reasons:

Here’s another interesting stat:

By examining the public list of PSM III certificates issued, I can see that one person has done the test three times and a further six people have sat it twice.

All but two of these went on to become Professional Scrum Trainers so it’s reasonable to assume that they originally scored between 85% (pass mark for PSM III) and 95% (pass mark required for Professional Scrum Trainer candidates). To me, this indicates that the PSM III is difficult even for those that have gone on to become trainers.

Final thought: The PSM III is hard. You need to prepare well for it. Don’t gamble your $500.

Why Take the PSM III?

So, why should you consider taking it? Because it shows that you’ve gone beyond the basics. That you have a deeper understanding of Scrum. Why this is important to you, is a question that only you can answer. Reasons might include:

How do I pass the PSM III?

In Closing

In November 2013, I earned my PSM III certificate. It was difficult and gave me a great sense of achievement. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot more about Scrum and the people that are passionate about it. I heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to increase their understanding of Scrum.

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