How To Pass PSM II From Scrum.org

How To Pass The Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) Assessment From Scrum.org

The Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) assessment is an advanced-level assessment from Scrum.org aimed at demonstrating that you know Scrum theory and how to apply it in the real world.

The PSM II assessment is positioned between PSM I and PSM III in terms of difficulty and is an achievable certification for those that have attended a Professional Scrum Master course and/or have sufficient real-world experience.

The PSM II assessment is structured in a similar way to PSM I. It is comprised of 30 multiple-choice questions. You have 90 minutes to complete the assessment and must score 85% to achieve the certification. The questions and answer options tend to be longer than in PSM I and it takes more time to read and understand. As with all Scrum.org assessments, it is challenging and designed to test your real understanding of Scrum.

The first and best preparation for the Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) is to attend a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master course. This will teach you all the theory you need with real-world examples to bring your learning to life. It is of course possible to take and pass PSM II without attending a course if you have sufficient knowledge and experience.

The next step, if you haven’t already is to take and pass the PSM I assessment. Read my post on how to successfully pass PSM I to prepare you for this assessment.

Next you should consider attending a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II course. The content covered and the 2 days spent exploring advanced Scrum Master topics will make passing the assessment significantly easier.

When you are ready to take PSM II, the same preparation tips apply for PSM II as PSM I. So I would suggest reviewing my tips for PSM I and refreshing your knowledge of the Scrum guide and other areas as you feel appropriate.

Consider reading Scrum – A Pocket Guide by Gunther Verheyen. This offers a concise summary of Scrum and is a useful learning and revision resource.

Here are some further tips:

  • Have the Scrum Guide, Scrum Glossary and our Scrum 1 Pager to hand and use them to look up what you need.
  • Answer all the questions even if you have to make an educated guess. The assessment is not negatively marked.
  • Read the questions and answers carefully. One word misread can lead you to the wrong answer.
  • Don’t spend too long on each question. If unsure of an answer, note down the question number and move on. Completing all the questions in the timebox can be challenging.
  • Be aware of the difference between “must” (a mandatory thing) and “should” (an optional thing).
  • Make sure you select the required number of answers as the platform will not prompt you. Choosing only 1 answer on a “Pick 2” style question is a quick way to drop points.
  • Come back to the hard questions at the end and use your time to think them over.
  • Aim to leave time to check all your answers before the end.
  • Google the question if really unsure, but be careful as this takes time and there are lots of unreliable sources out there.
  • You can find out a little more about what to expect with PSM II and try out a sample question here.
  • If you have attended a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II course, make use of the free 2nd attempt at the assessment that is offered (if you take your first attempt and fail within 14 days of the class). This is a big advantage and will be absolutley vital to many who seek to pass the assessment.
  • Take our Free Scrum Master II (PSM II) Practice Assessment. This is an additional opportunity to test your knowledge in advance of sitting the real assessment.
  • Take our paid Ultimate Scrum Master II (PSM II) Practice Assessment. This is the best and most comprehensive PSM II practice assessment available anywhere. It is 5-star rated and has been used by thousands of people.

Please let me know how you find the Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) assessment via the comments below. Good luck!

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Simon Kneafsey TheScrumMaster.co.ukHi, my name is Simon Kneafsey and I am a Professional Scrum Trainer with Scrum.org & TheScrumMaster.co.uk. I am on a mission to simplify Scrum & Agile for 1 million people. I have helped 10,000+ people so far, and I can help you too. Find out more & get in touch.

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Comments 41

  1. Dear Simon,
    I’m in the same boat with Andy, struggling to find the best answers.

    Here are my thoughts:
    – Introduce the tools in use elsewhere in the organisation that have helped other teams

    ==> Sounds good to me. Best practise sharing demonstrates great servant-leader behavior and a solution proved working for other teams could lead to a quick success in this team too. Besides, the final choice is still with the dev team as I don’t dictate them a solution I think it’s best, I rather share a suite of options. So they have the full control over what happens.

    – Wait for the Development Team to choose and implement a solution

    ==> This issue has been clearly expressed as being an impediment and part of my role is to help remove it. It does not sound like a brand new issue so waiting is a bad idea imho. This will only extend the issue and further negatively impact velocity, team morale, transparency and so on.

    – Help the Development Team discuss, choose and introduce suitable communication tools

    ==> HELP sounds good to me. Again, a true servant-leader behavior. Support and coach the team, facilitate solutions and events.

    – Raise the impediment to management and challenge the distributed nature of the team

    ==> Raising the issue to management before talking to the team ignores some of the Scrum values in my eyes. It also takes away the opportunity to find a solution within the team. It also exposes our inablity to properly self-organize to management.
    Besides, in this very scenario I doubt that management can really help us as relocating members just for this project seems to be unrealistic.

    Bottom line, the answer certainly lies on page 8 of our “Bible”:

    Scrum Master Service to the Development Team The Scrum Master serves the Development Team in several ways, including:
    • Coaching the Development Team in self-organization and cross-functionality;
    • Helping the Development Team to create high-value products;
    • Removing impediments to the Development Team’s progress;
    • Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and,
    • Coaching the Development Team in organizational environments in which Scrum is not yet fully adopted and understood.

    Thanks for your insights, I’m sure this is a question where others might struggle too.

    Best regards
    Markus

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      Hi Markus,

      Nice analysis. Thank you.

      One subtle language thing though that you correctly picked up on – “Introduce the tools in use elsewhere in the organisation that have helped other teams”.
      It depends on how you interpret “introduce”. One definition is “bring (something, especially a product, measure, or concept) into use or operation for the first time.”
      Should a Scrum Master bring a tool into use for a Development Team?
      I think in almost all cases: Make them aware of it – Yes. Make them use it – No.

      Regards

      Simon

      Reply

      1. Dear Simon,
        thanks for your swift response. You are spot on – whenever the wording gets a bit vague, there is room for interpretation. In this case, this broke my neck as my interpretation of “introduce” was all about creating awareness.
        “Hey folks, have you seen this tool xy the other teams are using? It has done a great job for them. I suggest you have a closer look to find out if this tool could improve your collaboration situation as well.”

        If the meaning was geared towards “dicating”, this is certainly not the right approach for a Scrum Master, I totally agree.

        Going back to the full answers, I’m not completely happy with escalating this to management though. Would you please shed some light on this and share the benefits you see? I’d also love to understand how management could potentially address this issue in an effective manner?

        Thanks for your insight, appreciate this discussion.
        Regards
        Markus

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          Author

          Hi Markus,

          The issue is described as an impediment. Raising it to someone/management outside of the Scrum Team may be needed to remove it and the Scrum Master has a responsibility here.

          Regards

          Simon

          Reply

          1. Thanks for the clarification Simon.

            Like in the real assessments too, a key element is reading every single word of the questions and answers to not miss the slightest detail.

            With that, I’m happy now. Thanks for helping us with your experience.

            Regards
            Markus

  2. Hi Simon,

    Can you please Help with this ?
    Couldn’t figure out the answer

    A Development Team has members working from globally distributed locations. Conducting the Scrum events via a conference call is proving difficult and an impediment to the Development Team self-organising. As Scrum Master, you have raised this in the Sprint Retrospective

    Which two are the most appropriate things to do?

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  4. Thanks for this Simon. I passed my PSMII today, I used your open assessment in my prep as well as your helpful tips in conjunction with some advice from PST colleagues. I appreciate the work you’ve put into these pages, thank you.

    Reply

  5. I am planning to take PSM II assessment, already completed my PSM 1 with 93.7 percent. Could you please suggest me any material which is available over internet. Any PDF kind of thing? Please respond as soon as possible.

    Thanks,
    Tharun.

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  7. Hi Simon,

    I have recently cleared PSM I and now willing to appear for PSM II, can you suggest some good reading material to help clear PSM II.

    -Sumita

    Reply
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  8. Hello Simon,

    Could you please advise what is the correct answer for the below question and why. thank you in advance.

    A Development Team has members working from globally distributed locations. Conducting the Scrum events via a conference call is proving difficult and an impediment to the Development Team self-organising. As Scrum Master, you have raised this in the Sprint Retrospective.

    Reply
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