Glenn ChundrlekProject Manager| BelcanLoveland, Oh, United States
I'm looking to expand my knowledge of Scrum and Agile methods, with the goal of earning PMI-ACP certification. My current level of Agile experience is limited, and I don't have nearly enough project hours to sit the exam. My thought is to study for and get the PSM1 certification from scrum.org to increase my marketability and get into a position whereby I could qualify to sit the PMI-ACP exam.
Have any of my colleagues here got PSM1 certification, and did you find it useful? Saving Changes...
Danny FlynnChief Product Officer| Optik SolutionsKeller, Tx, United States
PSM -1 can be passed fairly easily if you go through the Scrum Guide, as many times as it takes you to understand the rules. I would only use the open assessments that you can find, until you have really read and understand the Scrum Guide. Otherwise you will just learn to pass those test through trial and error. Really understand the Scrum Guide.
These test will help you though, because the Open Assessments have some of the same questions. Take the PSM, PSPO, & Scaled open assessments, until you pass them at 95% or higher. I would also take this test. Make sure you can pass it, out of learning mode. This is the style that the exam is offered in, and even some of the questions. It is also timed and has 80 questions, and will help you figure out your pace. Pace is important. (See tip at the bottom.
https://mlapshin.com/index.php/scrum-quizzes/
The key to passing PSM- I is to key in on the word immutable. This is key to passing it. You have to forget a lot of things about the broader scope of Agile. It is just the Theory, practice, rules, & values of Scrum. There are scenario based questions. However, if you remember to just directly apply the rules of Scrum, you will be fine. Really all you have to remember as the "Golden Rule," In Ken Schwaber's world, anything short of the guide, is not Scrum. (Apply the Scrum Rules)
The test will make sure that you understand the theory, the rules, and how to apply them. They will test you with what you think should be right, but remember...strong adherence to the rules of the Scrum Guide wins every time. Also, don't read too many books, it will only serve to confuse, read the Scrum Guide, The Glossary of Terms, and the Nexus Guide. There are a few questions related to scaled teams (Nexus Guide) - the most direct rule based answers are correct. All of these docs are PDF's on Scrum.org's website.
Given the experience level that you cited, you may look at the Scrum Alliance training courses for quick wins. This will give your certs and a path to a CSP cert. You can get a CSM after taking an in person training course. (30 questions, open book, taken online, and the answers are all posted online), and for the CSPO class, there is no test. You just need to attend for 3-4 days. This is why the Scrum.org certs have more teeth, you really have to know the subject to pass. However, this will get you the basics, and get you some resume fodder.
Finally, Agile is a journey; certs are your understanding of frameworks. I highly recommend that you pursue it from the perspective of a journey. It will be more rewarding, and will transform how you approach your work! Regardless of PSM1, or CSM, or PMI-ACP - I would view these as first steps of that journey.
Good Luck!
(Testing tips: Have your own timer and set to 40 minutes. You can revisit questions that you are not sure about. So answer everything through once, write down the Q ID for anything you are unsure about, and use your last 20 to go back. It is open book, but if you are googling to pass, you are dead. You can have the Scrum Guide though, if you are familiar with it, you can check yourself a few times; not every time though. You will run out of time, and you will need the time to navigate back to the IDs that you want to check, because the nav in this test sucks. You have to click back through every question via the nav...it eats time. Some questions will take only a few secs, others you have to take a minute to read.) I got 78 out of 80 points when I took it - 97.5% - I was sure wanting a 100%. Did I mention read the Scrum Guide? :) Info overload I know, but I hope that this helps...someone. :) Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
They are different. PSM is certifying that you may be able to do a Scrum Master role while PMI-ACP is a certification focused on an Agile Team. It is framework agnostic and to pass it you need more than a 3 day course. As few recommended, Agile is learned by practice (Scrum is defined as an empirical framework).
Either certification has little value without practice. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jan 17, 2019 7:16 AM
Replying to Luis Assad
...
Glenn,
I understand your situation, for it is similar to my own. Although the scenario proposed by Kiron would be the ideal (get experience first, then go for certification), in many cases the job market situation might not allow it - and I believe that is our case. I got the PSM I certification without having enough experience with Scrum, and now I am showcasing it in order to land a new opportunity. For most jobs, certification is a must-have.
I got the PSM I certification through a combination of taking online preparation courses (like Udemy), studying the Scrum Guide and the Nexus Guide and taking countless open assessments (Scrum, PO and Nexus) in the Scrum.org site until I was able to score 100% in every attempt. Only after that I took the PSM I assessment and passed it. This course of action might work for you as well.
I have seen many more jobs requiring Scrum certification, so I'm not sure of the cost-benefit ratio of pursuing PMI-ACP certification. But that could just be the market situation in my country.
Regards,
Luis.
I took both certifications (PSM and PMI-ACP) for the only reason that as a contractor I don't get to the interview if the box is not ticked. in my humble opinion PSM doesn't mean much, it may get you a SM job but it won't help to do it. Reading all the reference books for ACP will give you a good idea what Agile, rather than Scrum, is about. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Glenn, be careful to not 'unlearn' your planned approach knowledge. One because Agile doesn't work for any project and two because when the hype is over traditional PMs will be in demand.
Looking at the trend in Agile frameworks, I am pretty sure that the hype is almost over. The 'new' approaches DevOps, Kanban and even SAFe are Lean frameworks, based on practices that are 30-50 years old. The reason is that Agile can be very wasteful, especially when there is a lack of practice. At the end of the day any project, and the PM, will be judged on the ROI. Becoming a good SM takes time (many years). The Scrum guide warns that 'it is hard to master' for a good reason. It works very well in software development for new products but it takes a lot of additional knowledge to make it work in other kind of projects. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Forget about to expand your knowledge because you will get a certification. You will not get tha with a certificationt. About certifications, go for PMI-ACP because it is the only certification that will give you the possibility to work no matter the method the organization you will work is using right now.All certifications expect PMI-ACP are method specific For example, I am Agile Project Trainer and Coach wich mean I gor AgilePM, AgilePgM, AgilePF, AgileBA but all are related to DSDM. The same with Scrum. Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
Glenn,
Is there a demand for PMI-ACP in your area?
I ask because regions vary, and the ACP is still not widely recognized where I'm at. If you start your Agile journey with the PSMI (if you take the class) or CSM, you'll have the contact hours you'll need for the ACP. You still won't have the Agile work experience, though. By the time you get the work experience, you could have a PSMII or ACSM. At this point you might see some diminishing returns in the ACP, because you'll already have the work experience and certifications you need to have recruiters calling you.
Let me clarify that I'm not trying to discourage you from earning the PMI-ACP, but I do wonder what this specific certification can do for you. You've set it as a goal, which makes me wonder if there's a demand for it in your area. Saving Changes...
CSM or PSM is a foundational program in Scrum whereas PMI-ACP is using agile as a tool to deliver project results. PSM-CSM tells you what and how of the scrum, PMI-ACP makes you think how can you mix or adapt agile approaches for your project objectives.
Sometime back I wrote a blog on this topic, the blog also has a video on same
https://www.izenbridge.com/blog/pmi-acp-vs-csm-dilemma/ Saving Changes...
