PSM I exam format
80 questions in 60 minutes, 85% to pass. That means 68 correct answers, so you can afford 12 wrong.
| Questions | 80 |
|---|---|
| Time limit | 60 minutes |
| Pass mark | 85% (68 of 80) |
| Time per question | 45 seconds |
| Format | Open book |
| Cost | $200 |
| Awarding body | Scrum.org |
| Prerequisites | None. Scrum.org sets no formal prerequisite, though practical exposure to Scrum helps considerably. |
| In our bank | 342 questions · 4 full mock papers |
Verified against Scrum.org on 20 August 2026
What the numbers mean in practice
12 wrong answers is your entire margin
At 85% there is almost no room for a careless mistake. Candidates who fail usually do so by one or two questions, and the cause is normally misreading a question rather than not knowing the material.
45 seconds per question
Under a minute each. There is no time to deliberate, and none at all to look anything up, even though the assessment is technically open book. The only reliable preparation is practising against a clock until recall is automatic.
Open book, but not in a useful way
Scrum.org runs this assessment online and unsupervised, so nothing physically prevents you consulting notes. The timing does. Treat it as closed book and you will pace it correctly.
Topics assessed
PSM I draws on 8 areas. The counts show how many practice questions we hold for each, which is a reasonable proxy for how much ground each covers.
- Coaching & Facilitation13
- Done & Quality14
- Scaling & Adoption11
- Scrum Artifacts60
- Scrum Events83
- Scrum Team78
- Scrum Theory54
- Scrum Values29
How PSM I compares
PSM I exam questions
You need 85%, which is 68 of 80 questions. This is a high bar by certification standards, and most candidates who fail are within a few questions of it, so precision on artefact commitments and event timeboxes matters more than breadth.
60 minutes for 80 questions, which is 45 seconds per question. Time pressure is the most commonly underestimated part of the assessment, so practising against a running clock matters as much as knowing the material.
Technically yes, since the assessment is taken online and unsupervised. In practice the timing makes lookups impractical: if you have to search for an answer, you have already lost the question.
No. Scrum.org certifications do not expire and carry no renewal fee, unlike PeopleCert and Scaled Agile credentials.
PSM I is assessment-based with no mandatory course and no renewal. CSM from Scrum Alliance requires attending a course and renewing every two years. PSM I is generally regarded as the more rigorous assessment.
Try it under real conditions
Our mock exam uses the same 80 questions, 60 minutes and 85% pass mark.