SCRUM PSPO-I (Professional Scrum Product Owner I)

What is PSPO-I?

The Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I (PSPO-I) is Scrum.org’s entry-level product ownership certification. It validates your understanding of Product Owner accountabilities, the Scrum framework, and how Product Owners maximize value through effective backlog management, empiricism, and stakeholder collaboration. 

The official assessment is 80 questions, 60 minutes, multiple-choice/multiple-answer/true-false, with a passing score of 85%. It’s delivered online, on demand, and can be taken from anywhere with a browser. 

Who should take this exam?

Typical candidates & roles

• Product Owners & Product Managers moving into Scrum environments who need to demonstrate value-maximization skills.
• Business analysts, project managers, and domain experts who own outcomes and prioritization.
• Aspiring Product Owners (developers, designers, QA, data folks) seeking a product mindset and stakeholder leadership.
• Leaders & sponsors who guide product strategy and want a shared language with Scrum teams.

Experience profile

• 0–2 years in agile delivery is common; hands-on exposure to backlog items, stakeholders, and outcome metrics is helpful.
• Ability to connect business strategy to delivery tactics, articulate Product Goals, and decide trade-offs.

Prerequisites and recommendations

Official prerequisites: None. The assessment is open to anyone; Scrum.org recommends the Professional Scrum Product Owner course, but it’s not required. 

Practical recommendations

• Read the Scrum Guide (2020) end-to-end, including Product Goal, artifacts, and commitments.
• Be comfortable with: value definition, stakeholder management, ordering techniques, forecasting, release planning, and evidence-based decisions (EBM).
• Prior certs that help: PSM I (Scrum Master) or PAL-EBM (leadership & metrics) depending on your path. 
• Suggested experience: at least 6–12 months collaborating on a product backlog or product initiatives (not required, just useful).

Exam objectives and domains 

Scrum.org ties PSPO-I questions to Professional Scrum competencies and Product Owner focus areas. At a high level you’ll be tested on: Scrum theory/empiricism, Product Owner accountabilities, product value & strategy, product backlog management, stakeholder & release management, and evidence-based product decisions. 

Objective details by domain

Scrum fundamentals & empiricism

• Why empiricism (transparency, inspection, adaptation) matters for product decisions
• Scrum accountabilities: Product Owner, Developers, Scrum Master
• Events and commitments (Product Goal, Sprint Goal, Definition of Done) and how they steer value delivery

Product Owner accountability

• Owning product value; expressing and evolving Product Goal
• Saying “no”: ordering work for maximum outcomes, not output
• Collaborating with stakeholders and the Scrum Team; clarifying value hypotheses

Product Backlog management

• Writing clear backlog items with acceptance criteria (outcome-oriented)
• Ordering strategies: value, risk, dependencies, cost of delay
• Refinement cadence; ensuring transparency and readiness

Planning & forecasting

• Release goals and slicing toward the Product Goal
• Forecasting with empirical data; using Sprint Reviews to adapt plans
• Managing scope and expectations across horizons

Evidence-Based Management (EBM)

• Selecting meaningful measures & goals (Current Value, Unrealized Value, Ability to Innovate, Time-to-Market)
• Running experiments; validating value hypotheses; course-correcting with evidenc

Scaling & collaboration

• Coordinating with multiple teams while keeping a single Product Backlog
• Stakeholder alignment, risk visibility, and integrated increments

What changed in this version (context you should know)

Scrum.org continuously aligns PSPO-I to the Scrum Guide 2020. Key guide updates that influence exam themes:

• Product Goal introduced as a long-term commitment for the Product Backlog.
• Clear “home” for Product Goal, Sprint Goal, and Definition of Done; roles reframed as accountabilities; less prescriptive language; applicability beyond software.

Practically, expect more emphasis on value, goals, and outcomes vs. task administration.

Registration and scheduling

• Buy an assessment password from Scrum.org’s PSPO-I page. Price is USD $200
• No scheduling required; take it whenever you’re ready (passwords do not expire)
• One password = one attempt. To retake, purchase another password (unless you qualify for a course-based free retake).
• Delivery: fully online through your browser; there are no testing centers to book.

Pricing and vouchers

• List price: USD $200 for PSPO-I; PSPO-II is USD $500 (for context).
• Bulk/discounts: Scrum.org offers guidance on bulk purchases and discounts (useful for teams/companies)
• Free 2nd attempt (course attendees): If you take an official Scrum.org instructor-led PSPO course and sit the assessment within a time window, you may receive a no-cost retake if you don’t pass. This does not apply to self-study buyers.
• Refunds: You can request a refund on unused passwords purchased within the last 60 days.
• Regional pricing / taxes: Payment is in USD; your bank or card may add FX fees or taxes depending on region (check during checkout)

Policies you should know

• Accessibility & accommodations are available by request via Scrum.org Support
• Languages: PSPO-I is available in English (Simplified Chinese availability is noted for Scrum.org.cn users). 
• Open assessments: Free Product Owner Open and Scrum Open practice tests help you benchmark readiness; they’re easier than the real exam. 
• No question/answer dumps are provided by Scrum.org after the exam; the score report is a summary only.

Scoring and results

• Format: 80 questions, 60 minutes, MCQ/MA/TF. Passing = 85%.
• Results: Immediate pass/fail with your score; a topic-level breakdown is included to highlight strengths/gaps (not every question). 
• Retakes: Unlimited retakes are allowed (each requires a new password) unless you have a course-based free retake. 

Exam day & test experience

• Environment: Take it online from a quiet place with a stable internet connection and a modern browser. (Scrum.org lists technical recommendations in Support.) 
• Check-in: There’s no proctor booking; you start when ready from your Scrum.org account using your password.
• Allowed items: Scrum.org doesn’t publish a strict “open book” rule page for Level I. Assume you are responsible for your own conduct; follow the Standard of Conduct for assessments. 
• Interface tips: You can revisit questions within the time limit; use bookmarking/timeboxing strategies to finish all items. (This behavior mirrors guidance shared by Scrum.org on assessment UX.)
• Time management: Aim to complete a first pass in ~45–50 minutes, leaving buffer to review tricky items.

Study plan and resources

If you’re new to Scrum/Product Ownership (4-week starter plan)

Week 1 – Foundations

• Read Scrum Guide 2020 twice; annotate artifacts, events, and commitments (Product Goal, Sprint Goal, DoD).
• Watch/read 2–3 Scrum.org resources on Product Goal and empiricism. Take one Scrum Open as a baseline. 

Week 2 – The Product Owner lens

• Read about Product Owner accountabilities on Scrum.org; map your product context to value and stakeholder outcomes.
• Start the Product Owner Open; review every incorrect item and tie it back to the Scrum Guide. 

Week 3 – Backlog & evidence

• Practice writing/ordering backlog items from mock stakeholder inputs; justify order by value/risk.
• Read the EBM Guide and define 3-4 outcome measures for a hypothetical product (Current Value, Unrealized Value, etc.).

Week 4 – Exam readiness

• Do 3–5 mixed blocks of 20 questions under timed conditions (45 minutes total).
• Re-read the Scrum Guide; memorize where concepts live (artifacts/commitments).
• Sit the real assessment when your Product Owner Open and Scrum Open scores stay near 100% and you can explain each answer.

If you’re experienced (2-week accelerator)

Days 1–3: Read the Scrum Guide with a Product Goal/value lens. Take Product Owner Open → analyze misses.
Days 4–7: Map your backlog to outcome metrics (EBM). Practice ordering trade-offs (value vs. dependencies/risk).
Days 8–10: Two timed mocks/day; focus on edge cases (governance vs. empiricism, stakeholder pressure vs. transparency).
Day 11–14: Light review; exam when consistent near-perfect practice results.

Official/free study resources

• PSPO-I page for format specifics and focus areas.
• Scrum Guide 2020 (definitive rules). 
• Product Owner Open & Scrum Open practice.
• EBM Guide for outcomes and measurement. 

Certification validity and renewal

Scrum.org certifications (including PSPO-I) are lifetime – no renewal fees or CE credits required. 

Career outcomes

Common job titles

• Product Owner, Product Manager, Technical Product Manager, Platform Product Owner, Agile Product Owner, Product Lead.

How it’s used at work

• Communicating product vision & Product Goal, ordering the backlog for maximum value, aligning stakeholders, and making evidence-based decisions about what to build next.

Typical U.S. salary ranges (indicative)

• Product Owner: median total pay around $135k–$140k; many roles range from roughly $107k to $184k+, depending on location and industry.

• Agile Product Owner: average around $150k+ total pay, with a wide spread by company and sector.

Salaries vary significantly by geography, industry (finance, tech, healthcare), and seniority.

Related or next-step certifications

• PSPO-II: Advanced product ownership and complex scenario reasoning. Good next step once you’re putting PSPO-I into practice.
• PAL-EBM: For leaders/Product Owners focused on outcome metrics and continual improvement. 
• PSK I / PSU I: Add Kanban flow practices or modern UX integration to Scrum.

How this exam compares to similar certifications

• PSPO-I vs. PSM I (Scrum.org): PSPO centers on value ownership and backlog decisions; PSM emphasizes coaching and team facilitation. Both are 80Q/60min/85% and lifetime. Difficulty is comparable; audience differs by role

• PSPO-I vs. CSPO (Scrum Alliance): CSPO is training-based (no exam) and focuses on in-class learning, whereas PSPO-I is exam-based with a strong tie to the Scrum Guide and Product Goal/EBM themes. (Scrum.org validity is lifetime.)

Final Thoughts!

Ready to lock in the credential and move up as a value-driven Product Owner?

1. Review the official PSPO-I page, skim the Scrum Guide one more time, and block 60 minutes of focused time.
2. Want real-world practice questions to sharpen your timing and tricky edge-cases before you sit the assessment? Grab the PSPO-I practice questions (PDF) + simulator from Cert Empire to rehearse under pressure and close last-mile knowledge gaps.

Explore Cert Empire → https://certempire.com/

Get PSPO-I Practice Questions → https://certempire.com/exam/pspo-i-pdf-dumps/