How To Pass The Professional Scrum Product Owner II (PSPO II) Assessment From Scrum.org

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


The PSPO II assessment is structured in a similar way to PSPO I. It is comprised of 40 multiple-choice questions. You have 60 minutes to complete the assessment and must score 85% to achieve the certification. As with all Scrum.org assessments, it is challenging and designed to test your real understanding of Scrum & Product Ownership.


The first and best preparation for the Professional Scrum Product Owner II (PSPO II) assessment is to attend the Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner course. It 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 PSPO 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 PSPO I assessment. Read my post on how to successfully pass PSPO I to prepare you for this assessment.


Next you should consider attending a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner – Advanced course. Whilst not essential to pass PSPO II, the content covered and the 2 days spent exploring advanced Product Owner topics will make passing the assessment significantly easier.


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


PSPO II is a more advanced assessment than PSPO I and tests your knowledge of Scrum theory, the Scrum Guide and expects some real-world experience to allow you to pass. Of all the reading that is suggested in the tips for passing PSPO I, I would suggest you focus your efforts and read The Professional Product Owner by Don McGreal & Ralph Jocham. This offers a concise summary of Scrum & The Product Owner and is a useful learning and revision resource.


Here are some further tips:


Read and understand the Scrum.org Evidence-Based Management Guide.
Read the following blog posts on the Scrum.org site:
10 Tips for Product Owners on (Business) Value
Tips for Agile product roadmaps & product roadmap examples
Stances of the Product Owner
Favour any answer that promotes experimentation and making data-based decisions.
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.
If you have attended a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner – Advanced 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 Product Owner II (PSPO II) Practice Assessment. This is an additional opportunity to test your knowledge in advance of sitting the real assessment.
Take our paid Ultimate Scrum Product Owner II (PSPO II) Practice Assessment. This is the best and most comprehensive 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 Product Owner II (PSPO II) assessment via the comments below. Good luck!