PSK-I Exam Guide: What to Study, How to Prepare, and When to Schedule
The Professional Scrum with Kanban I (PSK I) certification validates knowledge of how Scrum Teams can use Scrum with Kanban to support value creation and delivery. It is intended for candidates who need to connect Scrum practices with Kanban practices and metrics, rather than study either approach in isolation. This guide helps you decide whether self-study is sufficient, whether training would improve your preparation, and when you are ready to use an assessment attempt.
What does PSK I validate?
PSK I validates whether you understand how a Scrum Team can use Kanban to support value creation and delivery. The assessment covers the relationship between the Scrum framework, Kanban practices, and Agile metrics for Kanban, so preparation should focus on applying ideas in context rather than memorizing isolated definitions.
The central preparation question is not whether you can recite Scrum terminology or list Kanban concepts separately. It is whether you can reason about how a Scrum Team visualizes work, manages flow, uses policies, and learns from delivery data while still working within Scrum. Scenario questions may require interpretation based on both the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams and the Scrum Guide.
Use the official subject areas as a study map: applying the Scrum framework with Kanban, Kanban practices, and Agile metrics for Kanban. The supplied official information does not provide percentage weights for these areas. Treat all three as required rather than assuming that one topic can safely be ignored.
Who should take this assessment?
PSK I is a sensible target for people who need to understand how Scrum and Kanban can work together in a Scrum Team, including practitioners, team members, and leaders involved in value delivery. The certification is about knowledge of this combined approach, so it is less suitable for someone seeking a purely introductory Scrum credential or a standalone Kanban qualification.
Candidates with Scrum experience may recognize the framework quickly but still need to study flow, work visualization, policies, and metrics. Candidates with Kanban experience may understand flow concepts but need to check that their answers remain consistent with the Scrum framework. In both cases, the likely gap is integration rather than familiarity with one method.
Attending a Professional Scrum with Kanban class is not a prerequisite for taking PSK I. Scrum.org states that taking the class is highly recommended, although it is not required. Choose training when structured instruction, discussion, and guided application address gaps that independent reading and practice questions are not resolving.
What are the assessment rules?
The PSK I assessment contains 45 questions, has a 60-minute time limit, and requires a passing score of 85%. It uses multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and true/false formats, and the assessment language is English. These rules make careful reading and deliberate answer selection part of preparation, especially when more than one answer may be correct.
The assessment fee is $200 USD per attempt. An assessment password does not expire, but it is valid for one attempt only. That combination affects scheduling: buying access does not force an immediate test date, but using the attempt before your knowledge is ready cannot be undone through the same password.
PSK I certification is lifetime certification and does not require an annual renewal fee. Scrum.org includes a free Credly digital credential with PSK I certification. These are certification outcomes, not reasons to lower the preparation standard; the immediate decision remains whether you can interpret the source material accurately under the assessment conditions.
Should you take training or study independently?
Training is optional but officially highly recommended, while independent preparation remains possible because attending a Professional Scrum with Kanban class is not required. Make the choice based on the kind of help you need: use training for structured explanation and feedback, or self-study when you can read the primary material critically and test your reasoning without relying on answer memorization.
Training may be the better decision if Scrum and Kanban are both new to you, your organization uses conflicting terminology, or you struggle to explain why a practice supports flow without undermining Scrum. The Professional Scrum with Kanban training course includes a free attempt at the PSK I certification exam, which is a relevant consideration when comparing the course route with a separate assessment purchase.
Self-study is more defensible when you already understand the Scrum framework, can work through the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams and Scrum Guide, and can explain the implications of metrics and policies in a scenario. Do not treat completion of an open assessment as proof that you have mastered the certification assessment; the open assessment is a preparation tool and does not provide certification.
Which source material should you read first?
Start with the Scrum Guide and the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, then use the Scrum with Kanban Open assessment to expose gaps. This order gives you a conceptual base before you encounter test-style prompts. It also matches the official warning that PSK I questions may require interpreting scenarios based on both guides.
Read the Scrum Guide for the framework’s accountabilities, events, artifacts, commitments, and empiricism. Read the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams for the Kanban practices and flow-oriented concepts that complement Scrum. While reading, write a short explanation of how each Kanban practice can help a Scrum Team make work and flow more transparent without turning the assessment into a vocabulary exercise.
After each reading session, close the source and answer questions such as: What is being made visible? Which policy or agreement controls the work? What observation would justify a change? Which metric would help the team inspect flow? These prompts are study activities, not additional official requirements, but they force the kind of interpretation the assessment may require.
Use the open assessment correctly
The free Scrum with Kanban Open assessment consists of 15 randomly selected questions and is intended as a preparation tool; it does not provide certification. Use it to identify topics for another reading pass, not as a substitute for the PSK I assessment or as a score-based guarantee of readiness.
For every missed or uncertain answer, record the underlying concept and return to the relevant guide. Avoid copying an answer key into flashcards without understanding the reason. Random selection means a single run may not represent every subject area, and repeated attempts can create familiarity with wording rather than reliable knowledge.
How should you study the Scrum-and-Kanban relationship?
Study integration by tracing a work item through the Scrum Team’s system: how it becomes visible, how the team establishes policies, how work is pulled or progressed, how impediments and bottlenecks are inspected, and how the team adapts. The aim is to understand how Kanban practices support the Scrum Team’s value delivery, not to design a separate process from memory.
Begin with a two-column comparison in your own notes. In one column, state the Scrum element or purpose; in the other, state how a Kanban practice or flow measure can make relevant work or delivery behavior more transparent. Then remove the labels and explain the relationship in plain language. If your explanation suggests that Kanban replaces the Scrum framework, revisit the source material.
Use small scenarios rather than abstract definitions. For example, consider a team with work accumulating in one part of its workflow. Ask what should become visible, which policy could clarify the team’s working agreement, what conversation the data should support, and how the team might inspect and adapt. Do not assume that every bottleneck has one universal fix; the assessment tests interpretation of the described situation.
Study Kanban practices as operating decisions
Learn each practice as a decision about managing work and flow, not merely as a board feature. Ask what the practice makes visible, what behavior it encourages, which agreement supports it, and what the team can inspect afterward. This approach helps when a question presents a realistic situation instead of naming the concept directly.
Build a practice sheet with four prompts: the practice, its purpose, evidence that it is working, and a common misuse. Keep the final column grounded in the guides rather than personal preference. The exercise is useful because plausible distractors often sound reasonable when a candidate has memorized terms without understanding their purpose.
Keep Scrum accountabilities and events in view
Do not answer a Kanban scenario as though Scrum accountabilities, events, artifacts, and commitments have disappeared. When a prompt describes a flow problem, first identify the Scrum context and then determine how Kanban practices help the team inspect and adapt. This prevents the common mistake of treating a board, a limit, or a metric as a replacement for Scrum.
How do Agile metrics for Kanban fit into preparation?
Metrics should be studied as evidence for inspecting and adapting flow, not as targets to optimize blindly. Prepare to distinguish what a metric describes from what a team might infer, and then consider whether the available evidence is sufficient for a decision. A number without context is not automatically a useful management signal.
Create a metric study table with four headings: what is measured, what question it can help answer, what pattern might require investigation, and what it cannot prove by itself. Include examples based on the official Kanban material you are studying, but do not invent an official formula, benchmark, or target unless the source states it.
When working through a scenario, identify the system boundary and the work being measured before drawing a conclusion. A flow measure can support transparency and conversation, but it does not by itself establish product value, team quality, or the cause of a delay. Look for answers that use evidence to support adaptation rather than promising certainty from one observation.
Avoid metric and target confusion
A metric is not automatically a performance quota. If a question describes pressure to improve a number, ask whether the proposed response could distort behavior or reduce transparency. Prefer reasoning that preserves inspection, makes trade-offs visible, and connects measurement to delivery and learning rather than treating the metric as an end in itself.
Do not memorize unsupported thresholds or convert practice advice into official pass criteria. The supplied research identifies Agile metrics for Kanban as a PSK I subject area but does not provide blueprint percentages, metric targets, or a list of numerical benchmarks. Base answers on the source guides and the facts in the scenario.
What question formats require special attention?
PSK I uses multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and true/false questions. Read the instruction for each item before evaluating the options. For multiple-answer questions, assess every option independently; for true/false items, focus on the exact claim rather than deciding whether the surrounding idea sounds generally familiar.
For a multiple-choice question, first state your answer before looking for confirmation in the options. For multiple-answer questions, mark the options that are supported by the source and reject those that add an unsupported condition. For true/false questions, watch for absolute wording and subtle changes to Scrum or Kanban relationships, but do not reject an option merely because it is concise.
Scenario questions deserve a repeatable method. Identify the Scrum context, identify the flow or transparency issue, locate the relevant practice or metric, and then choose the answer that best fits the guides. If two options appear plausible, compare their assumptions: one may preserve empiricism and adaptation while the other imposes a process or target that the scenario does not justify.
What mistakes weaken otherwise good preparation?
The most damaging mistakes are treating the exam as vocabulary recall, studying Scrum and Kanban in isolation, and using practice-question familiarity as evidence of readiness. Correct those habits by explaining relationships in your own words, working through scenarios, and returning to the official guides whenever an answer depends on a rule or concept you cannot justify.
Another mistake is assuming that a Kanban board alone means the team is applying Kanban effectively. A visible board may help transparency, but preparation must also cover policies, flow, and inspection. Similarly, a metric is not valuable simply because it is numerical; ask what it reveals and how the team could use that information.
Avoid exam-dump material and claims that memorization guarantees a pass. Leaked or recalled questions cannot replace knowledge of the Scrum Guide and Kanban Guide, and relying on them can leave you unprepared for changed wording or scenario interpretation. Use legitimate study sources and treat every practice result as feedback about understanding.
Do not schedule an attempt immediately after a single strong open-assessment run. The open assessment contains 15 randomly selected questions and does not provide certification. A better readiness signal is consistent reasoning across all subject areas, including questions you have not seen before and prompts that require you to explain why an option is correct.
A practical PSK-I study roadmap
Use a staged plan that moves from source comprehension to applied reasoning and then to assessment readiness. The sequence matters more than a fixed calendar: finish each stage when you can explain the material without notes, rather than assigning an arbitrary number of study sessions or assuming that time spent equals preparation quality.
Stage one is orientation. Read the certification description and list the three official subject areas: applying the Scrum framework with Kanban, Kanban practices, and Agile metrics for Kanban. Confirm that English-language assessment conditions are workable for you, and decide whether the structure of a Professional Scrum with Kanban class would address a known learning gap.
Stage two is primary-source study. Read the Scrum Guide and the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams carefully. Make notes that connect Scrum’s framework and accountabilities with Kanban practices and flow. For each topic, write one scenario and explain the team’s likely inspection or adaptation conversation. Keep quotations and personal interpretations separate so you know which statements are source-grounded.
Stage three is application. Work through scenarios without immediately checking an answer. For every choice, write the source-based reason it is supported or rejected. Include cases involving visibility, policies, work in progress, flow, impediments, and metrics, using only concepts you can locate in the official material.
Stage four is diagnosis. Take the free Scrum with Kanban Open assessment, review uncertain as well as incorrect answers, and sort the results by subject area. Re-read the relevant sections and create fresh scenarios. Do not simply repeat the open assessment until the wording feels familiar.
Stage five is decision and rehearsal. Practice switching between multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and true/false reasoning. Rehearse reading carefully within a 60-minute time limit, but do not turn speed into the primary goal. You must still justify answers accurately, particularly when a question describes a Scrum Team using Kanban.
Stage six is scheduling. Schedule or use the assessment attempt only when your review shows stable understanding across all three subject areas. Remember that the password does not expire but is valid for one attempt only, so there is value in delaying use until you can make a reasoned attempt rather than treating access as a deadline.
A final review checklist
Before using an attempt, confirm that you can explain how Scrum and Kanban work together, describe the purpose of the relevant Kanban practices, interpret Agile metrics for Kanban without inventing targets, and reason from both the Scrum Guide and the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams. Also confirm that you have practiced all three question formats.
Check practical readiness separately: you can read and answer in English, you understand the 60-minute time limit and 45-question format, and you know that the passing score is 85%. These are official assessment facts, while the decision to postpone or proceed remains your preparation judgment.
How should you manage the assessment attempt?
Use the attempt as a decision to demonstrate understanding, not as a trial run for discovering the syllabus. Because the assessment fee is $200 USD per attempt and an assessment password is valid for one attempt only, resolve major content gaps before starting. Keep the official source material for preparation rather than expecting it to replace careful reading of each question.
Read the entire prompt and every option before answering. On multiple-answer items, check whether the question asks for all applicable choices. On true/false items, test the exact statement against the guides. If you are uncertain, identify which part of the scenario is controlling the answer and avoid selecting an option merely because it uses familiar terminology.
Manage the 60-minute time limit by maintaining forward progress. If an item is consuming disproportionate attention, record your best reasoned choice if the interface allows review, then return to it after completing the remaining questions. Do not sacrifice accuracy by rushing every item; the passing score is 85%, so careful interpretation matters.
After certification, the official outcome includes lifetime certification without an annual renewal fee and a free Credly digital credential. Treat the credential as a record of demonstrated knowledge, not as permission to stop learning. Continue validating how your team uses Scrum and Kanban against the source guides and the needs of the product.
What should you do next?
Choose one of three next actions: begin primary-source reading, compare self-study with the Professional Scrum with Kanban class, or diagnose a specific knowledge gap with the free open assessment. Then make the action concrete by naming the guide section, subject area, or scenario type you will study next rather than searching broadly for more question banks.
If you are new to the combined approach, start with the Scrum Guide and Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams and consider the recommended class route. If you already work with Scrum and Kanban, build scenario notes and metric explanations before testing yourself. In either case, use the official open assessment for diagnosis and reserve the paid attempt for a deliberate readiness decision.
The strongest preparation is source-led and application-focused: understand the framework, connect it to Kanban practices, interpret metrics in context, and justify each answer. That method prepares you for unfamiliar wording without relying on exam dumps or unsupported promises about passing.
Conclusion
PSK I preparation is a choice between superficial recall and practical interpretation. The official assessment covers Scrum with Kanban, Kanban practices, and Agile metrics for Kanban, with questions that may require using both the Scrum Guide and the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams. Read those sources, test your reasoning with the open assessment, address gaps deliberately, and use the one-attempt password only when your understanding is stable across the full subject area.
