How to pass PSM I & PSPO I in one day?

If you like to view the video version of this Blog, you can click on the video.

I have passed PSM I (Professional Scrum Master I) with score 96.3%, and PSPO I (Professional Scrum Product Owner I) with a score 93.8% on the same day (27-Aug-2020). In this blog, I'm sharing my experience on how you can achieve both certifications.

Training courses

The following is a list of courses that I used for preparing for the exams:

Course / Link	Certification	PROS	Note
Agile Scrum Mastery: Full Project Simulation + Certification	PSM I	Uses several tools for demonstration including free & paid. Practical demos was very important for people new to Scrum.	Finished all course.
Scrum Master Certification Preparation & 240+ Prep Questions	PSM I	Geared more towards the exam providing detailed coverage of various topics. Also, conduct webinars for students to answer their questions as well.	Only solved extra exams in the course.
Scrum Product Owner Certification Prep & 160+ Prep Questions	PSPO I	Geared towards the exam providing detailed coverage of various topics. Also, conduct webinars for students to answer their questions as well.	Finished all course.

* For PMP holders: I reported PDUs for the above 2 completed courses in PMI.org and they got approved.

Study material

The following are list of materials that I used for preparing for the exams:

Material	PSM I	PSPO I	Note
Agile manifesto & principles	Mandatory	Mandatory	It is always good to know some history that lays the foundation.
The scrum guide	Mandatory	Mandatory	Official recommendation (Read minimum three times) - most of exam is from this reference.
Scrum Glossary	Mandatory	Mandatory	Official recommendation
The Scrum Framework Poster	Mandatory	Mandatory	Official downloadable poster, you might take some notes on it.
Scrum Values Poster	Mandatory	Mandatory	Official downloadable poster, you might get a question or two for the values.
Burn down chart	Mandatory	Mandatory	Exam have chart questions
Burn up chart	Mandatory	Mandatory	Exam have chart questions
What is the Cumulative Flow Diagram and How can I make use of it in my Backlog?	Mandatory	Mandatory	Exam have chart questions
Cone of Uncertainty	Mandatory	Mandatory	Exam may have question about it and not included in Scrum guide
Technical Debt	Mandatory	Mandatory	Included in Scrum Glossary, and you may have question about it
Evidence-Based Management Guide	Not required	Mandatory	Exam usually contains questions for Key Value Areas. read once and repear the section for KVA, KVMs as very important.
15 things a Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) actually does	Optional	Mandatory	Good to have a list of the summarized PO role.
The Professional Scrum Competencies	Optional	Optional	Official recommendation
Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™	Optional	Optional	Official recommendation
Scrum Master Learning Path	Optional	Optional	Official recommendation
What is Scrum?	Optional	Optional	Official recommendation
Nexus Guide	Nice to read	Nice to read	The exam has many questions about scaling Scrum or multiple teams working on the same product. You will learn from practice as Nexus is not covered in any of the exams, but it is good to know how in such cases the product is handled.
Scrum - A Pocket Guide - 2nd edition	Nice to have	Nice to have	For book lovers, this was recommended in several posts.
Maximizing Scrum	Nice to read	Nice to read	Very good read
A 7-Step Agenda for Effective Retrospectives	Nice to read	Nice to read	Practical retrospective meeting
Scrum et al.	Not required	Not required	Session by Ken Schwaber back to year 2007 still good to listen from the founders. Recommended if you need to get convinced by Scrum.
Agile and the Seven Deadly Sins of Project Management \| Mike Cohn \| Better Software West	Not required	Not required	Session by Mike Cohn back to year 2011 still good to listen for project managers. Recommended if you need to get convinced by Scrum.

Practice Exam questions

Practice makes perfect: The courses have around 3 exams each, you must solve them (You will learn a lot from the explanations) and also below are free online exams.

Exam / Link	Notes
Scrum Open	Official Scrum Master open assessment. You can repeat as many as you want. Simpler than real exam so recommended to score near 100% before attempting the exam.
Product Owner open	Official Product Owner open assessment. You can repeat as many as you want. Simpler than real exam so recommended to score near 100% before attempting the exam.
Mikhail Lapshin - Scrum Quizzes	Similar to the real exam. Contains exams for both SM and PO. Also, you should not miss his blog link for scrum questions, they are well explained and most probably you will find similar questions in the real assessment.

Study Plan

I'm sharing with my MS project study plan to achieve both certifications after 3 weeks of study (Study time 20 hours / week ). If you don't have MS project, here is a link for Excel sheet having the same information. You can use it as a base for your study schedule.

Exam Registration

Free register to scrum.org
I found a discount coupon reported by another candidate when they took paid courses, but I could not find a free coupon, and I needed to pay full amount.
Navigate to certification -> Professional Scrum Master -> PSM I Assessment -> Buy (150$)
Navigate to certification -> Professional Scrum Product Owner -> PSPO I Assessment -> Buy (200$).
Enter billing info (Payment accepted using: Paybal, VISA, MC, AMEX).
Assessment password emailed to you within 1 business day (I got it instantly).

Exam Tips

Exam can be scheduled anytime, I prefer to have during vacation or before work.
Pick a quiet time to test.
Disable notification from your PC (Windows Focus Assist).
Silent Smartphone, no vibration, screen facing down.
Avoid conducting the test from your work network as advised by Scrum and use your home network.
Fully charged laptop not PC & connected to an electrical outlet.
Test your internet connection & have a backup connection up & running for an easy switch (Mobile Hotspot and set as a metered connection on your laptop).
Use same browser you used in open assessment (I used Firefox for both open assessment and actual assessment).
Have Scrum guide, Scrum glossary, Sprint framework poster, Scrum values opened for quick reference, but use it as last resort as no time will be available in the exam.
Have google translate opened.
Have the PSMI & PSPOI tracking sheet printed per exam attempt.
Take care of keywords & word tricks in the exam:

A phrase with “Not” -> Read carefully, in rare cases you might need to solve the question and invert the solution.
A question asking about false i.e. “Which is false?” -> Read carefully.
A phrase with “The best”.
A phrase with “Only”.
A phrase with “Authority”.
A choice of “All of the above”.
Recommended vs required.
Responsible / Accountable vs influence.
Must / should vs could.
Attend vs participate.
Can, may.
A phrase with “Allowed”

References

Hope this helps someone out there.

How to efficiently plan and study your next IT certification & nail it

I have published a Udemy course for "How to efficiently plan and study your next IT certification". It is vital for IT professionals to have a handful list of certifications to assist their knowledge in any job interview and also increase their in-depth knowledge of an IT domain.

Click the above image to claim your instant discount

Have you tried before and you faced challenges in time management? If the answer is yes, then this course is for you. This course is designed for busy IT professionals who want to achieve more.

It is providing a detailed step by step guide during any IT certification journey. Whether you are a programmer, an administrator, or an architect this course will help.

By the end of the course, you will be able to confidently plan & achieve your target IT certification as we will be applying techniques used in project management & psychology.

What you’ll learn?

Define study strategy that match your personality & your need from certification.
Build your study plan & effective time schedule for any IT Certification.
Avoid distractions during your certification preparation.
Monitor your study progress to avoid procrastination.
Motivate yourself during your learning journey.
Advices on exam day.
Post-certification TODO list.

Are there any course requirements or prerequisites?

Eager to study for IT certification.
Access to any of these planning tools: Trello (Free), Project Libre (Free), Microsoft Project (Paid)

Who is this course for?

IT professionals seeking to plan their IT career by acquiring IT certifications.
IT Students, recent graduates, & job seekers willing to stand out from the crowd by acquiring IT certifications.
IT professionals having challenges in acquiring IT certifications.

References (English)

References (Arabic)

Why & Which IT Certification?

Please find below the links to video & slides download.


Youtube video in English	Youtube video in Arabic

Slides shared on SlideShare

Career path by the company:

Top-rated IT Certification & average salary:

Glassdoor: 8 Certifications That Actually Impress Recruiters.
Robert half: The 29 Most Valuable IT Certifications.
Global Knowledge: 15 Top-Paying IT Certifications for 2020.
iCert Global: Top 10 High Paying Certifications to Target in 2020.
PrepAway: Top 10 Highest Paying IT Certifications to Choose in 2019.

Certification by career:

Business News Daily: Best IT Certifications for 2019.
PayScale: Salaries in Information Technology Certifications.

Artificial Intelligence career path:

I hope the above articles help you in selecting your next IT certification.

How I make educational videos on Youtube

The following is what I'm using to film videos on my Youtube channel "Techie Architect".

This page contains affiliate links to products I use that don't cost you more charges but give me a commission when you purchase through the below links. Thanks for your support.

Equipment	Amazon link	Usage
BOYA BY-M1 microphone		A microphone connected to a laptop to record voice.
Logitech C922x Pro Stream Webcam		Used for recording myself in Full HD 1080p 30FPS
Glide Gear TMP100		Teleprompter used with iPad so I can read scripts prepared before I shoot the video. I'm still evaluating this purchase as I believe I'm still not used to deal with a teleprompter.
Velbon EX-888 Tripod		Tripod used in holding key light.
Ultra Compact Tripod		Sturdy tabletop tripod with low hight capable of holding the teleprompter (Quite heavy) and Logitech camera.
GorillaPod		Small tripod for holding fill light.
Neewer Dimmable 176 LED		Used as the key light. The advantage of this led that it accepts both battery and direct DC adapter suitable for long shooting sessions.
Neewer CN-DC2 DC 7.5V 2A Switching Power Adapter	Amazon link	Power adapter for Neewer Dimmable LED
Yongnuo YN160 III Pro LED Video Light		Used as the fill light. The advantage of this led that it accepts both battery and direct DC adapter suitable for long shooting sessions.
YONGNUO 12V 2A Standard Power Adapter		Power adapter for Youngnuo LED Video light
Collapsible Chroma Key Blue Green		Collapsible Foldable chroma key green screen used to remove background, and then adjust the background by software with a free scene.
Lenovo IdeaPad L340 laptop		Lenovo IdeaPad L340 laptop used in video shooting and editing

Software	Usage
MS PowerPoint 2016 (Paid)	Presentation software for preparing the slides.
OBS Studio v24 (Free)	Used to record the screen of computer or PowerPoint, as well as myself during presenting.
DaVinci Resolve v16 (Free)	Used to edit the recorded clips, and render to the final ready video that is uploaded to the Youtube channel.
AHD Subtitles Maker (Free)	Used to edit closed captions, having a ready script makes this step a bit easy. I have made a video (How I am using AHD Subtitles Maker) showing how this software can be used.
Teleprompter premium (Paid)	Software for displaying the transcript on the teleprompter so I can read it & not recorded by the camera. It works on the iPad (There is a new version working on Android as well released 25-Jun-2020) & works with teleprompter mentioned in equipment.

VLOG & Courses Creation youtube playlist of important videos I used to learn how to shoot, script, edit videos.

I hope this help someone out there.

Passing TOGAF Essentials 2018

Update on 29-Feb-2020
If you prefer viewing a video & slides, please find below links to video and download slides:

Passing TOGAF Essentials 2018 in 3 weeks or less from Ashraf Fouad

Original post: 21-Apr-2019

Thank God; I have passed "TOGAF Essentials 2018" on 20-Apr-2019.

TOGAF Essentials 2018 is a credential that shows that a TOGAF certified v9.0 or v9.1 candidate knowledge is up-to-date (Latest update Apr-2018). You can know more about the credential from the Open Group official website & FAQs about the TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2.

While the upgrade is not mandated but preferred, you can check Why you should upgrade to TOGAF 9.2 Certification?

The following is the recommended steps from my perspective to prepare and pass the exam (It took me around 3 calendar weeks, not dedicated, along with work & family duties):

1- Watch Official TOGAF 9.2 webinar
(Optional highly recommended step) I think "An Introduction to the TOGAF® Standard, Version 9.2 (Full Webinar - 49 minutes)" video is the best I have seen about TOGAF v9.2 and I have used some information & references mentioned in this webinar in my preparation. It shows you the approach of this strategic re-structure.

2- Taking a 3 hrs course
(Mandatory step) You need to attend 3 hrs course, I have checked the official TOGAF® 9 Accredited Training Courses and made the below comparison list (Prices may vary based on company offers and new companies added to the list by Open Group):

Providers	Price	Duration	Course nature	Practice questions	Accredited slide pack	TOGAF standard 9.2 electronic
CC & Csolutions	$ 249 (Search for promo code as well)	4 hrs	Self-paced, 3 months access (Can be extended upon request)	No
Conexiam	$ 275	3 hrs	On-demand video based instructor, lifetime access	No	Yes	And other many ebooks & e-Papers
EA Learning	GBP 349	3 hrs	Self-paced, Instant 6 months access
EA Principals	$ 395	3.5 hrs	One time Live Online	Yes	Yes	Yes
Good learning	$ 499 (Discounted code of 20%) = $399	3 hrs	Self-paced, Instant 6 months access	Quizzes & revision modules, 2x practice exams
QA Transforming performance through learning	GBP 350 (Search for promotional code)	3 hrs

I selected the course from Conexiam as it was reasonably priced, and I prefer reading some extra material if I find them beneficial.
I prefer to have a first quick view of the course just to take an idea about the course & the material in general.

3- Take a free practice exam without preparation

After you finish the course; the training center will contact Open Group to provide you access to practice assessment (You will receive email from donotreply@brillium.com with link to practice exam). This takes from 1 - 6 days; in my case just the next day I received the exam link.
The idea of taking a free practice exam without preparation (Even I took it closed book) is to get the feel of the nature of questions and know what to focus in the course.
The exam is 20 multiple choice questions with only 1 correct answer within 30 minutes (Every question should take 1.5 minutes).
The supported browsers are (Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge), by the time of writing this article Mozilla Firefox is not supported.
The practice exam can be retaken as much as you want until you succeed (Score 75%) once you succeed this practice exam will be closed and another link will be sent to your email that has the link to the actual exam.
The practice exam will inform you about what you did wrong & will tell you the correct answer to your mistake at the end of the practice exam.

4- Take the course again
Repeat the course again, take notes & pay attention to the questions you missed in the exam. Below is the recommended area of focus & suggested reading material (It is not required to read all the below in details, I was reading sections from many of them plus paying attention to view all the artifacts changed in TOGAF v9.2):

#	Section	Title / Link	Why
1	General	The TOGAF® Standard, Version 9.2 Overview Reference Cards (N180)	Quick access for diagrams especially content metamodel (Core, & extended), artifacts associated with metamodel, ADM.
2	General	The TOGAF® STANDARD, Version 9.2 (C182)	Quick access for the TOGAF standard for any definition, notes, the relations between content metamodel. Training for the exam as well
3	Business Architecture	Business Capabilities (G161)	The approach is changed, details of business capabilities.
4	Business Architecture	Value Streams (G170)	The approach is changed, details of value streams.
5	ISO	INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 First edition 2011-12-01	Conceptual model of architecture description mainly on page 5. Optional the complete ISO standard.
6	Security	Integrating Risk and Security within a TOGAF® Enterprise Architecture (G152)	Integrating Risk & Security with TOGAF

5- Prepare soft/hard copy material for the exam
The following is the suggested material you need to have during the exam:

#	Format	Title	Description / Link
1	Soft	Course Slides	Usually, the course material shows the difference between v9.1 & v9.2 in clear & brief way (I think better than the TOGAF reference), you can use this material as there are several questions in the exam will ask you about the delta between v9.1 & v9.2
2	Soft	Course Handouts	The course may provide handouts for the exam, I found this very beneficial during the exam.
3	Soft	The TOGAF® STANDARD, Version 9.2 (C182)	HTML, PDF I believe important chapters are the following: Chapter 3: Definitions. Chapter 5: Preliminary Phase Chapter 6: Phase A: Architecture Vision Chapter 7: Phase B: Business Architecture Chapter 30: Content Metamodel Chapter 31: Architectural Artifacts
4	Soft	PROMOTING AND PROTECTING THE TOGAF® ECOSYSTEM (W156)	Download
5	Hard	Core Content Metamodel	TOGAF Standard, chapter 30 - Figure 30-5: Entities and Relationships Present within the Core Content Metamodel
6	Hard	Full Content Metamodel	TOGAF Standard, chapter 30 - Figure 30-7: Relationships between Entities in the Full Metamodel
7	Hard	Basic Architecture Concepts	TOGAF Standard, chapter 31 - Figure 31-1: Basic Architectural Concepts
8	Hard	TOGAF Essential 2018 - Question Tracking sheet	I made this sheet to track the 20 questions, you might find it useful to use the Inclusion-Exclusion Principle when solving multiple choice exam questions

6- Take the free practice exam again till you pass

Take the free practice exam (This time well prepared).
The exam is repeating; no new questions, I think maybe the order of questions/answers are changed.
The practice exam can be retaken as much as you want until you succeed (Score 75%). Once you succeed this practice exam will be closed and another link will be sent to your email that has the link to the actual exam.
The practice exam will inform you about what you did wrong & will tell you the correct answer to your mistake at the end of the practice exam, please use this to identify areas you need improvement & cover them from the material mentioned in step 4.
I succeeded from the first time using the material mentioned in step 5 & understanding the course in more details.

7- Take the actual exam

You will receive an invitation to the exam (With 2 free retakes if you fail) within 1 business day from passing the practice exam with a 75% score or higher.
Prepare the list of resources in step 5 handy.
Drink a cup of coffee and water before starting the exam with at least 30 mins (Exam time is precious).
Good luck with the exam, I have passed with 90% from the first time and hope you will do even better 😃

I hope you find this blog post useful, if so, please share with your friends interested in TOGAF.