1. Start Early and Learn Consistently

Give yourself enough time to study without rushing. I spent around 2 weeks for Scrum, 1 week each for Kanban and OKR, and up to 4 weeks for SAFe – studying 3–4 hours a day, five days a week. Spaced repetition really improved my long-term memory.

2. Use Practice Quizzes Regularly

My first attempts didn’t go well, but repeated practice helped me understand the concepts – especially with the more demanding SAFe exams. The more I practiced, the more confident I became.

3. Manage Your Time Wisely

Plan to finish the exam at least 10 minutes early so you can review flagged questions. For example, in a 60-minute exam with 45 questions, I aimed for about 60 seconds per question instead of 80 given to stay on pace and avoid last-minute pressure.

4. Read Carefully – Watch for Keywords

Speed is useful, but accuracy matters more. I always watched for words like “not,” “except,” or “only”, which could flip the question goal. Some questions also required multiple correct answers – one, two, or even three.

5. Use the Elimination Strategy

When unsure, I started by ruling out the obviously incorrect answers. Narrowing the choices significantly increased my odds of selecting the right one.

6. Flag and Move On

If I got stuck, I picked my best guess, flagged the question, and moved on. This way, I stayed in control of my time and returned later if needed.

7. Stay Calm and Focused

Feeling nervous is normal. I silenced distractions like my phone and doorbell, took a deep breath, and focused on one question at a time. Staying grounded helped me think clearly.

8. Review Before You Submit

If time allowed, I first reviewed my flagged questions, then quickly scanned the rest to ensure no errors or missed multi-select answers. A final check helped me avoid unwished mistakes.

9. Never Leave a Question Blank

Since the exams didn’t penalize for wrong answers, I always took a guess. The elimination strategy was especially helpful here.

10. Don’t Count on Searching Online

Some people try using a second screen during online exams, but typing full questions or partial phrases wastes their time – and search results aren’t always accurate. In my experience, solid preparation was far more effective.