Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
Scrum Alliance
Complete guide to passing the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) exam on your first attempt.
$995-$1395 (includes training)
~98%
2 years (renewal $100)
Global
Scrum Alliance
$85k-$120k
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Complete Overview
The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) is a 50-question, 60-minute online test from Scrum Alliance that you can only reach after completing a 16-hour course taught by a Certified Scrum Trainer, and it requires 37 correct answers to pass. It is taken by working and aspiring scrum masters, project managers moving into agile delivery, business analysts, engineers and anyone whose team runs scrum; Scrum Alliance states the published price range for CSM courses is USD 250 to USD 2,495, because trainers set their own prices and Scrum Alliance does not control them.
The course is the gate. Scrum Alliance is explicit that course attendance is required and that individuals cannot skip the training to reach the online test. Most CSM courses run as two days of live online or in-person instruction totalling 16 hours. Your course registration payment covers the training, access to the test, a Scrum Alliance certification account, a complimentary two-year Scrum Alliance membership, and whatever workbooks or online resources the training company provides.
The test itself is unusually forgiving by certification standards. It is delivered online at mytestcom.net, it is not proctored and not held at a test centre, and Scrum Alliance states it is open book, so you may reference the Scrum Guide and the training materials from your course while answering. You cannot pause it, but you can bookmark questions and return to them inside the 60-minute limit. It is available in thirteen languages: English, Spanish (Castilian), Latin American Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Danish, Czech, Polish and Russian.
Questions come from two sources: the CSM Learning Objectives document that Scrum Alliance publishes, and the 2020 Scrum Guide. Those learning objectives fall into three numbered categories with 28 objectives between them: Scrum (16 objectives), Scrum Master Core Competencies (3 objectives) and Service to the Scrum Team, Product Owner, and Organization (9 objectives). The Scrum Foundations learning objectives must also be covered before or during the course. Scrum Alliance does not publish per-category exam weights.
After the course you receive a welcome email with an account activation link. From that email you get 90 calendar days and two attempts at no cost. Fail twice, or test after the 90 days, and each further attempt costs USD 25. There is no attempt limit and no waiting period between attempts. Scrum Alliance does not publish a CSM pass rate.
The certification lasts two years. Renewal takes 20 Scrum Education Units plus a USD 100 fee for foundational certifications, or you can renew by taking any new Scrum Alliance certification course instead. One SEU equals one hour of learning, and SEUs must carry an activity date within 2.5 years before your expiration date and cannot be reused across renewals. There is no grace period to worry about: Scrum Alliance states a certification is never revoked for a missed renewal, and renewing late simply extends it two years from the payment date rather than from the original expiry.
Why Get Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Certified?
Scrum Alliance cites Indeed data showing that scrum master certifications were the 9th most-requested professional certification in recent years, and that 95 percent of CSMs would recommend the certification to a friend.
The pass bar is 37 of 50 questions, which means you can get 13 wrong and still certify, and the test is open book against the Scrum Guide and your course materials.
Two test attempts and a two-year Scrum Alliance membership are already inside the course price, so the only additional cost is USD 25 per attempt beyond the first two.
The test is available in 13 languages: English, Spanish (Castilian), Latin American Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Danish, Czech, Polish and Russian.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,046,300 project management specialist jobs in 2024, projected to reach 1,105,000 by 2034, with a median wage of USD 100,750.
Renewal costs 20 SEUs and USD 100 every two years, and 1 SEU equals 1 hour of learning, including free articles and videos in the Scrum Alliance Resource Library that award SEUs automatically.
Scrum Alliance reports that 71 percent of CSMs took the course specifically to advance their careers, based on Indeed data cited on its CSM page.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
60 minutes. The test cannot be paused, but questions can be bookmarked and revisited inside the hour.
Questions
50 multiple-choice questions
Passing Score
At least 74 percent, which Scrum Alliance's test instructions state as answering 37 of the 50 questions correctly. You can miss 13 and still pass.
Question Types
- Recall questions on scrum accountabilities, events and artifacts as defined in the 2020 Scrum Guide
- Scenario questions asking what a scrum master should do in a described team situation
- Distinction questions separating facilitating, teaching, mentoring and coaching
- Timebox and event-purpose questions covering sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review and sprint retrospective
- Questions on the definition of done, product backlog authority and impediment handling
Delivery Method
Online only, taken from your Scrum Alliance dashboard and delivered on mytestcom.net. Not proctored and not held at an in-person test centre. Open book: Scrum Alliance states you may reference the Scrum Guide and the training materials provided during your course. Supported browsers are Safari, Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Edge; Internet Explorer is not supported, pop-up blockers must be disabled, and you must use one computer and one browser for the session.
How scoring works
Score scale
Percentage correct out of 50 questions. There is no scaled score, no equating and no percentile rank; the number you get right is the number that counts.
Score needed to pass
74 percent, which Scrum Alliance states as 37 of the 50 questions answered correctly.
Roughly what that means raw
37 of 50 correct. You can answer 13 questions wrong and still pass.
When results arrive
Immediately at the end of the test on the delivery platform. Passing earns the certification straight away, and the certificate is downloadable from your Scrum Alliance account. Scrum Alliance notes your score is visible only to you and is not shown to your trainer or to other members.
How the scale is built
Straight percentage-correct scoring against a fixed 74 percent threshold. Every question carries equal weight, wrong answers cost nothing beyond the mark itself, and there is no penalty for guessing, so leaving an item blank is strictly worse than answering it. Scoring is compensatory across the whole test: Scrum Alliance publishes no per-category minimum, so a weak area cannot fail you on its own.
Pacing and time budget
50 questions in 60 minutes gives you 1 minute 12 seconds per question.
15
13 questions
30
25 questions
45
38 questions, which is already the pass mark if they are right
55
All 50, leaving 5 minutes for bookmarked items
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| 15 | 13 questions |
| 30 | 25 questions |
| 45 | 38 questions, which is already the pass mark if they are right |
| 55 | All 50, leaving 5 minutes for bookmarked items |
- You cannot pause the test, so start it only when you have a clear 60 minutes. There is no proctor to appeal to if you get interrupted.
- Bookmark rather than agonise. The test supports bookmarking questions to answer later within the 60-minute limit, and a first pass at speed tells you how much lookup time you can afford.
- Budget your open-book lookups. Checking the Scrum Guide costs roughly a minute each time, so plan for five or six lookups across the hour, not fifty.
- The pass mark is 37 of 50, so the arithmetic favours finishing over perfecting. Thirteen wrong answers still certify you.
- Never leave a question unanswered. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so a blank is a guaranteed loss where a guess is not.
Where the marks are
Scrum events and activities
Not published; 10 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives
The largest published block. Questions test event purpose, timebox ceilings, who attends, and the specific ways the daily scrum differs from a status meeting.
Service to the scrum team, product owner and organization
Not published; 9 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives
Scenario-driven. You are asked which organizational impediment applies, how the scrum master supports the product owner, and why scrum has no project manager.
The scrum team and its accountabilities
Not published; 6 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives
Pure definition recall from the Scrum Guide, plus the two reasons the product owner is one person and how backlog authority works in practice.
Scrum master core competencies
Not published; 3 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives
Small in count, dense in questions. Telling facilitating, teaching, mentoring and coaching apart is asked directly by learning objective 2.3.
Definition of done and the sprint
Not published; covered by learning objectives 1.14 to 1.16
Three objectives converge here: when a sprint can be terminated early, at least three advantages of a strong definition of done, and at least one way to create one.
Empiricism and the scrum values
Not published; part of the Scrum Foundations objectives required in every CSM offering
Transparency, inspection and adaptation plus the five values underpin the reasoning behind nearly every scenario answer, even when the question never names them.
The Agile Manifesto
Not published; named by Scrum Alliance as a basis for the CSM learning objectives
Four values and twelve principles, short enough to memorise outright. Questions phrase options in Manifesto language, so recognising the wording narrows the field fast.
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Scrum events and activities | Not published; 10 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives | The largest published block. Questions test event purpose, timebox ceilings, who attends, and the specific ways the daily scrum differs from a status meeting. |
| Service to the scrum team, product owner and organization | Not published; 9 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives | Scenario-driven. You are asked which organizational impediment applies, how the scrum master supports the product owner, and why scrum has no project manager. |
| The scrum team and its accountabilities | Not published; 6 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives | Pure definition recall from the Scrum Guide, plus the two reasons the product owner is one person and how backlog authority works in practice. |
| Scrum master core competencies | Not published; 3 of the 28 CSM-specific learning objectives | Small in count, dense in questions. Telling facilitating, teaching, mentoring and coaching apart is asked directly by learning objective 2.3. |
| Definition of done and the sprint | Not published; covered by learning objectives 1.14 to 1.16 | Three objectives converge here: when a sprint can be terminated early, at least three advantages of a strong definition of done, and at least one way to create one. |
| Empiricism and the scrum values | Not published; part of the Scrum Foundations objectives required in every CSM offering | Transparency, inspection and adaptation plus the five values underpin the reasoning behind nearly every scenario answer, even when the question never names them. |
| The Agile Manifesto | Not published; named by Scrum Alliance as a basis for the CSM learning objectives | Four values and twelve principles, short enough to memorise outright. Questions phrase options in Manifesto language, so recognising the wording narrows the field fast. |
The numbers
50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes; Scrum Alliance states a passing score of at least 74 percent, and separately that 37 of the 50 must be answered correctly
Test length and passing score
Source: Scrum Alliance Help Center, What to expect from the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) test (74 percent) and How to take the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) test (37 of 50)
16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer, typically two days, live online or in person; attendance is mandatory
Course requirement
Source: Scrum Alliance Help Center, How to earn the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification
USD 250 to USD 2,495, set by individual trainers rather than by Scrum Alliance, based on course prices publicly listed on scrumalliance.org as of October 2023
Published course price range
Source: Scrum Alliance CSM certification page, based on publicly listed course prices on scrumalliance.org
Two attempts within 90 calendar days at no cost, then USD 25 per attempt
Free attempts and retake fee
Source: Scrum Alliance Help Center, How to retake the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) test
20 SEUs plus a USD 100 fee every two years for foundational certifications; 1 SEU equals 1 hour of learning
Renewal requirement
Source: Scrum Alliance, Scrum Education Units renewal requirements table
Not published by Scrum Alliance
Published pass rate
Source: Scrum Alliance CSM pages and Help Center, which document format and retake rules but no outcome statistics
1,046,300 project management specialist jobs in 2024, projected 1,105,000 by 2034, median wage USD 100,750
Occupational demand for the target role
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Project Management Specialists, May 2024 wage data
If you fail
Wait before retaking
None. There is no cooling-off period between attempts; you can retake the test immediately after a failure.
Attempt limit
None. Scrum Alliance sets no cap on the number of attempts. The only limit is on free attempts: two within 90 calendar days of your welcome email.
Retake fee
USD 25 per attempt after the first two, or after the 90-day window closes, whichever comes first. No extension request is needed once the 90 days pass; you simply follow the normal test steps and are prompted to pay.
Your course registration already covers the first two attempts, so a first failure costs nothing but time. If you have already passed, Scrum Alliance states you cannot retake the test to obtain a better score. Your test score is visible only to you, not to your trainer or other Scrum Alliance members, so a failed attempt is not reported to the training provider.
Exam Domains & Topics
The prerequisite layer. Scrum Alliance lists the Scrum Guide, the Manifesto for Agile Software Development with its four values and twelve principles, and the five scrum values as the source material behind the CSM learning objectives.
Key Topics to Master:
- Scrum theory and empiricism: transparency, inspection, adaptation
- The five scrum values: commitment, focus, openness, respect, courage
- The four values and twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto
- The scrum definition and its lightweight framework structure
- Why scrum is deliberately incomplete rather than a full methodology
- The 2020 Scrum Guide as the authoritative text, since Scrum Alliance states the 50 test questions are drawn from the CSM Learning Objectives and the Scrum Guide
The accountability structure. The published objectives require you to describe the responsibilities and accountabilities of the scrum team as a whole and of each accountability inside it.
Key Topics to Master:
- Responsibilities and accountabilities of the scrum team
- Responsibilities and accountabilities of the scrum master
- Responsibilities and accountabilities of the developers
- Responsibilities and accountabilities of the product owner
- At least two reasons the product owner is a single person rather than a group or committee
- How and why the product owner keeps authority over the product backlog while working with developers and stakeholders
The mechanics of the sprint. The objectives ask you to perform sprint planning, sprint review and sprint retrospective, and to explain the constraints that make each event work.
Key Topics to Master:
- How a scrum team could inspect and adapt to increase transparency at each scrum event
- Performing sprint planning, sprint review and sprint retrospective
- At least three effects of skipping the sprint retrospective
- How developers conduct a daily scrum and at least three ways it differs from a status meeting
- Under what conditions a sprint could be terminated prematurely
- At least three advantages of a strong definition of done, and at least one way to create one
The smallest published category and the one candidates underprepare. Three objectives, all about facilitation and about telling four helping stances apart.
Key Topics to Master:
- At least three situations where the scrum master serves the scrum team or organization through facilitation
- At least three techniques for facilitating group decision making
- How facilitating, teaching, mentoring and coaching differ from one another
- Choosing the right stance for a described situation
- Facilitation techniques such as dot voting, fist of five and roman voting
- When to step back and let the team decide rather than intervening
The organizational half of the role. These objectives move from leading a single team to naming impediments that live outside it and explaining what adopting scrum does to org design.
Key Topics to Master:
- Three scenarios where the scrum master acts as a leader for the scrum team
- The impact of accumulating technical debt and at least three development practices that reduce it each sprint
- At least three ways the scrum master could support the product owner
- At least three organizational impediments that affect scrum teams
- At least two ways the scrum master assists with impediments, plus one technique to resolve one
- At least one organizational design change caused by adopting scrum, and why scrum has no project manager
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Read the 2020 Scrum Guide from scrumguides.org end to end; it is about 13 pages and takes under an hour
- 2Read the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, all four values and all twelve principles, at agilemanifesto.org
- 3Read the five scrum values on scrumalliance.org and write one sentence on what each looks like when a team lacks it
- 4Download the CSM Learning Objectives PDF from Scrum Alliance and read all 28 objectives
- 5Note every objective you cannot already answer, since those are your course questions
- 1Search the Scrum Alliance Course Search page and filter by format, date and price across the published USD 250 to USD 2,495 range
- 2Open More details on each candidate course to compare agenda, class size and included materials
- 3Read the trainer's background, since Scrum Alliance notes every CSM course is uniquely delivered by its community of Certified Scrum Trainers
- 4Confirm the course is a full 16 hours and that the price includes test access and the two-year membership
- 5Contact the listed training partner about discounts or scheduling before booking
- 1Re-read the Scrum Guide and build a one-page map of the three accountabilities, five events and three artifacts
- 2Attach each artifact to its commitment: product backlog to product goal, sprint backlog to sprint goal, increment to definition of done
- 3Memorize the timeboxes: sprint one month or less, sprint planning eight hours for a one-month sprint, daily scrum 15 minutes, sprint review four hours, retrospective three hours
- 4Write down which accountability owns each artifact and each decision
- 5List the differences between the daily scrum and a status meeting, since a learning objective asks for at least three
- 1Attend the first eight hours live, online or in person, and participate in the exercises rather than watching
- 2Ask about every learning objective you flagged in week one that is still unclear
- 3Capture the trainer's real examples separately from the framework definitions, since only the framework is tested
- 4Note which facilitation techniques the trainer demonstrates, since learning objective 2.2 asks for at least three
- 5Keep the course materials, because the test is open book and you may reference them
- 1Complete the second eight hours and the sprint planning, review and retrospective exercises the objectives require you to perform
- 2Work through the organizational impediment discussion, which maps to learning objectives 3.5 to 3.8
- 3Ask the trainer why scrum has no project manager, which is learning objective 3.9 and a common test theme
- 4Confirm your trainer has your correct email address, because the welcome email activates your certification account
- 5Organize your notes by learning objective number rather than by session
- 1Activate your Scrum Alliance account from the welcome email and confirm the 90-day clock has started
- 2Re-read the Scrum Guide a third time, this time against your course notes
- 3Self-test on all 28 CSM learning objectives by writing the answer before checking
- 4Assemble your open-book reference set: the Scrum Guide, the learning objectives PDF and your course workbook, all findable in under 10 seconds
- 5Practise looking up a specific rule in the Scrum Guide under a 30-second timer
- 1Work third-party practice questions, noting that Scrum Alliance does not provide a practice exam and has not reviewed or approved any third-party one
- 2For every question you get wrong, find the sentence in the Scrum Guide that settles it and write the page or section down
- 3Drill the four helping stances until you can define facilitating, teaching, mentoring and coaching without hesitation
- 4Drill the conditions under which a sprint can be cancelled, and who has the authority to cancel it
- 5Rehearse the 60-minute pace: 50 questions means about 1 minute 12 seconds each
- 1Set up on a supported browser: Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Microsoft Edge, with pop-up blockers disabled
- 2Use one computer and one browser for the whole session, and avoid your browser's back and forward buttons, which can end the session
- 3Confirm your preferred language from the 13 available before selecting Take the test
- 4Answer everything you know on the first pass, bookmark the rest, then use the reference materials on the bookmarked ones
- 5If you fail, retake immediately; there is no waiting period and the second attempt inside 90 days is already paid for
- 1Download the certificate and add the digital badge to LinkedIn from your Scrum Alliance dashboard
- 2Volunteer to facilitate one real scrum event a week, starting with the retrospective, which is the event most teams run worst
- 3Start logging SEUs immediately, since Resource Library articles and videos award them automatically and 1 hour equals 1 SEU
- 4Set a calendar reminder 3 months before your two-year expiration date to check your SEU total against the 20 required
- 5Decide whether your next step is the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster, which renews the CSM automatically when you take the course
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Best Study Resources
The 2020 Scrum Guide (scrumguides.org)
Primary sourceScrum Alliance states many test questions are based on it and that you may reference it during the open-book test. It is roughly 13 pages and available in dozens of translations.
Free
CSM Learning Objectives PDF (Scrum Alliance)
Official blueprintThe closest thing to a published blueprint: 28 numbered objectives in three categories, each written with a Bloom's Taxonomy action verb that tells you the depth expected.
Free
Scrum Alliance Course Search
Official course finderThe only route to an approved CSM course. Filter by price, format and date, and open More details for the agenda, start time and what the registration includes.
Free to browse
Scrum Alliance Resource Library
Articles and videosArticles and videos tagged with an SEU value, awarded automatically to your dashboard when you read or watch them while logged in. Useful before the test and essential for renewal.
Free
Manifesto for Agile Software Development (agilemanifesto.org)
Primary sourceFour values and twelve principles, listed by Scrum Alliance as a basis for the CSM learning objectives. Short enough to read in fifteen minutes and worth memorising.
Free
Scrum values page (scrumalliance.org/about-scrum/values)
Primary sourceCommitment, focus, openness, respect and courage, named by Scrum Alliance as a source for the learning objectives.
Free
Scrum Alliance Help Center
Official documentationThe authoritative answers on test length, retakes, languages, accommodations, renewal fees and SEU rules. Faster and more accurate than any third-party summary.
Free
Third-party CSM practice tests
Practice questionsScrum Alliance states it does not provide a practice exam and that no third-party practice test has been officially reviewed or approved by it. Use them to find gaps, then settle every disputed answer against the Scrum Guide.
Free to roughly USD 50
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Assuming you can buy the test without the course
Scrum Alliance states in writing that course attendance is required and that individuals cannot skip the training to gain access to the online test. There is no experience waiver, no challenge route and no exception. The 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer is the only door.
Letting the 90-day window lapse without testing
The clock starts at your welcome email, not at your last day of class. Two attempts inside 90 days are free; after that each attempt costs USD 25. You do not need to request an extension, but you do start paying.
Answering from your workplace's version of scrum
The test is drawn from the CSM Learning Objectives and the 2020 Scrum Guide, not from how your company runs sprints. If your team lets a manager assign work in sprint planning, that is not the answer the test wants.
Treating the scrum master as the team's manager
Learning objective 3.9 asks you to discuss why scrum does not have a project manager. Answers where the scrum master assigns tasks, sets estimates, commits on the team's behalf or reports individual performance are almost always the distractors.
Confusing facilitating, teaching, mentoring and coaching
Learning objective 2.3 asks for the difference explicitly, and the core competencies category has only three objectives, so this is one of the highest-density topics on the list. Teaching transfers knowledge, mentoring shares experience, coaching asks questions to unlock the person's own answer, facilitating shapes a group process without owning its content.
Not using the open book
Scrum Alliance states the test is open book and you may reference the Scrum Guide and your course materials. Have both open in a second window before you start, with the Scrum Guide sections you find hardest already bookmarked.
Using browser navigation buttons during the test
Scrum Alliance warns that the browser's back and forward buttons can accidentally end your session. Use only the in-test navigation, keep pop-up blockers disabled, and stay on one computer and one browser for the whole hour.
Guessing at timeboxes instead of memorising them
The Scrum Guide gives maximums, not fixed durations: a sprint of one month or less, sprint planning to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month sprint, a 15-minute daily scrum, a sprint review to a maximum of four hours and a retrospective to a maximum of three, with shorter events for shorter sprints. Questions test whether you know these are ceilings.
Logging SEUs too late or reusing old ones
SEUs must carry an activity date within 2.5 years before your certification's expiration date and cannot be reused for a later renewal. Log them as you go from your dashboard rather than trying to reconstruct two years of learning in the final week.
Paying to renew twice when one course would do it
Taking any new Scrum Alliance certification course, including advanced and CSP-level courses, automatically renews your previously earned certifications. If you were already planning the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster, that course renews the CSM without a separate 20 SEUs and USD 100.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
There is no test centre and no proctor, so pick your own conditions: 60 uninterrupted minutes, notifications off, and nobody due to walk in.
- 2
Use a supported browser before you start. Scrum Alliance lists Safari, Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Edge, and states Internet Explorer is not supported.
- 3
Disable pop-up blockers before selecting Take the test, since the test opens on mytestcom.net in a redirected window.
- 4
Access the test from one computer and one browser only. Scrum Alliance states this explicitly, and switching mid-session risks the attempt.
- 5
Do not touch the browser back or forward buttons at any point; Scrum Alliance warns this can accidentally end the session.
- 6
Confirm your preferred language on the dashboard step before you launch, choosing from the 13 available options.
- 7
Open the Scrum Guide and your course workbook in a second window first. The test is open book and looking a rule up beats guessing.
- 8
Budget about 1 minute 12 seconds per question. Answer what you know on a first pass and bookmark the rest, because you cannot pause but you can return to bookmarks.
- 9
You need 37 of 50. Thirteen wrong answers still pass, so do not spend six minutes rescuing one question and lose four easy ones at the end.
- 10
If you fail, you can retake immediately. There is no cooling-off period, and the second attempt within 90 days of your welcome email costs nothing.
- 11
If you need more than 60 minutes for a disability, impairment or other testing-related challenge, request an accommodation from Scrum Alliance support in advance. Scrum Alliance states you are not required to provide any personal documentation or evidence for this type of request.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Scrum master
Facilitating events, removing impediments and coaching the team on the framework. BLS counted 1,046,300 jobs in this occupation in 2024, projected to reach 1,105,000 by 2034.
USD 100,750 median (BLS OEWS, May 2024, project management specialists, SOC 13-1082)
Scrum master in a consultancy or technology services firm
The largest employing industry for the occupation at 28 percent of jobs. Client-facing delivery work where you may run scrum for a customer's team rather than your employer's.
USD 106,130 median for project management specialists in professional, scientific and technical services (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
Scrum master in banking, insurance or financial services
The highest-paying of the five largest industries for this occupation. Regulated delivery environments where the scrum master spends more time on organizational impediments than on team mechanics.
USD 111,350 median for project management specialists in finance and insurance (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
Product owner
The adjacent accountability on the same scrum team, owning the product backlog and the product goal. Scrum Alliance runs a separate Certified Scrum Product Owner track for it, and the CSM course covers why that authority sits with one person.
USD 101,190 median (BLS OEWS, May 2024, management analysts, SOC 13-1111)
Software development team lead
A common destination for engineers who take the CSM to understand the framework their team already uses, then take responsibility for its technical practices and technical debt.
USD 131,450 median (BLS OEWS, May 2024, software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers, SOC 15-1250)
Agile coach or delivery manager
Working across several teams and on organizational design rather than inside one team. Scrum Alliance positions the Certified Scrum Professional ScrumMaster as the route here, and notes that the CSP-SM suits candidates who want to become trainers or coaches.
USD 171,200 median (BLS OEWS, May 2024, computer and information systems managers, SOC 11-3021)
Prerequisites & Requirements
- Attendance at a Certified ScrumMaster course delivered by a Certified Scrum Trainer from Scrum Alliance. This is mandatory. Scrum Alliance states that course attendance is required and that individuals cannot skip the training to gain access to the online test.
- The course is typically two days and 16 hours, delivered live online or in person. Approved courses are listed only on the Scrum Alliance Course Search page.
- No prior certification is required. No work experience is required. No degree is required.
- No prior scrum experience is required either. Scrum Alliance describes the CSM as an introductory course and recommends it to anyone new to scrum or to an agile way of working.
- Recommended before the course, though not required: read the 2020 Scrum Guide, the Agile Manifesto and the five scrum values, all of which Scrum Alliance names as the basis for the CSM learning objectives.
- A working email address your trainer has correctly recorded, since the welcome email that activates your certification account and starts the 90-day test window is sent to it.
- A computer with a supported browser: Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take the CSM test without the course?
No. Scrum Alliance states plainly that course attendance is required to earn the CSM certification and that individuals cannot skip the training to gain access to the online test. There is no experience-based waiver and no challenge exam. The 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer is the only route to the test.
How much does the CSM cost?
Scrum Alliance publishes a price range of USD 250 to USD 2,495 for CSM courses, based on publicly listed prices on scrumalliance.org, and states that trainers set their own prices and that Scrum Alliance does not control them. Price varies with delivery method, location, class size caps, additional resources such as practice exams or printed materials, taxes and local market factors. The course price includes the test and the two-year membership.
What is the passing score?
74 percent, which Scrum Alliance defines as answering 37 of the 50 questions correctly. Thirteen wrong answers still pass. The score is straightforward percentage-correct with no scaling and no penalty for wrong answers, so there is never a reason to leave a question blank.
What is the CSM pass rate?
Scrum Alliance does not publish a pass rate for the CSM test. Any percentage you see quoted online is not sourced to Scrum Alliance. What the organization does publish is the structure that makes the test manageable: mandatory 16-hour training first, an open-book format, 37 of 50 to pass, and two free attempts.
What happens if I fail?
You retake it. There is no waiting period and no attempt limit. Two attempts within 90 calendar days of your welcome email are already covered by your course fee. After two attempts, or after the 90 days, you pay USD 25 for each further attempt until you pass. Scrum Alliance also notes that if you have already passed, you cannot retake the test to get a better score.
How long do I have to take the test after the course?
90 calendar days from the date you receive your welcome email, during which two attempts cost nothing. After the 90 days you do not need to request an extension; you simply follow the same steps and pay the USD 25 attempt fee. Nothing expires permanently.
Is the test proctored?
No. Scrum Alliance states the test is given online and is not proctored or held at an in-person location. You take it from your own dashboard, on your own machine, at a time you choose. There is no webcam check, no room scan and no identity verification session.
Is the CSM test open book?
Yes. Scrum Alliance states the test is open book and that you may reference the Scrum Guide and other training materials provided to you during the course while taking it. That does not make it trivial: at about 1 minute 12 seconds per question, you can look up perhaps five or six answers, not fifty.
What languages is the CSM test available in?
Thirteen: English, Spanish (Castilian), Latin American Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Danish, Czech, Polish and Russian. You confirm your preferred language on your dashboard immediately before selecting Take the test.
Are accommodations available?
Yes. Scrum Alliance states it is happy to provide accommodations for a disability, impairment or other testing-related challenge, and that you are not required to provide personal documentation or evidence. If you need more than the standard 60 minutes, contact Scrum Alliance support to request it before you start the test.
When do I get my result?
Immediately at the end of the test, on the test platform. Certification follows straight away: once you pass, you earn the CSM and can download the certificate from your Scrum Alliance account and add the digital badge to LinkedIn. Scrum Alliance also notes your test score is visible only to you, not to your trainer or other members.
How long is the CSM valid and what does renewal cost?
Two years. Renewal for foundational certifications, which includes CSM, CSPO, CSD, CASP, CAF and CAL 1, requires 20 SEUs plus a USD 100 fee. Advanced certifications require 30 SEUs and USD 175, professional certifications 40 SEUs and USD 250, and the Certified Agile Leader 10 SEUs and USD 50. You submit the SEUs first, then pay.
What counts as an SEU?
One hour of continuing education equals one SEU. Scrum Alliance groups qualifying activity into four categories: events such as Global and Regional Scrum Gatherings and user group activities, learning such as reading books or articles and watching webinars, volunteering, and other. Attending a full three-day Scrum Gathering earns up to 24 SEUs. Articles and videos in the Scrum Alliance Resource Library carry an SEU value and credit automatically when you are logged in.
How recent do my SEUs have to be?
SEUs must have been earned within 30 months, and their activity date must fall within 2.5 years before your certification's current expiration date. You cannot reuse an SEU that was already submitted for a prior renewal. There is no cap on how many SEUs you can submit in any one category.
What happens if I miss the renewal deadline?
Less than you would expect. Scrum Alliance states there is no grace period because none is needed: your certification is never revoked for a missed renewal, and if you renew after the expiration date, the certification is extended for a full two years from the date you pay rather than from the original expiry. You are not penalised, but the badge shows as expired until you renew.
Can I renew without paying the fee?
You still pay something, but there is a second route. Taking any new Scrum Alliance certification course, including advanced and CSP-level courses, automatically renews your previously earned certifications for two more years without submitting SEUs. If your next step is the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster anyway, that course covers the CSM renewal.
How is the CSM different from PSM I?
The CSM requires a 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer before you can reach the test, which is 50 questions in 60 minutes at 37 of 50 to pass, open book and unproctored, with two attempts included and a two-year renewal cycle at 20 SEUs plus USD 100. Scrum.org's PSM I has no training requirement, is bought directly, and its certification does not expire. The CSM route costs more up front and buys you two days of live instruction and a membership; the PSM route is cheaper and self-directed.
How is the CSM different from the CSPO?
They are the two halves of the same scrum team. The CSM covers the scrum master accountability: facilitation, impediments, service to the team and to the organization. The Certified Scrum Product Owner covers the product owner accountability: the product backlog, the product goal and value decisions. Both are foundational Scrum Alliance certifications on the same two-year, 20 SEU, USD 100 renewal terms, and holding one does not exempt you from the course requirement for the other.
What is included in the course fee?
Scrum Alliance lists four items: the 16-hour training course taken live online or in person, access to the CSM test and your Scrum Alliance certification account, a complimentary two-year Scrum Alliance membership, and training materials such as workbooks, presentations or online resources as provided by the training company. Anything beyond that varies by trainer, which is part of why prices range so widely.
Does Scrum Alliance provide a practice exam?
No. Scrum Alliance states it does not provide a practice exam for the CSM test, and that although many third-party companies offer one, none have been officially reviewed or approved by Scrum Alliance. Its own recommendation is to work from the course learning objectives and the Scrum Guide, since many of the questions are based on the Guide.
Success Stories
“The two-day training was invaluable. Real exercises and role-play made concepts stick. Exam was easy compared to PSM I.”
Lisa W.
ScrumMaster
“Took CSM to better collaborate with my Scrum team. Now I understand the methodology and can support my ScrumMasters effectively.”
David K.
Product Manager
“CSM was my entry point to agile. Five years later, I've progressed to CSP-SM and now coach enterprise transformations.”
Ananya R.
Agile Coach
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