CSM vs PSM I: cost, renewal and which one employers ask for

How CSM and PSM I differ

Scrum Alliance makes the course the gate. You attend 16 hours of training with a Certified Scrum Trainer, usually spread over two or three days, and only then get access to the online test. The test is 50 multiple-choice questions in one hour, and you need 37 correct, which is 74%. Your course fee includes two attempts, and you have 90 days after the course to use them. Pass, and you get the CSM badge plus Scrum Alliance membership.

Scrum.org sells the test on its own. You buy a password for $200, it stays valid until you use it, and it covers one attempt. The test is 80 questions in 60 minutes, a mix of multiple choice, multiple answer and true or false, and the passing score is 85%, so you need 68 right. Scrum.org lists its courses as recommended, not required. Questions come from focus areas in Scrum.org's Professional Scrum Competencies, and a pass earns a free Credly digital credential.

CSM shows you sat a class and then scored 74% on a test. PSM I shows you scored 85% on a longer test, with or without a class. Both are about the same framework, so the free Scrum Guide at scrumguides.org is required reading for either one.

What each one costs, now and over ten years

Scrum Alliance doesn't set one price. Trainers set their own, and Scrum Alliance's CSM page gives a range of $250 to $2,495, based on public course listings on its site as of October 2023. Online or in person, class size caps, location and extras such as practice exams all move the price, so sort the course finder by price before you look at anything else.

The two included test attempts cover most people. If you fail twice, or test after the 90-day window closes, Scrum Alliance charges $25 for each further attempt until you pass.

Then comes the renewal. Every Scrum Alliance certification runs on a two-year cycle from the date you earn it. Renewing CSM costs $100 and 20 Scrum Education Units (SEUs), which you collect from books, webinars, events and similar learning. Ten years of active CSM means the course plus four renewal fees of $100. If it lapses you can still renew later, and the new two-year term starts from the renewal date.

$200 per attempt is the whole bill if you pass first time. Scrum.org says its certificates are lifelong and need no further payments or renewals, so a PSM I earned in 2026 is still valid in 2036 with nothing more to pay. The catch is the retake. Each failed attempt costs another $200, and a password you buy yourself comes with no second try.

Scrum.org's own classes change that maths. Students in an official Scrum.org PSM class get a free password, and if they attempt within 14 days and score below 85%, Scrum.org grants a second attempt at no extra cost. Each trainer sets the class price, so weigh it against $200 plus your own study time before you book.

For someone paying their own way, PSM I is cheaper on day one and stays cheaper, because there is no renewal. CSM only costs you less when your employer pays for the course and the renewals.

A worked example for someone paying for everything and keeping the credential for six years: PSM I passed first time is $200 in total, or twice that with one retake. CSM is the course, at least $250 at the bottom of Scrum Alliance's range, plus two renewals at $100 each to stay active through year six, plus the 40 SEUs those renewals need.

Which one employers ask for

No public body counts how many job postings name CSM against PSM I, and job-board totals change by the hour, so any percentage you see quoted is somebody's snapshot rather than a measured figure. Here is what the issuers themselves say, and how to check your own market in about ten minutes.

Scrum Alliance says certification is not required to get a scrum master job, but that certain employers list CSM in a position's qualifications. Scrum.org's pitch is that PSM I holders share a consistent terminology and approach to Scrum.

Run your own count:

1. Open one job board you would actually apply through and set your city or remote region.
2. Search "scrum master" and read the first 30 postings at your level.
3. Tally each one: CSM only, PSM only, either one or "equivalent", or no certificate named.
4. Repeat for the titles you are really targeting, such as project coordinator or delivery lead.

If the CSM-only pile is large where you live, the course fee buys a keyword the screening software is looking for. If most postings say "or equivalent" or name nothing, PSM I meets the requirement for $200, and the money you keep is better spent on interview preparation or a second credential. How resume screening reads certifications explains why the exact name matters, and how to list certifications on a resume shows how to write the name so either search finds you.

The certificate gets you past the screen. The interview is where you explain how you would handle a stale retrospective or a sprint that is going off track, and the project manager interview questions guide includes Scrum questions such as how you prioritise a backlog.

How hard each test is, and a PSM I plan

PSM I is the harder test on the published numbers. You get 45 seconds per question across 80 questions and can miss only 12. CSM gives you 72 seconds per question across 50 and lets you miss 13, and you sit it straight after a class built on the same learning objectives. Neither Scrum Alliance's CSM page nor Scrum.org's PSM I page publishes a pass rate, so treat any rate you see elsewhere as unofficial.

Answer from the Scrum Guide, not from how your last employer ran Scrum. Where a company habit differs from the Guide, such as a scrum master assigning tasks or a manager running the daily scrum, the test expects the Guide's answer.

A plan that fits the 85% bar:

1. Read the Scrum Guide twice. On the second pass, write one line for each event, artifact and accountability, and note the commitment attached to each artifact: Product Goal, Sprint Goal and Definition of Done.
2. Take Scrum.org's free Scrum Open practice assessment until you score 100% several times running.
3. Do a timed 80-question practice set in one sitting to feel the 45-second pace.
4. Attempt the real test only when you are clearing 90% in practice. The password never expires, so there is no reason to rush, and a miss costs another $200.

If you work full time, three sessions a week is enough structure: one for reading the Guide, one for practice questions, and one for reviewing every question you got wrong and finding the sentence in the Guide that settles it. Keep a running list of those sentences; by the last week it is your revision sheet.

How long to study for PSM I sets out a timeline by hours per week. Skip any site selling "real PSM I questions": those are dumps, and our look at ExamTopics explains why they are a bad bet.

Where SAFe fits

SAFe Scrum Master comes from Scaled Agile and is meant for scrum masters inside companies that run the Scaled Agile Framework across many teams. Scaled Agile's page lists a 45-question, 90-minute exam with an 80% pass mark, says a training course is not required for its proctored exam, and asks for 24 continuing education units in each two-year cycle. Its page did not show an exam price when we checked.

Get it when a posting or your employer names SAFe. For a first Scrum credential, CSM or PSM I comes first, and SAFe can follow once you are on a team that uses it.

Which to pick for your situation

• Paying yourself and happy to study alone: PSM I. It is $200, never needs renewing, and the 85% pass mark is a fair talking point in an interview.
• Employer paying for training: CSM. You get 16 hours with a trainer, two attempts and membership, and the $100 renewal is a normal expense claim.
• A posting you want names CSM only: take CSM, or ask the recruiter whether PSM I is accepted before you spend the course fee.
• Coming from project management: either works. If you are also weighing a PMI credential, read how to get a job after PMP or CAPM entry level jobs.
• Need the credential soon: PSM I, since there is no class date to wait for.

The cost of choosing badly is money and weeks. A failed PSM I attempt is another $200. A CSM course you didn't need is at least $250 by Scrum Alliance's range, plus two or three days of your time. If a PSM I attempt goes wrong, the PSM I retake guide covers what to change before the next one.