Certified ScrumMaster certification: cost, test and renewal
CSM, the Certified ScrumMaster, is Scrum Alliance’s entry-level scrum master certification. You take a 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer, then a 50-question multiple-choice test in one hour; 37 correct answers pass. Courses cost $250–$2,495 USD depending on the trainer, include two test attempts, and the certification renews every two years with 20 SEUs and a $100 fee.
- Certification
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), issued by Scrum AllianceScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Required course
- 16 hours, usually over 2–3 days, taught by a Certified Scrum TrainerScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Certified ScrumMaster cost
- $250–$2,495 USD course fee, set by the trainer; includes two test attemptsScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Questions
- 50, multiple choiceScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Time limit
- One hourScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Passing score
- 37 of 50 correctScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Test window
- 90 days and two attempts after the courseScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Course delivery
- Online or in person — a factor in the priceScrum Alliance CSM page, checked 8 October 2026
- Renewal
- Every 2 years — 20 SEUs and a $100 feeScrum Alliance certification renewal page, checked 8 October 2026
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What is the Certified ScrumMaster certification?
The Certified ScrumMaster, CSM for short, is the scrum master certification of Scrum Alliance. Scrum Alliance describes it as an introductory course covering the scrum framework — team accountabilities, events and artifacts — together with the agile principles and values that support scrum.
What sets CSM apart from most certifications is that it is course-based. You cannot simply book the test: the course is taught by Certified Scrum Trainers, and you get access to the required test only after completing it. The certification is the course plus the test, not the test alone.
In Scrum Alliance’s scrum master track, CSM is the first step. Above it sit the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster and the Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM), which Scrum Alliance positions as the route for people who want to prove advanced proficiency or become a trainer or agile coach.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
How much does the Certified ScrumMaster certification cost?
There is no single CSM price because the trainer sets it. Scrum Alliance states a price range of $250 to $2,495 USD for the course and explains that prices vary by region, format — online versus in person — and other market factors.
The course fee is the main cost, and it includes two test attempts. There is no separate exam voucher to buy on top, which is the opposite of most certifications, where the exam fee is the price and training is optional.
The recurring cost comes later: renewal every two years costs $100 for foundational certifications such as CSM, plus 20 Scrum Education Units (SEUs). Budget CSM as a course fee now and $100 every two years after that.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
What is the CSM test format?
The CSM test consists of 50 multiple-choice questions and must be completed in one hour. That gives you a little over a minute per question.
You take the test after the course. Scrum Alliance gives you 90 days and two attempts from the end of the course to pass, and both attempts are included in the course fee. If you let the 90 days run out, the included attempts go with them.
The course itself is 16 hours of training, with most classes spread over two to three days, and is delivered either online or in person depending on the trainer.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
CSM passing score
Scrum Alliance publishes the pass mark: you must correctly answer 37 of the 50 questions to pass the test and receive the certification. That is 74% — and unlike scaled scores on many vendor exams, it is a straight count of correct answers.
For preparation, that is a concrete target. You can afford to miss 13 questions and no more, so the goal is not to know scrum in general but to know the exact accountabilities, events and artifacts well enough that wording does not trip you on more than a quarter of the paper.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
What is on the CSM test?
Scrum Alliance describes the CSM course content as the scrum framework — team accountabilities, events and artifacts — plus the agile principles and values that support scrum. The test is tied to that course content.
Scrum Alliance does not publish a domain weighting for the CSM test on the certification page. So there is no official percentage split to plan by; the practical approach is to make sure every accountability, every event and every artifact can be explained and distinguished from its neighbours, because the test draws on all of them.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
Certified ScrumMaster requirements
The one hard requirement Scrum Alliance states is the course: you must complete the 16-hour CSM course with a Certified Scrum Trainer before you get access to the test. Scrum Alliance does not list a degree, prior certification or minimum years of experience as a condition on the CSM page.
The timing is the other requirement in practice. The test has to be passed within 90 days of finishing the course, using the two included attempts. Plan the course for a period when you can sit the test soon afterwards, while the material is fresh.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
How long is the Certified ScrumMaster valid?
Every Scrum Alliance certification runs on a two-year renewal cycle from the date you earn it. For CSM, renewal requires 20 SEUs and a $100 fee.
SEUs — Scrum Education Units — are earned through learning activities over the two years. Scrum Alliance’s CSM page states plainly that SEUs are required for certification renewal every two years, so passing the test is the start of the obligation, not the end.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certification renewal. Checked 8 October 2026.
CSM study materials and training
For CSM, the official training is the certification course itself: 16 hours with a Certified Scrum Trainer. Because the trainer sets price, format and schedule, compare trainers on delivery mode and timing as well as cost.
Scrum Alliance’s own CSM page is the reference for the rules — the 50-question test, the one-hour limit, the 37-of-50 pass mark and the 90-day window. Check any third-party summary against it before you rely on a number.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 8 October 2026.
CSM vs PSM I
CSM and PSM I are the two most common scrum master certifications, and they come from different organisations: CSM from Scrum Alliance, PSM I from Scrum.org. The structural difference is the course. CSM requires a 16-hour course before the test; for PSM I, Scrum.org states that course attendance is not a prerequisite, although it is strongly recommended.
The tests differ too. CSM: 50 questions in one hour, 37 correct to pass. PSM I: 80 questions in 60 minutes, 85% to pass. On cost, CSM is a course fee of $250–$2,495 USD that includes two attempts; PSM I is $200 USD per attempt.
And on upkeep: CSM renews every two years with 20 SEUs and $100, while Scrum.org describes PSM I as a lifetime certification with no annual renewal fee.
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Scrum Master I. Checked 8 October 2026.
CSM practice questions
Certsqill’s CSM practice questions carry an explanation for every option — useful on a test where 37 of 50 is the line and a misread accountability or event costs a mark you cannot spare.
CSM questions people ask
What is the Certified ScrumMaster certification?
CSM is Scrum Alliance’s entry-level scrum master certification: a 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer followed by a test. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 8 October 2026.
How much does the CSM certification cost?
$250–$2,495 USD for the course, set by the trainer; the fee includes two test attempts. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 8 October 2026.
How many questions are on the CSM test?
50 multiple-choice questions, to be completed in one hour. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 8 October 2026.
What is the CSM passing score?
37 of 50 questions correct. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 8 October 2026.
Can I take the CSM test without the course?
No. Scrum Alliance gives access to the required test only after you complete the course. Checked 8 October 2026.
How long do I have to pass the CSM test?
90 days and two attempts after the course. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 8 October 2026.
Does the CSM certification expire?
It renews every two years: 20 SEUs and a $100 fee. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 8 October 2026.
Is the CSM course online?
It can be online or in person; Scrum Alliance lists delivery method as one factor in the price. Checked 8 October 2026.
CSM or PSM I?
CSM requires a course and renews every two years; PSM I needs no course, costs $200 USD per attempt and is a lifetime certification. Sources: Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org, checked 8 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master: what is it, and who issues it?
In one line: a Certified Scrum Master is someone who has completed Scrum Alliance’s CSM course with a Certified Scrum Trainer and passed its test. The Certified Scrum Master definition is narrower than the job title — the job is scrum master; the credential is the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) from Scrum Alliance.
So the Certified Scrum Master meaning on a CV is specific: this person has learned the scrum framework — team accountabilities, events and artifacts — and the agile principles behind it, and has shown it on Scrum Alliance’s test. The full form is “Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Scrum Alliance certification”, with the date it was earned.
Employers asking for an agile Certified Scrum Master usually mean exactly this credential: scrum is one agile framework, and the course pairs it with the agile principles and values that support it. When a job ad asks for a scrum CSM certification, it means this Scrum Alliance credential.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
What is a CSM certification, and what is it not?
A CSM certification is proof of training and a passed test, not proof of experience. Scrum Alliance says so itself: certification is not required to get a job as a scrum master, but certain employers ask for the CSM as part of a position’s qualifications. The CSM certification meaning, then, is “knows scrum”, not “has run teams with it”.
It is also not issued by every organisation that uses the words. There is no Scrum.org CSM certification, nor a Scrum.org Certified Scrum Master title: Scrum.org’s scrum master credential is Professional Scrum Master (PSM I), a separate assessment with its own rules, compared in the CSM vs PSM certification section above.
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Scrum Master I. Checked 8 October 2026.
PMI and SAFe: no Certified Scrum Master there either
There is no PMI Certified Scrum Master. PMI’s Disciplined Agile certifications page lists its own scrum credentials — Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) and Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) — alongside PMI-ACP and others. None of them is the CSM.
Likewise, there is no SAFe Certified Scrum Master. In the Scaled Agile Framework the scrum master credential is the Certified AI-Empowered SAFe Scrum Master (SSM), which Scaled Agile describes as an update of the SAFe 6 SSM. It is a different certification from a different body; holding one does not give you the other.
Source: Scaled Agile — AI-Empowered SAFe Scrum Master FAQs. Checked 9 October 2026.
How to become a Certified Scrum Master: the practical CSM certification route
How to get CSM certification comes down to four steps, all set by Scrum Alliance:
- Choose a course with a Certified Scrum Trainer — online or in person — and book it. The trainer sets the price.
- Complete the 16 hours of training. Only then do you get access to the test.
- Pass the test within 90 days, using the two attempts included in the course fee.
- Receive your badge and membership, then earn 20 SEUs and renew every two years.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Do you need experience to become a Certified Scrum Master?
No. If you are wondering how to be Certified Scrum Master qualified without experience, Scrum Alliance’s answer is that you can pursue scrum master openings even if you have never worked as one, and that many scrum masters gain experience on the job. The course and test are the whole of how to get Certified Scrum Master certification at this level.
Experience only becomes a requirement further up the track — which is where the A-CSM and CSP-SM come in.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Preparing for the Certified Scrum Master test
The Certified ScrumMaster test is an online multiple-choice test taken after the course. Because the CSM certification exam has 50 questions in one hour, you have a little over a minute per question — enough to read carefully, not enough to work everything out from first principles.
Most marks on a CSM certification test are lost to near-misses: confusing which accountability owns a decision, or what an event is for. Before the Certified Scrum Master exam, make sure you can explain each accountability, event and artifact in your own words and say how it differs from its neighbours. If your course included practice exams — Scrum Alliance mentions them as an extra some trainers provide — use them under time pressure.
Plan the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) test soon after the course. The 90-day window and the two included attempts run from the course date.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master practice exam and practice test
Scrum Alliance does not publish an official Certified Scrum Master practice exam on its CSM page; it lists practice exams only as something some courses include. Ask your trainer whether yours does.
A Certified Scrum Master practice test from Certsqill carries expert-developed questions with an explanation for every answer option and a readiness score per domain, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master jobs and what a CSM does
What does a Certified Scrum Master do? Scrum Alliance’s answer: as a CSM you can work on a scrum team as its scrum master or as another type of team member. A scrum master — certified or not — coaches the team to use scrum effectively, leading by supporting the team, facilitating, managing impediments and teaching.
For Certified Scrum Master jobs, the credential is a door-opener rather than a guarantee: Scrum Alliance says certification is not required for a scrum master job, but certain employers ask for the CSM. Many people use it as a stepping stone into roles where they can build scrum master experience.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master salary
Scrum Alliance’s CSM page gives no Certified Scrum Master salary figures, and no official source we can cite publishes one. This page therefore puts no number on it. Treat CSM certification salary claims elsewhere as unsourced unless they name their data and its date.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is Certified Scrum Master worth it?
Scrum Alliance argues it is, because you receive a badge and membership on passing and many people use it as a stepping stone into new roles. The honest test is your situation. It is worth it if the jobs you want list the CSM scrum certification by name, or if you are moving into a scrum team and want a structured, trainer-led start.
It is less compelling if you already have years of scrum master experience and an employer who does not ask for it — then the advanced levels say more. And remember the running cost: renewal every two years with 20 SEUs and $100.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Beyond CSM: the Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM) certification
The Certified Scrum Master requirements are minimal; the advanced levels add experience. The advanced CSM certification, A-CSM, requires a Certified ScrumMaster certification (active or expired), 12 months of work experience as a scrum master within the last five years, and successful completion of an approved A-CSM course, including any pre- or post-course work. Scrum Alliance calls it the next level in the career path.
The top of the track is the Certified Scrum Professional-ScrumMaster (CSP-SM), which Scrum Alliance calls the highest level of its scrum master track. It requires the A-CSM and at least 24 months of scrum master experience recorded in your Scrum Alliance profile, and Scrum Alliance positions it for people who want to become a trainer or agile coach.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Advanced Certified ScrumMaster. Checked 9 October 2026.
Using the Certified Scrum Master logo and badge
What you display after passing is your digital badge, which carries the Scrum Alliance logo. Scrum Alliance’s Help Center explains two ways to show it on LinkedIn: share it directly from the badge platform, or add it manually under Licenses & Certifications with the name Certified ScrumMaster®, Scrum Alliance selected as the issuing organization so its logo displays, and your badge URL as the credential URL.
For an email signature, the Help Center describes downloading an image of your badge (.jpeg or .png), inserting it into the signature and hyperlinking it to your badge URL. The link matters: it lets anyone confirm the certification rather than just see a logo.
Source: Scrum Alliance Help Center — How to add a digital badge to LinkedIn. Checked 9 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master renewal: expiry, lapses and higher levels
The basics of Scrum Alliance CSM certification renewal are on the main page above: every two years, 20 SEUs and $100. Three details are worth knowing on top. First, a lapse is recoverable — you can renew after expiry, and the certification is then valid for two years from the renewal date.
Second, if a certification expires and is not renewed, Scrum Alliance says you keep access to member benefits for 90 days. Third, Certified Scrum Master renewal gets simpler as you climb: renewing your highest-level certification automatically renews all your other certifications for two years.
Source: Scrum Alliance — Certification renewal. Checked 9 October 2026.
More CSM questions
What is Certified Scrum Master training actually testing?
Knowledge of the scrum framework — team accountabilities, events and artifacts — and the agile principles that support it. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 9 October 2026.
What is the CSM certification’s full name?
Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) by Scrum Alliance, written with the ® mark. Searches often write it as Certified Scrum Master from Scrum Alliance; it is the same credential.
Is the Scrum Alliance CSM certification the same as the Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master certification?
Yes. CSM is the abbreviation of Certified ScrumMaster, the Scrum Alliance credential.
What are the Certified Scrum Master prerequisites?
Completion of the 16-hour course with a Certified Scrum Trainer. Scrum Alliance lists no degree or experience requirement for CSM. Checked 9 October 2026.
Do CSM certification prerequisites include experience?
No. Experience is required only from the A-CSM upwards: 12 months for A-CSM, 24 months for CSP-SM. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 9 October 2026.
What do I need for the Advanced Certified Scrum Master?
A CSM (active or expired), 12 months of scrum master work experience within the last five years, and an approved A-CSM course. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 9 October 2026.
Is there a Certified Scrum Master Professional level?
The professional level is called Certified Scrum Professional-ScrumMaster (CSP-SM), the highest level of Scrum Alliance’s scrum master track. Checked 9 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master vs Certified Scrum Professional: what is the difference?
CSM is the entry level and needs no experience; CSP-SM requires the A-CSM and 24 months of scrum master experience. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 9 October 2026.
Certified Scrum Master vs Professional Scrum Master: which renews?
CSM renews every two years with 20 SEUs and $100; Scrum.org describes PSM I as a lifetime certification with no annual renewal fee. Checked 8–9 October 2026.
PSM vs CSM certification: which do employers ask for?
Scrum Alliance says certain employers ask for the CSM; neither body publishes comparative hiring data, so check the job ads in your field.
Are the CSM certification requirements the same at every level?
No. CSM needs only the course and test; the advanced and professional levels add experience and further courses. Source: Scrum Alliance, checked 9 October 2026.
Is Certified Scrum Master training issued by PMI?
No. CSM is a Scrum Alliance credential. PMI’s scrum credentials are DASM and DASSM. Source: PMI, checked 9 October 2026.
