Professional Agile Leadership I (PAL I) certification
PAL I is Scrum.org’s Professional Agile Leadership I certification for managers and leaders of agile teams. The exam has 36 questions in 60 minutes, you need 85% to pass, and one attempt costs US$200. No course is required, it is taken online, and the cert is for life with no renewal fee.
- Certification
- Professional Agile Leadership I (PAL I), issued by Scrum.orgScrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Cost
- US$200 per attempt (taxes may apply)Scrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Questions
- 36 — multiple choice, multiple answer, true/falseScrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Time limit
- 60 minutesScrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Passing score
- 85%Scrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Delivery
- Online, anywhere; no testing centers; EnglishScrum.org PAL I page and support center, checked 10 October 2026
- Prerequisites
- None — course attendance is not requiredScrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Validity
- Lifetime, no annual renewal feeScrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026
- Holders
- 21,458 PAL I certifications (data updated 1 October 2026)Scrum.org certified count, checked 10 October 2026
Know if you're ready for PAL I — before you book.
Certsqill measures your PAL I readiness across every official exam domain — one 0–100 score from coverage, accuracy and consistency that tells you whether to book, keep studying, or sit.
Why people switch to Certsqill
Everything you need to walk in ready
Know where you stand, understand every mistake, and study in your language — one payment, no subscription.
Your PAL I Readiness Score, not a guess
One number from three signals — coverage, accuracy, and consistency — tells you whether to book the exam or keep studying.
Understand every PAL I mistake
When you miss a question, it explains why — using your own answer history to catch the patterns you keep repeating. Included, no subscription.
Explanations in your language, questions stay exam-accurate
Get every explanation in your language while the questions stay in exam-accurate English. Technical terms stay in English — the way the exam writes them.
Everything you need to pass
Why you can trust these PAL I questions
What is the Professional Agile Leadership certification?
Professional Agile Leadership I, usually shortened to PAL I, is a Scrum.org cert aimed at managers, executives and anyone who leads agile teams without necessarily being on one. Scrum.org says it validates that you are a leader who understands the value agile can bring to a business, and that it demonstrates why leadership support of agile teams is essential to organisational agility.
It is not a Scrum Master or Product Owner credential. Where PSM I and PSPO I test the roles inside a Scrum Team, PAL I tests the environment around the team: how leaders support self-managing teams, how they measure value, and how organisations change their structures to let agility work.
Scrum.org reports 21,458 PAL I certifications as of 1 October 2026 — far fewer than the 775,260 PSM I certifications on the same count.
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Scrum certified count. Checked 10 October 2026.
How much does the PAL I certification cost?
One PAL I attempt costs US$200, a one-time payment; Scrum.org notes that additional taxes may apply at checkout. You buy a password, and each password is valid for one attempt only. Passwords do not expire, so you can buy one now and sit the exam when you are ready.
There is no renewal fee. Scrum.org states that PAL I is a lifetime certification with no annual renewal fee, and a Credly digital credential is included.
If you take the Professional Agile Leadership Essentials course, a free attempt is included (see below). Scrum.org does not publish a course price on the PAL-E course page.
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
PAL I exam format: questions, time limit and passing score
The PAL I exam has 36 questions and a 60-minute time limit, so you have about a minute and forty seconds per question. Question types are multiple choice, multiple answer and true/false. The exam is in English; Scrum.org notes that candidates commonly use the Google Translate browser plugin but does not guarantee its quality.
The passing score is 85%. On 36 questions that leaves little room for error, so the high bar, rather than the length, is what makes PAL I demanding.
Scrum.org has no testing centers. Its professional-level assessments are taken online, anywhere in the world, once you have your password.
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
What is on the PAL I exam?
Scrum.org maps PAL I to five focus areas from its Professional Scrum Competencies. It does not publish a weighting, but the leadership areas — developing people and teams and evolving the agile organisation — are what set this exam apart from Scrum Master and Product Owner assessments.
- Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework — empiricism, Scrum Values, Scrum Team, events
- Developing People and Teams — self-managing teams, facilitation, leadership styles
- Managing Products with Agility — forecasting and release planning, product value, stakeholders and customers
- Developing and Delivering Products Professionally — emergent software development
- Evolving the Agile Organization — organisational design and culture, Evidence-Based Management
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
Professional Agile Leadership Essentials (PAL-E) training course
The course Scrum.org pairs with PAL I is Professional Agile Leadership Essentials (PAL-E), a live, instructor-led two-day class held in person or as a live virtual class, which may be split into more, shorter days. It is aimed at managers and leaders who introduce agile methods, including sponsors of agile transformations and managers of Scrum Team members.
Scrum.org stresses that PAL-E is not an introduction to the Scrum framework, so come with Scrum basics. Attendance earns 14 PMI PDUs.
Every participant gets a free PAL I password. If you use it within 14 days and score below 85%, Scrum.org grants a second attempt at no additional cost. The course is optional: Scrum.org states that attendance is not a prerequisite for the exam. The PAL I page also lists Leading Agile Teams, a self-paced course, as a recommended option.
Source: Scrum.org — Professional Agile Leadership Essentials (PAL-E) course. Checked 10 October 2026.
How to pass the PAL I exam
Start with the Scrum Guide, then go beyond it. Scrum.org’s own preparation advice says that reading the Scrum Guide alone is not enough to pass a Professional Scrum assessment, because questions ask you to apply concepts to situations. For PAL I that means thinking as a leader: what would you change in the organisation so a team can self-manage?
Pay particular attention to Evidence-Based Management, named in the focus areas. Scrum.org publishes an Evidence-Based Management Guide, and questions about measuring value and setting goals sit naturally in a leadership exam.
Scrum.org’s Standard of Conduct allows paper copies of reference material during the assessment, but not consulting other people and not using AI tools. With 60 minutes for 36 questions, reference material is for checking a detail, not for looking up every answer.
Source: Scrum.org — Standard of Conduct for Assessments. Checked 10 October 2026.
PAL I practice test: the Agile Leadership Open
Scrum.org offers a free practice assessment, the Agile Leadership Open. It has 15 questions randomly selected from a larger pool, includes no certification, and Scrum.org calls it just one tool to use when preparing for PAL I.
Scrum.org describes its open assessments as study tools that are easier than the professional assessments, so a perfect score on the open does not mean you are ready for an 85% pass mark on the real exam.
Avoid any source that claims to offer real PAL I questions. Scrum.org’s Standard of Conduct requires that you have not received any answers in advance and that you do not share assessment materials, and it warns that breaches may lead to certifications being revoked and your Scrum.org account being disabled.
Source: Scrum.org — Agile Leadership Open. Checked 10 October 2026.
Can I retake the PAL I exam?
Yes. Scrum.org sets no limit on the number of attempts and no waiting period between them. Each attempt needs its own password, so every retake costs another US$200 — except the free second attempt for course participants who used their course password within 14 days.
Source: Scrum.org — How many times can I take a professional-level assessment?. Checked 10 October 2026.
PAL I vs PAL-EBM
PAL-EBM, Professional Agile Leadership – Evidence-Based Management, is the companion cert focused on measuring value and managing empirically. It has 40 questions in 60 minutes, the same 85% passing score and the same US$200 price, and it is also a lifetime cert.
PAL I covers the leadership role in agile organisations broadly; PAL-EBM goes deep on one part of it. Scrum.org reports 5,643 PAL-EBM certifications against 21,458 for PAL I as of 1 October 2026.
Source: Scrum.org — PAL-EBM certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
PAL I practice questions
Certsqill’s PAL I practice questions come with an explanation for every answer option and a readiness score per focus area, so you can see whether you are near the 85% mark before you buy a password.
PAL I questions people ask
What is the Professional Agile Leadership certification?
Professional Agile Leadership I (PAL I) is a Scrum.org cert for managers and leaders of agile teams. Source: Scrum.org, checked 10 October 2026.
How much does the PAL I exam cost?
US$200 per attempt; taxes may apply. Passwords do not expire but cover one attempt. Source: Scrum.org, checked 10 October 2026.
How many questions are on the PAL I exam?
36 questions — multiple choice, multiple answer and true/false — in 60 minutes. Source: Scrum.org, checked 10 October 2026.
What is the PAL I passing score?
85%. Source: Scrum.org PAL I page, checked 10 October 2026.
Do I need a course to take PAL I?
No. Scrum.org states that course attendance is not a prerequisite; the PAL-E course includes a free attempt. Source: Scrum.org, checked 10 October 2026.
Is the PAL I exam online?
Yes. Scrum.org has no testing centers; professional-level assessments are taken online anywhere. Source: Scrum.org support, checked 10 October 2026.
Does the PAL I certification expire?
No. Scrum.org calls it a lifetime certification with no annual renewal fee. Source: Scrum.org, checked 10 October 2026.
Is there a free PAL I practice test?
Yes — the Agile Leadership Open on Scrum.org, 15 questions from a larger pool, free and without certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
How many times can I take the PAL I exam?
As often as you like, with no waiting period; each attempt needs a new password. Source: Scrum.org support, checked 10 October 2026.
