Scrum is a software development framework for managing product development that is repetitive, incremental, and quick.
The fundamental scrum principle allows customers to change their minds while products are being developed and encourages them to express their needs.
It is a volatile requirement that can’t satisfy by a conventional approach. Since the problem cannot be understood or solved, scrum takes an empirical approach to the ability of the development team to quickly deliver the product by being receptive to the shifting market conditions and emerging needs and adapting to the changing technology.
Top reasons to become certified in Scrum
Scrum and Agile Training
You should stay familiar with the terms, phrases, systems, and terminologies involved to implement the methodologies safely. A certified scrum master certification helps you understand the various scrum practices. It will have an impact on the team’s and project’s success.
Technical Knowledge
A scrum master typically works with software development teams to develop programs that minimize obstacles, so they must be familiar with the technical terms and procedures used in the process. Knowing how to use tools like Jira and Asana will be especially helpful to the scrum master.
Coaching Skills
The teams who are not familiar with Scrum can learn it from a scrum master with excellent teaching skills. A scrum master’s job is to know what to do, explain how and why to everyone, and coach team members to improve their strengths and weaknesses. To maximize the potential of the team, they collaborate with each member.
Handling Conflicts
A scrum master helps solve team conflicts that the team cannot handle themselves so that the conflicts don’t stop them from making the expected progress. A scrum master is a skilled mediator and helper during negotiations. To resolve these conflicts amicably for all parties involved, they must possess the necessary interpersonal skills.
Leadership
A scrum master must exhibit leadership.
Getting Started as a Scrum Master Without Any Prior Experience (Step by Step)
If a Scrum master position interests you but you do not have previous experience, consider the following steps to help get your first Scrum master role:
Step 1: Scrum Framework Practice in Other Roles
Companies look for Scrum masters who have in-depth scrum knowledge. You can put the Scrum principles into practice in various projects and tasks before applying for your first Scrum master position. While professionals use the concepts in their work, you can plan an event, approach a hobby, renovate your home, and do other things.
Step 2: Create a Professional Network
You can advance your career by attending agile conferences or signing up for an agile group. You would network with other industry experts, and they might share a job opening or give you Scrum career advice.
Step 3: Develop Useful Skills
Stand out from your competitors by expanding your skill set through education, experience, or online courses. Improve your understanding of the Scrum and Agile principles, and your communication and teamwork skills on a personal level. You can enhance your skills to create an impact during interview rounds and perform better when hired. You can develop relevant skills through extracurricular activities or volunteer work.
Step 4: Select Your Scrum Certification
Certification attests to your qualifications and may enable you to apply for more positions. Obtain your certificate to demonstrate your familiarity with Scrum principles after completing training and passing an exam. You can take live online classes to become a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and sit for the CSM exam.
Step 5: Attend a Scrum training session
Register for a Scrum Master training program. There are distinct requirements for different certification options. For instance, Scrum.org mandates that candidates for the PSMI exam complete a Professional Scrum Master course.
Step 6: Register for Your Exam
After giving the necessary study time, you can sit for your exam to demonstrate that you are qualified to be a Scrum master. Several CSM courses offer online let students take the exams twice for the same price.
Step 7: Exam Preparation
Consistently study to achieve high exam scores. You can improve your exam performance by reading through Scrum resources or participating in Scrum training webinars.
Project management, release planning, team building, progress reporting, and scalability are the main Scrum principles to concentrate on. Exams may also include questions about the Scrum framework’s development over time.
Step 8: Take the Exam and Pass It
The certification program you chose to enroll in will determine the precise exam format. The passing range for multiple-choice questions, which you typically have to take, is between 60 and 85%. You will receive a PDF of your Scrum Master certification once you pass the exam.
Step 9: Renew Certifications Every Two Years
Scrum master certifications typically have a two-year expiration date. You should update your certificate. You might need to provide documentation of your “continuing education hours” depending on the course program and organization.
Step 10: Highlight Transferable Skills
After receiving your certification, you should apply for a position as a Scrum master. Make a strong resume by emphasizing your transferable skills or the abilities you gained from your education, past employment, or extracurricular activities that apply to the position you’re applying for. For instance, transferable skills include collaboration, teamwork, communication, and adaptability.
Recommended Read: What Is A Scrum Master? Here’s Everything You Should Know
Popular Scrum Certification 2023
Many organizations offer agile scrum master certification programs to help people excel in project management careers. Attending a reputable Scrum Master certification program is crucial.
CSM (Certified Scrum Master by Scrum Alliance)
The Scrum Master Test serves as a gauge of a person’s comprehension of the various concepts and procedures that make up the overall scrum process. A candidate must enroll in a Customer Scrum Master course from a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and pass the online exam to become certified.
The test lasts an hour, has 50 multiple-choice questions, and costs $29. The required percentage is 74%. An individual has two chances to complete the test. If the person fails more than once, they should pay $25 to retake the test. CSM exam supports languages including English, French, Italian, Danish, Russian, Spanish, and many others. You should apply for recertification every two years after the initial certification.
- Two days of classroom training
- Two days of online virtual classes
- 20 PDUs and SEUs
- two-year Scrum Alliance membership, among other benefits
Professional Scrum Master Certification (PSM)
Another well-known company that offers thorough training, resources, tests, and certifications is Scrum.org. Their goal is to assist the industry in meeting the demands of an ever-more-complex world that depends on ever-more-complex tools and products. They have a sizable global community of more than 325 qualified Scrum Trainers.
Anyone can take the PSM I assessment without any prerequisites. You can choose this assessment if you want to confirm your understanding of the Scrum framework and its application. After passing the test, you will receive your PSM I certification which is recognized in the industry. This certification shows your basic level of Scrum mastery.
The candidates are not required to take a course to take this assessment. So you can choose the PSM test right away. To apply scrum within scrum teams, ensure you understand the Scrum guide and have a high level of scrum knowledge. The assessment exam costs $150 for each attempt. You have 60 minutes to complete the assessment, during which you must answer 80 questions.
There are various answers to these multiple-choice questions. The level of difficulty is intermediate. English is the language of the evaluation. The passwords do not expire after you pay the fee until you try the assessment. PSM training is available to help you prepare for the test.
SAFe Scrum Exam
The Scaled Agile Framework’s certifying body is called Scaled Agile, Inc. (SAFe). Scaled Agile Inc. was founded in 2011, and its goals were to enhance the quality of life for those who create the world’s most crucial systems and the financial performance of the businesses that were creating and relying on them.
They drew on the knowledge bases of Lean, Kanban, Scrum, and Extreme Programming (XP), as well as Don Reinerstsen’s The Principles of Product Development Flow, to bring the ideas behind the Big Picture. Scaled Agile Framework, or SAFe, is a framework that unifies these ideas.
You should have previous experience working in a lean-agile setting. Attending the Leading SAFe training is the first step before taking the exam. You learn about the function of a Scrum Master in a SAFe enterprise during this two-day course. With the help of this Scrum Master certification course, you can examine the Scrum Master’s position within the context of the entire company.
Additionally, you learn how to successfully plan and carry out the Program Increment (PI), which is the key tool for achieving alignment across all levels of a SAFe organization. You go over the essential elements of learning and practice iteration planning.
This online test has multiple-choice and multiple-select options. English is the language of the test. The test takes 90 minutes to complete. You have 45 questions to attempt during this time. For SSM4 the passing score is 73% (33 out of 45), and for SSM5 it is 75% (34 out of 45).
If the exam is taken within 30 days of the course’s completion, it covers the first attempt of the course registration fee. It will cost $50 each time someone needs to retake the test.
PMI-ACP – Agile Certified Practitioner Certification
Another well-known institution and accrediting body are the Project Management Institute. They provide a variety of internationally recognized certifications. They provide certification for PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner).
You must pass the PMI-ACP exam, which consists of 120 multiple-choice questions, to earn the PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification.
You should study hard for the test regardless of your background or education. Successful candidates frequently employ multiple study strategies, such as courses, self-study, and study groups. Acknowledge that you can take the Scrum Master certification exam online whenever and wherever suits you.
The PMI-ACP exam is available in English, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish for study and administration. The Exam Content Outline and Informational Presentation are available for download in the language of your choice.
There are 120 multiple-choice questions on the PMI-ACP exam. Twenty of these 120 questions are pretest questions. This indicates that the 20 questions’ answers have no bearing on your final grade. These are for upcoming validation needs. The exam’s questions are distributed at random throughout.
This is a three-hour computer-based exam. Therefore, you have three hours to complete 120 multiple-choice questions. There are no scheduled breaks during this time frame. The timer doesn’t stop if you need it, but you can have it if you want.
Fees for the PMI-ACP Exam are subject to your PMI membership. The fee for a Computer based test is $435 for PMI members and $495 for Non-PMI members. Please be aware that the PMI membership rate will only be applicable if you are a current member of PMI when you submit your payment for the certification. Be sure to get your membership email when you apply for membership right before applying for the credential so that you can pay for the credential.
You should ensure that your PMI-ACP training provides you with 21 contact hours (PDUs) that can satisfy the PMI-ACP Exam requirements. To choose the best training provider and format, you can also consider the efficacy of the training, the trainers’ expertise, the course material, practice exams, etc. The training should cover every aspect of the Standard, and that is the most crucial thing to check when making a decision.
Disciplined Agile Scrum Master Training Certification
Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) is the course for you if you’re looking for a way to get rid of frameworks and develop the best way of working (WoW) for you and your team. With the Disciplined Agile toolkit, you can create strategies to enhance your team’s performance and processes.
This course will give you all the knowledge, abilities, and tactics you need to begin using Disciplined Agile, including live interactive sessions, activities, animations, supplemental reading, and more. In just two days, you’ll learn how to create high-performance teams, practice using the toolkit to solve issues, and become familiar with the fundamental agile and lean practices that DA supports.
Your proficiency as a Scrum expert is recognized by the designation of “Disciplined Agile Scrum Master,” which is given by PMI to practitioners who successfully complete the DASM certification training and show their comprehension by passing the exam. KnowledgeHut is a PMI® Premier Authorized Training Partner (ATP) and a Disciplined Agile Partner.
Receive instruction from a Disciplined Agile Partner and PMI® Premier Authorized Training Partner (ATP). Enroll in the two-day course, then finish it. After completing the training you receive the eligibility code from PMI, and arrange to take your certification exam at a Pearson VUE testing facility or online using the proctored testing solution.
Take the 90-minute, closed-book, multiple-choice exam and score at least 70% to pass (35 out of 50 questions right). You are given the title of Disciplined Agile Scrum Master after passing the exam.
Certified Agile Essentials
Any development project where decisions and requirements are fluid and subject to change benefits from the use of the agile methodology. Having a backup strategy is wise in case something goes wrong. Agile approach, fundamental concepts, and understanding are all well-covered in iSQI® Certified Agile Essentials.
The course is instructed by certified Agile experts who will help you fully comprehend the Essentials Exam. Eight sections make up the course material, which walks participants through each stage of an agile project’s lifecycle, from release planning and user stories to iteration review (showcase) and retrospective.
Participants should be familiar with the IT fundamentals and have some prior experience working with IT Teams. After passing the Certified Agile Essentials Exam, participants will receive the certification.
The iSQI® Certified Agile Essentials exam is available as an E-Exam in more than 5,000 Pearson VUE locations, as a FLEX, SMEX, or paper-based exam following training or during regularly scheduled public examinations.
The exam consists of 40 questions that you’re supposed to answer in 60 minutes (a 25% time extension is available upon request for non-native speakers). A score of at least 65% is necessary. We have an option of multiple choice questions.
Certified Professional Automation Agile Testing Training
The CP-AAT (Certified Professional-Automation Agile Testing) certification comes after the CP-BAT certification and prepares you to use automation in an Agile project. This program offers dual accreditation from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the Agile Testing Alliance (UTM). Fulfill the requirements of an agile environment while ensuring more precise results.
The role of a tester in planning and strategizing for Test Automation in an Agile project is described in this course material. You will discover how to handle problems that could occur in the real world when using automation strategies in a testing environment through the case study as an example.
When implementing an Agile test-first strategy to improve project quality, you will comprehend the cost-benefit analysis, the approaches used, and the opportunities and risks that may result.
Participants must be eligible for CP-AAT or have more than two years of experience in agile to enroll in this course. You are eligible for this course if you’ve completed the CP-MAT and have one year of work experience.
The courses are offered online as live, interactive, trainer-led sessions where you will learn directly from the trainer with opportunities to discuss and clear doubts. Our instructors are trainers with experience working with Agile and testing. They will also provide you with hands-on experience and will be able to gain practical knowledge.
Scrum with Atlassian JIRA Training
Atlassian with Agile Scrum Jira is a thorough online course that will teach you how to use all the Jira tools that can support your Scrum projects. You will learn about the framework, responsibilities, and artifacts during this two-day course.
You will learn how to use Jira in practical situations through hands-on exercises. You’ll discover how Jira helps with Backlog Management, Sprint Management, Agile Burndown charts, Kanban board configuration, and other Agile techniques.
It is two days of training where you will develop mastery of Agile and Scrum principles. You will receive a course completion certification.
The course on Agile Scrum with Atlassian Jira will teach you the following things:
- Recognize the Scrum framework, Scrum events, ceremonies, artifacts, and their real-world applications
- Making Jira Scrum projects
- How to set up an Agile board and a Scrum board with JIIRA.
- Create and work with backlogs, sprints, and epics on a Scrum board
- Making a Jira configuration for a Kanban board
The instructors of this course are subject-matter experts and instructors who also hold Agile certifications and work for organizations that actively practice Agile.
SAFe® 5 Agile Software Engineering Certification
Learn how to use the SAFe® Continuous Delivery Pipeline and become an expert in the fundamental ideas and methods of the Agile Software Engineering field. Discover how cutting-edge methodologies like XP, Behavioural-Driven Development, and Test-Driven Development promote continuous value delivery and built-in quality.
You will develop the competency to apply Lean-Agile principles to optimize the flow of value using Test-First principles, Agile modeling, and Behavior-Driven Development in this three-day interactive course filled with fun real-world simulations and activities.
Scaled Agile, Inc. grants the title of Certified SAFe® 5 Agile Software Engineer to practitioners who complete a three-day training led by a SAFe® Program Consultant and prove their understanding by passing the SAFe® Agile Software Engineer certification exam. Scaled Agile, Inc. is the registered owner of the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®), Certified SAFe® 5 Agile Software Engineer, and SAFe® 5 Agile Software Engineering marks.
Attend three days of training led by a Scaled Agile Program Consultant (SPC) who is also an experienced practitioner, and get trained by a Scaled Agile authorized training partner. After completing the two days of training you will receive information on the exam and your login credentials directly from Scaled Agile.
Use your login information to access the two-hour, 60 MCQ, and multi-select web exam, which is closed-book. To pass the SAFe 4 Agile Software Engineer or SAFe 5 Agile Software Engineer exam, you should pass the test and correctly answer 42 out of 60 questions.
After passing the exam, you can call yourself a Certified SAFe 5 Agile Software Engineer. Within 5-7 working days, you will receive your SAFe 5 Agile Software Engineer PDF Certificate and Digital Badge.
There aren’t any requirements to take the course. While prior knowledge of SAFe for Teams and experience in engineering, development, managing development, or quality assurance are strongly advised to get the most out of the course, these two requirements are also necessary to take the exam.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored the popular Scrum Master certification programs. You can validate your knowledge and abilities by earning the appropriate certification through one of these Scrum Master certification options.
Additionally, you receive a thorough practical understanding that gives you the groundwork needed to fulfill the role of Scrum Master and contribute significantly to the success of your organization.
The Scrum Master Certifications also improve job prospects and career growth for Scrum Masters. You can advance your role as a Scrum Master using the tracks provided by any Scrum Master Certification.
We hope that by providing you with these options, you will be able to understand the various Scrum Master Certification options available to you as you pursue a career as a Scrum Master.
