The Scrum Alliance has upped the game for becoming a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). In a recent news release from The Scrum Alliance, the pass/fail test has finally been introduced. Proponents of the change believe that this is a positive step towards adding credibility to the CSM certification.
In the past, the CSM was awarded after taking the two-day course and completing the CSM assessment. While this assessment looked and felt a lot like a test, it was not. The assessment was used to ultimately develop the test that was released on September 1.
New candidates taking the exam will have to pass the 35-question exam with a score of 24 or higher. Access to the exam, along with a two-year membership in The Scrum Alliance, is included as part of an approved CSM course offering. Candidates will have two chances to pass the exam within a 90-day period following their CSM course to become certified. Third and subsequent attempts will cost $25 and must be paid by the candidate.
According to The Scrum Alliance, this was the next step in the natural progression and evolution of the CSM program. “This new process enhances the significance of our Certified ScrumMaster certificate. We believe this is critical given the increasing expectations of students who are committed to Scrum as well as employers who hire Scrum practitioners,” said Carol McEwan, Managing Director of The Scrum Alliance.
And, as you might expect, an Agile approach was taken in developing this new requirement. “The decision to change our designation process was a very careful one. In the spirit of Scrum, we used an approach of inspect and adapt, testing and analyzing multiple options before finalizing the new pass/fail process,” said McEwan. “We look forward to rolling this new process out to benefit the Scrum community.”
The first step to become a Certified ScrumMaster is to attend a two-day course from a registered education provider (REP) approved by The Scrum Alliance. In addition, to offer the CSM course, only a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) is eligible to teach the course. The BrainTrust Consulting Group meets both requirements – we are accredited by The Scrum Alliance and we have two CSTs on staff to deliver these courses.
Interested in attending? Our upcoming schedule for CSM course offerings is on the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) page. At Braintrust, we also offer individual coaching. Click on the Contact page to hear from one of our product specialists.
