The Scrum Master role is ever evolving, and an influx of Scrum jobs is expected over the next few years. Here’s a look at how you can evolve as a Scrum Master.
Mentor
Becoming a mentor is the natural evolution of a Scrum Master. After all, helping team members understand the workings of Scrum is the USP of a Scrum Master’s role.
As a mentor, the Scrum Master likes to share Agile experience and ideas with team members and encourages them to enforce the same. Mentors are always focussed on the process the team follows. They are mainly responsible for providing knowledge and psychological support to team members who are facing challenges in agile adoption and processes.
This role is appropriate for those who are more interested in knowing the product at the end of the project, rather than the process of product development. Being a Product Owner, professionals act as a link between stakeholders, the Customers, and the Scrum team. To get more familiar with this role, you can get certified as a PSPO and work as a full time Product Owner.
The main responsibility of an Agile Coach is to facilitate the Agile and Scrum implementation in the organization and lead the transformation at an enterprise level. As an Agile Coach, Scrum Masters go beyond the team level and guide several teams, and departments at the organization level in the successful adoption of Scrum.
Becoming an Agile Coach is easier if the professional has working experience as a Scrum Master or Product Owner or has been part of the Development team implementing Scrum. The other option is to get certified as an Agile Coach by undergoing training and gaining the relevant certifications.
The Scrum Master can be thought of as being a manager of the process rather than being a manager of the people. The Manager plays a crucial role in the team’s success--by sharing the same goal and addressing any obstacles that may hinder the progress of the team. As a Manager, the Scrum Master ensures that a high-quality end-product is delivered in time, while agile practices of collaboration and self-organization are followed.
The Scrum Master role differs from the Project Manager role, although they may be identical in many aspects. The Project Manager manages teams and projects using several approaches that may range from the traditional Waterfall model to Adaptive Agile models. On the other hand, Scrum Masters follow Scrum & Agile practices and ensure that they are practiced and followed by the team too.
Product development today is all about fast deliveries, quick responses, cost optimization and quality end products—parameters that Scrum promises to deliver. Scrum is hence the new age product development gospel that every competitive organization is keen to embrace. Which is why they need certified and experienced professionals who understand the framework and have the expertise to leverage it for the enterprise.
A Professional Scrum Master™ is one such individual who knows how to manage the workflow effectively, create motivated and intelligent teams, and handle complex tasks while ensuring a collaborative project environment that promotes productivity and maximizes business value. In other words a Professional Scrum Master™ is a value enabler in Scrum teams and a critical contributor who ensures project success in high-performing Scrum teams.
A PSM certification validates the holder’s knowledge of Agile and Scrum practices and makes them industry-ready. The PSM Certification is a well-recognized credential applicable across sectors and industries and highly valued in the Scrum community. A successful PSM has a holistic understanding of the Agile software development methodologies and unmatched expertise on Scrum and its applications. The globally-acclaimed PSM certification not only betters your perception of servant leadership but also helps you serve your team in an efficient manner.
A PSM certification takes your career to new heights and makes you an expert in applying Scrum principles effectively in your real-time projects. The chart below is an indication of the growth and popularity of the PSM certification and career prospects.
Disclaimer: All figures and statistics in this document were updated in September 2019. Current figures may have changed.
Reap the rewards of a PSM certification at an individual and an organizational level today!
Forbes recently compiled a list of the 25 highest-paying jobs in the US and the Scrum Master jobs ranked the highest. Clearly, professionals with the PSM certification could lift their earning potential manifold compared to their non-certified counterparts.
Training from a Scrum.org endorsed training institute.
Get your exam access code
On successful completion of the PSM training, you will receive a password from Scrum.org via email. This password is your access to the exam. It has no-expiration date and is valid only for one attempt.
Practice Free Sample test
Start preparing with our free mock tests.
Attempt the online exam
Attempt the 1-hour online open-book exam consisting of 80 questions that include MCQs, MAQs, True/False questions.
Get the PSM certification from Scrum.org
Scrum.org provides the PSM certification with lifetime validity once you pass the PSM assessment with a minimum score of 85%.
How to motivate and lead a team of Scrum specialists who bring the benefits of Scrum to projects.
Gain a deeper knowledge of the fundamental aspects, roles, and attributes of the Scrum framework.
Understand the Scrum rules and a purpose of the practices through the empirical foundation of Scrum.
Understand the servant leadership and act as a Scrum Master for Scrum teams and Stakeholders.
Learn to resolve conflicts and tackle challenges to deliver the best at the end of every Sprint.
Get hands-on experience by implementing the Scrum framework, principles & practices to real projects.
Ensure individual and organizational growth in executing Scrum with professional training in Scrum.
Learn to address the changes in your organization which Scrum entails in an organizational setup.
Learn to apply the overall Scrum processes, principles, and practices in an effective manner.
Trained Over 3000+ Organizations and 250k+ Professionals globally in various domains/fields.
Our courseware is always updated with the latest advancements from Scrum.org. Stay globally relevant and empower yourself with the latest tools & techniques by PSTs.
Interact with instructors in real-time— listen, learn, question and apply. Our instructors are industry experts and deliver hands-on learning.
Learn directly from active practitioners engaged in implementing Scrum principles in real projects with scrum activities, team-based exercises & practical case studies.
Learn from the best in the field. Our mentors are all highly qualified and certified Professional Scrum Trainers from Scrum.org
Providing a wide range of resources like tutorials, articles, interview Q&A and Practice tests for all the courses.
Training was too good. The expert (Simran) explained to us in most simple terms and she had covered all topics with example. Very Good. As an improvement I would suggest to discuss few important assessment question in last session
I had a great experience with this well-structured course provided by Simran. I could learn the concept well with lots of cases, analogies and group discussions. Simran was kind, passionate, and patient making sure all of our questions were answered and created a friendly and inclusive atmosphere during the course. I will highly recommend it.
The workshop was very useful, since I took this workshop to upgrade my skills towards my career. The instructor who taught me was very specific and explained elaborately whatever my peers questioned. Thank You so much
It was the best training session I ever attended. Had it been a face to face actual classroom session, it could have been more enjoyable and helpful. Otherwise 10/10 for such an awesome online training session.. Happy to recommend it to those who wish to do PSM Certification.
The course was very engaging with a lot of collaborative assignments and group activities to help us understand the topic better. The sharing sessions from the class was good to help with a better understanding of certain concepts used.
Great learning experience in the PSM workshop. Got the certification done in my first attempt. Really appreciate the facilitation by Knowledge Hut.
PSM is the abbreviation for Professional Scrum Master™ and it entitles the job role of a facilitator for an agile development team. The Scrum Methodology revolves around the core principles that allow a team to self organize itself and manage tasks and situations quickly. The role of a PSM (Professional Scrum Master™) is to effectively act as servant leader and facilitator to a Scrum team, implementing Scrum best practices, Scrum tools and skillsets to create success.
A Professional Scrum Master™ is one who is responsible for managing the processes by understanding the Scrum values and principles. The job role of a PSM involves:
In order to be recognised as a Professional Scrum Master™, you have to undertake the Professional Scrum Master™ course, after which you have to attend and successfully pass the Professional Scrum Master™ Certification examination.
Depending on which gateway you choose to acquire knowledge from the Professional Scrum Master™ course, the entirety of the course can range from 2 days to a week. Also, one needs to have patience in order to choose the correct platform, learn the materials and courseware that are provided, undertake the course and finally attend and successfully pass the Professional Scrum Master™ certification examination.
All the institutions that are offering Professional Scrum Master™ certification are doing so at highly competitive rates and with that being said, it can be clearly understood that with patience and a thorough thought process one can complete the Professional Scrum Master™ course and become a certified Professional Scrum Master™ without having to worry about budget and affordability.
Once a candidate has undertaken the Professional Scrum Master™ course and earned their certification, their career will take a turn for the better.
Apart from being a mentor to other teams and companies, mentioned below are some of the other career options open to a certified Professional Scrum Master™.
The salary of a certified Professional Scrum Master™ depends on a lot of factors, ranging from how many years they have been in the profession to their other certifications and credentials. With that being said, the global median salary for a certified Professional Scrum Master™ is $75,500 per annum, according to ZipRecruiter.
Listed below are the different job profiles with the average salary for a Professional Scrum Master™.
Based on Job Role/ Designation:
| Job Profile/Designation | Average Salary |
| Software Engineer | $70,398 |
| Software Developer | $59,701 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $60,001 |
| Electrical Engineer | $62,209 |
| Financial Analyst | $50,950 |
| Operation Manager | $75,310 |
| Office Manager | $49,941 |
| Executive Assistant | $58,975 |
| Director of Operations | $106,933 |
| General/ Operation Manager | $75,639 |
| Administrative Assistant | $42,095 |
| Chief Financial Officer | $146,171 |
Based on City:
| City | Salary/Annum |
| Bangalore, Karnataka | Rs 908,457 - Rs 2,213,786 |
| Pune, Maharashtra | Rs 597,016 - Rs 1,882,785 |
| Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh | Rs 391,486 - Rs 1,768,743 |
| Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Rs 466,332 - Rs 1,350,000 |
| Mumbai, Maharashtra | Rs 610,419 - Rs 1,572,216 |
Based on Educational Qualifications:
| Educational Qualification | Salary/Annum |
| Bachelor of Engineering (BEng / BE) | Rs 469,792 - Rs 2,163,496 |
| Bachelor of Technology (BT / BTech) | Rs 579,310 - Rs 1,448,276 |
| Master of Computer Applications (MCA) | Rs 641,660 - Rs 1,493,770 |
| Bachelor of Science (BS / BSc) | Rs 599,407 - Rs 1,220,838 |
| Master of Business Administration (MBA) | Rs 1,185,000 |
PSM or Professional Scrum Master certification is for candidates who want to validate their knowledge of Scrum. The certification is available in three levels: I, II and III.
Before you start preparing for PSM certification, you should know that you are not required to take a course. All you need is the knowledge of the framework and concepts of Scrum. You can either take references from the internet or join a training institute. Here are some more tips that will help you prepare for the PSM certification exam:
Both, the CSM and PSM certifications, are focused on the software development process. There is no better certification in this space. Your preference will depend on your expectations from the certification and your personal goals. Here are some differences that will help you make the decision:
PSM certification is a little difficult and needs some bit of preparation. The passing score is 85% which is extremely high especially with a time limit of 60 minutes for 80 questions. That is why it is important to get training from an accredited training provider.
Like every other job, if you want to become a Scrum Master, you need to take specialization. When you have a PSM certification, it will demonstrate your ability and your knowledge of Scrum and how to apply it in real-world situations.
As soon as your online assessment is complete, the results will be available online and you will be able to download the PSM certification.
Here is how you can find the best PSM certification provider:
At present, PSM I certifications are for life; they do not expire.
With suitable certification, anyone can pass the PSM I certification.
The PSM I is an online exam that has 80 questions which must be done in 60 minutes. You need to get at least 68 correct answers for passing the exam. Since there is limited time, you need to get familiarized with these concepts as much as possible. Here are some tips for clearing the PSM I certification exam:
Once you have successfully passed the PSM I certification, you can start looking at advanced-level PSM Certifications - level II and III. These certifications will teach you how to handle complex situations that may arise in Scrum Management. PSM II focuses on real-world complicated problems while the PSM III certification helps experienced Scrum masters in handling complex organizations and teams effectively.
To study for the PSM certification, here are some tips that you can follow:
The benefits of undertaking a Professional Scrum Master™ course and earning a certification opens up several new doors and opportunities for a professional.
Some of the most significant ones are as mentioned below:
There are no skills required to attend the PSM Training. However, it is always a good option to go through the Scrum Guide before the training.
There are no fixed set of people to be eligible for Professional Scrum Master certification. PSM course is suitable for anyone who wants to enhance or deepen their knowledge of the Scrum framework and its applications.
It is particularly beneficial for those people who are working in the Industries such as Information Technology, Banking & Financial Services, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail Distribution, & Education using the Scrum framework or within an organization accountable for getting the most out of Scrum including Scrum Masters, Scrum Team members such as product owners and developers, Managers of scrum team, teams transitioning to Scrum and Professionals who want to build a career as a Scrum Master.
There are no prerequisites for attending the PSM Training.
The 2-day Professional Scrum Master™ course will cover all the Scrum.org rated curriculum and gives you hands-on knowledge and improve your skills at managing your team better.
Attending the PSM course is the most efficient pathway to becoming a certified Professional Scrum Master™.
The benefits include:
Effective Scrum Masters must have a deep understanding of best practices, terminology and values of Scrum. The three PSM certifications demonstrate that those who have achieved these levels are able to respond competently to challenging situations in the real-world context. The value of each certification is linked to the competency required to achieve it, and PSM holders are much in demand in the corporate world.
You can enroll into the PSM classroom training with just a few simple steps:
The main topics that are covered in the PSM training are as follows:
Yes, you will get access to training material for the PSM Course, which will be delivered to you in electronic format via emails.
The instructors of the PSM Course by KnowledgeHut are industry experts and professionals scrum trainers who themselves have Scrum Certification and are a part of Scrum.org.
There are two ways for accessing the PSM examination. They are as follows:
With training:
Without training:
The Professional Scrum MasterTM course from Scrum.org contains 80 questions which includes Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer and True/False. All the questions are set in English and one need to score 85% in order to successfully pass the exam. The exam is taken online with only 60 minutes to attempt all 80 questions. You are expected to answer at least 68 questions correctly in order to pass the exam. The PSM exam does not require a proctor attending the exam.
Focus Areas of PSM Assessment:
The passing score for the PSM Exam is 85% and the total duration of the examination is 60 minutes.
After attending the course, if you attempt the PSM exam within 14 days and do not score at least 85%, you will be given a 2nd attempt at no cost. You can take as many attempts as you require, but for each new attempt you will have to pay the requisite fee.
If you have taken a course from an authorised body, the exam fee will not be separately charged since the training fee is inclusive of the exam fee. If you choose not to take the course and want to take the exam directly, then a fee of 150$ is charged for the first attempt. Post that, for each retake, a fee of 150$ is charged, irrespective of the fact that you've taken the training or not.
Upon the completion of the PSM Course, you will receive a personal password from Scrum.org. This password has no expiration date and links to the specific page where you can take the exam and is valid for one attempt only .
There is no validity for any attempt.
Before applying for the actual certification and appearing for the real-time exam, you can take practice tests to assess your knowledge and cover your weak points in the curriculum. What's more, these free tests can be taken as many times as you want. You can attempt the practice tests here.
While it is not mandatory for a candidate to attend the training before taking the PSM Certification Exam, one can certainly benefit from it, because of the sheer amount of knowledge the industry leaders and trainers share in this course.
In order to clear the PSM assessment in one attempt you need to thoroughly understand the concepts that are being taught, interact with other resources, practice as much as possible and constantly revise whatever you have learnt so far.
Yes, until 100% is achieved.
No membership is required to pass the PSM 1 exam.
Yes, there is a certification for the Professional Scrum Master™ course. This certification allows you to be recognised as a Professional Scrum Master™ and hone your skills in Scrum theory, methodology, and practices.
The certification that you earn after successfully passing the Professional Scrum Master™ exam is provided by Scrum.org.
The process to earn the certification is to undertake the PSM Certification course and successfully pass the Professional Scrum Master™ certification examination. Following are the steps to get PSM certification easily:
Step1 : 16 hrs of high-quality training by KnowledgeHut
Attend 14-16hrs of intensive training delivered by PSTs
Step2: Get your exam access code
On successful completion of the PSM training, scrum.org will email you the password for exam access.
Step3: Practice Free Sample tests
Start preparing with our free mock tests
Step4: Attempt the online exam
Attempt the 1-hour online open-book exam consisting of 80 questions that include MCQs,MAQs, True/False questions
Step5: Get the PSM certification from Scrum.org
Scrum.org provides the PSM certification with lifetime validity once you pass the PSM assessment with a minimum score of 85%
Embark on your journey as a certified Professional Scrum Master
As soon as you complete the online assessment, your results are available online and you can download the PSM certification if you have passed the exam.
The Professional Scrum Master™ certification course has three levels of examination PSM I, PSM II and PSM III.
Most organisations require PSM I Level to represent yourself as a Scrum Master. Completing the PSM I Level, prepares you better to take up PSM II Certification since PSM II is more about real-time applications. Completion of PSM II, makes you better prepared for PSM III, after which you can become a certified trainer. While completing each of these levels is not mandatory, they do serve the purpose of enhancing your skills and making you better as a Scrum Master.
No, the Professional Scrum Master™ Certification is valid for a lifelong time period and thus does not require you to renew the same.
PDUs are defined as Professional Development Units which are issued by the Project Management Institute. A candidate is given access to the PDUs, when they complete the Scrum Master course. One PDU is awarded for one hour of training.
Every candidate is eligible for 14 PDUs and 14 SEUs on completing 14 hours of PSM training.
SEUs are Scrum Educational Units, issued by the Scrum Alliance. SEUs are the mark of educational experience needed to earn the CSP (Certified Scrum Professional) certification.
