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™.

• Certified Scrummaster® (CSM®)
• Information Technology (IT) Consultant
• Senior Software Engineer
• Senior Business Analyst
• Systems Analyst
• Project Manager, Information Technology (IT)

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:

Based on City:

Based on Educational Qualifications:

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:

• Start with the Scrum Guide
• Familiarize yourself with the subject areas
• Take free practice tests at Scrum Open
• Practice with exam simulators
• Check out forum discussions and online articles

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:

• For the CSM certification, you will need to attend the 2-day training. You need to enrol yourself in an institute and submit assignments. You will have two attempts for passing the exam. For the PSM certification, you must purchase the password from Scrum.org. However, training is not mandatory for PSM certification.
• You need to have a score of at least 69% to get the CSM certification. For PSM, the minimum passing percentage is 85%.
• The CSM certification exam has only multiple-choice questions. PSM, on the other hand, has multiple choice, multiple answer, and true/false type questions.
• The cost of CSM certification can be between $400 to $2500 depending on the training provider. PSM certification costs depend on their levels with I, II and III available at $150, $250, and $500 respectively.
• CSM certification has 2-year validity. After 2 years, you will be required to pay $100 for renewing the certification. For PSM, there is no need for renewal.
• CSM is basic level certification, while PSM I has intermediate level of difficulty.

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:

• Established reputation in the industry
  KnowledgeHut has trained over 250k+ professionals from 3000+ organizations globally in different domains and fields.
• Scrum.org curriculum
  KnowledgeHut’s curriculum is updated with the latest Scrum advancements. We thus empower you with the latest tools and techniques from PSTs to stay globally relevant.
• Experiential workshops
  At KnowledgeHut, you will interact with instructors in real-time. So, you will be listening, learning, questioning, and applying. All the instructors are industry-experts who deliver hands-on training to the participants.
• Learn from practitioners
  Through KnowledgeHut, you will get an opportunity to learn from active practitioners who are implementing the principles of Scrum in real projects through scrum activities, practical case studies, and team-based exercises.
• Mentored by industry leaders
  KnowledgeHut gives you the opportunity to learn from the best in the field. All our mentors are certified professional trainers from Scrum-org.
• Solid Resource Support
  We also provide a wide range of resources including tutorials, practice tests, articles, and interview Q&A.

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:

• Stable internet connection
  The exam is taken online. So make sure that you have a stable internet connection. You should take the exam during the most stable internet connection hour.
• Select a peaceful time slot
  For getting better exam scores, you need to select a time slot during which you are most peaceful.
• Carefully read the questions
  Many times, multiple choice questions might seem similar.
• Beware of word tricks
  There are some common tricks used in the examination. So, you should learn how to differentiate between could vs should, participate vs attend.
• Use a timer while doing the practice exams
  This will ensure that you have the required speed for completing all the exams within the given timeframe.
• Keep moving ahead
  In case you are stuck on a question, skip it. Mark the question and come back to it later.

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:

• Read the Scrum guide. Whenever you have a tricky question, you can refer to it. It is 16 pages long and can help clear up the Scrum concepts.
• Take the Open Assessments provided from the Scrum.org until you are able to get 100% in all the tests. You can also take the Product Owner open assessment that will prepare you to solve complex questions that might be asked during the exam.
• Search for a professional Scrum community and join it. You will be able to find explanations for any questions that you might have. Check out the discussions on Scrum.org.
• Take a paid Scrum Master training from KnowledgeHut. They will help you with any confusing or difficult questions that you might have.