Roopesh Janmanchi
Oct 08, 2024
4,783
20 mins
Although both are Scrum Master certifications and may sound almost similar that's not the case. Both are quite different from each other from their origin to their application, difficulty, hierarchy to the demand for individual certificates in the market.
The CSM stands for Certified Scrum Master whereas PSM stands for Professional Scrum Master, we have discussed both these terminologies in detail below, what is CSM/PSM, how one could get certified, their eligibility criteria, governing bodies, exam patterns and which certification will be the best for you? Just hold on, take your seat and get ready to dig deep down to know more.
Before going further, one should be aware of the basic terminology of what is scrum framework, it is a process that allows you to go through a complete development cycle with ease. You can work at your own pace but work towards the organisation's goal. Deliver the project on time but with job satisfaction. Yes, it is a practical way to work on software development by participating in daily stand-up meetings, accepting timelines for the sprint, discussing how to improve during the sprint retrospectives and closing backlogs one by one to finally deliver the product as per the customer expectation.
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The primary goal of this CSM certification course is to improve student understanding of Scrum methodologies and how they are used. It assists you in earning the title of Certified ScrumMaster®, a title granted by Scrum Alliance to practitioners who have finished a Certified Scrum Master certification course and proven their knowledge by passing the CSM exam.
Also Read: Best Scrum Practices
The professional Scrum Master certification helps a candidate understand the complexities of working with people and teams, preparing for product delivery, and mastering the role of a Scrum Master as a servant leader are all covered in the Professional Scrum Master certification course. The PSM course covers the core concepts of the Scrum and Agile movements through a combination of classroom lectures and team-based exercises using training materials provided by Scrum co-creator Ken Schwaber.
The PSM Certification has 3 Stages namely,
PSM I
PSM II
PSM III
Each stage has an individual PSM exam, syllabi, fees and certifications accordingly.
Also Read: Sprint in Agile
For CSM
Becoming a Certified Scrum Master is not rocket science, but it does require training and effort.
Follow these three steps, and you can become a Scrum Certified Master:
Exam Difficulty Level: The exam difficulty level falls under the easy category. It is an open-book exam, in which a candidate needs to score 74% to clear the exam.
Unlock Your Potential! Explore different Scrum Master Certification Levels and elevate your Agile leadership today!
For PSM
To be a Professional Scrum Master™, you must undertake the Professional Scrum Master™ course, and after that, pass the Professional Scrum Master™ Certification examination. You need to follow the given steps to get certified.
Exam Difficulty Level: The exam difficulty level falls under the moderate category, as compared to the CSM exam, there are 3 different levels, the time constraint is strict, and you have to attempt 80 questions in 60 minutes which counts to 45 seconds per question. The passing criteria is 84%.
Also Read: PSM 1 Exam Sample Questions
Difference Between CSM and PSM Certification
| Certified Scrum Master | Professional Scrum Master |
Governing Body | Scrum Alliance | Scrum.Org |
Training Requirement | Mandatory 2-day training from Registered Education provider | One can take a 2-day Professional Scrum Foundations or Professional Scrum Master course, but not mandatory. |
Training Material Availability | Scrum Master Certification Training Material is provided by the Institute where a candidate is undergoing 2-day training | Training Materials are created and maintained by Scrum Co-creator Ken Schwaber, Scrum.Org and the Community of PSTs who teaches the course |
Cost of Certification | CSM Certification and exam fee are all included in the CSM Certification cost. | The total cost of all PSM levels is US $900. Each Level carries a different Cost PSM I - US $ 150 PSM II - US $ 250 PSM III - US $ 500 |
Exam Difficulty Level | Scrum Master certification exam is much easier to clear exam | PSM is also an easy exam but, the difficulty level is higher compared to CSM Certification Exam. |
Exam Pass Percentage | Minimum Passing marks are 74% | Minimum Passing marks are 85% |
Exam Pattern | Multiple Choice Question | Level I & Level II are Multiple Choice Questions, Multiple Answer Questions and True/False Questions. For Level III combinations of MCQ and Open End Essay or Case Study. |
Certification Renewal Fee | CSM Certificate is valid for 2 Years and option to renew by paying USD $100 | No Expiry. Life Time Validity |
The Certified Scrum Master and the Professional Scrum Master are both luminary certifications, and both certifications have their own perks and benefits. Some of the well-known benefits of these certifications are:
Some major benefits of the CSM Certification are:
If you still believe that you be a scrum master and you do not require any certification, then you must think again and go through the below-mentioned points:
It is always debatable which course is better PSM or CSM. As mentioned above both CSM Certification and PSM Certification are two different Scrum certifications of the same .
To put it simply, CSM Certification from ScrumAlliance has more demand because of the mandatory 2 days of training. Scrum Alliance believes that professionals will understand concepts like the Scrum framework, roles, artefacts and events not by reading books or watching videos but rather by performing them in real life.
Attending a classroom is not mandatory for PSM, people who have complete knowledge and implementing Scrum in their projects for quite some time can go for PSM.
Boost Team Collaboration – Discover key Scrum Master Facilitation Techniques for successful sprints.
For CSM Certification: https://staragile.com/agile-and-scrum/csm-certification-training
For PSM Certification: https://staragile.com/agile-and-scrum/psm-certification-training
Also Read: What is Scrum Project Management
There is no doubt both certifications have a respectable place in the industry and are considered one of the most sought-after certifications for the Scrum Master. Considering the above points and the difference between CSM and PSM, CSM Certification can be viewed as a notch higher than PSM certification
According to the stats nearly 2500+ professionals getting trained in India on Scrum Master (CSM) Certification every month whereas PSM numbers are little less.
All the companies believe these practices will be adopted and applied only when they attend 2 days of CSM training from ScrumAlliance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is PSM Better than CSM?
If we consider the certifications, then CSM is just an elementary form of PSM1. The PSM offers more diversified, deep and organised learning as compared to CSM. As the PSM course is more advanced hence its exam is also more difficult to crack as compared to CSM.
Is CSM harder than PSM?
Well no, if we compare both then, PSM is more tricky and difficult than CSM. The CSM exam consists of 50 questions and the time allotted is 1 hour, whereas PSM1 consists of 80 questions in which a candidate needs to have 68 correct to pass the exam.
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