Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Seems the Scrum certification battles are heating up! The Scrum.org group founded by Ken Schwaber, the original co-founder of Scrum who broke with Scrum Alliance a couple years ago due to his dissatisfaction of where that group was heading, has now made obtaining their Scrum Master certifications such as the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) simply a matter of taking and passing their online assessments:
The Professional Scrum Master level 1 (PSM I) assessment is available to anyone who wishes to validate his or her fundamental knowledge of the Scrum framework and its application. Those that pass the assessment will receive the industry recognized PSM I Certification to demonstrate their mastery of the content.
Taking a course is not required. While a 2-day Professional Scrum Foundations or Professional Scrum Master course is highly recommended, if you feel you already possess a high level of Scrum knowledge, you have the option to take the PSM I assessment directly. The PSM I assessment is grounded in the Scrum Body of Knowledge at Scrum.org, but is quite difficult. Parts of the assessment may ask the taker to think about or interpret the meaning from the Scrum Guide. Or, in some cases, apply their own experience.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Scrum Alliance take a similar route and I would imagine that this will have implications for those who make their living as Scrum trainers and coaches.
The Professional Scrum Master level 1 (PSM I) assessment is available to anyone who wishes to validate his or her fundamental knowledge of the Scrum framework and its application. Those that pass the assessment will receive the industry recognized PSM I Certification to demonstrate their mastery of the content.
Taking a course is not required. While a 2-day Professional Scrum Foundations or Professional Scrum Master course is highly recommended, if you feel you already possess a high level of Scrum knowledge, you have the option to take the PSM I assessment directly. The PSM I assessment is grounded in the Scrum Body of Knowledge at Scrum.org, but is quite difficult. Parts of the assessment may ask the taker to think about or interpret the meaning from the Scrum Guide. Or, in some cases, apply their own experience.
Posted on: September 09, 2013 08:40 AM |
Permalink