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Professional Scrum Master I: Complete Certification, Exam and Preparation Guide

Understand what PSM I tests, what it takes, and whether it fits your goals

Validates fundamental Scrum theory, the Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams. Examine the PSM I assessment, preparation demands, pricing, prerequisites, renewal expectations, and skills it can demonstrate. Compare the credential with adjacent options from Scrum.org before deciding whether it belongs in your professional development plan.

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Credential overview

Professional Scrum Master I: What the certification covers and who it suits

Professional Scrum Master I validates fundamental Scrum theory, Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams.

Professional Scrum Master I validates fundamental Scrum theory, Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams. Candidates gain a structured understanding of how Scrum supports focus, learning, and value delivery in complex work.

ScrumScrum MasterAgile deliveryEmpiricismScrum.org

Who should take it

Choose PSM I if you are new to Scrum, preparing for a Scrum Master accountability, or want to strengthen your understanding as a developer, Product Owner, manager, or team member. It is a strong foundation before more advanced Scrum or agile leadership study.

Best for

PSM I fits aspiring Scrum Masters, developers, Product Owners, project and delivery professionals, agile team members, coaches, and managers who work with Scrum. It is especially useful for candidates who want a solid framework foundation before taking on facilitation, coaching, or organizational-change responsibilities.

Why it matters

PSM I can demonstrate a credible Scrum foundation for professionals working in product delivery and agile teams. It is valuable for candidates seeking a common language around Scrum, while effective Scrum Master work still depends on facilitation, coaching, product understanding, and the ability to help a team improve in context.

Requirements

No formal Scrum role is required, but candidates benefit from experience working on a team or delivering a product. Preparation should go beyond memorizing terms: read the Scrum Guide carefully, observe how events and artifacts support empiricism, and reflect on the accountability boundaries that often become blurred in real organizations.

Best fit

Who Professional Scrum Master I is best suited for

PSM I fits aspiring Scrum Masters, developers, Product Owners, project and delivery professionals, agile team members, coaches, and managers who work with Scrum. It is especially useful for candidates who want a solid framework foundation before taking on facilitation, coaching, or organizational-change responsibilities.

Who should take it

Choose PSM I if you are new to Scrum, preparing for a Scrum Master accountability, or want to strengthen your understanding as a developer, Product Owner, manager, or team member. It is a strong foundation before more advanced Scrum or agile leadership study.

Best for

PSM I fits aspiring Scrum Masters, developers, Product Owners, project and delivery professionals, agile team members, coaches, and managers who work with Scrum. It is especially useful for candidates who want a solid framework foundation before taking on facilitation, coaching, or organizational-change responsibilities.

Career value

Career value of Professional Scrum Master I

PSM I supports Scrum Master, agile team member, delivery professional, Product Owner, developer, coach, and product-management pathways. It can establish a recognized Scrum foundation, while real team outcomes and facilitation or coaching experience remain important for progression.

PSM I can demonstrate a credible Scrum foundation for professionals working in product delivery and agile teams. It is valuable for candidates seeking a common language around Scrum, while effective Scrum Master work still depends on facilitation, coaching, product understanding, and the ability to help a team improve in context.

Learning outcomes

Professional Scrum Master I: Skills and learning outcomes the certification is designed to validate

Use the Professional Scrum Master I outcomes as a capability checklist. For every major topic, ask whether you can apply it independently, justify a choice, recognise a poor approach, and communicate the result in the kind of work the credential supports.

  • Explain Scrum theory, empiricism, and Scrum Values
  • Describe the accountabilities within a Scrum Team
  • Understand the purpose of Scrum events, artifacts, and commitments
  • Recognize common misunderstandings that weaken Scrum application
  • Apply Scrum concepts to improve transparency, inspection, and adaptation

Tags and keywords

Certification tags and search topics

ScrumScrum MasterAgile deliveryEmpiricismScrum.orgProfessional Scrum Master IPSM I certificationScrum Master certificationScrum fundamentalsScrum.org PSM Iagile Scrum training

Reference

Quick facts

Provider
Scrum.org
Code
PSM I
Level
Foundational
Credential type
Professional certification
Active exams
1
Known price
$200
Study time
25-50h
Last verified
Sep 8, 2026
Register

Provider

Scrum.org

Scrum.org

Private company

Exam details

Professional Scrum Master I: Exam structure and assessed capability

A useful Professional Scrum Master I exam plan starts with the official objectives and format. Identify heavily tested themes, note where applied reasoning matters, and use practice work to expose gaps that passive reading can easily hide.

PSM I

Professional Scrum Master I Assessment

Online assessment using multiple-choice, multiple-answer, and true-or-false questions as specified on the official assessment page

Official exam
Type
Written
Delivery
Online
Duration
60 min
Questions
80

Passing score: 85 Percentage

Exam sections

01

PSM I

Professional Scrum Master I Assessment examines how candidates understand and apply psm i within the wider credential scope. This area connects core concepts to the decisions, dependencies, and consequences practitioners encounter when carrying out the work described by validates fundamental Scrum theory, the Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams.

Question notes

Expect this topic to appear through scenario interpretation, objective questions, or practical tasks consistent with the overall Professional Scrum Master I Assessment format. No separate question count or timing is assigned unless the provider publishes one.

Preparation tips

Build a small practice scenario around psm i and complete it without relying on step-by-step prompts. Afterwards, explain why each decision was appropriate and identify the signal that would have changed your approach.

02

PSM I Assessment

This area concentrates on psm i assessment as it appears in realistic tasks and scenarios. Candidates need to recognize the relevant inputs, choose a defensible approach, and understand how the result supports validates fundamental Scrum theory, the Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams.

Question notes

Candidates may encounter psm i assessment through comparisons, troubleshooting prompts, configuration choices, analysis, or applied exercises. Exact distribution can change with the active exam form.

Preparation tips

Practise explaining psm i assessment to a technical peer without reading definitions. Then validate the explanation by completing representative tasks and checking whether your result satisfies the intended objective.

03

Fundamental

Fundamental forms a distinct part of the capability assessed in Professional Scrum Master I Assessment. The section brings together terminology, working methods, common constraints, and the judgment needed to deliver validates fundamental Scrum theory, the Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams.

Question notes

Expect this topic to appear through scenario interpretation, objective questions, or practical tasks consistent with the overall Professional Scrum Master I Assessment format. No separate question count or timing is assigned unless the provider publishes one.

Preparation tips

Review a realistic artifact connected to fundamental—such as a configuration, report, backlog, model, log set, or design—and identify both correct practice and subtle weaknesses that an assessment could probe.

04

Accountability

Questions or tasks in this area explore accountability from both conceptual and operational perspectives. Strong performance depends on connecting the topic to the broader responsibility of validates fundamental Scrum theory, the Scrum Master accountability, empiricism, values, events, artifacts, commitments, and application within Scrum Teams.

Question notes

Candidates may encounter accountability through comparisons, troubleshooting prompts, configuration choices, analysis, or applied exercises. Exact distribution can change with the active exam form.

Preparation tips

Use a lab, case study, or worked example to connect accountability to observable outcomes. Deliberately introduce one incorrect assumption, diagnose its effect, and document the correction in your own words.

Study effort

Professional Scrum Master I: Preparation strategy and expected study effort

Effective Professional Scrum Master I preparation moves from scope review to active practice. Learn the core concepts, apply them in realistic tasks, test recall and judgment, and reserve enough time to close gaps rather than cramming near the exam date.

Study time

25-50h

Difficulty

Recommended experience

3 months

Practice exam useful
Hands-on lab useful

Exam cost

Professional Scrum Master I: Exam price and the full cost of earning the certification

Use the structured fee rows for the latest known amount and compare region, tax, voucher, or membership notes before registering.

$200

United States

Standard priceTax may vary

Prerequisites

What to know before starting Professional Scrum Master I

No formal Scrum role is required, but candidates benefit from experience working on a team or delivering a product. Preparation should go beyond memorizing terms: read the Scrum Guide carefully, observe how events and artifacts support empiricism, and reflect on the accountability boundaries that often become blurred in real organizations.

Career fit

Roles and skills connected to this certification

Explore the roles and skills most directly connected to this certification, then use those paths to compare adjacent credentials.

RoleScrum Master

A Scrum Master enables effective Scrum by improving team collaboration, facilitation, transparency, and the removal of obstacles to empirical product delivery.

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RoleAgile Coach

An agile coach helps teams and leaders improve how they discover work, collaborate, learn from delivery, and apply agile principles in their operating context.

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RoleAgile Project Manager

Oversees projects utilizing agile, hybrid, and iterative methodologies, focusing on adaptive planning, stakeholder engagement, and efficient delivery through cross-functional teams.

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RoleProduct Owner

A product owner maximizes product value by making transparent decisions about goals, backlog order, stakeholder input, and what the team should learn next.

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SkillScrum Framework

Scrum Framework skill is the ability to apply Scrum's accountabilities, events, artifacts, commitments, and empirical principles to complex product work.

17 certificationsExplore
SkillAgile Delivery

Delivering work iteratively using agile principles, emphasizing adaptive planning, rapid feedback loops, and collaborative team efforts to produce value incrementally.

25 certificationsExplore
SkillScrum Facilitation

Scrum facilitation is the ability to design and guide Scrum conversations so teams inspect progress, make decisions, and improve without losing ownership of their work.

6 certificationsExplore
SkillAgile Leadership

Agile leadership is the ability to create organizational conditions in which teams can learn, make decisions, and deliver value through transparent, adaptive ways of working.

6 certificationsExplore

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Related domains and industries

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