Things to Ponder for CSM Certification in US

As more and more organisations are embracing agile methodology, the need for candidates with Scrum related certifications are on the rise. One such Scrum related certification which is in vogue is the ‘Certified Scrum Master’ Certification offered by Scrum Alliance. Due to its relatively easier syllabus and handholding available, more and more professionals are opting to get a CSM certification which acts as a boost to their career.

There are certain prerequisites to get a CSM certification. One such prerequisite is to attend a Certified Scrum Master Training which takes the candidate one step closer to get the certificate.

Also since the CSM Training will be conducted by experienced professionals from the Industry, the candidates get to learn a lot from them and also get to learn the necessary problem solving skills from the instructor as well as from the experience of other candidates during the group activities.

Introduction to CSM

Are you a Software Developer, Team lead, member of the testing team, technical architect, Project or Program Manager or a PMP aspirant or PRINCE2 Practitioner who is keen to acquire the knowledge of Scrum and its framework and implement the same in their organisation? Then CSM is the right certification which helps you to achieve your goals.

Upon attending the 2 day CSM training, the participants will get a 2 year membership in Scrum Alliance and gain 16 SEUs that is required to obtain the certification.

The training will be conducted by highly experienced Certified Scrum Trainers and spans for 14-hours of online and 16-hours of in-person training.

Learning Objectives of CSM

The basis of Learning Objectives of CSM includes:

• Agile Manifesto for software development that comprises four values and 12 principles.
• Values associated with Scrum
• Scrum Guide
• Guide level feedback of Scrum Alliance

Categorisation of the Learning Objectives is as follows:

• Lean, Agile, and Scrum
• Core Competencies of the ScrumMaster
• Facilitating the Development Team
• Facilitating the Product Owner
• Facilitating the Organization

Examination Format:

• It is an open book evaluation
• The exam will be for a duration of 60 minutes.
• There will be 50 questions.
• Multiple choice questions .
• Candidates have to answer 37 questions correctly.
• The examination is available in 13 languages

Candidates can refer to the Scrum guide if they get struck while answering the questions.

Advantages of CSM certification

1. Scrum Masters play a key role in implementation of Scrum and Agile in the organisation and are responsible for the overall health of the team.
2. Help the team members to adopt Agile and Scrum techniques thus ensuring the organisation’s success.
3. Scrum Certification enables professionals to be knowledgeable in mitigating risks, boost communication skills and coach the team better.
4. The Certified Professionals will be able to work proficiently in a team with the required team spirit and boost the other team member’s spirit to accomplish organisation goals.
5. It helps to boost the career opportunities and gives a privilege over other non-certified professionals during the hiring process.
6. A Certified Scrum master is one of the highest paid jobs across the world.
7. CSM certified professionals can easily partake in team meetings due to the strong foundational knowledge of Scrum and Agile and take on better challenges.
8. The quality of the deliverables will be top-notch when a Certified Professional is involved as he/she will be aware of all the nuances involved in the Scrum Technique.
9. It will help the Organisation to get projects as the prospective clients will be more confident looking at the certification of the team member which assures them of a good quality product.
10. The Certifications help to be on par with the current market standards.

What next after CSM certification?

• The certification has 2 years validity.
• CSM Certified professionals get a free 2-year membership with Scrum Alliance
• They get invited to the Scrum gatherings that happen across the globe and
• Further they can read and submit articles related to Scrum and contribute to the society in the form of articles or blogs or books.
• At the end of 2 years, they can choose to renew the certification by paying 100 USD as renewal fee and maintaining the required SEUs.
• Also earning an Advanced Scrum Alliance certification such as Advanced Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Professional®- Scrum Master or the Agile Leadership certifications will automatically renew the current certifications.