Prep
CSM vs PSM: the core difference
The CSM vs PSM decision is mainly a choice between a course-based and an exam-based certification. Both prove you understand Scrum and the Scrum Master role, and both are offered by organisations closely tied to Scrum's origins.
- CSM (Certified ScrumMaster) comes from Scrum Alliance. You must attend a course taught by a Certified Scrum Trainer, then pass a short online test.
- PSM I (Professional Scrum Master I) comes from Scrum.org. No course is required. You buy an assessment password and take a harder online exam whenever you are ready.
Neither is officially more senior than the other, and many job ads list them together as interchangeable options. Hiring managers usually care more about whether you can apply Scrum with a real team than about which badge you hold. The differences that matter are cost, how you learn, how hard the exam is, and whether you must keep paying to stay certified. All facts below come from the official Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org pages, checked in November 2026.
| CSM | PSM I | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Scrum Alliance | Scrum.org |
| Course | Required (16 hours) | Optional |
| Exam | 50 questions, 60 min, 37 to pass | 80 questions, 60 min, 85% to pass |
| Upfront cost | USD 250 to 2,495 (course incl. test) | USD 200 per attempt |
| Renewal | USD 100 + 20 SEUs every 2 years | None, lifetime |
Side-by-side comparison
| CSM (Scrum Alliance) | PSM I (Scrum.org) | |
|---|---|---|
| Course required | Yes: 16 hours with a Certified Scrum Trainer, usually over 2 to 3 days | No (a 2-day course is optional) |
| Exam questions | 50 multiple choice | 80: multiple choice, multiple answer and true/false |
| Time limit | 60 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Pass mark | 37 of 50 (74%) | 85% |
| Attempts | Two included in the course; pass within 90 days of finishing the course | One per USD 200 password; passwords do not expire |
| Cost | USD 250 to 2,495 for the course, which includes the test (Scrum Alliance figure from public course prices as of October 2023) | USD 200 per attempt (taxes may apply) |
| Renewal | Every 2 years: USD 100 plus 20 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) | None: lifetime certification, no annual fee |
| Membership | Scrum Alliance membership included on passing | - |
| Exam languages | Check with your trainer | English, Japanese; Simplified Chinese via scrum.org.cn |
The CSM pass mark of 74% is our arithmetic from Scrum Alliance's figure of 37 correct answers out of 50.
What both exams test: the Scrum Guide
Whichever you choose, the content comes from the same place: the Scrum Guide, the short official definition of Scrum written by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. Both exams expect you to know it well. The core pieces are:
- Three accountabilities: the Scrum Master, the Product Owner and the Developers, together forming the Scrum Team.
- Five events: the Sprint, which contains Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, the Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective.
- Three artifacts and their commitments: the Product Backlog (Product Goal), the Sprint Backlog (Sprint Goal) and the Increment (Definition of Done).
- The Scrum values and empiricism: transparency, inspection and adaptation, and the values of commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage.
Typical exam traps include who is accountable for what (for example, who owns the Product Backlog or who decides how work gets done), what happens when a Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, and which events are time-boxed and how. The Scrum Guide has been revised over the years; the version published on scrumguides.org is the November 2020 edition. Study that text directly rather than an older summary, because terms such as Developers and Product Goal changed in 2020 and outdated material still circulates online.
Because the source material is identical, preparing for one exam also prepares you for the other. Some people take the CSM course for the learning and add the PSM I later as a low-cost second credential.
Cost over five years
Most comparisons stop at the upfront price. Renewal changes the picture, so here is what each costs over roughly five years, assuming you pass first time:
| Scenario | Year 0 | Renewals in 5 years | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSM I, self-study | USD 200 | USD 0 | USD 200 |
| PSM I, with official Scrum.org course | Course price (includes one attempt) | USD 0 | Course price |
| CSM, lowest course price | USD 250 | 2 x USD 100 = USD 200 | USD 450 |
| CSM, highest course price | USD 2,495 | 2 x USD 100 = USD 200 | USD 2,695 |
CSM renewals fall at years 2 and 4, so a five-year window includes two of them. Renewal also needs 20 SEUs each time. Some SEU activities are free, but they take time. Course prices are set by individual trainers and vary by region, format and class size, so check current quotes before you decide.
Which exam is harder?
On paper the PSM I is clearly harder: more questions in the same 60 minutes (80 instead of 50) and a higher pass mark (85% instead of 74%). That gives you about 45 seconds per question, and room for only a handful of mistakes.
The CSM test comes after 16 hours of live instruction on the same material, and you get two attempts within 90 days included. Scrum Alliance designs it to confirm what the course taught.
Neither organisation publishes pass rates on these pages, so we will not quote one. In our view, the PSM I demands precise knowledge of the Scrum Guide's wording, because many questions turn on exact definitions of accountabilities, events and artifacts.
Which one should you choose?
This is our editorial recommendation based on the official requirements.
| Your situation | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tight budget, comfortable with self-study | PSM I | USD 200 total if you pass first time, and it never needs renewing. |
| Employer pays for training | CSM, or the official PSM course | You get structured learning; compare which credential local job ads mention. |
| New to Scrum and want to learn with others | CSM | The mandatory course gives you a trainer and discussion, not just a test. |
| Already working in a Scrum team | PSM I | Your experience plus the Scrum Guide is often enough preparation. |
| Want a credential that never lapses | PSM I | Lifetime, with no renewal fee. |
| Want to keep progressing within one body | Either | Both offer advanced Scrum Master levels (Scrum Alliance's A-CSM, Scrum.org's PSM II), so pick the ecosystem you prefer. |
If you are also weighing broader project management credentials, see PMP vs CAPM; both PMI exams test agile approaches alongside predictive ones.
How to prepare
For the PSM I
- Read the Scrum Guide several times. It is short, and the exam is built on it.
- Write out the accountabilities (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developers), events and artifacts in your own words, then check them against the Guide.
- Take timed practice sets at the real pace: 80 questions in 60 minutes.
- Book your attempt when you are scoring well above 85% on questions you have not seen before.
If you take Scrum.org's official live PSM course, it includes a free PSM I attempt. If you use that password within 14 days and score below 85%, Scrum.org grants a second attempt at no extra cost.
For the CSM
- Choose a Certified Scrum Trainer. Compare price, format and class size, since these vary widely.
- Read the Scrum Guide before the course so you can use class time for questions.
- Take the test soon after the course, while it is fresh. You have 90 days and two attempts.
- Put your renewal date in your calendar and start collecting SEUs early.
PrepVerdict does not have a dedicated Scrum practice test yet. Our free project management practice test includes agile and hybrid scenario questions that are good warm-ups for Scrum thinking. For both exams, short and frequent self-testing works better than rereading. Our guide to active recall explains why, and how to pass an exam covers multiple-choice tactics.