This question is ambiguous to start with. Every scrum certification is known for its prowess in Scrum management on agile frameworks amid complex projects. There are numerous accreditation bodies conferring certifications for scrum management. But knowing the best as per your organizational needs and country of origin matters the most if you are someone who works in North American nations than you might prefer PSM. While if you are from EU nations, then you will go for SAFe 4.0.
Your preference changes as per the needs of the organization you work for. But to be on a safer side, you must know that the certifications that we have included in our lists are A+ listed and globally recognized certifications. These certifications are fit for providing promising job positions such as scrum master, Scrum coach, and Product owner and managers.
We will be vocal about the prerequisites, job opportunities, examination cost, training cost, and the salary prospects with these certifications.
Why should you opt for scrum certifications?
Besides in-depth knowledge about scrum, these scrum certifications are a catalyst in enhancing your scale. You become marketable and dependable for your organization. You are a pioneer in bringing about the Agile change in a scrum way in your organization. These certifications are valid for your deliverables in project iterations and bringing continuous improvement.
It follows a ladder approach where from your development team, you get certified as a scrum master and further to become a Product owner. You review sprints and sprint plans, along with daily stand-ups, you do the sprint retrospection, product & sprint backlog, and product increment.
CSM or certified Scrum Master
Conferred by the accreditation body Scrum Alliance is a great credential for scrum masters. Who can build teams, manage them along with the roles of a product owner, and help the development team as well? With this certification, you can work as a Product Owner, Product manager, and Scrum Master, Coach, and scrum mentor.
You will be drawing a salary of $90000-$1250000 in these roles with this certification. The overall training cost is between $1200, and that includes the price of the handbook, practice exams, and online/offline training costs. The exam voucher depends upon the money value of your country’s currency and can range from $699-$1499 globally. At the same time, the only prerequisite is knowledge and understanding of the Scrum framework.
PSM or Professional Scrum Master
The only prerequisite for PSM is knowledge of the scrum framework and can be opted by any professional whether to form an IT or Non-IT background. This is an advanced level Scrum certification that can help you work as a professional coach, mentor, product owner, and associate scrum master.
The certification conferring and governing body are Scrum.org. As far as its examination is concerned, you will get 80 MCQs to answer within an hour, where you need to score 80% to pass the examination. The average salary you can draw with this certification is around $11000 per annum. The certification cost is the same all over the world, and that is $150. At the same time, the training cost lies in between $950-%1250 depending upon the local chapters and their pricing policies.
Scrum Master Certified or SMC
The accreditation body of SMC is the SCRUM study. This is also a popular Scrum certification course that can help you to work in scrum management roles, including product owner’s and project manager’s roles. The only preferred prerequisite is having an SDC certified professional certification. The examination cost is $450 while you earn more than $125000 per annum with this specialized global certification. The examination contains 100 questions to answer within 120 minutes.
SAFe 4.0 Scrum Master or SSM
The accreditation body of SSM certification is Scaled Agile. You will get 45 MCQs to solve within 90 minutes, and you have to score 83% to pass the examination. It can help you draw a salary of $100500 per annum.
Certified Scrum Professional or CSP-SM
It’s another brilliant initiative from Scrum Alliance that has a strict prerequisite and is recommended to scrum professionals and agile practitioners. The prerequisites include a CSM certification, two years of professional scrum experience as a scrum master. And lastly, attending a CSP-SM workshop. This certification is the zenith level certification in scrum management specially designed for educators, professors, and high-level scrum masters.
The cost of certification is around $1300. With this certification, you can work with any organization in any senior project manager role. The salary you draw is hefty and sits around $120000 per annum.
