New Requirements Effective 1 April 2012
There are important changes to the requirements to become a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). A new version of the CSM exam has been developed and beginning 1 April 2012, anyone wishing to become a CSM will need to achieve a passing score on the exam.
The new web-based exam has 35 questions and no time limit but must be completed within 60 days of taking a CSM course. You will be able to bookmark questions, change answers to questions, and even stop the exam, returning to it to complete the questions at a later time within the 60-day period.
After completing the exam, you will be shown any questions you answered incorrectly, but will not be shown a list of possible answers. This is an effort to balance the integrity and security of the exam questions with the opportunity for people to learn through the exam process.
If you do not pass the exam on the first attempt, you may retake it any time during the 60 sixty days following your CSM course. You may even re-take the exam immediately if you would like.
If you fail the exam a second time, you will need to pay a $25 exam fee to the Scrum Alliance before taking the exam a third time. The Scrum Alliance recommends that anyone who fails three times, re-take the CSM course before attempting the exam a fourth time.
Between 1 January and 31 March 2012
Between 1 January and 31 March 2012, anyone taking a CSM course will need to take the exam. But during this period no one will fail the exam. Instead, it is our understanding that these initial exams will be used to fine-tune questions and to determine an appropriate passing score.
The Scrum Alliance has indicated that the exam will be available in languages other than English but has not shared a list of planned languages or target dates for the translations.
Professional Development Units Required to Renew CSM Status
At the same time trainers were notified about the new CSM exam requirements, we were also told that Professional Development Units (PDUs) will be required to renew Scrum Alliance certifications, including CSM. We were told that the Scrum Alliance PDU program will be in place no later than January 2013.