CSM vs A-CSM: Understanding Scrum Master Career Levels

Topic Scope: This guide aims to compare the Advanced Certified Scrum Master A-CSM and Certified Scrum Master CSM to assist Scrum practitioners along their career paths. Learn the importance of both the foundational and advanced certifications, along with the relevant prerequisites and experience, costs and learning outcomes, and the most effective certification order. Understand how both certifications aid the further development of your agile career.

I felt on top of the world two years ago when I received my CSM certification. The feeling was great, but it made me start thinking about what comes next. A-CSM? Maybe. But what is the right moment? And what is the actual difference? These questions consumed my thoughts, and I wanted to know the answer so I would not have to waste my time.

After talking to a number of CSM and A-CSM certified professionals and doing plenty of studies about certification journeys, I was able to develop a significant shift in my mindset. Today, I want to share how much I have learned about CSM vs A-CSM so that you, too, can make a better CSM certification pathway.

What is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) role?

CSM is the first level of Scrum certification offered by Scrum Alliance, focusing on the primary role of a Scrum Master. The goal of the CSM certification is to help practitioners understand the fundamental Scrum principles, values, roles, artefacts, and critical steps that help in the iterative delivery of value by teams.

CSM is focused on the Scrum attendance role of facilitating the removal of obstacles and guiding the teams on self-organisation. It is a piece of work that is very interesting and can be learnt by a person from any field. No prior agile knowledge is a must, and no lengthy stay in software development is a necessity, making the CSM certification requirements accessible to professionals from diverse backgrounds.

What is an Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) role?

An Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM) concentrates on the CSM certification fundamentals, and aims at improving the Scrum Master's deep-level skills in facilitation, coaching and complex team dynamics. The A-CSM certification is not just about "more Scrum knowledge," the philosophy is to change a ceremony facilitator into a proficient Scrum Master capable of nurturing teams to high performance.

The A-CSM practice is designed for Scrum Masters who have on record a minimum of a year of intentional work in the position. It aims at focusing on the 'easier' aspects of Scrum, which have become second nature, such as conflict management, individual coaching, organizational politics, and more, towards purposeful change.

Prerequisites and Experience Requirements

CSM has zero prerequisites, cover to cover. You could be a teacher, accountant, or construction manager and decide to become a Scrum Master, and become one tomorrow. The certification is there to welcome everybody.

A-CSM is a little more complicated. You must hold a CSM certification and have at least 12 months of experience working in the role of a Scrum Master. Scrum Alliance wants to be sure you've passed through some real challenges before even teaching the advanced techniques.

This requirement pertains to experience that is very reasonable. The coaching becomes relevant as advanced facilitation techniques sink in only after you have endured some trying retrospectives. The A-CSM curriculum has you working as a Scrum Master to extract context, demonstrating advanced Scrum Master skills beyond foundational knowledge.

Objectives Targeted and the Extent of the Curriculum

The CSM curriculum deals with basic aspects as:

• Theory and empiricism of Scrum
• Roles, artefacts and events
• Management of the Product Backlog
• Facilitation of Sprint Planning
• Coordination of Daily Scrum
• Techniques of Sprint Review and Retrospective
• Definition of Done
• Overview of scaling considerations

The A-CSM curriculum deals with advanced scenarios as:

• Techniques of professional coaching
• Facilitating conversations that are difficult
• Constructive management of team conflicts
• Self-organising teams development
• Effective serving of the Product Owner
• Removal of organisational impediments
• Scaling of Scrum across multiple teams
• Leadership in agile transformations
• Sustained agile development

The difference in depth is significant. CSM tells you what to do. A-CSM tells you what to do when the standard approaches fail.

Assessment Methods

There is a fundamental difference between the two levels in that the CSM has to complete an online test of 50 questions in under an hour. A score of 37, or 74% correct answers, is required to pass. This is a test of fundamental understanding of the Scrum framework. The overwhelming majority pass the exam on the first attempt after completing the mandatory two-day course.

To achieve this status, the more advanced A-CSM there approaches this candidate differently. For instance, there the examination is replaced with more unconventional ways of showing your proficiency in the material, through more engaging processes such as the simulations, coaching, and breakout sessions of the two-day training. In this instance, your certificate is more contingent, not as much on attendance, but rather completion of learning goals, in conjunction with your engagement in the process.

This difference in approach also shows in the maturity level. In the case of CSM, the candidate is required to demonstrate the skill. In the case of A-CSM, the candidate ends up gaining far more value, as does the institution, in A-CSM, gaining unmatched expertise in practical applications.

Ideal Candidates for CSM

If you are new to the agile world and are looking to embark on the career of a Scrum Master, CSM is a requirement. Investment in this certification will allow you to facilitate your very first Scrum team without any prior experience.

This certification is also useful for those professionals who collaborate with Scrum teams, but who do not hold the Scrum Master position. Product Owners, developers, project managers, and business analysts gain great value in the understanding of the Scrum processes. As a result, all teammates are able to speak the same language, which maximizes engagement in the project.

Benefits of CSM Certification

CSM grants numerous benefits:

• Access to the agile workforce is in high demand
• Solid groundwork to pursue further levels of certification
• Recognition by the Scrum Alliance worldwide
• Less expensive than higher-level certification
• Directly relevant to the team-level in-work practice
• Renewable every two years

CSM has always proved to be a useful certification. In my personal experience, I have seen individuals do training during the week, and by the next week, they had Scrum Master interviews. Employers are always looking for qualified individuals to fill the position, demonstrating strong Scrum Master job demand across industries.

CSM Learning Experience

Training for CSM that stretches over two days always feels long, yet it is satisfying. Instead of talking about Scrum, the trainers take you through simulations. Most of the providers of training and practice do a lot of interactive simulations, including Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Reviews and Sprint Retrospectives.

Stories from real life are taught to trainees during the course in a manner that emphasizes their importance. You'll come across different teams; some thrive, and some are unsuccessful until they come across an appropriate solution. These types of stories are taught in a manner such that they are unforgettable even after obtaining certification.

Ideal Candidates for A-CSM

After fulfilling the requirements and working for a minimum of a year, you are qualified to apply for the position of an active Scrum Master. After working for some time, you will understand how to conduct the majority of the ceremonies. In addition, you will have learned how to clear several obstacles that arise. This is the opportune time to polish your skills at the advanced level.

A-CSM is for professionals who deal with complex team interactions and team problems beyond the reach of standard Scrum approaches. You face conflicts among team members. The Product Owners have unreasonable expectations. Management promotes the agility paradox by encouraging traditional metrics. A-CSM prepares you for these situations.

The A-CSM certification comes with the following benefits:

• Advanced professional benefits
• The coaching and facilitation skills
• Ability to navigate tough team dynamics with ease
• Incumbent salary premiums relative to CSM-only practitioners
• Increased relevancy for roles in transformative enterprise change
• Gateway to Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)

A-CSM is for professionals who are the first point of contact in organizations for complex agile problems. You are not restricted to just ceremony facilitation. You are stewards of culture and people development, exemplifying essential Scrum Master qualities for organizational transformation.

A-CSM Learning Experience

The A-CSM training for two days is practice-heavy, with three hours allocated in the afternoon for an application session. You will tackle practical problems that pertain to issues Scrum Masters deal with challenges Scrum Masters face daily. The training presumes a certain level of competence in Scrum and gets to solving complex problems in minute details, following Scrum best practices for advanced facilitation.

Be ready for intensive coaching sessions. The feedback you get will help you in adjusting your style of facilitation. You will try different approaches to solving the same problem. The learning is an active process rather than passive.

CSM Investment Overview

Most providers and locations charge around $800 to $1,200 for CSM training. This covers the exam cost and the first two-year membership with the Scrum Alliance. Study materials, which include practice exams and reference guides, cost around $50 to $100.

The minimum possible total is $850 to $1,300. The membership renewal fee after every two years is $100, which is in addition to the requirement of earning 20 Scrum Education Units (SEUs), which reflects the reasonable CSM certification cost for foundational certification.

A-CSM Investment Overview

The cost of training for A-CSM is $1,000 to $1,500, which reflects the more advanced material and smaller class sizes. Materials for the training cost around $50 to $100, and there is no exam to be taken, thus no exam fee.

The minimum possible total is $1,050 to $1,600. The membership renewal fee after every 2 years is also $100, with the requirement of earning 20 SEUs.

There is no significant difference in costs. A-CSM is two A-CSM more expensive than CSM; however, the higher salary a practitioner earns suffices to pay off the training in 3-6 months.

Roles Available with CSM

Once you become certified as a CSM professional, you will be able to work as an entry to middle-level Scrum Master, or as a Scrum Master Facilitator. In this role, you will work with a single team, run, and facilitate a few ceremonies while removing some impediments. Titles you will acquire are: Scrum Master, Agile Project Coordinator, Team Facilitator, and Delivery Lead.

Salaries will depend on regions and industries. New CSM practitioners get 70,000$ and will work up to 90,000$ within a couple of years. After gaining some experience, after two to three years, income is raised from 90,000$ to 120,000$. There is a 20 to 30 percent premium in major tech hubs.

Roles Available with A-CSM

When you obtain an A-CSM, it will allow you to work in more senior and leadership roles. You will be able to work with more than two teams, where you will assist other Scrum Masters and spearhead some of the transformation programs. The titles you will obtain are: Senior Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Scrum Master Team Lead, and Transformation Consultant.

The A-CSM Working professionals earn 90,000 to 130,000$ with mid-level experience, which is considered a broader impact. Senior practitioners make 130,000$ to 150,000$ or even more. There are major markets where the enterprise coaching roles can exceed 170,000$.

Pick CSM if you:

• Are a beginner to Scrum and agile methodologies
• Want to quickly start a career as a Scrum Master
• Need a foundational certification for your role
• Prefer to spend less on certification
• I am yet to work as a Scrum Master

Pick A-CSM if you:

• Currently hold a CSM certification
• Have over 1 year of experience as a Scrum Master
• Work with constantly shifting team dynamics
• Desire to develop coaching skills
• Aspire to take on more senior or leadership positions

Do both if you:

• Are you looking to build an agile career in the long term
• Desire in-depth knowledge of Scrum
• Believe in constant self-improvement
• Are you willing to invest in a more rigorous certification program

The choice between CSM and A-CSM is subjective and custom to each individual's case. This is due to the fact that CSM offers the core fundamentals needed to embark on the journey to becoming a Scrum Master. A-CSM and CSM, in contrast, provide A-CSM the extra mastery needed to go beyond the fundamentals. Take the A-CSM and CSM certification courses in Techademy as part of your investing strategy and develop a rational approach to the integral relation between real-world experience and certification. This is needed in order to construct a proper framework for your career advancement strategy.